Turning Failure into Success
"99 percent of success is built on failure." -- Charles Kettering

5 Ways to Learn from Failure

1. Identify & admit your mistakes
2. Learn from your mistakes and don’t REPEAT them
3. NEVER give up, no matter how hard the road gets
4. Don’t DOUBT yourself or your abilities; Stay PositiveBe Patient, but Persistent

“Don't be discouraged by failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success.”

Howard at home at WKU

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Hilltopper Hysteria

Come kickoff the basketball season with the women's and men's basketball teams at Hilltopper Hysteria!

October 15, 2010 in Diddle Arena

• 7:00-9:00pm



• FREE Admission



• FREE T-shirt



• 3-Point Contest



• Dunk Contest



• Live Men's & Women's Scrimmage



• Performances by Big Red, Cheerleaders, & Topper



• Minute to Win It & Bottoms Up Contest

Come out and supports the Hilltoppers!

Our Deepest Fear....

Inspired thoughts by Marianne Willamson:

1. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure!!!

2. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

2. We were all meant to shine!

3. When we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

4. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

I want to Thank all of my coaches and teachers who believed in me and inspired me to strive for excellence. Your guidance has helped me to succeed both on and off the court:

Laura Lebeouf, Susan Touchet (RIP), Bubba Herbert, Ricky Brailey, Sue Gunter (RIP), Bob Starkey, Pokey Chatman, Paula Lee.

Develop a fire to Become Legendary!

Don't Make Excuses.....Become Legendary!

1. Failure gives you strength

2. Pain should be your my motivation

3. Use the fire to work towards improvement every single day

The Essential Qualities of a Team Player by John C. Maxwell

1. Adaptable—If you won’t change for the team, the team may change you

Adaptable people are:
Teachable
Emotionally secure
Creative
Service minded


2. Collaborative—Working together precedes winning together

Becoming a collaborative team player requires a change in focus in four areas:
Perception: See teammates as collaborators, not competitors
Attitude: Be supportive, not suspicious, of teammates
Focus: Concentrate on the team, not yourselfResults: Create victories through multiplication


3. Committed—There are no halfhearted champions

Some things every team player needs to know about being committed:
Commitment usually is discovered in the midst of adversity
Commitment does not depend on gifts or abilities
Commitment comes as the result of choice, not conditions
Commitment lasts when it’s based on values


4. Communicative—A team is many voices with a single heart

Communicative players:
Do not isolate themselves from others
Make it easy for teammates to communicate with them
Follow the twenty-four-hour rule (don’t let any difficulty or conflict with a teammate go more than twenty-four hours without addressing it)
Give attention to potentially difficult relationships
Follow up on important communication in writing

5. Dependable—Teams go to go-to players

The essence of dependability:
1. Pure motives
2. Responsibility
3. Sound thinkingConsistent contribution

Incoming Freshman Chaney Means' Character Shines Bright

Means what she says

Lady Top freshman leads by example, through faith

As a point guard, Western Kentucky incoming freshman Chaney Means knows all about the importance of leading by example. But for Means, leadership isn’t limited just to basketball. Means balances her competitive drive on the court with a desire to be a role model off the floor - serving as an example of how to live life to the fullest. It’s a blend of competitiveness and faith that drives Means, and the former high school star from Greater Atlanta Christian is determined to take it to the next level with the Lady Toppers.

“I think one of the first things I wanted to do when I got here was find good Christian friends and get involved with the community,” Means said. “It’s something that is a huge part of my life. I’ve always said that, like (her favorite athlete, former Florida Gator quarterback) Tim Tebow, I have a platform to show my faith. I want to do my best to represent Christ on the court. You can be a fierce competitor and still play with class and how God would bring honor to his name.”

