Coaches Clinic, Traveling the World, and Other Stuff

(Luigi Gresta from Italy, Isreal Martin from Spain, Goran Miljevic from Croatia, Borce Ilievski from Macedonia, and Perry Hunter from The United States of America)

I have said often over the last few days that in the USA you can go to a coaches clinic every weekend in the fall and spring.  Also, you can go watch just about any college team practice in the winter, but some places in the world, like Iceland, they do not have that luxury.  We are spoiled in the states, very spoiled in many ways.

But by traveling last summer to The Balkans and now Iceland, I have seen two very different places, both great in different ways, but something else stands out more than anything.  How beautiful the place you are in is to the local people, but not just to them, but to me...a visitor.  Looking at different vegetation, mountains, cars, buildings, trying different foods; we really are missing out if we don't go to other places.  Also, I don't know if you can truly appreciate your home and I mean with real feelings unless you travel abroad.  I love traveling abroad, it is an amazing experience that allows me to learn not just by reading in a book, but by seeing it and feeling it.  Like 3AM and the sun is up in Iceland.  But it makes me appreciate more the states, and also Indiana.

Finally, basketball and it could be anything, but basketball is the one thing I have seen unify people from all over the world.  Here at the Tindestoll coaching clinic, you have coaches from Croatia, Macedonia, Italy, Spain, Iceland and the USA sitting and talking basketball....thankfully in English, but it is a unifying thing.  There are no problems between countries, there are no political issues, it is just people talking about something that we all love.

When I came home from Serbia and Macedonia last summer, I said the trip was life altering...as will be this trip to Iceland.  I will grow an ever greater appreciation for the lives of people in other countries, I will grow an ever greater appreciation for my home, but more so....I will grow an ever greater appecation for my family.

It is easier this summer being away from home.  I think I have gotten to the point in my life where I don't get homesick for my house, town, state, but I do for my wife and kids.  My wife, Kristi is unbelievably supportive and the kids will want to knock me over when I get back because they will miss me, but I know how truly blessed I am to have them.  It doesn't take a trip for 12 days in Europe without them to understand, but it doesn't hurt. 

So, bring on the kiddos here for the camp.  If they don't get better after camp is over it will be because they aren't trying because I plan on working, and hopefully helping them to get better.  But I am also looking forward in the quiet times about getting back on the plane and landing in Louisville to see my "team" as I will be missing them greatly by then...as I am now.

Tindastoll Basketball Coaches Clinic 2011

First day of clinic went very well.  You can go to a clinic in the States every weekend in the fall and spring, but rarely get to see international coaches.  Here you have various countries represented.

Friend Goran Miljevic a Serb from Croatia spoke first, then the camp host Borce Ilievski from Macedonia spoke.  I spoke about the organization of our practices then Luigi Gresta from Italy and the last speaker Israel Martin from Spain finished the night.

Many coaches from all over Iceland have shown up to learn more about the greatest game in the world; basketball.

Much warmer today, but still feeling like a cold winter day back home in Indiana.  The sun is out today and at 11:17 PM local time, it is sunny...definitely different.

I am looking forward to the clinic tomorrow and getting the kids here to work and hopefully teach them something new.

Welcome to Iceland

So far very beautiful country and getting to see old friends is nice.  It is amazing that friends I made in the Balkans, I am now seeing in northern Iceland, what a small world it has become.

But...when I got off the plane in Reykjavik yesterday, the most noticeable thing was the weather.  It was probably in the upper 30's with winds blowing off the ocean and out of the mountains at 20+ miles per hour.  It is COLD!  Back home, it is in the 90's and almost got to 100 the other day which is very HOT! Dealing with the extreme change in temps will be something to get used to.  It really does feel llike a cold January or February here.

The second big thing I will have to get used to, I don't know if you can tell from the picture or not, but it does not get very dark here at night.  The picture posted with this entry is from 1:30 AM here.  I am not sure that the picture does it justice, but you could literally shoot basketball all night.  It is bright enough to go and play catch with baseball or even take some practice swings.  It is that bright.  With the time change and the brightness, it took awhile for me to get sleepy enough to want to sleep last night.  Hopefully that will be something that changes as the week goes on.

Today we start the international basketball coaching clinic and it will be interesting to hear from coaches that live in Croatia, Iceland, Spain and Italy.  Back home we have so many coaching clinics, but rarely do I get to hear from people in other countries.  Two days of clinics then the camp starts...no matter what, it will be a great experience.

