Off Season Work Outs Are a Big Success "NO Guts No Glory"

Picture this, its 6:45 am and a commited group of young men are waking up to an anoying buzzer. throwing on their b-ball gear and making their way to the NVSS gym for yet another grueling morning workout. There is nothing glamorous about it, no glory, no fans, no announcers, no awards, none of that is present. All you have is your ball, the rim, your team and your work ethic. Relentlessly you power through drills that are designed to to improve your quickness, your stamina, your jumping, your shooting, your passing and your ball handling. An hour and a half out of your day that is an investment into your future of being a great basketball player. An investment that will give glory on game day!

Come and Join The Morning Work Out Club every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. For an intense skill development session that is guaranteed to improve your game. There may be aditional sessions in the PM as spring sports teams move out to the fields for those that cant make mornings. If you cant make either come and see coach Mueller and he will teach you a personal program that you can do at home.

I have posted IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT PLYER list that was on the blog earlier, but I have highlighted some of the points that are relevant to individual achievemnt that will guarantee you success if you can buy into it. Lets prepare for a great off season for a sucessful season.

If you want to be a great player, do as many of these things as possible,

every time you take the court:

 

1. Great players... go after every rebound on both ends of the floor - they are crafty and aggressive.

2. Great players... run the floor as fast as possible on fast breaks AND defensive transition.

3. Great players... are defensive stoppers - they stop their man as well as help teammates. They do the things offensive players HATE!

4. Great players... contest all shots. They don't go for ball fakes or shot fakes. They deflect passes, bump cutters, and take charges.

5. Great players... don't gamble on offensive or defensive. They aim to make the RIGHT play; not the HIGHLIGHT play.

6. Great players... are strong with the ball. They rip through hard on offense, 'chin' all rebounds, and don't expose the ball when dribbling.

7. Great players... play under control and play at different speeds. They know that playing slow can be VERY effective.

8. Great players... practice just as hard as they play in games. They don't have an 'on and off switch' - they are ALWAYS on!

9. Great players... allow themselves to be coached. They make eye contact, listen, and welcome coaching. They crave getting better.
10. Great players... are great teammates. They are supportive, high energy, and make their enthusiasm contagious.

11. Great players... 'Play Present.' They focus on the process, not the outcome. They focus on what they can control. They don't get distracted.

12. Great players… take advantage of every opportunity to get better. Every workout, every practice, and every game is a chance to improve!

13. Great players… are mentally and physically tough. They are comfortable being uncomfortable.
14. Great players… can pivot both ways off of either foot and can dribble, pass, and finish around the basket with either hand. They don’t have a ‘weak’ hand.

15. Great players… love and respect the game of basketball. They don’t play for money or fame; they play for love.
16. Great players… are unselfish passers. They hit open teammates. They know the goal is to get THE best shot; not THEIR best shot.

17. Great players… don’t commit stupid fouls. They know their greatness is eliminated if they are on the bench in foul trouble.

18. Great players… are students of the game. They watch film. They study opponents. They study themselves.

19. Great players… value every possession. They aren’t careless with ball. They make smart passes and take high percentage shots.

20. Great players… don’t wait for the workout or practice or game to start… they prepare for it! They prepare mentally and physically.
21. Great players… are super competitive. They hate losing more than they enjoy winning. They compete in everything they do!

22. Great players… always know the time and score. They know how many time-outs they have as well as who is in foul trouble on both teams.

23. Great players… log the game in the mind. At any point in time, they can tell you exactly what happened, on both ends of the floor, the last 3 possessions.

24. Great players… are assertive with the ball, welcome contact when driving to the cup, and get to the free throw line.

25. Great players… immediately think ‘Next Play.’ They don’t dwell on mistakes (missed shot or TO)… they make up for it on the other end.

26. Great players… make plays, not excuses. They don’t care if the refs suck, if the floor is slippery, or if they have a cold. They get it done.

27. Great players… are the first ones in the gym… and the last ones to leave EVERY day.
28. Great players… don’t worry about getting exposure. They focus more on never getting exposed!

