Motivation Monday

”The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Memphis Girls Basketball Motivation: Good to GREAT!

The reason I started MemphisGirlsBasketball.com was not only to help expose the world to our talented players but to also inspire our players to take their game to another level. Memphis is full of talented players but understand "Hard work beats Talent, when Talent fails to Work Hard!"

Memphis lets stop settling for just being "talented" and lets push ourselves to the level of PHENOMENAL and EXTRAORDINARY.

THAT'S MY MISSION WITH MEMPHIS GIRLS BASKETBALL!!!

Here's an inspirational video for you.. What you should notice about this video--it features top players during their individual work outs, NOT team work outs. Understand that the great ones work on their game before team practice, after team practice, early in the morning, late at night, in the off season. NO EXCUSES!

Why You are not being Recruited by Patosha Jeffery

I've been reflecting on conversations I have had with coaches, players and parents and on situations I've seen senior players be in. As late as August, I was still being contacted by college coaches looking for players for this school year. To be honest, there really is not an excuse for players that want to play basketball on the collegiate level to not have an opportunity to play. However, basketball scholarship offers do not just fall in your lap even if you are good. An average well known player has a greater chance of getting a scholarship offer over a great unknown player. Think about it.

Are you putting yourself in position to get a basketball scholarship? With the advancement of the Internet and the explosion of exposure events (camps, tournaments, leagues), there is no excuse.

Does it take work on the players and parents part? Yes. Does it require money? Possibly. Does it require time? Yes. Is it worth it? Well you tell me. Would it be worth sacrificing a couple of weekends during the spring, summer and fall or a few extra hundreds of dollars for a 'FREE' $25,000-$50,000 or more college education? Take it from me and my parents. My parents did not have to put $1 into my college education.

Players also really need to evaluate what level of player they are. Everyone is not a Tennessee, Connecticut, or Stanford type of player. There are other divisions of basketball other than who you see playing on ESPN. For example, Union University which is currently a NAIA school and right up the road in Jackson, TN. They have won 5 National NAIA Championships with 4 in the past 6 years. It is also ok to attend a Junior College especially if you need to get your grades in order or want to continue your basketball career at the next level.

There is no one way to get a basketball scholarship. But the main way---is to be known. People, meaning college coaches or individuals that college coaches use as resources, have to know who you are and your abilities as a player.

I am a product of Memphis. An alumni of Newberry Elementary, Sherwood Junior High School, Hamilton High School and the University of Memphis. I bleed Memphis Girls Basketball. That is why I created an online venue, MemphisGirlsBasketball.com, to document our players in this area. That is why I host exposure events, like the Fall Exposure League and Pre-Season Show Off Camp, to provide a venue in the area where I can evaluate players and other scouts and college coaches can also. Giving all levels of players an opportunity to display their skills and an opportunity to obtain a scholarship.

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
-Michael Jordan

If you are interested in learning different ways to get a college coach to notice you and to get recruited, visit GirlsBasketballRecruiting.com

If you are interested in participating in the Fall Exposure League or Pre-Season Show Off Camp, visit GirlsBasketballExposure.com

Motivation Monday

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
-Michael Jordan

Motivation Monday

Always do what you are afraid to do.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Motivation Monday

"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed." -L.Jones

Motivation Monday

“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.”
-Orison Swett Marden

Motivation Monday

“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
-Denis Waitley

Motivation Monday

“You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.”
-Charles C. Noble

Quote of the Day

“Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.”
-Denis Waitley

Quote of the Day

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That’s the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”
-Bernard Edmonds

Connecticut's Maya Moore on Perfection

image and article from ESPN.com

Achieving perfection in basketball is difficult because there are so many pieces to the game that have to come together. You're one of 10 people on the court. You need to know what your four teammates are doing, and what the five on the other side are doing. It's extremely hard -- and that's why it's so great. I don't know if we've had a perfect game, but we've had a couple of halves that have been close.

There's a lot of expectations for us in terms of wins and losses, but there's a lot more that goes into how I would define a perfect game or season. For us, it's how you play. Perfect, to us, could be that I missed my first five shots in a game but I was a great defensive player.

Our coach says that striving for perfection is good, but you don't have to require it. You're going to make mistakes, and it's about how you respond and bounce back. In basketball, the beautiful thing is that you get a chance to bounce back really quickly. If you mess up on offense, you try to make something happen on defense. You use that fuel, that anger, to motivate you to make a stop.

Quote of the Day

“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”
-Richard Bach

Quote of the Day

“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”
-Muhammad Ali

Quote of the Day

“Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself. You may be surprised at how easily this happens. Your doubts are not as powerful as your desires, unless you make them so.”
-Marcia Wieder

Quote of the Day

Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people”
-Nido Qubein

Quote of the Day

“You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.”
-Edward O. Wilson

Quote of the Day

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”
-Mark Victor Hansen

Quote of the Day

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
-Michael Jordan

Quote of the Day

“Winners don’t do different things. They do things differently.”