Latest / Momentum Sessions / Top Programs Are Built in Small Daily Moments | Molly Miller

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Top Programs Are Built in Small Daily Moments | Molly Miller · Momentum Sessions

• 0:03
  This is a phrase that I use often.
• 0:06
  Bad coaching.
• 0:07
  I'll say that.
• 0:08
  Because when I was younger, I think, all right, three reps go by and we're still not doing it right.
• 0:12
  When I was younger, I'm like, what are you guys doing?
• 0:14
  Can you not focus and figure this out?
• 0:16
  Now, if three reps go by and I'm still not getting what I want from them, I'm like, you guys, that's bad coaching.
• 0:21
  I'm gonna try to re-explain this.
• 0:23
  Hang with me.
• 0:24
  Let's see if we can get this right.
• 0:27
  So, in just a few short years, Coach Miller has transformed programs from D2 to mid-major to the Big 12, rapidly building culture and winning at every stop.
• 0:38
  Most recently leading ASU to its first NCAA tournament experience in a number of years.
• 0:43
  Coach Miller, thanks so much for being here.
• 0:45
  You've taken over multiple programs and turned them around pretty quickly.
• 0:49
  What's your approach to building belief and a winning identity in the first maybe four to six weeks with a new program?
• 0:56
  Oh goodness.
• 0:57
  It was it was a whirlwind.
• 0:59
  And when you when you do that and you're starting something new, you have to lead with authenticity in my mind.
• 1:06
  So we were very honest who we were up front.
• 1:09
  Um, we were honest with our expectations, we were honest where we were going, my vision, um, the standards.
• 1:17
  And then you have to really choose to believe in one another every single day.
• 1:22
  So, you know, from a staff standpoint, we just like I believe put your head down and work.
• 1:27
  And I've learned that you you can't spend too much energy trying to convince everyone else what matters.
• 1:34
  You just have to make sure that your people, you know what matters and what the most important thing is to your program.
• 1:42
  And, you know, we we focused on our how, and there were three of those when we we took over.
• 1:47
  It's how we were gonna work, and we wanted to outwork everyone.
• 1:51
  So it was how how you responded versity.
• 1:55
  Um, so what's your response when things get hard, and then how you treat people.
• 2:01
  That transition that I made, I knew we wanted to kind of lay the foundation with that.
• 2:06
  And so um, you have to build the trust, and obviously talent matters to win, but there's this cohesiveness and connectivity that I believe really wins.
• 2:16
  So the best teams, they know how to trust each other, how to communicate, how to compete.
• 2:22
  And they're really, I tell this all the time to my team, you have to be willing to sacrifice for something bigger than yourselves.
• 2:27
  So we talk a lot about those culture standing standards in the beginning.
• 2:32
  So that was kind of the first thing is just set the tone on how we want to work and how we want to treat people.
• 2:39
  Um, the energy, energy's always been my edge.
• 2:41
  So to me, that intentional energy that you put things in, the idea that everyone has an impact, you know, whether you're, I don't care.
• 2:50
  I've told my GAs this, I don't care if you're a manager, your coach, um, your fan, like everyone has the opportunity to show up.
• 2:59
  And so how we showed up really, really was important.
• 3:03
  Are those three hows that you came up with?
• 3:05
  Is that um been in every single program or is that something that's slowly kind of evolved and come together?
• 3:11
  I didn't really define it.
• 3:12
  I kind of defined it a little bit more last year because I don't, there's no you, you know, people always ask, like, you all, what's the secret used to winning?
• 3:21
  And there's not a magic formula.
• 3:23
  Um, it has to start with those daily habits.
• 3:26
  So that communication of what it needs to look like, um, because winning programs, they're not built overnight, but they're built through those habits that we talked about and those standards.
• 3:36
  So we didn't just, I'm not a write your goals down on a piece of paper person.
• 3:43
  It's kind of counterintuitive, but I don't believe in that.
• 3:46
  Because if you're obsessed and you are wired every single day to be your best, the byproduct will be those goals that you wrote down on a piece of paper.
• 3:57
  So honestly, it's it's not that.
• 4:00
  It's not saying like this is our theme, or this, I say that, and we kind of did have a theme, but we just said our theme was take charge.
• 4:08
  Um, but that's not culture.
• 4:10
  Cur culture isn't sayings or something you slap on a t-shirt.
• 4:13
  Ironically, we did slap it on a t-shirt.
• 4:15
  But we taught, we did it, we did it every single day.
