Clinton Fights to Become Elite at EPG

#2 El Paso-Gridley 55, #13 Clinton 52: El Paso-Gridley High School’s girls’ basketball team held off a late Clinton rally to remain unbeaten with a 55-52 nonconference win at El Paso on Monday night.

The Titans, 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A, led at each of the quarter breaks and had opened a 47-34 lead with 4:45 to play when Clinton stormed back.

The Maroons (12-2) and ranked No. 13 in the state in Class 2A pulled to within 51-49 on a 3-point basket by Haley Toohill with 51-seconds to play. EPG’s Codee Schlipf answered by converting 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to give the Titans a 54-49 advantage. Clinton pulled to within a bucket once more at 54-52 on a 3-pointer by Haley Ginger with 11 seconds remaining. EPG’s Chelsea Kessinger then gave the Titans their final margin of victory with a free throw with three seconds left.

Rebekah Ehresman scored 22 points for EPG with Schlipf adding 14 and Mattie Buchanan 12.

Megan Tool and Jessica Scott led Clinton with 12 points each. Morgan Hickman had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Maroons.

-Courtesy of The Bloomington Pantagraph

Click Here to view highlights of #13 Clinton at #2 EPG

Banker's Life Fieldhouse

The Clinton Lady Maroons (10-1, 4-0, and 13th ranked team in the state) played the Shelbyville Lady Rams on December 7th, at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The boys and girls basketball teams traveled together on a charter bus ride that was provided by the Clinton Athletic Boosters. The Maroons won the game 48-23 and had a blast playing on the NBA floor. The girls jumped out early with a 20-4 lead after the first quarter and they never looked back. Leading the way was Payton Bieber with 12 points and 9 rebounds, Jessica Scott with 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Morgan Hickman with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. We also got to see the Denver Nuggets in their morning shoot around. After the game the kids spent some leisure time at the Circle Center Mall, before returning to the arena to watch the Indiana Pacers take on the Denver Nuggets. It was definitely a memory to never forget. We would like to thank everyone who has watched us play this season. We need your continued support as we move forward.

"Winning Championships, Developing Champions"

Early Bird Review & Regional Action

The Clinton Lady Maroons varsity team wrapped up the Early Bird Review with a record of 4-1. They defeated Mt. Zion 40-25, Springfield Calvary 56-18, Williamsville 57-48, and LSA 64-31. Their only loss was to the Riverton Hawks, 46-40, a game in which the Lady Maroons led 23-15 at the half. The Maroons are scoring 51.4 points per game, while giving up 33.6. They are off until November 26th, when they visit the Monticello Sages to open up Okaw Valley Conference play.

The 5th seeded Clinton Lady Maroons 7th Grade team upset #4 seed Evans Jr. High of Bloomington/Normal on Saturday by a score of 30-25. The girls have won two games in a row to improve their overall season record to 11-9. They will return to action on Monday at 4:30 to play the #1 seed Chiddix Chargers of Normal. The regional site is located at Chiddix Jr. High School.

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

I recently read a book entitled, The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon. One of my player's urged me to read this. Upon her request I did and I'm thankful for it. This is a terrific book that I would suggest you purchase and read for yourself. I have taken my own notes on this book and turned them into this blog. Again, these are my notes and will read like notes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

If you only read as far as this paragraph, try to do these two things more often. Smile and say Yes. A smile changes your energy. They way you feel, the way you act, the way you interact with others. Also, you can't get more positive than the word yes. Try saying it more often throughout your life. Don't become a dimmer. Dimmers are lifeless, tired, exhausted, fatigued, and have given up on life.

THE 10 RULES FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE.
1. You're the Driver of Your Bus.
2. Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction.
3. Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy.
4. Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead.
5. Don't Waste Your Energy on Those who Don't Get on Your Bus.
6. Post a sign that says: NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED on your bus.
7. Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and Energizes them During the Ride.
8. Love Your Passengers.
9. Drive with Purpose.
10. Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride.

The following are the important concepts I found from each rule discussed in the book.

1. You're the Driver of Your Bus. "It's the most important of the rules because if you don't take responsibility for your life and control of your bus then you can't take it where you want to go. If you're not the driver, then you'll always be at the whim of everyone else's travel plans."

MORE PEOPLE DIE MONDAY MORNING AT 9 A.M. THAN ANY OTHER TIME. People would rather die than go to work. They feel like they don't have a choice so they give up. Drive your bus: One thought, one belief, one action, one choice at a time. Go where you want to be.

