The PGC Blog

Excuses are for mediocre players. Forget them. There are thousands of excuses available to all losers. To have a good excuse is to have what every other loser in the history of the world has had. Don’t make the ridiculous mistake of thinking that your particular brand of excuse is somehow more valid than the last 20 million that have been uttered.

If you have attended PGC before you understand the feeling of leaving PGC and feeling so passionate about the wealth of information you gained. You have special memories of what it was like to play in a gym full of SCHAPE’d athletes, and you are pondering just how special it could be for your team at home to give you that same feeling. Here are some ideas on the best way to share this newfound information with your coach.

During a court side interview during the 1st Annual Don Meyer Classic on ESPNU, Coach Meyer shared these three rules that he demanded of all all his players and coaches.

It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to meet a true basketball coaching legend. I had that very privilege recently when I shared a meal and time with the tremendous basketball coach and human being, Don Meyer. Coach Meyer is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA men’s basketball history and recently retired as head coach at Northern State University. More impressive than his coaching accomplishments has been the storied journey he’s gone through in battling cancer and a horrific car accident.

When your coach tells you how he wants you to do something, if you understand what he is telling you, nod to him. This seems like an obvious thing, and hardly a tip for a good basketball player yet very often players fail to do this. Nodding to the coach tells him you understand his instruction, and more importantly it gives the coach a good feeling about telling you.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a little extra love? If you want to be loved by your basketball coach (and this can apply to your teachers, a boss, or even your parents), follow these three simple rules.

Excuses hurt teams, not just because they waste time and kill team morale (and a coach’s morale), but because they reveal that the player making them has a very off-line focus. An excuse-maker can’t possibly be using his energy thinking about how to enhance what is going on or about to go on because, obviously, he is putting his time into explanations and justifications.

One of the great pleasures that comes with being involved in PGC Basketball is getting to interact with basketball coaches and players who desire championship-level growth in their game. Because of that, I often find myself reflecting on ‘what’ we teach and ‘why’ we teach it.