• 4:18
  And the take charge acronym, the C stood for communication.
• 4:23
  So communication was gonna be a non-negotiable in our program.
• 4:27
  And you're gonna have to be able to communicate.
• 4:30
  And instead of, you know, our kids, they do this all day on their phones.
• 4:34
  That's how they receive information.
• 4:36
  So we were gonna talk to one another.
• 4:39
  The H was humility.
• 4:40
  That was really important to me.
• 4:42
  Here we are on this stage, and there's a spotlight on student athletes, and we've got to be humble in our pursuit of greatness.
• 4:51
  Um, the A was accountability, it's kind of self-explanatory.
• 4:54
  Um, you know, just don't just hold yourself accountable, but make sure you're accountable to your teammates.
• 5:01
  Um, make sure you're accountable to the program.
• 5:03
  I always say you don't get to choose to be to uh what parts of the program to be accountable to.
• 5:09
  It can't just be the basketball piece.
• 5:11
  You have to be accountable to the weight room.
• 5:12
  You have to be accountable to get in shape, you have to be accountable to your academics and being a student.
• 5:17
  You have to be accountable to the community service that we're going to have.
• 5:22
  You have to be accountable to these young eyes watching.
• 5:25
  So accountability was really important to us.
• 5:28
  Um, ours respect.
• 5:30
  I think we do a really good job of that in our program.
• 5:32
  Um, what's really cool about sport is our locker rooms really look like what the community should look like, right?
• 5:39
  Here we have all different backgrounds: race, religion.
• 5:44
  Some are uh have multiple like five to ten siblings, some are an only child, some were raised on the East Coast, the South, the North, the West Coast.
• 5:53
  So you have all those different differentiating views.
• 5:56
  And if you can come together and respect those and then work towards a goal, isn't that what it should look like?
• 6:06
  Isn't that what life should look like?
• 6:07
  So I love that our locker rooms are kind of a metaphor for life.
• 6:10
  Um, G is gratitude.
• 6:12
  I've said this many a time.
• 6:14
  So I will repeat it till the day that I am off this earth is you don't have to be put in a box to have gratitude.
• 6:23
  So you you you can practice gratitude if you're a starter, if you're a role player, um, you can practice gratitude if you're rich, if you're poor, famous, or anonymous, like go back and forth through all the things.
• 6:32
  If you practice gratitude, you'll live a joyful life.
• 6:35
  And you don't have to be any sort of category to practice gratitude.
• 6:40
  Um and the E is energy.
• 6:42
  I mean, energy's my edge.
• 6:44
  I've coined a term called Benergy.
• 6:46
  So it's something we talk about in our program all the time.
• 6:49
  And it originated from being bench energy.
• 6:53
  So I'm up coaching and our reserves, I want them to be an impact on the game.
• 6:57
  So I want them to have bench energy, energy.
• 7:00
  And it's the idea that you can impact people.
• 7:03
  And it really evolved like uh more into um more into everyone gets in the game.
• 7:11
  So everyone can have an impact.
• 7:13
  It doesn't just have to be the reserves, it can be the fans, it can be stakeholders, it can be teammates.
• 7:19
  So that's the energy.
• 7:21
  We have shirts, we're gonna have merch.
• 7:22
  So cool.
• 7:23
  I'll have to send you a hat.
• 7:24
  Um, but it's really how you show up every day with that effort and attitude, with the communication and encouragement.
• 7:31
  I mean, all of it matters.
• 7:33
  That's awesome that you've extended that one out into the community and now just a regular fan or someone like me can feel like I'm part of the program through that as well.
• 7:42
  I want to just circle back.
• 7:44
  Something you mentioned, no goals necessarily.
• 7:47
  Um, a lot of people say you got to have some sort of thing that you're pointing to, but it sounds like you also have those daily habits that you're really just trying to get through every day.
• 7:54
  But do you have another mechanism to figure out what uh um an outcome is you're trying to have for that season or something you guys are all pointing to?
• 8:04
  Um, you know, I've got like a box score, for example, and it's an intangible box score.
• 8:09
  So things that don't really show up on the box score that are important to us.
• 8:13
  So like deflections, charges, non-blockouts, not running to the corners, um, touches, like we can anything that you feel is important to your program, you can really um emphasize daily in practice.
• 8:28
  We obviously have those box scores that our manager keeps track of those intangibles during the game.
• 8:33
  I believe that if you're very honest in the way you approach the work, you don't have to set goals.
• 8:41
  But, you know, the I mean, one goal is we want to be one of the top 25 teams in the country in GPA.