Fill your life with positive energy. Energetic music, foods, projects, thoughts, words. If it burns you out...leave it out. "Our thoughts are powerful because they are loaded with energy. When you identify what you desire and write down your vision, you begin the process of mobilizing the energy to create the life you want."

CREATE YOUR WORLD:
1. My vision for my life? (including health)
2. My vision for my work, career, and team?
3. My vision for my relationship and family?

"Sometimes we have to see what we don't want, to know what we do want."

"Every crisis offers an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser; to reach deep within and discover a better you that will create a better outcome."

2. Desire, Vision, and Focus Move Your Bus in the Right Direction. "Focus on Your thoughts." Each day focus on your vision for 10 minutes and see yourself creating everything you wrote down on that paper. The law of attraction. The more we focus on something, the more we think about something, the more it shows up in our lives." What we think about we attract. What we think about expands and grows. What we put our energy and attention on starts to show up more in our life.

"You cannot be the person who focuses on what they don't want, don't like, and don't have. When you complain; you get more things to complain about. "We're winners...not whiners." If you keep thinking what you've been thinking, you'll keep getting what you've been getting."

E + P = O (Events plus perception equals your outcome)
"We can't control the events in our life, but we can control how we perceive them. Our perception and response to the events determine our outcome."

3. Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy. What is positive energy? Trust, Faith, Enthusiasm, Purpose, Joy, and Happiness. This is the type of positive energy that inspires and leads others. Fuel your tank with high octane positive energy. Let go of all the negativity in your life. Throw it out. Release it.
**Think about how thankful you are to have a job.Think about how you are healthy enough to go to work. Be thankful you have a car. Be thankful that you can afford to eat. Everywhere a negative exists, there is a positive on the flip side. Fuel up with positive thoughts, cultivate positive feelings, and take positive actions! Without fueling up with positive fuel your ride will stall. Negative energy will fill the void. Fuel up each day.**

"A man goes to the village to visit the wise man and he says to the wise man, " I feel like there are two dogs inside me. One dog is this positive, loving, kind, and gentle dog. Then, I have this angry, mean-spirited, and negative dog and they fight all the time. I don't know which is going to win." The wise man thinks for a moment and he says, "I know which is going to win. The one you feed the most, so feed the positive dog."

 10 Minute Exercises to Feed the Positive Dog!
-Thank You Walk: It's physically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same moment. Walk for 10 minutes and say what you are grateful for. Counting your blessings will make you feel great. Being grateful floods the body and brain with positive endorphins and emotions. Combined with walking it is a great energy booster.

-Success Walk! (The One Great Golf Shot Theory.) People forget all the awful shots from their round, but they remember the one good shot that keeps them coming back for more golf. However, in life people tend to go to bed and think about everything that went wrong. Instead, let's think about one thing that went right in our day. It will help us get addicted to life...like golf.

4. Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead. Continue to ask people to get on your bus. Try to create a standing room only bus to create as much positive energy as possible. Hand out tickets or e-tickets that say..."This is my vision for our team and our product launch and this is where my bus is going and I want to invite you to get on." You must share your vision...make it clear...and explain the expectations.

"I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light that I have." -Abraham Lincoln

Develop mental and emotional muscle to get your bus rolling. There will always be negativity everywhere in your life. You will always be surrounded by negative people. It's not these people so to speak. It's the negativity they represent that will destroy you. All of this negativity is inside each and every one of us. Self-doubt, fear, hopelessness, and negative energy that drains us and sabotages everything we want in life. This is why it is so important to FEED THE POSITIVE DOG!

Don't take negative people personally! Don't focus on these people personally. Forget they even have names. Don't think of it as you versus them. Just realize they represent negativity.

5. Don't Waste Your Energy on Those Who Don't Get on Your Bus. Don't even try to make these people get on your bus. They might ruin your ride. You can only drive your bus and those willing to get on. Just let them sit at the station. The more energy you spend worrying about the people who didn't get on, the less energy you will have for those who are on your bus and those you are asking to get on. Don't spend time thinking about the wolves, spend that time thinking about those who want to be with you.

If you want to be successful you have to to be very careful about who is on your bus. After all there are people who increase your energy and there are people who drain your energy. I call the people who drain your energy "Energy Vampires." They will suck the life out of you, your goals, and vision if you let them. They will cause an engine leak, make your ride miserable, or even slash your tires. However, don't take it personal. They are just part of the negativity that exists in the world. Do your best to eliminate these negative people.

