The annual convention was held Sunday-Wednesday of this week with several headlining speakers in several sports. I had to come back to Abilene on Tuesday, but I listened to some good speakers on Monday.

Tom Inman, Plano HS Basketball

I got three plays from Inman, but the thing that stood out was his comments on the AAU system. He warned to watch out for AAU coaches, that they have an agenda that does not include what is best for the kids. He said that school coaches have an AD, principal, superintendent, and school board over them, while AAU coaches have nobody to answer to. He said that not all AAU coaches were bad, but they were all self serving. I have made it clear on here before, but I agree completely with his assessment, and I am sure the vast majority of coaches do as well. He recommended that school coaches be allowed to coach their kids for twenty days over the summer, and that would coincide with the time period college coaches can make contact over the summer. This would put the recruitment process back in the hands of coaches with ethics and regulations instead of AAU coaches like it currently is. I wouldn't be opposed to that idea. It would mean even more unpaid work, but we aren't in it to get paid, and it would be best for the kids.

Dana Altman, Creighton Basketball

Altman had the podium for two hours, and was a feature speaker flown in by Nike. Altman was very funny, and you could tell he was struggling to reign in his language. He had several stories that were funny, but spent most of his time with X's and O's. He talked about his offense and why it fits Creighton. Altman gave his ten keys to offense in basketball. He also noted that Creighton not having football was "a good thing" because the basketball program got whatever they wanted. The second hour was focused on defense, and Altman mostly outlined his pressure strategy. He uses a 1-2-2 full court both soft and tight, as well as a half court trapping system. A question was asked if his base defense was man or zone, and he said both, depending on his personnel and the flow of the game.

John Valenzuela, Madison HS Basketball

Valenzuela was probably the best speaker I saw on Monday. He gave several lists he uses in his program, and went into detail on all of them. Among them were the 5 expectations of players, 4 types of players, 5 things to never say, 4 steps to be a champion, 5 coaches struggles, and 7 ways to score. The only one I will unveil is the 5 truths in his program:

1) Do not limit God.

2) God has the answer even if you don't see it.

3) Magnify God, not your problem.

4) Fight the good fight of faith.

5) Let God do it his way, it is better than our way.

This was the only list that dealt with faith, but there is a reason I posted it. Having just read Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy, this list made even more sense to me. I have said several times since reading Dungy's book, that it is the future of coaching. Screaming, cussing, tearing down players doesn't work well, and it shouldn't. Modeling good morals, faith, composure, and intelligence is a much more productive approach. Not only will it lead to more success as a team, it will instill values and lessons that players can carry with them for the rest of their life. You may hear coaches say that is the real reason they coach and think they are just blowing smoke. Some may be, but I am serious when I say that is why I am in education, and part of that is coaching. I care more about helping to mold young men who will be good husbands, fathers, workers, and members of their community later in life than winning games. Another book about this style of coaching is Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx.

Back to Valenzuela, he was very prepared and gave an excellent presentation. While I was watching him, the rest of our staff was watching Bobby Bowden. They said he seemed ill prepared, and were let down by his lecture. They also saw Don Byrd, of Alamo Heights football give a talk on the quick passing game that produced NT recruits Sam Dibrell and Giovanni Vizza. I also listened to about half of Jill McDill from Rockwall basketball after making the rounds in the exhibit hall. While I was only able to be there for one day, it was worth it. I got several inbounds and set plays to use and some good program guidelines from Valenzuela.