Those Who Stay Will Be Champions

During the 2012-2013 basketball season the Clinton Lady Maroons reached an all time low in terms of the number of participants. Despite the amount of recent success the numbers have shown a steady decline. What began with numbers in the 20's has decreased to only 14 active players this past season. On senior night, we celebrated the four year career of ONE player. Some people in the community have said that I'm driving the program into the ground. Some people don't want me around any longer. I used to lose sleep at night trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, and what I could do to reverse this trend. What I've discovered is that a culture of winning in the game of basketball can't sustain numbers for the sake of numbers. The saying, "only the strong survive," seems appropriate for our situation.

Those who graduate as a Lady Maroon Basketball player are the ones who show two characteristics. These kids are the ones who demonstrate selflessness and toughness. If you are selfless you want what's best for your teammates; not what's best for you. You ask yourself on a daily basis, what can I donate to my teammates today? How much more of myself can I give away? We truly believe the more we give the more we receive. I try to show my selflessness by showing up to as many of my players activities as possible. Whether it's basketball, volleyball, softball, etc...I want to show them I care about them and everything they do. The basketball season in our day and age is an ongoing endeavor. It's a long, grueling, and taxing season. It's one that begins in the fall with open gyms, continues into the spring with more open gyms, and carries on through June with up to 25 contact days. The coaches critique and hold players accountable for every action, every repetition, on and off the court. Our motto could be described as "with order comes efficiency, and with efficiency comes success." 

Jay Bilas recently released a book entitled "Toughness" that has been on the best seller list. I mentioned toughness earlier in the article as being one of the characteristics needed to continue as a Lady Maroon basketball player. Some people see toughness as being intimidating. We disagree with those people. Our version of toughness requires a disciplined athlete, with great character, and a positive attitude on a daily basis. Here is a list of basketball specific "toughness" requirements for our program as described by Jay Bilas.    

"The tougher our standards, the deeper our commitment."

 1. Set great screens. (Selfless players get teammates open.)

 2. Cut hard. (Lazy cuts won't get you or teammates open. Lazy cuts won't make it.) 

 3. Talk your job. (Be alert w/ active voice, we communicate, we embrace one another.)

 4. Jump to the ball. (We stay disciplined on defense. It's what we do.)

 5. Don't get screened. (If you're getting screened you're not playing hard enough.)

 6. Two hands up. (Perfect close outs. No exceptions.)

 7. Get on the floor. (We sacrifice our body for Clinton on every loose ball.)

 8. Don't get split. (Defense is not negotiable. You get in your gap for your teammate.)

 9. Run the floor (Everyone sprints. Tough players get easy baskets.)

10. Play so hard you have to come out. (Tough players don't pace themselves.)

11. Take responsibility for your teammates. (Put them first. Don't let them fail.)

12. Get to your teammate first. (Tough players help teammates up off the floor.)

13. Take a charge. (You are required to put your body on the line for Clinton.) 

14. Finish plays. (Block out and fetch; everyone rebounds to exit the defensive possession.)

15. Throw yourself into defense. (Value yourself by your defense; not your points.) 

16. Take coaching the right way. (Tough players never make excuses or need to be right.)

17. Show strength in your body language. (Chin up, head up, we're winners not whiners.)

18. Catch and face. (Get to boss on every catch. Be disciplined and tough.) 

19. Concentrate. (Every possession is important. Do your job on every play.)

20. It's not your shot; it's our shot. (Get the best shot for Clinton on every possession.)

21. Next play. (The only play you can control is the present. Move forward.)

22. Make every game important. (Tough players treat each game as a championship.)

23. Get better every day. (Tough players try to be better than they were yesterday.)

If you think you exhibit selflessness and toughness, and you are considering becoming a Lady Maroon basketball player, please view the promotional video below. We are "Winning Championships, Developing Champions."

2013-14 LADY MAROONS PROMO VIDEO

UNLEASH THE POWER. EXPERIENCE THE TRADITION.

Improving Zone Offense

I often hear coaches complain about the thought of having to play against a zone defense. When we don't have shooters a zone defense can become a daunting task to successfully attack. This article is going to discuss things we can use to help us against these difficult defenses. Zone offense is one of those topics that most coaches seem to put on the back burner. This is probably why many of our teams struggle to score against zones. When I ask zone defensive coaches why they play zone; their response is they have yet to see a zone offense as good as the team's man offense. My intention is to change this philosophy. We need to start working and devote more practice time to our zone actions. If you don't play a zone defense; I suggest you put one in so your team can practice against it. Over the past two years we've developed a zone attack that our players and coaches have found a great deal of confidence in.

8 RULES FOR ATTACKING ZONES:

RULE #1: GAP THE ZONE.
The old adage in basketball is even front zone = odd guard front and an odd front zone = an even guard front. This might be an old principle, but it does place your players in the gaps of the zone and automatically begins to distort it. This forces the zone defenders to communicate. Now they must decide who is taking the next pass. This can create confusion and leave two defenders on the ball. Recently, we've found ourselves becoming less concerned with even and odd fronts, but we normally begin in these classic alignments. So many teams play with match-up principles that our focus has shifted to creating player movement.

RULE #2: PUSH THE TEMPO.
Another great way to attack a zone is to challenge your opponent to get back defensively. Look for quick strikes against the zone where you have an offensive advantage before the defense gets set. This also leads to great offensive rebounding opportunities while the defense is scattered. During the 2011-12 season, we found this to be such an important concept that we put in a zone early offense. We've always ran various man to man secondary breaks, but we had never explored the concept against zones. We're glad that we did and it has become a staple of our zone attack ever since.