6. NO ENERGY VAMPIRES ALLOWED. "Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone's and everyone's negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone's doubt." Doubters will always exist. They will tell you you can't do this and you won't be able to accomplish that. They think dreams were meant for others but not for people like you and them. Some won't want you to succeed because it makes them see their own weaknesses and failures. They try to ruin everyone's ride instead of driving their own bus. Sometimes you have to kick these people off your bus and move on.

"Positive energy is like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it gets. The stronger it gets the more powerful you become."

"Trust that great things are happening."

"The goal is not to be better than anyone else but rather be better than you were yesterday."

The gifts you bring to this world is your presence of feeling good and being happy and bringing this to others. Being around happy and positive people makes people feel happy. Too many people try to please others and this only makes them unhappy. It's better to feel good and let this feeling shine on others. When you feel good you give from power. When you feel bad and try to feel good by pleasing others you only give away your power...and this makes you weaker.

Lead with your heart. Emotional intelligence is responsible for 80 percent of adult success.
CEO = Chief Energy Officer...become one today!

7. Enthusiasm Attracts More Passengers and Energizes Them During the Ride.
When you get excited and enthusiastic about your life and work you bring this powerful divine energy to everything you do, and people notice. They can see it and feel it. When you're enthusiastic people want to get on your bus.

Walt Whitman said, "We convince by our presence, and when you are enthusiastic you project an energy that convinces people to get on and stay on your bus.

8. Love Your Passengers. You must show them you are concerned and that you care about them. They want to know that you love them. When you show your passengers this they will work hard for you, remain loyal to you, and love you back. Enthusiasm gets them on the bus. Love keeps them on the bus.

The Rock:
"Find the value in a rock and you will find a priceless treasure inside yourself and in all the people you encounter."
**Focus on bringing out the best in each person on your team. When you love someone you want the best for them. You want them to shine. The best way to do this is to help them discover the value inside them.**

FIVE WAYS TO LOVE YOUR PASSENGERS:
1. Make time for them. (Be present mentally and emotionally with them)
2. Listen to Them. (empathy)
3. Recognize Them. (Feed the positive dog inside them. Catch them doing something right and tell them.)
4. Serve Them. (Serve those on your bus rather than have them serve you. How can I help them more?)
5. Bring Out the Best in Them. (Help them do what they do best!)

Take a "Leap of Faith". Through trust we tap into the ultimate GPS. (God's Positioning System). Trust your people and they will trust you. This can turn fear into faith and faith into resolve.

9. Drive with Purpose. With purpose we don't get tired, bored, or burned out.

10. Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride. "Live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face." Don't worry about meaningless things. Why fight or get stressed over promotions, deadlines, emails, or family members. Don't be blind to the beauty around you. 95 year old's say they wish they would have: 1. Reflected more. 2. Taken more risks and chances. 3. Left a legacy.

 I wish you the best as we all try to improve our lives, relationships, careers, families, organizations and teams. I hope this blog has inspired you to improve your life and to purchase this book from Jon Gordon.

-Josh Williams

What is Your Culture?

The Clinton Junior High Girls' Basketball team has been in swing for two weeks and the kids are learning about the culture of being a Lady Maroon. I bring up this word "culture", because someone asked me recently...what is culture and how do you build it? Culture building is implementing a new way of life for a business, team, or organization. It's setting internal standards for the way things are going to be done. It's holding the entire organization accountable to those standards despite pressure from external sources. Whether the expectations are visual or not; everyone involved can feel them upon arrival in a team meeting, practice, or competition, etc. To put it simply; it's all about having passion and a purpose for what we are doing.

Every drill we implement with our players builds layer upon layer of the necessary fundamentals aligning to  our basketball philosophy. We are teaching our young ladies that success is achieved by relentless effort, repetition of actions, attention to details, and unparalleled enthusiasm for simple execution. We praise our players continuously for everything they do right, and in return, they listen to our suggestions for things that need improvement. We know that if we can improve our parts; the end result will be a more successful whole. Nothing is more important to our coaching staff than getting our kids to develop to their maximum potential, as a player, and as a person.

This season will mark 12 years of coaching basketball in my life. I've coached in four different school districts, thus developed four different cultures. I've seen over a thousand practices, games, clinics, etc. The thing I hear over and over from coaches about players are..."they can't do this, they can't do that, is anything actually being taught to these kids at the lower levels?"  Frankly, I get sick and tired of hearing these comments. For every second you spend complaining about your kids, you could be spending that time helping them develop those fundamentals that you expect of them. Good habits take time to develop.  Good habits must be repeated to maintain. If you allow a player to revert back to an old habit for a single day; you have just unraveled two years of hard work. Congratulations. Now you can go back to complaining about all the things they can't do. You now have an internal excuse to make you feel better the next time your kids lose a game.