• 8:48
  So that's obviously measurable.
• 8:50
  Um, you know, there's goals that we have is we want a positive assisted turnover ratio.
• 8:54
  You can see those.
• 8:55
  So as long as your habits align maybe with some of the analytics, then that can give you do I need to improve?
• 9:02
  Do we need to augment our strengths and offset our weaknesses?
• 9:05
  How do we do that?
• 9:06
  That's where some of those tangible man measurements can come in.
• 9:09
  That's cool.
• 9:10
  So it sounds like you almost have two scoreboards, the outcome one on games, but you have another one of ways that you're tracking some of the key things that you want to really reinforce in your program.
• 9:20
  Yeah.
• 9:20
  Two-part question here.
• 9:22
  What's maybe one mistake you see coaches make when trying to first install their culture?
• 9:27
  And then what separates average programs from maybe the elite kind of cultures?
• 9:34
  You know, I made this mistake in my younger years.
• 9:37
  Um, I got my first head coaching job when I was 27.
• 9:41
  So I really put this wall up of a little bit unapproachable because I felt like I had to prove myself.
• 9:47
  Like, you know, I'm the boss, like I'm the one making decisions, respect me.
• 9:53
  It's just not the right way to go about these things.
• 9:58
  So in my mind, I was especially these last few years, when I became a mom, probably about eight years ago, I opened up to the fact that, you know, we got to embrace being an imperfect human.
• 10:11
  I will say constantly in my practice, constantly, this is a phrase that I use often, bad coaching.
• 10:19
  I'll say that because when I was younger, I think, all right, three reps go by and we're still not doing it right.
• 10:24
  When I was younger, I'm like, what are you guys doing?
• 10:26
  Can you not focus and figure this out?
• 10:28
  Now, if three reps go by and they're still not, I'm still not getting what I want from them, I'm like, that's bad coaching.
• 10:34
  And so I will admit, I'm like, you guys, that's bad coaching.
• 10:36
  I'm gonna try to re-explain this.
• 10:38
  Hang with me, let's see if we can get this right.
• 10:40
  So I think the flawed coach is an appreciated one.
• 10:44
  And when you can own up to your mistakes, when you can own up to being wrong, when I mean, they're physically flawed.
• 10:52
  We're all flawed human beings, we're not perfect.
• 10:54
  So when they see that authentic true self and you could admit when you're wrong, I think that goes a long way.
• 11:01
  And you talked about energy, that's a big part of your coaching style.
• 11:05
  How does visible energy function as like a leadership tool for your players?
• 11:11
  Oh, well, I can't.
• 11:12
  There's no, I have to model the behavior.
• 11:14
  There's two things, there's two buckets I care about, really, and we're gonna get along just fine.
• 11:18
  I tell my players this.
• 11:20
  One is the body language and attitude bucket.
• 11:25
  That is, you know, you're gonna make mistakes.
• 11:28
  We normalize mistakes in our program, but your response really matters, and that's what's important to me.
• 11:34
  And I will call them on it.
• 11:35
  We'll have culture checks in the middle of practice, we'll huddle up, we'll even practice what it looks like.
• 11:41
  I mean, I've I've gone as far as like recreate and role play them coming off the court, giving high fives, sitting on the bench, what their body language emulates.
• 11:51
  So that's important to me.
• 11:52
  Um, the other bucket is energy and effort.
• 11:54
  And I I can't come to practice just golf clapping my way through if I expect them to have energy and effort.
• 12:01
  That has to start with the top.
• 12:03
  So that's the model behavior that I really, really try to implement when I'm in practice in the game.
• 12:10
  I give energy so I can get energy back.
• 12:13
  So you can't ask your kids to do something and you're not displaying that same behavior that doesn't correlate with them.
• 12:20
  So anything I'm asking, I'm really trying to model that behavior.
• 12:24
  And when you have these high standards and um they're pretty clearly well defined, which is awesome.
• 12:31
  How do you make sure they kind of stick though day after day, especially with players maybe that are either new to the program or kind of used to maybe a lower set of expectations?
• 12:40
  We can't cut corners.
• 12:42
  Um these kids, they're funny.
• 12:44
  If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile, and they're looking for any flaw in that armor, any little kink in the armor.
• 12:51
  So um, you have to be consistent.
• 12:54
  And then I've always said I have to coach my all-American the same way I coach my spot minute kid.
• 13:01
  So that looks um uh something that I've done.
• 13:05
  This is a little trade secret.
