Did we know LSU coach Bob Starkey has a blog? Check out his various Hoop Thoughts.

Communication is a big part of coaching. As I've been taught by Coach Don Meyer, "It's not what you say, it's what they hear." A big part of communication is terminology. For instance, it's critically important that you staff uses the same terminology to improve the retention of your team and to avoid confusion. It's not back screen and back pick -- pick one and we all use it. Not block out and box out -- find one and stay with it. Above that, look to string phrases together that stick with kids (and your staff). Coach Meyer is the guru at this and I will share some of his in a later post. Coach Dale Brown had the HIT philosophy at LSU. Let's HIT 'em. Play HARD, play INTELLIGENT, and play TOGETHER. I think as coaches, for absolute maximum benefit, you should constantly spend time working on terminology and words phases. In fact, a better vision of how important this is comes again from Coach Meyer who refers to them as "word pictures," because when used properly, they actually paint a picture that sticks in your players mind. Some time ago, an article appeared in the USA Today written by Jarrett Bell that speaks to this point and how Pittsburgh Steeler's head coach Mike Tomlin used them to shape the culture of his football team:


That's shop talk, courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who has stretched much mileage from a few choice words on his rapid ascent up the coaching ladder.

"I've probably heard that one at least 150 times — this year," Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel says. "It's kind of monotonous, but we get the point."