Stuck in Boston

A few years ago, before my son was born, my wife, daughter and I visited the Northeast US.  We loved Boston...lots of history.  But today, I am stuck in Boston.

I got up this morning to head to Reikjavik, Iceland to work a basketball camp with a friend Borce Illievski.  I got up at 5 AM, headed to Louisville International and got on a flight to Philadelphia...no problems.  However, after arriving in Philly, the flight kept getting delayed.  It ended up being a total of 2 hours delay.

When I arrived at Logan International in Boston, I missed my connecting flight to Iceland.  So, I had to wait around for 2 1/2 hours until I could speak with someone from the company that I was flying with.  When they arrived, it was no problem to bump me to the later flight.  However, I still have to wait 4 hours until taking off.

So I have been stuck in Boston pretty much all day.  And when I say stuck in Boston, I mean stuck in the airport.  If you have ever flown, you know that airports are their own little universe.  Most all airports are the same helping in travel, but it is a world behind tight security.

I have been lucky enough to be able to get online and waste some time and will hopefully catch some ZZZZ's on the 5 hour flight.  I am looking forward to the coaching clinic and also the camp, but I even more looking forward to finally getting out of Boston.

For Every Action There is an Opposite and Equal Reaction

One lesson that we don't learn until we are older, and I wonder sometimes if even older people learn that lesson, is that everything we do has some consequence.  I see it in my young children, they have no idea that if they do not clean up their rooms then they can't find things they want when they want them.

We have started summer basketball and I was highly encouraged by the numbers that we had out that first day, but there were some guys missing, guys who I would never have guessed would miss.  As a coach, you hear rumors about players...all...the....time.  You get to where you don't believe anything you hear and it's not because we are naieve, it is to keep our sanity.  This guy is playing, this guy isn't playing, that guy is out doing things he shouldn't, this guy is terrible in that class...you get the picture, but I never understand why someone would not play a sport that they have played their entire life.  It could be that I am wrong and these people will show up at some point this summer and maybe not, but why not try the summer and then make the decision?

Maybe it's the coach, absolutely never a reason to not play.  Maybe they want to focus on another sport and I can understand that, but to be honest I have heard that excuse quite often throughout my years and probably only one or two have actually done this.  Maybe they feel they didn't get the opportunity to showcase what they could do.  Maybe they understand they aren't as good as they thought they were.

I think in all the years I have coached I have actually gone to a kid and asked why they weren't playing one time.  We had a really great kid, great role model who decided not to play to focus on another sport.  I spoke with him and he was clear that he knew he wasn't very good at basketball and he did work on his other sport religiously all winter.  Only once of a couple of times it has happened as far as I can remember.

But what is often misunderstood by young players is that many of them make decisions today not understanding that the decision will affect their future.  I can't say 100% but close to it who choose not to play basketball regret it at some point.  Some for a whole year, others for short periods of time.  That time can't be gotten back.  Worse yet, they may decide after making a decision six months earlier that they have changed their mind.

By changing their mind, they now decide that they did make a mistake and they want to play.  It is an IHSAA violation to cut a player before actual tryouts in November, but not playing with the guys during the summer cannot help your situation.  Playing in the summer is when most coaches get much of what they think they need to do done, with only 13 practices before your first game, it's the way it's become.

Really, as I have aged and gotten more experience, I think I rarely "punish" a kid for much of anything.  I look at it more as rewarding the kids who have put the time in, those guys who have committed to the program and not committed to just themselves (which is very much human nature and we all do it). 

There is nothing wrong with not playing basketball, it isn't for everybody, but I cannot comprehend giving it up; make the coaches decide on it if you love it.  Maybe it is because I love it more than any of the players could possibly love it, maybe it is something bigger than that and maybe each individual situation is unique and maybe, just maybe, I will change my opinion as my own children age and participate in athletics.

Well, This is What I Think and Since No One is Wrong Anymore, I MUST be Right!

I think one of the more frustrating things that we deal with in a position of leadership is the ignorance (ignorance means uninformed, not stupid) of what we do or deal with.  Many people see the superficial, outward appearance of coaching and teaching, but don't understand every thought/issue/side that went into what we do.  Most people form their opinions on their own experiences or information level and not on all the information that is available. 

Often when  discussing something that I have done like summer basketball or practice times, people are uninformed with every detail that we deal with.  What seems inconvenienced for them, and it very may well be, is not inconvenience for the majority of people involved.  We will not make everyone happy all of the time, but we have to make decisions for large groups of people all of the time.  By doing that you are going to anger people, often by people who don't want to be in a position of leadership.