• 13:06
  I really have loved this about two years ago.
• 13:09
  My best ideas come at the wee hours in the morning.
• 13:12
  So about 2 a.m., I was thinking about how can I reinforce accountability without being judgmental?
• 13:18
  Because I think that's where there becomes the disconnect and maybe the tension is when you think that you know a coach is judging you and they're mad at you.
• 13:27
  And so what matter-of-fact tool can I use to correct behavior, a live culture check, if you will, but also just move on because I hate in practice where something's not going right, there needs to be a consequence.
• 13:44
  So you stop the drill and you're like, get on the line.
• 13:46
  I just I didn't love that.
• 13:49
  I also didn't love the back and forth.
• 13:51
  Like, you turn the ball over.
• 13:53
  That's your fifth turnover.
• 13:54
  How come you keep turning over?
• 13:55
  Well, she's not catching the ball.
• 13:56
  No, I'm talking about you, I'm not talking about her.
• 13:58
  Well, she would have catch.
• 14:00
  Like, I don't like that back and forth either.
• 14:02
  So I'm trying to find a way to avoid that.
• 14:06
  Stickies.
• 14:07
  So you know those post-it notes?
• 14:08
  I don't really like these little post-it notes.
• 14:11
  Yeah.
• 14:13
  So I have a stack of post-it notes um uh at our practice, and our manager has them at the scores table.
• 14:19
  And so every time, now they don't get a sticky for a turnover or a miss rebound, they get a sticky for culture and habits.
• 14:26
  Basically, what I talked about body language and attitude, energy and effort.
• 14:30
  So let's say Susie throws the ball away and she slumps her shoulders and she doesn't get back, and there goes a layup on the other end.
• 14:38
  I'll say, Hey, sticky, Susie, poor body language.
• 14:41
  So our manager will take this sticky and write poor body language on it, and we'll slap it up on the scores table.
• 14:47
  We continue practice.
• 14:49
  So it's it's instant feedback for Susie, but I'm not judging her.
• 14:54
  I'm just saying that was uh that needs to be fixed, and we're gonna be accountable for it.
• 15:00
  We don't stop and run, we don't stop and have a consequence.
• 15:03
  So these stickies could potentially build up throughout practice.
• 15:06
  I could be, hey, uh Sally, sticky, poor response, bad body language, whatever it is, these culture things that you want to emphasize.
• 15:17
  Um, you know, I lack of energy on the sideline.
• 15:20
  And so then those will add up.
• 15:23
  And then at the end, then I give them to my strength and conditioning coach.
• 15:26
  I'm like, hey, you've got the consequences for the stickies.
• 15:29
  What's really, really cool is when we huddle up, I this is this aha moment for these players, is I didn't really talk about the stickies, but one of our players, like, you guys, you know we control this, right?
• 15:41
  You know we control if we get stickies or not.
• 15:44
  So the sticky is this, you know, abstract wrongdoing in the culture that you want to correct the behavior.
• 15:53
  So they really took accountability to that.
• 15:56
  And then what's really cool is Sally tallies up about half the stickies and they're like, you know, Sally, come on, we need you.
• 16:03
  Like a lot of we're running a lot because of you at the end, and we're tallying up these stickies because of you.
• 16:08
  They have those sidebar conversations, and I don't have to be a part of it.
• 16:11
  So it's been a really cool teaching tactic that um has worked, and I will use it from here on out.
• 16:19
  Now, here's the other thing I'll do.
• 16:20
  Let's say Sally turns it over, sprints back, takes a charge, it's going the other way.
• 16:27
  I'll say, Hey, take a sticky off.
• 16:30
  Sally had great response to that adversity.
• 16:33
  So then they try to do what you want because they want stickies removed.
• 16:37
  I'm like, jokes on you guys, you figured it out yourselves.
• 16:40
  And uh, so that's been a pretty cool culture check tool.
• 16:45
  And it sounds like that also has turned your team into more of a player-led type program.
• 16:50
  Is that fair to say?
• 16:51
  100%.
• 16:51
  Yeah, 100%.
• 16:52
  I don't the best teams are player-led.
• 16:55
  You know, when you have peer-to-peer coaching, um, that's when you know you've got the teams that are bought in.
• 17:00
  Do you have other ways?
• 17:01
  I heard one piece there of, you know, you might remove something if someone does something well, but just in general, do you have the the positive reinforcement that you think about of how to whether it's as simple as a shout-out or something, or do you have um things that you recognize players for doing the right things?
