Improve everyday!

Strive to improve everyday... both physically and mentally. Play against players that are better than you... that´s how you get better. Learn from TV and watch instructional videos to learn even more. Never stop learning!

Believe

Always believe in yourself. If you think you can`t do it, you aren`t going to . When shooting, believe its going in and it will have a better a chance.

Nervousness

The main reason that players don´t perform well in games is nervousness, and the main cause of nervousness is lack of self confidence.
You have to believe that you can play with the people on the court and not get intimidated. You must believe that no one on the court is better than you.
Have a good attitude. Believe in yourself.

Be a TEAM

Forget about the scouts and the newspapers...they come to see players..make them see A TEAM!! It doesn´t matter what they write in their columns...Just Win!!

Confidence in Shooting

A shooter needs to have confidence. One good way to give yourself confidence is to remember that two balls will fit through the hoop at a time. This gives you a large margin of error to work with.

Rankings

Reputations and rankings don´t mean JACK...on any given night you can beat anyone!

Inferior opponents

When playing against teams or players who are not quite as talented, it is important to play at YOUR best. Do not drop your level of play simply to defeat the opponent. Compete against your own personal best every time out, and try to achieve that.

little things

The little things you do to help your team...make all the difference in the world...every successful inbound pass, every rebound, every "dive" for a loose ball...will determine the outcome!

Desire - The Need to Succeed

Where do you fit into this spectrum of desire? Well, to find out, consider the following self-assessment scale. Level of Desire Scale
0 percent: I won`t.
10 percent: I can`t.
20 percent: I don`t know how.
30 percent: I wish I could.
40 percent: What is it?
50 percent: I think I might.
60 percent: I might.
70 percent: I think I can.
80 percent: I can.
90 percent: I will.
95 percent: I did it.
100 percent:I did it and I know I can do it again, only this time, even better!

follow your coaches lead

Moms and Dads are great...but this is not their time...follow your coaches lead...one voice..one purpose...one team!

Proper Preparation

Pay attention to how you prepare for each game, especially when you play well. Competing in athletic contests can often be a matter of routine, and anything you can do to keep that routine similar from game to game, especially when you have played well, can help.

Follow the same pre-game routines, think about the same type of things, relax but focus on the game at hand. Most importantly, learn to visualize what you are going to be doing in the game, always seeing yourself being successful.

Mental Imagery

Mental Rehearsal: This is almost as important as practicing the action itself. The brain patterns during mental rehearsal of an action are the same as those when preparing for the action before the motor skill is selected, so the more you mentally rehearse a shot, the quicker and easier it will be to prepare to carry out the shot.

Run On and Off

Always run on and off the court--for a time out, when you are taken out of a game, or at half time. Psychologically, you are showing your opponent that you won´t wear down. The Boston Celtics under Red Auerbach would not even sit down during a time out in order to appear fresh to their opponents.

Referees

Referees make mistakes. It´s part of the game. Captains should learn the ref´s last name, put Mr. or Ms. before it when you speak to them, and watch things turn your way.

enjoy the moment

enjoy the moment...when you get my age, you won´t remember the game...you will remember the Battle...and the brothers or sisters who stood there with you.

Don´t change

Don´t change what got you this far...don´t try to be a leading scorer if you´ve never done it before...you owe it to your team-mates to play within yourself.

PLaying Time

Don´t blame the coach for your child´s problems or lack of playing time. Your child´s struggles to succeed are your child´s problems. Let him work them out without your interference. A player has every right to ask a coach what needs to be done to earn more playing time, for example. But a parent stepping in to demand playing time is another thing altogether.

Advice

Please don´t shout advice to your player during the game. Shout encouragement? You bet. A steady stream of technique suggestions might have no value. Your insightful tips may conflict with the coach´s instruction.