RULE #3: TURN THE BASKETBALL.
When we play against zones we want to get the ball moving to make the zone chase us. A quick turn of the basketball (or reversal) creates gaps in the zone that your cutters can find, or your drivers can drive. Sometimes we don't even worry about running offense until the ball has been turned or skipped once. This is also a great time for weak side duck-in action if we need a paint touch from a post. Ball movement is a critical component to running effective zone offense. We want the ball to slow down on the wings and speed up on the top. We never want the ball to stick on the top of the key.

RULE #4: FAKE A PASS TO MAKE A PASS.
Sometimes against a zone all you need is one defensive player to be spaced. We tell our kids to "fake a pass to make a pass." The zone is taught to move on the flight of the ball. Any type of pass fake will begin to move some, if not all, of the zone defenders. This creates gaps for passing angles or drives into the lane.

RULE #5: GET PAINT TOUCHES.
The most important aspect to any good zone offense is the ability to get paint touches. When our guards become three point happy we play what we call "red light-green light." This is where we won't allow a perimeter shot until we've got a paint touch. This can be off a post feed or a perimeter drive into the paint. The most common ways we get paint touches are off a short corner catch with a dive from the high post, or a high post catch with movement behind the zone from the short corner. We also get low post duck-ins on ball reversal, and perimeter paint touches when we punch the gaps with the dribble. Even if our guards can't get to the paint, we force two defenders to guard one. The extra pass may allow a teammate an open gap to drive or an open look.

RULE #6: SCREEN THE ZONE.
Screening the zone is another great way to distort the zone and get players out of position. You can screen exterior defenders for three-point shots, or interior defenders for post touches. The things you must consider when screening are who will cover the ball, and who is responsible for covering the specific area you wish to attack. Also, ball screens are effective because there is no hedge. This automatically puts the offense into a 5 on 4 advantage. This has become a favorite action of ours over the past two years.

RULE #7: DRAG AND FILL.
Drag and fill is a concept that we are using with greater regularity because of the ball and player movement that it provides. It has quickly become my favorite way to distort a zone defense. The idea involves having an offensive player use two dribbles to "drag" the zone defender out of her area, and then fill the open area with a shooter. A quick return pass leads to an open look, or it forces the zone to lift a bottom defender, thus allowing a short corner catch in her area. This concept becomes very effective when you drag and fill in the corner or on the wings.

RULE #8: FOUR TO THE GLASS.
The final phase of a great zone offense is to attack the glass. Zone defenses don't have clear block out assignments, which makes it easier to offensive rebound. We send four players to the offensive boards with one getting back for transition defense. Tell your kids every shot is like a pass to you, so go get it. Make sure they do not run into backs. We tell our kids to get low and get even. We like to get two offensive players on the weak side, as only 28% of missed shots are rebounded on the strong side.

If you would like to see our zone offense in action you can click on the link below. The clips were taken from the 2012-2013 championship season. 

CLINTON ZONE OFFENSE CLIPS

UNLEASH THE POWER. EXPERIENCE THE TRADITION.

Lady Maroons are Regional Champions!

The Clinton Lady Maroons (25-5) won the Decatur St. Teresa Regional with a 53-33 win over the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans (20-7). The win was the 3rd of the season over M-F, which culminated with the 20 point victory in the championship game. The Maroons jumped out to a 16-5 lead just a few minutes into the 2nd quarter, but the Trojans rallied late in the half to close the gap to 24-22 at the break. Clinton took the time at the half to regain their focus on the defensive end. The Maroons came out in the 2nd half and stifled the Trojans offense; allowing just 4 points in the 3rd quarter and 11 points in the half. The Lady Maroons outscored the Trojans 29-11 in the final two quarters, including a 14-0 run over the final 3:29 to claim their first regional title since the 1997-98 school year.

Not only did the Maroons win their first regional, but they also tied the school record for wins in a season with 25. The record was previously set during the 1990-91 season. Clinton now moves on to the Clifton Central Sectional, which will be played on Monday night (2/11) at 7:30. The Maroons will face Champaign St. Thomas More (25-2), who's currently ranked as the #1 team in the state in the 2A AP Poll. The Sabers only two defeats have come at the hands of Chicago Whitney Young and Champaign Centennial. We hope many of you make the trip to watch us play the state's #1 ranked team at "The Crater", the home of the Clifton Central Comets.














Click on the link below for Regional Championship game highlights and post game interviews:
http://youtu.be/WoVRsCjo6xg

Lady Maroons Take Home 2nd Place at Okaw Valley Holiday Tournament

The Clinton Lady Maroons defeated LSA, Blue Ridge, and Heyworth to reach their first championship game under Head Coach Josh Williams. They fell 62-56 to the 12th ranked Class A team in the state in the Mt. Pulaski Lady Toppers. Clinton is now 15-3 on the year and 6-0 in the OVC.

Making the All-Tournament Team this year were #24 So. Jessica Scott, and for the second year in a row #23 Jr. Haley Toohill.

Tournament MVP #4 Jessica Awe of Mt. Pulaski being defended by #23 Haley Toohill. #22 Megan Tool fronts #11 Leever, with #34 Payton Bieber playing help side.

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