• 17:16
  Yeah, I mean, that's just really been a tool.
• 17:18
  The stickies is great.
• 17:19
  And then obviously through practice, I'm like, you know, you instead of just clapping and say good job, you're like, that's what I'm looking for, or do that again, or give me another one of those reps.
• 17:29
  Something that's actionable, I think, is um leads to more of what you want to see.
• 17:36
  So I'll even do it like, hey, Susie, go tell Sally.
• 17:41
  That was really, really good.
• 17:42
  And so um, you know, you you have some sidebar conversations where you can give players um verbiage to articulate what you're really seeing.
• 17:54
  But sometimes when it comes from another player, it's more important.
• 17:56
  They're like, hey, go hype, go hype McKinna up on that one.
• 17:59
  That was pretty sweet.
• 18:00
  And so um, those things I think are just tools to weave into practice.
• 18:06
  Awesome.
• 18:06
  And we should have a couple minutes.
• 18:08
  Hopefully, if a coach on this call's got a quick question, we can maybe take one or two.
• 18:12
  So if you want to raise your virtual hand or type it in the chat now, we should be able to get to you.
• 18:19
  But coach, I know recruiting's um probably been an interesting um evolution over the last few years, but beyond all the NIL stuff and beyond talent, what are you truly looking for when you're trying to evaluate players and bring them into your program?
• 18:35
  Yeah, we did that this portal season.
• 18:37
  We really looked for fit.
• 18:39
  Um, I want players that really love the game.
• 18:43
  You know, I I think that's I just want some hoopers.
• 18:45
  I want kids that are doing it for the right reasons because they love basketball.
• 18:50
  And if they love basketball, they're gonna want to get better.
• 18:52
  And if they want to get better, they're gonna put in the work.
• 18:54
  And as coaches, that's all you want is kids that are willing to put in the work and be coachable.
• 18:58
  So you look for kids that have that competitive edge, that love the game, that want to do it the right way.
• 19:05
  We have a lot of conversations.
• 19:07
  Um, and we don't sugarcoat anything.
• 19:08
  We say it's gonna be hard.
• 19:10
  You know, we're gonna be one of the best conditioning teams in the country with how we play.
• 19:13
  So that's early mornings, 6 a.m., you know, on a Friday before your weekend.
• 19:17
  And I'm okay with a bad decision or two if I know that you've got a good heart and you care and you can be accountable to that and you're caring.
• 19:26
  And is there a way that you identify someone that's really truly gonna buy into the culture or even the opposite where it's maybe like, oh, this is just not gonna be a fit.
• 19:35
  Is there a way that you have kind of to identify that?
• 19:38
  Yeah, I mean, I think we're lucky enough to be at the stage that we'll win with you or we'll win without you.
• 19:45
  So um hop on if if you want to do it the way we're gonna do it.
• 19:50
  And if not, that's okay too.
• 19:52
  I'm very supportive if this isn't the right fit for someone.
• 19:56
  And we have those conversations.
• 19:58
  And again, I'm not a coach.
• 19:59
  If it's not the right fit, I mean, I've got one of the kids in the portal right now that this is her last day.
• 20:03
  And she just texts me, hey coach, I want to come by and say, say bye.
• 20:06
  Are you gonna be in the office?
• 20:07
  You still have that relationship because you're still rooting for each other.
• 20:10
  So just because it's not the right fit doesn't mean there was a a bad breakup, you know.
• 20:15
  It was this is a new day and age that we're dealing with.
• 20:18
  This is our new normal.
• 20:19
  So you want to do right by these kids no matter what.
• 20:22
  So I'm not one that's gonna close off our gym to kids that decide to transfer, not allow them into the weight room.
• 20:29
  They still have full access.
• 20:30
  I want them to be the best versions of themselves that might just be somewhere else.
• 20:33
  All right, so we got a few quick questions here from the community.
• 20:36
  Mr.
• 20:37
  Free says, Um, how do you stay focused on culture as you get closer to the end of the season when winning and postseason starts to take on potentially more importance?
• 20:49
  That question reminds me of team camp, you know, like in the beginning, when you're scrambling to get a team camp together, there's so many logistics, it's so many headaches, but you you do it and you grind through, and then once you get into it, it just runs itself.
• 21:03
  So my thing is if you put in the work in the beginning and they know what to expect and you haven't cut corners and they haven't guessed what it like, they're not gonna have to guess in February what I want it to look like.
• 21:15
  We've done all that before, like for the previous four months.
