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Maddee McGee (Granby Memorial HS)  2016-17

Congratulations on your selection to the NCCC All-League Team.The NCCC All-League Team is selected by the NCCC League's Coaches.

As you begin to work on improving your shooting technique, make sure the shots you take are close to the basket. If you start shooting from outside the three-point line too soon, you're likely to slowly lose proper technique and develop bad habits. Once you master your shot close to the basket then start to slowly shoot from further away. This one issue is the cause for so many players that shoot with horrible technique.

When shooting a basketball it is extremely important to follow through correctly. To get in the proper habit of following through, remind yourself that you need to "wave goodbye" to the ball after each shot. Some people even use the analogy of pretending inside the rim there is a cookie that you are grabbing after you shoot. Don't obsess over it just try to make sure after each shot your hand falls towards the rim. 

One of the most over-looked ingredients of becoming a great shooter is footwork. Where your feet are positioned when you square up for a shot can make or break the outcome of the shot. They should be shoulder-width apart and should be pointing towards the basket.

When it comes to shooting a proper jump shot it can't be stressed enough how important it is to jump straight up and down. If you are drifting at all it's very likely that your aim will be off and it becomes very difficult to become a consistent shooter.

If it makes you upset when an opposing player out-hustles you or plays harder than you . . . then you might be in trouble. Great players don't back down from a challenge. Great players have respect for other players that play the game with passion. Instead of being annoyed they recognize that they need to step up and match their competitor's intensity. How do you react?

There are typically four types of mistakes players make: phyical, mental, execution and effort. The type of mistake that will make your coach the most upset are the effort mistakes.

Some players mistakenly think that they lack 'toughness' if they get so tired that it forces their coach to take them out of the game for a breather. The fact of the matter is if this never happens to you it’s likely that you aren’t working hard enough. Tough players give it all they’ve got on the floor. They work so hard that they hit points of almost complete exhaustion. Don’t hold anything back.

Two things that effective ball handlers do while they dribble the basketball are they stay low and they change speeds. Staying low is important because it's a more athletic stance than standing straight up. You'll move quicker and you'll be harder to guard. Changing speeds is important because it keeps your defender guessing. You never want to be predictable in your movements.

Recently I saw a motivational quote that went something like this: “Just because you’re on the right track doesn’t mean you can’t get run over.” If you think about it this hits home with so many talented basketball players every year that under-achieve. The lesson here is to never stop working. Somewhere somebody is practicing harder than you. They are fighting for the same recognition you are. Even if you’re ahead, you can’t stop working. If you do, you’ll be yesterday’s news.

Legendary basketball coach, Dale Brown, once said “negative thoughts will produce negative results”. I can’t think of a better statement that summarizes why so many players fail to meet their goals. If you want to become a great at basketball you have to be able to control your thoughts and be positive.

How well do you handle losing? The answer to this question might say a lot about your chances of becoming a super-star basketball player. If you pout and make excuses you aren’t going to accomplish much. You need to treat losing as an opportunity to learn and improve. Be humble but yet never lose the competitive fire, just use it positively by making yourself better.

Most great basketball players believe in the traditional advice of eating right and getting good rest. It's common sense but the majority of players out there don't practice it. Good nutrition and healthy sleeping patterns result in better performances on the court - bottom line.

A great way to get more playing time and to maybe crack the starting line-up is to display maturity and a positive attitude. Coaches love to have players on the floor with positive attitudes and good leadership qualities.

Great individual defense has a lot to do with how active you are. Even if you don’t have the best mechanics if you are extremely active in staying in front of your opponent and display a lot of hustle you can still be a very solid defender. 

Becoming a great defensive basketball player does not require natural born talent. It simply requires concentration, work ethic & desire, a proactive attitude and knowledge of the proper fundamentals. If players want to play good defense bad enough, they can do it. 

Being a great point guard requires unselfishness, intelligence and awareness. To play this position effectively you must know your teammates strengths vs. weaknesses and care less about your own stats than your team's chemistry. It's your job to recognize who has the hot hand so you can find ways to get them the ball. It's your job to always know how much time is on the clock, how many timeouts your team has, etc. You are the floor general. 

