The Sufis have a saying, “Before you kill the cat, make arrangements for the mice.” There’s been quite a bit of buzz around Kobe’s – then LeBron’s – comments on the state of youth basketball in America and the AAU’s role in it. “Kobe Bryant believes European basketball players are more skillful than American basketball players, …
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” — Dr. Seuss I’ve been away… Offline, that is, for quite some time. An inordinate …
The teacher-coach that I am now is substantially different from who I was in the 1990s and early 2000s. When asked recently why that is, the response comes easily: Mario DeSisti. Granted I’ve had a number of basketball mentors (see: Mike MacKay) who have had – and continue to have – a profound impact on …
I attended a fantastic basketball clinic that featured renowned European coach Jasmin Repeša. Coach Repeša has risen through the ranks of international basketball, first as a player and now as a coach. Aside from being the Croatian National team coach, Repeša has also recently worked with Euroleague contender Lottomatica Roma and previously won two Turkish …
We lost a hard fought, well coached, game last night to the Argentines in overtime at the U16 FIBA Americas. Wow, what a basketball game… what an environment to play in! Our boys got their first taste of the passion and fire that comes along with international basketball yesterday. And, there’s no better way to …
After and 8-hour red eye, 12-days ago en-route to Buenos Aires (called B’s & A’s as I learned), I turned to my partner in crime, Cat, and said something to the effect: “…I really don’t think those sleeping pills worked. I slept no problem and didn’t feel the effects.” You see, I’m not one for …
Quick follow up on my previous post on the traveling as it’s called in the FIBA game. Here’s a video posted by Basketball Manitoba but published by FIBA for the development of officials. The points of emphasis when making a determination are: If a player starts a dribble while moving, the pivot foot may not …
OLYMPICS Olympic basketball… hopefully you were able to watch many of the games – especially between two non-US teams. I did when I could, but was at the whim of the NBC broadcast which limited me to only the games that USA was playing in. I will reserve much of my subjective thoughts to myself …
A newly minted friend in the US, William Sheldon, spoke about culture recently. He said, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘culture is held (or staged) in conversations.‘ Culture is defined, and lived, in the way we talk about ourselves and each other; it’s found in our interactions. Think about that for a moment. Read it again… …
I try not to make too many bold-faced assertions… BUT, I’m going to. FIBA Assist Magazine is by far the *best* basketball publication that I’ve ever seen! PERIOD. It’s content laden and without any annoying ads dominating its pages. Better yet, it seeks to give a varied opinion of global perspectives on the game of …