• 21:19
  So I think it's really important to set that standard early, never waver from that standard.
• 21:23
  So then it becomes habitual.
• 21:25
  Like what you're doing in February shouldn't look any different than what you did in November in terms of culture.
• 21:30
  Um, now if you have to pivot some conversations, if you have to adapt to the nature of what the team's going through, then you figure that out along the way.
• 21:41
  But you know, you always rely on what you've done since day one if you're a true believer in it, and there's not too much strain from that just because it's postseason or tournament time.
• 21:53
  And then Dean was asking you you talked about culture check ins at practice.
• 21:57
  If we can go just a little bit deeper, what is that truly?
• 22:00
  Look like?
• 22:00
  Is there any actionable tips on that front you can give a coach to start to do that?
• 22:05
  Yeah, I I have a phrase I use corner up.
• 22:07
  And so if you get any corner of the the court, you know, ours is the what where they corner up is closest to the water cooler.
• 22:16
  So I'll say corner up and they'll get in that corner and they'll have a huddle.
• 22:20
  When they hear that phrase, they know it's a reset.
• 22:22
  And I sometimes I'm involved and I'll get over there and sometimes I'm not.
• 22:26
  So corner up and and they know, all right, this is our key phrase to say something's got to give, something's gotta change.
• 22:33
  I I try to let them figure it out.
• 22:36
  Um so you know, it's it's basically like a huddle.
• 22:39
  So those are some culture checks that we'll do and just corner up, they'll get in the corner, and the the captains will take over, or our freshman can talk.
• 22:46
  We don't really put a merit on who can speak up in the moment.
• 22:48
  Sometimes I'll have an assistant go, I'll be like, corner up, and I'll be like, DB, go over there.
• 22:53
  You got them.
• 22:53
  So one of my assistants will go over there.
• 22:55
  Um, just hearing different voices in those moments, too.
• 22:58
  And then Tyler's talking kind of about similar to the player that's leaving.
• 23:03
  So NIL and Transfer Portal is definitely trickling down to the high school level.
• 23:07
  So he says, Do you have any specific strategies to maintain culture through roster turnover year over year?
• 23:14
  It's tricky because now you have to recruit your own kids more than ever.
• 23:18
  And I'm like, we're recruiting our kids that are already here.
• 23:21
  That sounds intuitive.
• 23:23
  Um, but retention is a real thing.
• 23:26
  Now, there's some instances where you can't do anything.
• 23:30
  There, you they're basically gonna double their salary somewhere else, then your hands are tied and you wish them well.
• 23:37
  Um, because this is life-changing money for some of these kids.
• 23:41
  Um now, I I do believe, I mean, we did not have a mass exodus in the portal.
• 23:46
  I mean, we were just on all our starters that are, you know, minus our seniors that are graduating.
• 23:50
  So if, and I will tell you, they probably could have gone somewhere else and gotten, you know, a bigger financial package, but what they value is how we do things.
• 24:01
  You know, there's a there's a side to happiness that includes the people around you, how you do it.
• 24:09
  I value the quality of life here in Arizona when it's 75 and sunny, it's not a bad place to recruit to.
• 24:15
  Um, so we don't have the culture issues when it comes to turnover.
• 24:22
  Maybe it's more so just playing time, or money sometimes is gonna uh lead them that way, but then you can't do anything about that, you know?
• 24:29
  And uh we've become a school of choice, which is really nice as well.
• 24:33
  So I don't play games in that, you know.
• 24:37
  I have very honest conversations.
• 24:38
  We had very honest conversations this postseason.
• 24:41
  Here was your role this year, here's how you need to evolve, this is what you need to work on.
• 24:46
  Are you ready to run it back or not?
• 24:48
  You know?
• 24:49
  And so when you can have those honest conversations, it's very easy.
• 24:53
  And like I said, it's it's genuine, there's no judgment.
• 24:56
  Um, but I do think what kids need from coaches more than ever is reliability.
• 25:03
  So if you're not willing to care about them, have one-on-one conversations, check in on them.
• 25:10
  I'll never forget one of my first months here when we got our portal kids on the way home.
• 25:15
  I'll call them.
• 25:16
  So, you know, I picked up the phone, I was calling one and they answered they're like, hello.
• 25:21
  And I'm like, what's up?
• 25:23
  They're like, did I do something?
• 25:25
  I'm like, I'm just checking in on you.
• 25:28
  What's like, oh, okay.
• 25:30
  I was like, how's the transition?
• 25:32
  Do you need anything?
