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Message: [QUOTE="Tonyc, post: 5191378, member: 73"] We play in the Big East and thats not gonna change. We are building a post player in Jana. She's new to America and WCBB and she's developing and working hard. She is improving and getting better. She gonna be what she becomes this season and thats not gonna change. Geno knows more about what's going on with this team then we do. He plays who he feels are our most developed players and who play well together and that most likely wont change unless something happens that forces it to change. What we are is what we are. IMO we have not been playing up to our potential, especially in big games. Neither are other teams. I watched the Tenn @ LSU game and the SC @ Texas games. They were doing alot of the same things that we are doing in our big games. We have 3 losses on the road and we could've won those games if they were home games and we could've won those games if we played up to our potential. BTW we were in all those big games that were on the road just like Tenn and SC who lost on the road yesterday. So how do we play to our potential????? This is a big question for me and maybe some of you. We need to fine tune a few things and we will be fine. IMO we need to fine tune a few things starting with controlling the tempo. In big games we become hesitant, and seem to rush. These are both killers. They kill our execution and they kill the way we think which kills our confidence. When we play top teams they our quicker and play better defense, then some other teams we play. Overcoming being hesitant, and rushing comes from fear. The answer is play with patience and poise. In big games I see us rushing to try and get open and get a good shot. Getting a good shot and taking your time to execute it is what I feel we're missing. I learned a long time ago when you fear something do it until you dont fear it anymore. By taking a second your thought process is clear and not clouded with negative thoughts. If you think about good execution and miss you took a good shot so be it. If you get fouled you can still score. Dont be concerned about missing, focus on executing a good shot. To many times I feel we rush a shot to get it off cleanly because we fear of having it blocked or getting fouled. I know from playing golf when you need to hit a good shot you should focus on your execution and let it happen. You muscles and brain know what to do. When think about all the things that can go wrong which are distractions, you lose focus on what your suppose to do and you fail. In BB when your thinking about execute a play it gives you a second to execute a shot that you've made a thousand times and chances are you will make it. When you let those demons get in your head making you think your gonna miss or get fouled your chances of scoring a gone. This is where patience and poise come in. Awareness of where your teammates are and where the defenders are is important to your execution. Players get angry with herself for missing a bunny. Focus on execution. If you execute the shot the way you do in practice you will make it. Against good teams you have more obstacles to overcome than you do with a team less talented. Against good teams they are quicker, sometimes more athletic and that affects your mind and the way your think, because you cant execute as easily. Against good teams you have to overcome negative thinking, such as lapses in concentration, nervousness and self doubt. To overcome these obstacles you need to learn how to calm the mind. Calming the mind is done by focusing on executing plays, which helps eliminate fears. Focusing on executing the play leads to a good shot. Most defenses have lapes too, just like offenses. By focusing on executing offense your mind is free of fears because your focus in on what your doing. This creates calmness of your mind almost like your playing unconscious. Eventually the defense breaks down or the offense creates a situation for a good shot and somebody takes it. If that situation fails to happen you are in position to create a shot whether its a pull up jumper or a designed play to get somebody open. At this point you mind should be relaxed and you can play fear free. Playing fear free is trusting yourself to let it happen not trying to make it happen. Letting it happen is fear free, trying to make it happen causes your muscles to tighten up and that usually causes a disaster. We are very close to where we know we can be. We have the talent. It's frustrating at times when we make mistakes. Playing to our potential is a direct result to being able to execute the way we know we can. Focusing on execution creates calmness. Playing when your calm helps your confidence because your mind is free and that results playing with poise, patience and confidence. Putting it all together creates a winning attitude. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach

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