When it comes to recruiting, a key for any coaching staff is to know what you want in a player. If you don't know what you are looking for, you will never find it. Every player is unique and has individual abilities that can contribute in some way to a program. Below are seven criteria that I feel are key when I am evaluating a basketball player.

BE A GREAT COMPETITOR

This is often hard to evaluate but a true competitor typically has both a love of the game and a desire to be the best. Do they win where they are now or are they ok with mediocrity? A competitor will push himself on his own time and do what it takes to be successful, never settling for less than his best.

HAVE A GOOD BASKETBALL IQ

The higher the basketball IQ the better. Do they understand spacing, angles, positioning, etc? Can they see the right play and make it consistently? You need players who understand the game and can process information at whatever level you at coaching. Note that academic IQ does not necessarily relate to basketball IQ.

DISPLAY GOOD CHARACTER

The goal should be to attract players who will represent the program well on the court, off the court and in the community. While not every player will have the same level of character, those with low or poor character qualities will bring a program down. It is much easier to win with people of high character than people who are characters. In addition, those with solid character are typically unselfish, team first type of players.

BE A SHOT MAKER

If all of your players are a threat to score, the team will be able to play at a high level of offensive efficiency. Notice I said shot makers and not shooters. You need players who can put the ball in the basket regardless of how they do it. Obviously it helps if perimeter players are able to score from distance.

POSSESS A SPECIAL SKILL

The skill I most like to see in a player is the ability to make shots. If a player is not a quality shot maker, he must possess a special skill that overcomes this deficiency. Does he impact the game with shot blocking, rebounding, passing, energy or toughness? Will his skill translate to your level?

PLAY WITH ATHLETICISM

Just because a player is a great athlete doesn't mean he plays with athleticism. Basketball is a fast paced and intense game. Closely evaluate the tangibles of a players speed, quickness, length, vertical ability and physical strength. Sometimes if a player lacks those physical abilities, they make up for it with hustle and intelligence.

BE A WILLING STUDENT

Each player must meet the minimum requirements to any school in order to be admitted and be eligible. A player must have the willingness to work in the classroom in order to make the grade. You do not want to spend all of your time fighting to get a player to study and be eligible.

1. BEAT THE DEFENSE DOWN THE FLOOR
   Push the tempo to catch the defense off guard to create quick easy scoring chances.
   
   
2. IDENTIFY THE ZONE
   If there is no initial scoring opportunity in transition, you must properly identify what zone is being played (ie, 1-2-2, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3-1 match-up, etc.) and set up the offense accordingly.
   
   
3. MAINTAIN GOOD SPACING
   Spacing is vital on offense and even more so vs zone. Poor spacing allows the defense to guard two offensive players with one defensive player. Proper spacing will spread out the zone and open up scoring opportunities.
   
   
4. CRISP PASSING AND BALL MOVEMENT
   The quicker the ball moves the harder it is for a zone to keep up and adjust. “Skip” passes are particularly effective and force the zone into long rotations.
   
   
5. BE READY TO MAKE A PLAY
   Offensive players must be in triple threat position on the catch ready to attack. You cannot simply pass the ball around the perimeter holding the ball above our head.
   
   
6. ATTACK THE GAPS WITH LIMITED DRIBBLING
   Unnecessary dribbling allows the defense time to adjust or reset and slows down ball movement. The best time to drive a gap is when the zone is in rotation. Penetrate and protect the ball.
   
   
7. GET THE BALL INSIDE
   Zones are designed to force outside shots. You must attack inside out by penetrating the zone with low and high post passes. Often the best outside scoring opportunities come from inside out play.
   
   
8. OUT NUMBER AND OVERLOAD
   Depending on the zone being played you must identify the weak areas and attack those weaknesses by working to get a numbers advantage. You can accomplish this by screening as well.
   
   
9. BE PATIENT
   You want to be aggressive but you also cannot settle for the first quick shot. Work the zone to create GREAT not GOOD scoring opportunities.
   
   
10. PURSUE OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS
    Zones offer excellent offensive rebound opportunities due to the lack of direct man-to-man responsibilities. You have to exploit this weakness with relentless pursuit of the ball.

• “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
• People truly do want to go along with people they get along with.  And while someone can have people skills and not be a good leader, he cannot be a good leader without people skills.
• The first quality of a relational leader is the ability to understand how people feel and think.
• The ability to look at each person, understand him, and connect with him is a major factor in relational success.  That means treating people differently, not all the same as one another.
• Leaders have empathy for others and keen ability to find the best in people by truly caring for others.  You cannot be a truly effective leader, the kind that people want to follow, unless you love people.
• People respect a leader who keeps their interests in mind.  If your focus is on what you can put into people rather than what you can get out of them, they’ll love and respect you.
  