• 25:33
  And they're like, oh, no, it's good.
• 25:35
  Thanks for calling.
• 25:36
  I'm like, well, what do you need from me right now?
• 25:39
  So you you just do that without an agenda, and then there that builds trust.
• 25:45
  So if you're not willing to do that though, that these kids crave that.
• 25:49
  They crave a relationship, they care that you have their backs, um, they care that you have their best interests and heart at heart.
• 25:56
  And the only way you can do that is form a relationship.
• 25:59
  And again, it doesn't have to be this hour-long conversation every other day.
• 26:03
  It's just little check-ins here and there, a text, a two-minute phone call when you're driving back from work, like all that goes a lot a long way.
• 26:10
  Hey, good luck on your, I know you got your final AP test today.
• 26:15
  Good luck.
• 26:16
  Um, all those things matter.
• 26:17
  So when you're talking about retention strategy, it can't feel forced, but this is what's needed for these kids to feel valued.
• 26:27
  Love it.
• 26:28
  That connection piece is so so important.
• 26:31
  Um, and then Eric, who I can see, Eric, I can see you on the screen there.
• 26:35
  Good to see you.
• 26:36
  How do you help players unlearn old habits, the ones they bring from another college or from their you know, high school or whatever it is, so that they learn new habits you want from them in your team?
• 26:49
  Skinnies.
• 26:50
  So skinnies is another mollyism.
• 26:53
  It's a little part of the whole.
• 26:55
  So if let's say a player, here's a good example.
• 26:58
  Let's say we're in a shell drill and our closeouts stink.
• 27:02
  And one of the reasons our closeouts stink is because they come up with two hands and they chop their feet.
• 27:08
  That's pretty typical.
• 27:09
  I don't, I don't love, and again, there's a million different ways to skin a cat, but I don't love that technique on closeouts.
• 27:16
  So I've had to break that strategy of chopping your feet and putting two hands in the air.
• 27:20
  So, how do I do that?
• 27:21
  We do a little skinny.
• 27:22
  I'll be like, all right, give me one and a half minutes on the clock.
• 27:26
  We're gonna do rapid fire closeouts with this technique, and I'll show them.
• 27:30
  We sprint and sit and we do a one-handed closeout.
• 27:33
  I call it blind.
• 27:35
  So palm to forehead and blind.
• 27:37
  So we'll just do that for that minute and 30, and it's rapid fire and it's just a skinny.
• 27:42
  And then we'll go back to the shell drill.
• 27:43
  Well, what do you think the closeouts look like at that shell drill now?
• 27:46
  We've just emphasized it.
• 27:47
  It's been a little part of what we're trying to do, just a little slither, a little skinny.
• 27:51
  And then um we go, we go back to the drill, but we've emphasized what I want the closeouts to look like.
• 27:57
  So every closeout is gonna look like that because they just had like five reps in a row at rapid fire with the technique I want.
• 28:04
  So we'll do those little, I mean, sometimes they call it, you know, whole part whole.
• 28:08
  Um, we'll do just little skinnies throughout practice too to try to break habits or form new ones.
• 28:14
  Awesome.
• 28:14
  Eric, does that help?
• 28:15
  Thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs up.
• 28:19
  All right.
• 28:19
  Um, Coach Miller, we talked about energy earlier.
• 28:22
  You obviously have you bring the energy.
• 28:23
  How do you sustain, though, your energy and passion throughout a long demanding season?
• 28:29
  Uh, if you can imagine, I don't do caffeine, I don't do inner, I mean, uh an occasional, maybe an inner drink per month.
• 28:35
  But um I, you know, I'm on my front line and I do understand of what I'm asking of these kids.
• 28:42
  I can't, I can't be anything less than that.
• 28:46
  And it's just my personality.
• 28:48
  I mean, you should meet my mother, that's probably where I get it from.
• 28:50
  She just can light up a room and she just engages you with her energy and her passion.
• 28:57
  Um, but I I really am a big believer that that fuels you if you come to work and you come to the court and you're energetic, and you know, you are what you portray.
• 29:11
  And so what gives me energy and what fuels me and what prevents my burnout is pouring in.
• 29:20
  And there's no such thing as balance.
• 29:22
  That's what I've accepted.
• 29:23
  So I can't, there's no balance for me to be a mom and a coach.
• 29:27
  Doesn't exist.
• 29:28
  But when I'm a mom, you better believe I'm two feet in.
• 29:30
  When I'm a coach, I'm present, I'm right there.
