His post talks about branding yourself. It has some very interesting points and it comes at the right time especially since basketball tryouts and the last NCAA evaluation period of the year are approaching. That means players will be putting themselves in position to impress and stand out so team coaches and college coaches can see them.

Here are some interesting points:

What are your favorite brands?
Nike? Apple? Facebook? BMW? Vitamin Water?

Do you consider people to be brands? Well they are! The most obvious is Michael Jordan (heck, his company is called the Jordan Brand). What about Donald Trump, Jay-Z, and LeBron James? Do you consider them brands? I certainly do. Why? Because the characteristics that come to mind when you think of them as individuals are automatically associated with the product they endorse. Make sense? You won’t see Donald Trump endorsing Wrangler Jeans.

If you want to be successful, both on and off the court, you need to start viewing yourself as a brand as well. Think of it as “brand you.” Everything you do affects your brand in some way (either positively or negatively). The way you dress, the way you act, and even the way you play. You need to take your brand very seriously if you want to make it to the top. And just to clarify, I believe in being authentic. I am not telling you to act like someone else or to try to please others just for the sake of it. You need to be real. You need to be genuine. You need to believe in your own brand, and equally important, set the standards of your brand. You need to decide what characteristics you find most important and then live up to them every day of your life.

Is your goal to play college basketball? Then carry yourself as if you already do! Hold yourself to the same standard of excellence as an elite college basketball player would… now… don’t wait. Carry yourself with the same honor, character, humbleness and work ethic as college superstars Evan Turner (Ohio State) or Wesley Johnson (Syracuse). Those two represent everything that is right with college basketball. Evan and Wesley know the importance of their brand. And now both are surefire lottery picks.

What do you want people to think about your brand? What would you want them to say when describing your brand? Hard working or lazy? Coachable or a hard-headed? Energy giver or energy taker?

What makes your brand unique on the court? Are you a great passer? Or are you a ball hog? Are you a lock-up defender? Or do you only play one end of the floor? Are you a good teammate? Or are you only focused on getting yours?

What makes your brand special off the court? Are you a good student? Or are you a class clown? Do you do what is right when no one is watching? Or are you always looking for a short-cut or an easy way out? Nike cares about what people think of their brand. So does Apple. So does Vitamin Water. So does every other big time brand. So should you.

If you don’t think these things matter, then honestly, you don’t have a clue. They matter more than you know. What people (coaches, teachers, scouts, parents, friends, etc.) think about your brand has a direct impact on the opportunities you will have in life. You only buy brands you like and trust, right? Why would people be any different? Would you buy an iPod if there was a good chance it would break? Would you drink Gatorade if it tasted like vinegar? Absolutely not! So why would a college coach want to give you a scholarship or an NBA general manager give you a contract if they didn’t have full confidence in your brand (both on and off the court)? The answer is… they wouldn’t.

Everything you do reflects your brand – everything! The way you dress, your email etiquette, your Tweets, your table manners, your voicemail message, your eye contact… the list goes on and on.

I roll my eyes when a player sends me an incoherent email full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes asking me what they need to do to be successful on the court. Especially when it is sent from ChocolateAdonis@aol.com (which actually happened!). How am I supposed to take them seriously? If you don’t have the personal pride to use spell check or punctuation, why would I think you have the discipline to follow my recommendations? Please don’t waste my time. Same goes for someone who has a 5 minute rap song full of foul language on their outgoing voice message or a Facebook profile full of inappropriate pictures. These folks just don’t get it.

Research has shown it takes less than 30 seconds for someone to form a lasting impression of you. If you make a poor first impression, it can take up to 21 follow up impressions to change that person’s opinion. First impressions are a big deal. Remember, whether it is right or wrong, people will always judge you and judge your brand. What do you want them to think?

