L.E.A.D Player Development

“Believe in ya self and invest in ya self even if the ones you want to see ya vision don’t see it!”

Kobe Bryant: "Failure doesn't exist, it's a figment of your imagination" An interviewer asks: "Are you someone who loves to win or hates to lose?" Kobe responds: "I'm neither. I play to figure things out. I play to learn something. Because if you play with a fear of failure or you play with the will to win that supersedes fear, I think it's a weakness either way. If you play with fear of failing, you'll capitulate to that fear. If you play with the sense of 'I want to win, I want to win,' then you have the fear of what happens if you don't. But if you find common ground in the center, you're unfazed by either. That enables you to stay in the moment and not feel anything other than what's in front of you." The interviewer asks: "How did you become someone who doesn't seem afraid of failing?" Kobe responds: "What does failure mean? It doesn't exist. It's a figment of your imagination." He explains with an analogy: "Let's use happy endings. Everybody wants a happy ending, right? Snow White finds her prince and lives happily ever after. Well, I call BS on that because two months later, they had an argument and he's sleeping on the couch. The point is: the story continues. So if you fail on Monday, the only way it's a failure is if you decide to not progress from that. If I fail today, I'm going to learn something from that failure and try again on Tuesday. That's why failure doesn't exist." The interviewer asks: "If you finished your career without a championship, would you have looked at that as a failure?" Kobe: "No. I would look at it as being extremely disappointed, because I had a dream and goals I wanted to accomplish. If I didn't accomplish those goals, I'd have to ask myself why. Poor leadership? Failure to communicate with my teammates? Lack of preparation? Those would be reasons why I didn't win. So I'd have to analyze that. And as I evolved post-basketball into business, those same weaknesses would reveal themselves there too. If I don't learn from that, I'm going to struggle again." He concludes: "I can take those situations and learn from them and have them make me a better person later in life. But if I don't take that stuff and apply it someplace else, that's failing. The worst possible thing you can ever do is to stop. It's to not learn."

“Society has gotten soft in a lot of ways... The real world is tough and cruel... I'm preparing my players for life." - Danny Hurley (Via @RealDanZak 🎥)

#1 thing to watch tonight: Kingston Flemings vs. the Illini drop coverage. If Flemings can get the mid range going early, Illinois will be in serious trouble and must adjust. The game within the game.

Everyone talking, everyone clapping, players leading THIS is what it should look like (Via @cougarsportsone 🎥)

Houston culture This is the practice before a Sweet 16 Game Notice how the players are running hard AND touching every line Greatness is an every day thing

Left a mark at Steele that’s officially in the record books! So proud of the work you put in the last four years! You played the right way, put the team first, and checked every box. On to Javelina nation @SteeleHoops @SHardwork @JavelinaMBB

As we are out here doing our Genealogy and looking at old census records and history, it's mostly written in cursive. There are at least 3 different decades of youth who don't know how to write or read cursive. What the schools won't teach, you better have your children learn it from somewhere else. They will lose history if they don't. #Inspirenaire

A 35-year-old Michael Jordan working a young Ray Allen and the Bucks for 44 points on 15/22 from the floor 🐐

RICK PITINO IS THE GREATEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH OF ALL TIME. Pitino has led four programs to the Sweet 16 during his iconic coaching career: Sweet 16 at Providence. Sweet 16 at Kentucky. Sweet 16 at Louisville. Sweet 16 at St. John’s. Truly remarkable, the GOAT 🐐🐐🐐

Rick Pitino shares a masterclass on teamwork and selflessness. "Regardless of how you play, when you play for the name on the front, the back prospers." "When you play for the name on the back, you never prosper. All you are is guys with good stats. That's it." Stats don't win championships - teams do. "Play for the front. Give everything you have for the front name." "Do everything - from diving on the floor, to blocking shots, to setting screens, to playing together. Play for the name on the front." Great teams play for each other. They know connected teams achieve more. "The name on the front is gonna bring big rewards for the name on the back. I guarantee it." "Give it everything you have for this name." The formula is simple: Put the team first, and everything else follows. Play for the front. The back will take care of itself. (🎥St. Johns )

🚨Dyaln Harper in his 1st career start while leading San Antonio to their 21st win of their last 23 games: 24 PTS (team high) 4 REB 3 AST 9/13 FG In the year of Coop and Kon, Harper has quietly been BALLING out for the 2nd-best team in the league.

YEAR 23 LEBRON WITH THE POSTER OF THE SEASON 🥶🔥🔥

Give me a coach that’s a fighter like these two dudes 🔥🔥

Kevin Durant on Michael Jordan: “MJ is just bigger than the game. I mean, no matter who passes him in stats or who wins more, it’s going to be hard to win. Go 6-0. Even if you were to pass him in anything, just his impact on the sport and just culture in general is just too big.” (via @boardroom, h/t @NBA__Courtside)

Barkley dropped truth 💯 We used to CELEBRATE coaches like Pitino & Izzo. Now it’s clip-chasing to shame greatness 🤦‍♂️ Players don’t need soft… they need being coached hard and accountability . They need adversity. That’s LIFE. #CoachesEdge #CBB

Louisville hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since Rick Pitino left He just led St. John’s there for the first time since 1999

Coach Cal praised HPU for flying students out postgame. He added: “Administrations win championships. Coaches win games. In this era of NIL, if you’re not totally into it and they’re not committed, you’re not winning. You just can’t. And High Point is.” Worth the full listen.

Rick Pitino talks scouting “You have to take away every single thing that they do well”

Tom Izzo shares an uncomfortable truth about earning your spot. "You play real good, you start. You don't play as good, you work your way back in." "That's the American way - except America has gotten soft." You don't get what you want in life - you get what you earn. It starts with showing up and earning it every single day. No shortcuts...Just hard work. (🎥@CBBonFOX )