Means earned a reputation as a hard-nosed player who relishes competition. But Means admits she has a competitive nature even off the floor.“We were playing spades (Wednesday) night with the team and, as soon as the cards came out, I had my game face on,” Means said. “I’m pretty quiet outside of basketball, but once I get on the court, I totally change. I think that is a good balance to have, though - to be a fierce competitor and a sweet girl that’s normal as well.”Means said finding a school that would allow her to strike that balance was among her priorities.“I was able to talk to (head coach Mary Taylor Cowles) from day one about my relationship with Christ,” Means said. “That is definitely an important thing for me. I eliminated some schools because I wanted people coaching me that I can respect with their family and how they live their life.

I think coach Cowles does a great job with that and is just a good role model for me.”Cowles said Means’ competitive nature impressed the WKU coaching staff during the recruiting process.“She is a coach on the floor,” Cowles said. “She is a coach’s child and I think we’ve all seen those kids that have grown up in a gym and been around it all the time. It’s unbelievable how much she understands the game. That comes from playing it a lot, watching it a lot, just being around it a lot. She has such a deep-rooted passion for the game of basketball.”Meanwhile, the Lady Topper staff was also impressed by how Means handled herself off the floor.“She is a coach’s dream, a parent’s dream, a mother’s dream,” Cowles said. “She’s just a beautiful young lady that represents everything you want from a coaching staff standpoint. She understands the academic side of the college experience and has that true balance of student/athlete. I think I can say that as a blanket statement across the board with this freshman class.”Means enjoyed plenty of success at Atlanta Christian. She was an All-State player since her sophomore season and had scored more than 1,000 career points after her junior year. But she said she is always looking to refine her craft.“Being smart and thinking the game is just as important as all the other stuff,” Means said.

“That’s a cool thing to do - be able to think the game. It’s one thing that I want to get better on, too - thinking the game all the time. I think that takes you to the next level and makes you a really good player, even if you’re a freshman.”Means said she’s hit the ground running at WKU, enjoying her brief time on the Hill and immediately bonding with fellow freshmen Mimi Hill and Ellen Sholtes.“It’s been great so far,” Means said. “It’s been good getting to know (everyone). I just like the schedule and routine. Starting the workouts is fun. It’s hard, but it is good. I think we’re getting better. Right now, I’m just going to figure out everybody’s strengths and weaknesses and get that chemistry. As a point guard, that is really important.”And Means is hopeful the hard work will lead to playing time in the 2010-11 season.“That was one thing I really liked about Western - the opportunity to play from day one,” Means said. “I’m excited about it and I’m up for the challenge. I really want to play and get some playing time and help the team any way I can.”

WKU Freshman Mimi Hill has arrived!

Other side of the Hill

Despite tough presence on the floor, WKU freshman has soft side away from the gym

With a sister who played in the WNBA and a mother who played college ball and now coaches in high school, basketball is undeniably in the DNA of Western Kentucky freshman forward Mimi Hill.And while Hill embraces her basketball identity, the 6-foot-3 freshman from Winder, Ga., still finds time to stay in touch with her self-described “girly” side - with off-the-court activities ranging from modeling to baking.The unique blend has Hill determined to not simply follow in the footsteps of sister Tasha Humphrey and mother Brenda Gilmore. Instead, she aims to forge her own path, first by making her presence felt in a crowded Lady Topper frontcourt.Hill didn’t start playing basketball until she was in seventh grade, taking up the sport after she was cut from the cheerleading squad for being too tall.“I was like, well let’s give this a try,” Hill said. “At first I didn’t like all the hitting, pushing and touching of the other players. Then I realized that’s the game and I was good at it. I started wanting to work out, do more stuff and get more into the game of basketball.”And it didn’t take long for the comparisons to Humphrey - a former Georgia standout who played in the WNBA - to surface. Hill said she embraced the mentions but eventually felt the need to break away and be her own person.“I realized that I’m not Tasha,” Hill said. “We are two different people. We have different body structures. We have two different games. We see the floor differently. That’s when I decided I’m my own person and I have to be me.”Hill developed into a force while playing for her mom at Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia. She led the team in scoring and earned a reputation as one of the area’s more versatile players, immediately drawing interest from WKU coach Mary Taylor Cowles.“Her athletic background - family background - is very rich, but Mimi is her own individual,” Cowles said. “She’s worked very hard to give herself this opportunity. I think the thing that makes her so exciting is that she will end up being a combination of a 4/3 player. Her ability to shoot the basketball from the outside and her ability to be with her back to the basket down in the block makes her very versatile for us.”Hill’s versatility extends beyond the arena. While in high school, Hill spent time during the offseason modeling on weekends.“I like shopping,” Hill said. “I like ... getting dressed up, with makeup and pretty hair, and I like taking photos.”Hill added that she also likes to get in the kitchen and bake, an activity that began at an early age with her grandmother.