One of my favorite stories of first impressions and building a strong brand is when Michael Redd met Jerry Colangelo. Back in 2006, USA Basketball was in the initial stages of putting together the “Redeem Team” to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Jerry Colangelo (managing director of USA Basketball) arranged individual interviews with every potential player. He wanted to meet with them prior to deciding who to put on the team. He wanted to look them in the eye to get a sense of their character and commitment. Michael Redd drove straight from his practice with the Milwaukee Bucks to a hotel in Chicago for the interview. When Mr. Colangelo answered the door, Michael was standing there in his team warm-ups with a garment bag on his shoulder. After shaking hands, Michael asked if he could be excused to use the rest room. When he emerged a few minutes later he was dressed in a full suit and tie. Now he was ready for the interview. Now he was ready to show Mr. Colangelo what his brand was about.

Michael Redd’s actions landed him on the team that eventually won the gold medal. Putting on his suit and tie for the interview showed respect and professionalism. You see, Michael Redd gets it. He understands the importance of his brand. It is not an accident he plays in the NBA and has an Olympic gold medal.

What is Your Brand?

I’ve decided to start writing about my experiences as a girls basketball trainer. Hopefully through my writings, you will learn more about me, my love of basketball, new basketball drills, basketball tips and more.

Today I really don’t have much to write about. I’m actually a little disappointed. I did not get to train or host my mini-camp last Saturday because their was an activity at the facility I train at. Then this Monday, I received a phone call that I will not get to train this upcoming Saturday because their is another activity.

So instead of having the players go through 2 weeks of no activity, I decided to create a workout for them to do on their own.

Here’s the workout:

Ball Handling:
Wrap ball around waist 20x
Change directions and wrap another 20x
Wrap Ball around head 20x
Change directions and wrap another 20x
Wrap Ball around knees 20x
Change direction and wrap another 20x

Dribbling
Left hand dribbling at knee level 25x
Break – count to 10
Right hand dribbling at knee level 25x
Break – count to 10
Left hand dribbling at waist level 25x
Break – count to 10
Right hand dribbling at waistlevel 25x
Break – count to 10
Left hand dribbling at shoulder level 25x
Break – count to 10
Right hand dribbling at shoulder level 25x
Break – count to 10

Shooting (popo25):
Start inside the paint and with a bank shot. If you make the shot, take a step back. If not, attempt to make another shot in the same spot. Work your way out and around the basket until you make 25 shots.

Free throws:
Make 10

Layups:
Work on the techniques of left and right hand layups.
Use left hand on left side and Right hand on right side.

Also, I recently added a Pre-Season Workout to the GirlsBasketballResources.com site. The emphasis is on conditioning through ball handling, defense and shooting drills. Get more information here.

Alan Stein’s notes about the drills in the video:

The first 3 drills were done at 50-60% of maximum effort as part of our warm-up. Everything after that was 100% and competitive! Races included: triangle agility with full court sprint, sprint vs. backpedal, center circle chase, inside-out full court gauntlet, and 3 cone lane drill.

The entire workout only lasted 30 minutes. When it comes to competing, we want to stress quality over quantity.

There are some great drills in this video for centers or post players looking to add a move or two to your game.

“Create a vision and never let the environment, other people’s beliefs, or the limits of what has been done in the past shape your decisions. Ignore conventional wisdom.”
-Anthony Robbins

Boys just seem to have all the fun and access to top camps learning new skills and drills. Don’t worry girls—I plan to change all that..

This video has some really great drills to help you with ball handling and some great post moves. I can’t wait to get back in the gym.

As a basketball trainer, watching this video gives me chills because I love to generate knew ideas to pass to the young ladies that I train.. I can’t wait to hit the gym for Saturday’s training session.

YOU GOT TO SEE THIS – PRESS PLAY ON THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ONLY $15.95

Since the July evaluation period is almost here. It is the perfect time to help you get prepared to showcase your skills to the college coaches and scouts you will be playing in front of.

None other than former college coach, ESPN Hoopgurlz’s Mark Lewis breaks down 8 ways to over come a slump.

• Show them that you can still defend.

• Show them that you can always rebound.

• Show them that you won’t overreact.

• Show them you can learn over the course of the game.

• Show them that you have reading and math skills.

• Show them that you understand time and clock management.

• Show them that you’ve got focus and the right attitude.

• Show them that you can communicate on the floor.

Click here for the complete ESPN Hoopgurlz article