• 29:33
  And then I try to blend the two.
• 29:34
  So my kids will come over to the gym, like they own the place, they probably do.
• 29:38
  They'll run around with the players.
• 29:39
  My players will come to the the house.
• 29:41
  We'll be watching playoff games.
• 29:44
  Uh, they bring Legos over to build with my kids.
• 29:47
  So blending the two, I guess, allows me to have some balance.
• 29:52
  But um, you know, I I think we're we're losing some good coaches because of burnout.
• 29:57
  So whatever you works for you, I don't I don't need balance.
• 29:59
  You know, I don't need I don't need the me time um to go for a massage or a spa day.
• 30:08
  Like I would be sitting there on the spa day being like, I gotta get to the next thing.
• 30:13
  This is Delaine, what I need to do.
• 30:15
  So I I work frantically at a pace, but I like it.
• 30:18
  That's what works for me.
• 30:19
  And then again, I'm intentional when I'm with my kids, my my basketball kiddos, whoever it is.
• 30:25
  So whatever works for you.
• 30:26
  If a walk in the morning works for you, do it.
• 30:28
  If just pouring into your work and not stopping works for you, because I mean that's what works for me, do it.
• 30:34
  You just have to find what works for you.
• 30:37
  And lastly, if the high school coach is watching right now or later, um, if they could implement only one or two things that we've discussed today, or maybe even something outside of that, what would you tell them first to focus on in terms of if they want to develop the you know a really strong culture?
• 30:54
  Well, I I mean, I think we probably ran this one into the ground, but relationships, um, that's huge.
• 31:01
  And then the other thing I would focus on from like a technical aspect is your terminology.
• 31:08
  I've changed terminology a lot.
• 31:11
  An example, this was like the running joke of the WBCA when I presented there.
• 31:17
  On a closeout, I would I would tell our girls, I said, I said, tickle the basketball, just tickle the basketball.
• 31:23
  So in a closeout, I just wanted them just their fingertips like goochie goochie go, like some people say close short or um high hand.
• 31:33
  I just say, and it's stuck in their mind because now they know they just want their fingertips to, they're not doing a WWE move on the basketball.
• 31:40
  This just tickle the basketball.
• 31:42
  So it's like the running joke, like, oh, Coach Miller, tickle the basketball.
• 31:45
  I'm like, yeah, on a closeout.
• 31:46
  I want your measuring stick out.
• 31:48
  So we call this, you know, you're you gotta measure up and just tickle the basketball.
• 31:52
  And it's stuck.
• 31:53
  So those things stuck, stick.
• 31:56
  Um, another one is we do uh, like if you're in weak side or help side underneath the basket, a lot of people say get to the low eye, help side, weak side.
• 32:08
  I say big show because that's what I want them to do.
• 32:11
  If the ball's on the left wing and my my person's on the right wing, I'm gonna get to the midline and big show.
• 32:18
  So I literally want them to show at the post and be able to do both well.
• 32:21
  So they they go like this.
• 32:22
  They show, they big show on the weak side.
• 32:25
  So I've just I've changed terminology, binergy, obviously, is one too.
• 32:31
  And I I've tried to that's what teaching is, coaching is teaching, right?
• 32:37
  So I've tried to develop these nuances on how to communicate and teach with buzzwords, different words, silly phrases.
• 32:46
  And so now they get it.
• 32:48
  And you know, they make fun of me for tickle the ball, but I'm like, joke's on you because you're doing exactly what I want.
• 32:53
  You're closing out and you're just barely a bare stopping shot, but ready for the drive.
• 32:58
  Yeah.
• 32:58
  And it makes it so much easier to remember, and it's a little funny, and it's an inside joke in some ways for the team.
• 33:04
  So that's awesome.
• 33:04
  Kevin says, Thank you for sharing with us today.
• 33:07
  Great information.
• 33:08
  Love the energy and passion.
• 33:10
  I agree with him.
• 33:11
  So, coach, thank you for sharing your insights.
• 33:14
  Awesome to spend some time with you.
• 33:16
  And uh, thanks to the coaches for showing up.
• 33:18
  And Coach Miller, again, thank you for the last 30 minutes or so and hope to talk to you down the road.
• 33:22
  Absolutely.
• 33:23
  Thank you.
• 33:23
  Good luck, coaches.
• 33:25
  Wishing you the best.
• 33:27
  Hey, it's Matt.
• 33:28
  Thanks so much for listening.
• 33:29
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• 33:40
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• 33:53
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• 33:59
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• 34:04
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