Burm

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this beautiful woman as we begin a new Chapter of our lives in Tennessee! I Love You the Whole World!

Congrats Big Z!

Jumping straight into AAU after a long high school season is both unsafe & irresponsible. Programs that truly care about the mental and physical health of their players understand this. Rest & recovery are essential for real growth. Basketball should challenge athletes - but it shouldn’t be a nonstop, year-round marathon.

Cougars are headed back to Champaign!

Super-Sectional Champs X2!

Final at Orion Cougars beat Pecatonica 48-41 to win their second straight sectional!

Early in my coaching career I had a talented player who was chronically five minutes late to everything. Not egregiously late. Just five minutes, every single time. I let it slide because he was good and I didn’t want the conflict. Within a month, half the team was showing up five minutes late. Nobody said a word. The standard just drifted. That’s when it hit me. You’re either actively maintaining your standards or you’re passively lowering them. There’s no neutral position. I’ve also learned that expectations and standards aren’t the same thing, and that distinction matters more than most people realize. Expectations are the vision. The why. In my programs they’ve always been simple. Have fun. Create great experiences and relationships. Learn and grow. That’s the emotional foundation everything else gets built on. Standards are the daily behaviors that actually get you there. Be on time. Be trustworthy. Have a growth mindset and work hard. Take responsibility for your actions. Encourage the people around you. Don’t make excuses. When those are clear and consistent something interesting happens. The standard becomes the authority, not the coach. I don’t have to lecture anyone. I just point to what we all agreed on. The conversation stays about the behavior, not the person. That’s where real accountability lives without anyone feeling attacked. What I’ve seen over 25 years is that the teams, families, and programs that define these things clearly and hold them consistently almost always outperform the ones with similar talent that don’t. It’s not magic. It’s just clarity. People do better when they know exactly where the lines are. Kids especially. They don’t struggle in high standard environments. They struggle in ambiguous ones. Whatever you walk past becomes your new standard. The good news is it works in both directions. Raise the bar and hold it, and the people around you will rise to meet it. Every time.

Loyal assistant coaches matter more than most people realize. They support the vision. They protect the culture. They tell you the truth. Great programs aren’t built by one coach. They’re built by a loyal staff that pulls in the same direction.

When I was hired to coach varsity basketball at just 26 years old I thought I was God's gift to basketball. You couldn't tell me anything. I knew it all. Well, heading into Christmas break in my first season I was 0-9. And I realized quickly how little I knew. My players were getting suspended. My offense was messy. My emotions were all over the place. I dreaded people asking me how it was going. Quite frankly my team was awful and I had no control. I quickly felt like maybe coaching wasn't my thing. After I got done throwing a pitty party for myself, I hit the reset button. I started asking others for help. I read more books. I hired assistants. Every week I'd text or call another coach and pick his or her brain. Turns out, you're much better off with others in your corner than standing alone with your chest out. Shocking. I know. But as coaches it's what we default to. "My stuff is the best." "I don't need to adjust." "I don't have time to read." "It's the kids not my system." So when I finally won, the emotion that overtook me was gratitude. I was thankful for every person that poured into me when I didn't deserve it. I was thankful to God for giving me a platform that I didn't think would ever happen. I found myself extra grateful for every little thing that I had disregarded beforehand. My advice to young coaches entering the field...Acknowledge that you don't have all the answers and that you need help. Find a good staff. Ask for a mentor. Read. Watch extra film. Success starts with humility.

Final at Orion Eastland 49 Dakota 31 Cougars advance to 3rd straight Sectional Final vs Pecatonica

Final at the Bureau Valley Regional Championship Eastland wins 46-45 over Orion

As an AD with a child who plays sports, I understand the struggle of separating parent, coach, and administrator. My kid has been cut. He has sat the bench. He has had to fight his own battles when things were not going his way and he had to talk to the coach. My kid has found success. My kid has learned to work hard. I have never once spoken on his behalf to a coach. Why? Because learning to advocate for yourself and overcome adversity is what shapes you into who you become. Growth does not come from protection. It comes from perseverance. I do this because I love him.

GAME DAY at Rogers State University ⏰ – 1:00 PM 📍– Claremore, Okla. 🖥️ – mssulions.com/coverage

𝐂𝐀𝐀 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 🤝 @Grubich50 1-0 | 5.2 IP | 5 H | 4 SO | 1 R | 1 BB 📰 bit.ly/46NxDgz #RollHumps🐪⚾️

Happy 40th birthday to one of the hardest working guys I have ever known @CoachLud Not sure I have met someone who loves CG & @AthleticsCG more than our AD! Have a day old man!!!

Seniors: Time is running out on your athletic careers. Make sure you soak it in. Think about how blessed you are & make every practice & game count. Tears of joy or tears of regret? How do you want to remember & be remembered? What you put in is what you get back. Make it count!

Final at Eastland Cougars top AFC 76-29 @SportsRiverton Shootout on Saturday vs Woodlawn

Kudos to KU students n some of the other bluebloods' fans that never storm the court after the final buzzer sounds. KU students still had fun, singing with the pep band, watching Self's interview with ESPN. They didn't leave for 10, 15 mins. Still had fun minus the scary storm.

Dunk is nice, but it’s the perfect headbutt bounce pass to the ref that did it for me. #YaySports

College.Basketball. Nothing compares when it is done right. AFH is the best…