Culture. It's what you create. It can be a negative environment, or a positive one. I prefer the latter...

Yours in Hoops,
Josh Williams


 

Player Profiles: Guards 2012-2013

Haley Toohill - An outstanding passer in transition; always looking to pitch it ahead with great vision up the floor. Has shown she has range to the college three. Tremendous mid-range shooter off the dribble. Arguably the best ball handler in the area; displaying equal effectiveness with the left and right hand. Gets to the foul line by attacking the basket and can absorb the contact.

Haley Ginger - Extremely athletic; can run and jump with the best in the area. One of the most electric players you will find in the open floor. Displays lightning quickness that gets her in the paint when she wants to; allowing her to make plays for her team. Shows a quick release with great range. Attacks the basket with either hand and can score off the bounce. 

Megan Tool - A long, rangy, and wiry defender that creates havoc for offenses with her ability to pressure the basketball. Her size and skill set makes her a versatile player who continues to grow. Can score off the dribble or off the catch. One of the best pure shooters that have ever come through our program. Shoots it with tremendous accuracy from deep and from the line. 

Miranda Ennis - Displays a nice looking shot. A very good set shooter with a quick release; can hit from three and from the line. Shows a high basketball I.Q.  Knows the system and is always in the right place at the right time. Always willing to put her body on the line to make a play for her team. A vocal leader that shows the necessary intangibles. (Video not available yet.) 

Player Profiles: Posts 2012-2013

Morgan Hickman - One of the top defensive players in the OVC that can guard the best post players and even some of the quickest guards. A tireless worker on the glass, who is capable of rebounding out of her area. Scores through contact on offensive rebounds and off post feeds. Has a great understanding of how and when to seal in the low post. Outstanding at running the floor, which leads to easy baskets in transition.

Jessica Scott - A stretch "4" that can step away from the basket and knock down the three. Has a very polished game in the low post with tremendous footwork. Shows the ability to score over both shoulders, with either hand, and displays a variety of counters. Rebounds well in her area and can put the ball on the floor with both hands. Has a good understanding of spacing and how to play.



Payton Bieber - A traditional low post player who can dominate the paint with her size, strength, and tenacity. She's learning how to use her body efficiently and effectively in the post. A tremendous offensive and defensive rebounder. Pursues the basketball with reckless abandon. Displays a soft touch around the rim and shows the ability to handle the ball in the open floor.    

Lady Maroons Basketball Camp 2012

Haley Toohill, Megan Tool, Jessica Scott, Payton Bieber, Haley Ginger

The Clinton Lady Maroons recently finished their 4th annual summer basketball camp on June 22nd. The week long camp hosted 30 girls that will be going into 4th-8th grade next year. The girls got to compete in full court games and win prizes for competitions involving ball handling, free throw shooting, and hot spot shooting. Prizes were also awarded for the Camper of the Day. Not only does the camp provide prizes, but the girls also got a chance to learn basic fundamentals from the high school coaching staff, along with varsity players, Haley Toohill, Megan Tool, Haley Ginger, Payton Bieber, Jessica Scott, and Shalyn Houston. The camp is a great way for the young kids in our community to get to work with our players. They look up to the older girls and want to become just like them. It's a great feeling to see how excited they get about Lady Maroons Basketball. Our players work with each camper throughout the week, and form a bond with them that creates a championship culture. The future of our basketball program is in great hands, because we have wonderful kids that have the heart, desire, and passion to become their absolute best.

Clinton Athletics

One of the topics that is currently being debated within our community is the improvement of athletic programs at Clinton High School. I'm often asked from people outside of our community, "How can Clinton be one of the biggest schools in the Okaw Valley and always finish near the bottom?" Well, this stigma that has been cast upon us is not entirely true. In defense of our programs, if you look at the 2011-2012 school year, you would see that softball won 56% of their games (18-14), baseball won 57% (17-13), volleyball won 59% (22-15) , and girls basketball won 62% of their contests (18-11).  Obviously, all of these programs had winning seasons and were very competitive within the OVC.

