I had the privilege of travelling with the PGC Basketball directors through the ‘research triangle’ in North Carolina one year. We called it the ‘Tobacco Road Tour‘. And it covered Durham (Duke), Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina), Winston-Salem (Wake Forest) and Raleigh (NC State).
Here are some thoughts from our time at the Duke Men’s Basketball practice we attended:
- Coach Mike Krzyzewski started the practice with a brief talk to the team about remembering to acknowledge and thank the people around you that help make their experience possible. “When someone does something good, give a handshake… say thank you.” [SB: I need to write a separate blog on how extraordinarily different the Duke culture is from any other I’ve seen.]
- “A smart player is a better player. Be smart and help each other be smart.“
- All players echoed commands (e.g. play calls from teammates or coaches)
- “If you pass slow, you run slow. Our (fast break) begins with the pass. Strong pass will lead to a strong break.“
- Keywords offensively = SPACING & BALANCE.
- “Think as a scorer.” Can’t afford wasted opportunities.
/sef.