• “A leader can give up anything – except final responsibility.”
• In a study of self-made millionaires, it was found that all have one thing in common – they work very hard.
• If you want to succeed, be willing to put the organization ahead of your agenda.
• “Stress comes from doing less than you can.”
• Excellence is a great motivator.  People who desire excellence – and work hard to achieve it – are almost always responsible.
• The ultimate quality of a responsible person is the ability to finish.
• “When an archer misses the mark he turns and looks for the fault within himself.  Failure to hit the bull’s-eye is never the fault of the target.  To improve your aim, improve yourself.”
• If you have trouble achieving excellence, maybe you’ve lowered your standards.
  

• Don’t follow the crowd; make up your own mind.
• What great banner would have been fought and won under the banner, ‘I stand for consensus’?
• No one can live on a level inconsistent with the way he sees himself.  You may have observed that in people.  If someone sees himself as a loser, he finds a way to lose.  Anytime his success surpasses his security, the result is self-destruction. That’s not only true for followers, but it’s also true for leaders.
• An insecure leader hoards power.
• “Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.”

• “A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself… He belongs to whatever can make captive of him.”
• Self-discipline can’t be a one-time event.  It has to become a lifestyle.
• “Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.”
• Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you’re likely to become discouraged.  Count the benefits of doing what’s right, and then dive in.
• “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.  There’s plenty of movement, but never know if it’s going be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

• Servanthood is not about position or skill.  It’s about attitude.
• The truth is that the best leaders desire to serve others, not themselves.
• Definition = Intentionally being aware of your people’s needs, available to help them, and able to accept their desires as important.
• The real heart of servanthood is security.  Show me someone who thinks he is too important to serve, and I’ll show you someone who is basically insecure.”
• The Law of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others.  It’s also true that only secure leaders exhibit servanthood.
• Great leaders see the need, seize the opportunity, and serve without expecting anything in return.
• It is true that those who would be great must be like the least and be the servant of all.
  

• “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” John Wooden
• Leaders face the danger of contentment with the status quo.
• “As long as you’re green, you’re growing.  As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.”
• If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much today.
• Teachability requires us to admit we don’t know everything, and that can make us look bad.  In addition, if we keep learning, we must also keep making mistakes.  “The greatest mistake one can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”
• “If you don’t like the crop you’re reaping, check the seed you are sowing.”
  

• “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”
• Vision leads the leader.  It paints the target.  It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward.  “Show me a leader without vision, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t going anywhere.”
• If you lack vision, look inside yourself.  Draw on your natural gifts and desires.  Look to your calling if you have one.
• The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract.  The more challenging the vision, the harder the participants fight to achieve it.
• “The first thing you do is to teach the person to feel that the vision is very important and nearly impossible.  That draws out the drive in winners.”

• What does it take to have the focus required to be a truly effective leader? A leader that knows his Priorities and has Concentration.
• "Don’t major in minors”
• The great mystery isn’t that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few things well.  Strength is always specific!
• Growth equals change.  If you want to get better, you have to keep changing and improving.  That means stepping out into new areas.
• Work on yourself, on your priorities, in your strengths, and with your companions

• Giving is the highest level of living.
• It’s hard for a person to be generous when he is not satisfied with what he has. Generosity rises out of contentment, and that doesn’t come with acquiring more.
• If you’re not content with little, you won’t be content with a lot.  And if you’re not generous with little, you won’t suddenly change if you become wealthy.
• The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves.  Generosity requires putting others first.
• The only way to really win with money is to hold it loosely-and be generous with it to accomplish things of value.  “Money is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.  If it gets on top and you get under it, you will become its slave.”
• “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
• “All that is not given is lost.”

• Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should head the list.
• Leaders are responsible for initiating a connection with their followers.  But that’s not the only area where leaders must show initiative.  They must always look for opportunities and be ready to take action.
• “The starting point of all achievement is desire.”  If you’re going to be an effective leader, you’ve got to know what you want.  That’s the only way you’ll recognize opportunity when it comes.
• I do the things that I believe ought to be done… And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act.
• Proactive people always take risks.  But one of the reasons good leaders are willing to take risks is that they recognize there is a price for not initiating too.
• “The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.”
• “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”  If you want to achieve great things as a leader, you must be willing to initiate and put yourself on the line.  
• “Even the right decision is the wrong decision if it is made too late.”
  

• “A good leader encourages followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear.”
• Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.  That’s the Law of Connection.  But before a leader can touch a person’s heart, he has to know what’s in it.  He learns that by listening.  
• 60% of all management problems are the result of faulty communications.
• You have two purposes for listening:  to connect with people and to learn.
• “Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.”  If you’re in the habit of listening only to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus.
• “Nothing I say this day will teach me anything.  So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”
  

• Concentrate on what you do well, and do it better than anybody else.
• “Nobody can be successful unless he loves his work.”
• Passion makes it possible for people who might seem ordinary to achieve great things.
• Your desire determines your destiny.  Any one who lives beyond an ordinary life has great desire.
• There is no substitute for passion.  It is fuel for the will.  If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it.
• If you follow your passion, instead of others’ perceptions, you can’t help becoming a more dedicated, productive person.  And that increases your ability to impact others.  In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality.
• “A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.”
• You can never lead something you don’t care passionately about.  You can’t start a fire in your organization unless one is first burning in you.
  

• Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
• If you look at the lives of people in any profession who achieve lasting success, you will find that they almost always possess a positive outlook on life.
• “The last of our human freedoms is to choose our attitude in any given circumstance.”
• The Law of Magnetism really is true: who you are is who you attract.
• If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value.

• Effective leaders always rise to a challenge.  That’s one of the things that separates winners from whiners.
• People respond to problems in these ways: they refuse to accept them; they accept them and then put up with them; or they accept them and try to make things better.  Leaders must always do the latter.
• “In times like these it is good to remember that there have always been times like these.”  Effective leaders face up to the reality of a situation.
• Never try to solve all the problems at once - make them line up for you one-by-one.”
• If you’re faced with lots of problems, make sure you really solve the one you’re working on before moving on to the next one.
• Effective leaders understand the peak-to-peak principle.  They make major decisions when they are experiencing a positive swing in their leadership, not during the dark times (don’t decide to retire during training camp).
• The ability to solve problems effectively comes from experience facing and overcoming obstacles.
• Problem-Solving Method = TEACH (Time, Exposure, Assistance, Creativity, Hit it)
• Never allow others to put obstacles in the pathway to your dreams.

• How a leader deals with the circumstances of life tells you many things about his character.  Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it.
• We choose our character.  In fact, we create it every time we make choices.
• The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question.  A leader not only stays above the line, between right & wrong, he stays well clear of the “gray-areas.”
  

• I have yet to find the man who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.
• Charisma is the ability to draw people to you.
• People enjoy leaders who love and are passionate about life.
• One of the best things you can do for people is expect the best of them.
• Highly successful people could only see the good in people.
• The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches but to reveal to him his own.
• Hope is greatest of all possessions.
• As you lead people, give of yourself.  Share wisdom, resources, and even special occasions.
  

• Michelangelo – “God will see.”
• The world has never seen a great leader who lacked commitment.
• Law of Buy-in: People buy into the leader, then the vision.
• Some people want everything to be perfect before they’re willing to commit themselves to anything.  But commitment always precedes achievement.
• Jordan – “Heart separates the good from the great.”
• The only real measure of commitment is action.
• There will be times when commitment is the only thing that carries you forward
  

• Leaders must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.
• Communication is not just what you say.  It’s also how you say it.  The key to effective communication is simplicity.
• Speeches = Exciting opening, dramatic summary, as close together as possible.
• To become a better communicator, become audience-oriented.  People believe in great communicators because great communicators believe in people.
• First, believe in what you say.  Second, live what you say.
• As you communicate, never forget that the goal of communication is action.

• Competent people come ready to play everyday, no matter what the circumstances they face.
• All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving.
• The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss.
• Quality is never an accident: it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution.  It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.
  

• "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
• “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”
• Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
• Courage isn’t an absence of fear.  It’s doing what you’re afraid to do.  It’s having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory.
• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
• Courage deals with principle, not perception.  If you don’t have the ability to see when to stand up and the conviction to do it, you’ll never be an effective leader.
• “Courage is contagious.” – “Fear limits a leader.”
• “Fear not that your life will come to an end, but that it will never have a beginning.”
• “What’s ironic is that those who don’t have the courage to take risks and those who do, experience the same amount of fear in life.”

• Discernment = The ability to find the root of the matter, and it relies on intuition as well as rational thought.
• “Nothing in life is to be feared, only to be understood.”
• Discernment enables a leader to see a partial picture, fill in the missing pieces intuitively, and find the real heart of the matter.
• The closer a leader is to his area of gifting, the stronger his intuition and ability to see root causes.  If you want to tap into your discernment potential, work in your areas of strength.
• “Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it’s enough.”

1. Adaptable - If you won't change for the team, the team may change you
2. Collaborative - Working together precedes winning together
3. Committed - There are no halfhearted champions
4. Communicative - A team is many voices with a single heart.
5. Competent - If you can't, your team won't
6. Dependable - Teams go to Go-To players
7. Disciplined - Where there's a will, there's a win
8. Enlarging - Adding value to teammates is invaluable
9. Enthusiastic - Your heart is the source of energy for the team
10. Intentional - Make every action count
11. Mission conscious - The Big Picture is coming in loud and clear
12. Prepared - Preparation can mean the difference between winning and losing
13. Relational - If you get along, others will go along
14. Self-improving - To improve the team, improve yourself
15. Selfless - There is no "I" in team
16. Solution-oriented - Make a resolution to find the solution
17. Tenacious - Never, never, never quit