With that being said; I believe that school enrollment and the number of athletic options that are offered plays a big role in the success and failure of sports programs. If you look at some of the successful smaller schools in the OVC, you will notice that the kids have fewer options for athletics. This streamlines their skill development options in the off-season, allowing them to become better at fundamental skills that are required for specific sports. Also, our kids are becoming categorized and specialized at an earlier age than ever before for specific pathways. We have kids today who feel an obligation to participate in off season club activities, AAU programs, running clubs, etc. These programs are great, however, they take potential athletes away from the in-season sports team. Like in life, everything can have a positive influence, but only if it's done in moderation. We can't give our kids a thousand options, and then complain when our team sports aren't winning at a championship level. Our school district is not large enough to have kids that specialize in one sport. The outcome might create more college athletes, but it's also going to lead to watered down athletic programs that struggle to compete on a yearly basis. In the movie, Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise's character writes a mission statement about his vision of an agency that deals with fewer clients, and has more direct contact with each athlete. This same vision can be applied to high school athletic programs. The problem is...everyone wants the biggest slice of the pie.

Developing Offensive Skill Sets

This post is designed to help our players and parents determine what our kids need to focus on during the summer to develop individual offensive skill sets. Often times we pick up a basketball and then become unclear of what we need to do to improve. I've attempted to breakdown what we feel is important in taking that next step forward. The following areas can take a player from average to good and from good to great. Ultimately, affording them an opportunity to play at the next level if their heart desires.

1.) Weak Hand Development - It is imperative that every player can dribble, pass, and shoot with both hands. I suggest a 2-1 ratio on weak to strong hand repetitions.

2.) Proper Footwork - I often hear people talk about this, but I seldom hear them elaborate on what this actually means. To us, at the most fundamental level, it means being able to shoot off the dribble, or shoot off the catch, with 1-2 footwork and on an inside foot pivot. It's getting ten toes squared to the basket while shooting the basketball without drifting.

3.) Ball Handling - A large portion of our skill development time is spent on this aspect. We focus on dribbling the basketball, but we also strive to improve our passing. You can incorporate weak hand development, increase confidence, and get a player comfortable with having the basketball in her hands. If kids can use either hand to drive and attack the basket, they will see their game grow by leaps and bounds.

4.) Shooting the Basketball - Game shots, game spots, game speed. Yes, technique shooting is very important, especially at our lowest levels. It is crucial that they can shoot the basketball with the same shot form on each repetition. Muscle memory must be created at an optimum level before game shots are encouraged. We don't want a player training their body with incorrect technique. However, the more our kids take shots that are simulated to game conditions, the faster we'll see an increase in their shooting percentage.

5.) Perimeter and Post Play - We want all of our players to be able to face the basket and make a play. They need to be able to shot fake and drive, rip through and crossover, and use jab moves to attack the top foot of a defender. We also develop ALL of our players post games. If players are comfortable playing with their back to the basket; they become twice as hard to guard. In the post each player should have a go-to move and a counter.

I've attached a video that shows a few of our current and former players working on some of the 5 areas discussed above.


"Don't hope for a lighter load, but work hard for stronger shoulders."


Yours in Hoops,
Josh Williams
Head Girls' Basketball Coach
Clinton High School

Summer of 2012

It's almost June and that means summer basketball is right around the corner. Last summer the Lady Maroons posted a 9-11 record at the varsity level and an 11-1 record at the JV level. The experience it gave our kids, however, was apparent and invaluable for the regular season. Because our system of play is quite unique and extensively comprehensive, the summer season allowed our kids to get a head start in learning our offensive and defensive philosophies. The attendance last summer was terrific and we're hoping for much of the same this year.

The 2011-2012 season was one to be remembered for all of our Lady Maroon fans!  The girls posted their first winning season since 2000-2001. They won the most games of any Clinton High School Basketball team since the turn of the century with 18 wins. The Lady Maroons ended with an overall record of 18-11, while finishing tied for 4th, with a 7-4 record in the Okaw Valley Conference. They won 3rd place in the 16 team Okaw Valley Holiday Tournament.  They were the only conference team to beat state ranked Tuscola. Incredibly, they won 17 games out of 23 from November 28th through January 31st.  Also, for the second year in a row, The Lady Maroons received a #1 seed. Last season they were the #1 seed in the conference tournament, while this season they were the #1 seed in the Clinton Regional.  Lady Maroons Basketball continues to rise to excellence. It's an exciting time for our community as we continue our endeavor of "Winning Championships, Developing Champions."

Click on the link below to be directed to our 2012 summer schedule.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fd5ridlv8251o50/1rJGG3VZyA/GBB%20Summer%202012.doc