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?

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

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

Mark Lewis is the national recruiting coordinator for ESPN HoopGurlz. Twice ranked as one of the top 25 assistant coaches in the game by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, he has more than 20 years of college coaching experience at Memphis State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Western Kentucky and, most recently, Washington State.

If someone with over 20 years of college coaching experience is offering advice, I would definitely listen.

Mark Lewis makes some great points in his latest article on Hoopgurlz:

• It seems today that the willingness to spend time in the gym or studying and following the game is taking a back burner to simply playing games.
• What do you hear college recruiters claim is missing? Focused skill workouts in addition to the games and practices of both high school and club teams.
• Although shooting workouts are imperative, so are ball handling skills, footwork, passing and cutting and a host of other parts of the game that aren’t just going to appear come game time.
• When you are shooting, be sure your goal is shots made and not shots taken. It doesn’t matter if you got in 500 shots before school if you only made 75.
• Good coaches will tell you that skill development is about repetition.
• TV coverage of both the college and WNBA game continues to grow, along with internet coverage, offering more opportunities to learn basketball from some of the best in a flat-screen classroom.
• It’s great to know that Maya Moore is a great player or that Brittney Griner is changing the game. But beyond that know what exactly it is that sets Moore apart from the rest or why Griner made such incredible strides in her game since the start of her freshman season.

To read the complete article click here

To download girls basketball workouts and other resources click here

The way you think about situations in basketball will determine how far you will get in your basketball career.

In this video, I explain how coaches determine who will get in the game during certain situations. I also talk about my philosophy of how great players become great (Next Top Baller).

But 1st, it was interesting to learn that Mr. Dell was successful in another business venture before Dell Computers. AS A 12 Year Old! Michael Dell was first successful in stamp auctioning.  The same technique he used in stamp auctioning allowed him to be successful in the computer industry.

Well what was the technique. Quite Simply – He studied the industry or subject. As a 12 year old, Michael Dell studied stamps by reading stamp journals. He studied computers by reading computer magazines and manuals.

This is the exact same technique you can and have to implement to be successful in girls basketball. You must submerge yourself in the subject of basketball in order to be successful. By diving into the subject of basketball, you are learning tips and tricks to help you in your skills.

For example, I asked my list of weekly tip readers what was there greatest question about basketball. Surprisingly, the number 1 issue was confidence. So I thought about it closely. How can I help players on their path to increasing confidence. I broke it down to a simple component that we seem to miss in everything we do, even basketball. In basketball, we practice, we play, we practice and we play and we seem to go around in circles til we are in a slump and our confidence is so low and basketball is dreadful.

This critical component will not only increase your confidence. If done correctly, it will put you on a path and  increase your energy and excitement about basketball. The component I’m talking about is available in my updated release of the Girls Basketball Guide to Success.

In the Girls Basketball Guide to Success 2.0, I looked at the system that made University of Tennessee’s Pat Summitt successful, I looked at something L.A. Sparks’ Candace Parker did to make her a dominant force in high school, college and now on the professional level. Then I break down this critical component that you must implement to help you with success. To help you implement success and increase your confidence, Girls Basketball Guide to Success 2.0 includes a worksheet and exercise to give you a boost.

Girls Basketball Guide to Success 2.0 is available now for only $9.95.  After purchasing this ebook, you will receive an immediate download of the ebook through email. Then you can save it to your computer, view it, print it out, or share it with others.

It does not matter what field you are in, you have to have a tool kit. If you are a doctor, there are tools needed. For example, a stethoscope for listening to body sounds, an otoscope to look in ears, and a patella hammer for checking reflexes. If you are a teacher, there are tools needed. For example chalk to write on the chalk board, schoolwork and homework worksheets and grade books to document assignment and test grades. The tools just mentioned are necessary for a doctor and teacher to be successful. So naturally, if you want to be successful in girls basketball, there are tools that you will need.

Understand that in order to get better as a player, you have to work extra and outside of your team practice. So here are some of the tools needed.

Basketball – The number 1 tool needed over any other tool is a basketball. If a basketball is the only thing off this list that you personally own, you are still in a great position to be successful. Do you personally own a basketball? If you don’t have this, how do you plan to get better? If you want to work on shooting, a basketball is needed. If you want to work on ball handling, a basketball is needed. If you want to work on passing, a basketball is needed.

Basketball Goal – To work on your shooting skills, having a personal basketball goal or having access to a basketball goal is necessary.

Library – To be successfully in basketball you need to understand the game of basketball. Develop a library of basketball books and DVDs.

Visit http://www.girlsbasketballtips.com to get your copy of the 6 Girls Basketball Tips that will Explode Your Game!!!

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