To be a good point guard you must have good floor vision. This means that you are able to dribble with your head up, keeping your eyes on what is going on around you. Being a great dribbler doesn't mean much if you can't do it without looking down.

When you have possession of the basketball be careful not to pick up your dribble too early. If you pick up your dribble before you know exactly when you are going to shoot or when you are going to pass, you risk causing turnovers. Defenders will swarm you and make it very difficult for you to do anything. This is where a lot of takeaways and 5 second calls happen.

When shooting free throws, make sure that you get yourself in a routine. Consistently do the same thing every time you walk to the line and as you prepare to shoot. By doing this you'll feel more and more comfortable at the line and you'll be less likely to choke in pressure situations.

If you find yourself struggling from the free throw line, make sure you keep a couple of important things in mind. 1. Make sure you are squaring up to the foul line with good balance. 2. Make sure you are bending your knees and taking a deep breath before you shoot to relax yourself.  3. Create a ritual so that  every time you shoot a free throw you go through the same motions.

The best time to get serious about improving your shooting technique is immediately after your season ends. There are big strides of improvements that can be made by changing the fundamentals of your shot, but they usually take some time to evolve. If you tweak with your shot a lot during the season it may cause you to lose confidence because every shot you take you'll find yourself second-guessing whether or not your form was the cause for missing or making. 

As you begin to work on improving your shooting technique, make sure the shots you take are close to the basket. If you start shooting from outside the three-point line too soon, you're likely to slowly lose proper technique and develop bad habits. Once you master your shot close to the basket then start to slowly shoot from further away. This one issue is the cause for so many players that shoot with horrible technique.

When it comes to shooting a proper jump shot it can't be stressed enough how important it is to jump straight up and down. If you are drifting at all it's very likely that your aim will be off and it becomes very difficult to become a consistent shooter.

If you can't make it to a gym to shoot, the next best thing to do is work on your fundamentals at home! Try this simple drill. Lay down on your back, place the ball on your shooting hand and practice shooting the ball to get the proper rotation and spin on the ball. Make sure you keep your elbow in. (BYTA Note: You can also try this sitting in a chair.)

Using a pump fake is a very effective way to create an open shot for yourself. Once you get the ball, square-up to the basket, bring the ball up over your head and jerk your head. Then quickly move around your defender when they go for the fake. Doing this every once in a while just keeps your defender guessing and will help you create more space.

Using a pump fake is a very effective way to create an open shot for yourself. Once you get the ball, square-up to the basket, bring the ball up over your head and jerk your head. Then quickly move around your defender when they go for the fake. Doing this every once in a while just keeps your defender guessing and will help you create more space.

"When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave."

Read your defender when performing a crossover dribble. Take a few hard dribbles in one direction to really convince them that's the way you want to go. Then just as they start to move in that direction quickly move the ball to your other hand and break toward the basket.

If you want to be a dominant ball handler it's critical that you have two "go-to" moves that you have mastered. By having two moves that you are really good at, you keep the defender guessing because he knows he'll get beat if he gambles. Don't spend all your time experimenting with dozens of moves at once. Don’t spread yourself so thin where you know several moves but aren't GREAT at any of them.

One of the biggest reasons many good basketball players don't make it to the next level is their lack of intensity. Many players have phenomenal skills but lack that "it" factor. If you truly have intensity you absolutely hate to lose or perform poorly. You've got to be intense and you have to be passionate about winning. 

If you want to be a great basketball player you've got to be able to keep your cool. Two things you have to learn to deal with are bad officials and players that talk trash. If you let either get in your head you'll end up making bad decisions, forcing shots and committing stupid fouls. 

Recently Steve Nash had the following advice for players, “You should always want your coach to be critical. It gives you an opportunity to learn and to overcome adversity.” Players that feel like their coach is too tough on them need to take this to heart. Try to remember that it’s hardly ever personal and that it’s worse if your coach never pushes you because at that point they have probably given up on you.

A great basketball player is constantly alert and focused on what's going on around him. How much time is on the clock, how many time-outs his team has left, what his opponents strengths are, what his own strengths are, which teammates have the hot hand, etc. To play at the next level a player can't rely on athletic ability alone.

When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave.

- Steve Alford