29. Great players… elevate their teammates to become great players too!

30. Great players… know that their legacy will be judged on their ability to win championships.

31. Great players… would rather play ball than anything else. They truly love to play.
32. Great players… are well rounded and have a complete game. They can ‘hurt’ you in a variety of ways.

33. Great players… are top-notch communicators. They talk with a presence on both ends of the floor.

34. Great players… want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line because they know they have put in the work to DESERVE success.
35. Great players… train with a purpose. Their workouts are focused, intense, and progressive. Nothing they do on the court is casual.
36. Great players… give back to their program and are humble and grateful for what basketball has done for them.

37. Great players… are responsible for tone and effort of the entire team… every workout, practice, and game.

38. Great players… are always thinking two plays ahead.

39. Great players… hold themselves, their teammates, and their coaches accountable. They believe in collective responsibility.

40. Great players… play in straight lines and sharp angles. They make hard basket cuts and set solid screens.

41. Great players… love playing and competing against other great players.

42. Great players… know that no detail is too small and that the smallest of details can make them even better.
43. Great players…have high values. They value their teammates, winning, and self-improvement.
44. Great players… are never content and never complacent.

45. Great players… never make excuses and never miss workouts. They will workout anytime, anyplace (even in their home

Two Vanderhoof Players Try out and Make the U-15 Regional Team

Jonathan Mueller and Austin Weg both tried out and were selected for the Basketball BC's Central Regional team on April 15th. "It was a very competitve tryout said Vaughn Mueller. There were was a strong contingent of players, so the try outs were very competitive and nerve racking for the boys."

For Jonathan this is his 3rd consecutive year of regional basketball, that has seen him participate in numerous out of season competitions againste the top players in the province. Last year Jonathan was selected at the Jamboree as one of the top 50 players in BC for his age group, unfortunately he narowly missed being chosen as one of the top 24 players for either the Red and Blue Provincial teams. This year he's back to try it again and really looking forward to the opportunity once again. The competition is fierce said Mueller, once you get out of the north and you travel down to the lower mainland you are emersed into a basketball culture that has very much an elite approach. You are just number down there, infact during the try-outs they number you with a permanent marker and thats how they identify you." Jonathan has made some huge strides this year helping lead his Junior Vikes team to a 17-11 record that saw them make it to the zone finals. He is maturing into a solid point guard, and he understands what it takes to get better. He knows that the secret formula to success is work. Since the end of the season he has commited himself to countless hours of gym time working on essential basketball skills so that he is ready for this new challenge.

For Austin Weg this is a whole new experience, he has lived in Vanderhoof for less than a year now, moving from Arizona last fall. He is a tremendous natural athlete, with good size and strong work ethic said Mueller. His potential to this point is largley untapped, with further experience and continued work on his funadmentals, he has the potential to blossom into a dominant post player. "Its not everyday that you have a 6'3" 14 yr old with size 17 feet walk into your gym" For Austin this will be a learning experience, adittional playing time againste top level players. "Mueller say's so far he has shown solid improvements and as he continues to work on his skills he will get better and better."

Both Boys will see their first regional action this coming weekend at the TRU invitational in Kamloops. the boys will see a variety of different types of teams down there said Mueller. it will give them a good opportunity to see potentially how they measure up to the rest of the boys in the province.

Viking Basketball Camp a Big Success for All

The future Senior Boys Basketball team hosted a successful elementary hoop camp this past week at NVSS. It was a week long camp that featured 5 two hour sessions of basketball fundamentals, and instruction to elementry students grades 3-7. "It is really important said Vaughn Mueller that all the boys learn to give back through coaching. They get to see a whole different perspective of the game, it forces them to think about the basic funadamentals in a different way." You know how the saying goes to teach is to learn. The proceeds from the basketball camp will go towards the Gonzaga team camp coming up at the end of July. Well done Vikes and good luck in Gonzaga!

Dakota Clapperton was awarded the most promising coach award for is coaching at the camp.

 



 

top free throw shooters from each team

 



Girls camp free throw Champion grades 3-4 age class

 





 

 

Boys camp free throw champion grade 3-4 class

 



Boys Free Throw Champion Grades 5,6,7 class

 



 

Camp Champs with coaches Mckay Jenson, Jonathan Mueller, and Caleb Wale