“My mom and sister always told me that we don’t quit,” Hill said. “Everyone wants to quit when things get tough. They taught me that you can’t quit because it gets you nowhere. I think that is why my sister was so successful and why my mom was so successful. That pushes me to keep going.”Hill’s determination might be tested in joining a roster that returns Arnika Brown, Keisha Mosley, LaTierra Owens and Jasmine Johnson - post players who all saw significant action last year - along with the addition of Janae Howard, who will make her WKU debut after transferring from Louisville.Hill said it will be a huge challenge, but she is eager to find her place in the frontcourt rotation.“My expectations are to see what God puts in front of me,” Hill said. “If it’s not in his will for me to start or to play that many minutes, then that’s his will. If it is, I will gladly step up and take that opportunity.”

Work on your game & Learn in the Process!

I just read an article that talks about players and skill development and learning the game.

I think girl's need to find more time to work on their skills: shooting, dribbling, and offensive moves and stop relying simply on organized ball to get them better.

Once you've worked on your individual game find a pick-up game or two. But don't just play with the intent of improving your physical skills, improve your mental skills and basketball knowledge. Of course you need to be able to create your own shot and score the ball. But can you read the defense, do you know when to cut, curl, or flare, or can you make your teammates better by setting them up with a pass for an easy score.

Mark Lewis (ESPN Hoopgurlz) says, The reality of the situation may just be that we're too organized for our own good. I'm all for opportunity and any day you can be in the gym is a good day. At the same time, we need to find time to just play the game and turn simple basketball back into an instinct and reaction rather than thought-and-learned structure. Focus on two-on-two situations and three-on-three options and we'll see the game move to even greater heights. It doesn't matter whether you run the triangle offense, flex or some new innovative set, if you can't play the game within it, it's just movement.

Recruiting and Retention

Recruiting is the #1 priority to most Division I college programs. If recruiting is #1, then Retention should be your #2 priority as coaches. I have not found a study or much research on the transfer rate in women's college basketball, but I'm very interested in why it happens so much.

Why are female athletes transfering from their current programs at such an alarming rate?
Some of the reasons I have heard are:

1. I'm not getting enough playing time
2. I'm just not happy
3. I'm home sick
4. I hate my teammates
5. I hate my coaches
6. I can't compete on that level
7. I don't like that its basketball all the time
8. I need to focus on academics
9. It's just to hard and I want to quit
10. The coaches changed when I got here
11. My coach is crazy
12. No one understands me

Who's at fault? The coaches or the players

As a coach, I would like to say it's them and not me, but the truth is it starts at the top.
Coaches, we have to do a better job relating to our players after they become a part of our program. Every players is different and has to be handled in a very unqiue way. Every player wants to feel special and needed. I think we overlook that once we get them on campus. In an attempt to become stern and direct, we tend to become cold and distance.


As my wonderful mentor and coach once said, it's always about the kids. The players should always be your #1 concern which goes along with recruiting.

The Key to Retention:

1. Do all that you can to prevent your players from experiencing several negative situations in a row.
2. Find ways to have fun.
3. Know what's going on behind closed doors.
4. Research your players before signing them.
5. Make them love you and they will do anything for you.
6. They must value loyalty and thier word.
7. Must make them understand perseverance and patient. Wait your turn.
8. They must see the Big Picture.
9. Treat losing players like losing games. Find a way to keep them, find a way to win!
10. Love them unconditionally.