What Is A Buckeye Anyway

With all the hoopla over UF playing Ohio
State in both football and basketball for
championships this year my wife asked
a simple question the other day.

What is a Buckeye?

Having grown up in the Ohio Valley I knew
the answer. It's a type of tree and the shiny,
dark brown, 1 - 2 inch round nuts it drops.
There were some in my neighbor's yard in
Henderson, Kentucky.

You can't eat the nuts, but they're good for
throwing at people. Light enough so no
damage is done, but heavy enough to chuck.
They have a smaller light brown circle on
them which makes them look like an eyeball.

I guess somebody along the way thought
they looked like the eyes of a big buck.

What that has to do with college sports and
why a major university would want its
teams named that I have no idea. There
are worse team names though, and I think
the buckeye may be poison. But it still
doesn't seem they would strike much fear
into the heart of an opponent, does it?

There is one Buckeye who strikes fear into
his opponents this year though, and
especially after the title game - Mr. Greg
Oden.

If you watched him play you got a clinic on
how to be a big-time player. And it doesn't
even matter what position you play. You
could learn a lot from this kid. He may turn
pro next year. I haven't heard yet.

He could though. He's that good, and only
going to get better. He sure showed his
mettle against the 3 or 4 good defenders
Florida threw at him during the
championship game.

Here's what made him so good:

1. He played big in a huge, high-pressure
game.

2. He attacked his defender and the basket
without hesitation.

3. His in great shape. Even though he tired
late in the game can you blame him? He
banged with 4 different defenders with at
least 16 fouls to give for 38 minutes at both
ends of the court.

4. He shot and scored with either hand.

5. He stayed calm and focused all night. He
played like a veteran, not a college
freshman.

That's how big-time players and big-time
scorers do it, and if you paid attention
during the game you learned a lot.

But if you want to learn tons more about
how to become a prime-time scorer make
sure you digest Patrick Chylinski's best-
selling e-book on how to dominate a
defender and be top-notch scorer.

Order it today, and you can get an almost
unfair advantage on your competition this
summer. They won't know what got into
you. So zip right on over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/20ppg.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Coach Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

Note: This blog entry is protected by
copyright, but you have permission to
copy and use it in its entirety as long
as the links are intact and the contact
information is included.

Copyright 2006,2007
Delker Enterprises, Inc.

Coach Dean Delker
8413 SW 4th Place
Gainesville, FL 32607
352-494-6572

dean@deandelker.com
www.deandelker.com

I Have A Dream

By midnight tonight we'll know whether
my team of Gator Boys have fulfilled their
dream of a second straight national title or
not.

Last year they were a refreshing surprise
to the college basketball world. This year
with the starting five back so many expected
them to win. They've had the pressure and
that proverbial target on their back all season
so teams have given them their best shot.
Much harder to repeat than win the first one,
but not if you hold on to your dream.

Dreams are a wonderful things. They are
what inspires us to reach for the best. And
with apologies to Dr. Martin Luther King for
whom I have the tremendous respect,

I have a dream.

Dreams really, but the one I'm thinking of
is not political in the least. Neither is it one
of those big heroic 'Save the cheerleader,
save the world' kind of dreams.

I've had it for awhile in my heart, but didn't
know it until recently . As you might guess I
love to shoot baskets in my own driveway.
There's nothing more satisfying than sinking
shots, even if I'm just by myself.

It charges me up, gives me confidence, and
relieves stress, but I've discovered now I
want to feel like I'm shooting in Madison
Square Garden, the old Boston Gardens,
Rupp Arena, or tonight's Georgia Dome.

I want the look and feel and sound and
smell of a top quality backboard and rim.

What I have now works fine, and I do
appreciate it. It's much better than a rim
nailed to the side of a sagging barn, but
mine is one of those old ones with a sand-
filled base I bought from a neighbor who
was moving.

I know the rim is too forgiving though, and
it has this annoying feature that when you
swish a shot from the side the ball hits the
stupid base right on it's front curve and
bounces wildly out into the street.

A couple of weeks ago though a guy named
Ryan Tate from Pro Dunk Hoops found my
blog, and asked if I'd consider putting a link
to their website which carries basketball
goals.

My first, second, and third reactions were
no, no, and no - I don't do that.

But I was curious enough to look anyway.
What I found was, not basketball goals, but
dreams. Calling what they sell basketball
goals is like calling a tricked out Cadillac
Escalade, transportation.

Yeah, it's true, but sooo inadequate.

These guys create tempered glass, pier
mounted, premium, professional grade,
in-ground, adjustable basketball goal
systems for driveway and backyard court
use. Now I've got to have one. I don't know
how yet, but the desire has been planted,
and it's not going away anytime soon.

If you are serious about your hoops and
want to have the court that's the envy of
all your buddies this is your ticket to ride.
They are not cheap, but they are worth
every penny, and you can find a way to
afford them.

I might even be able to help, but first
see what you think for yourself at:

http://www.produnkhoops.com/

Shoot For The Stars,

Coach Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. One way you can justify the cost of a
beast like this is to realize it can be a great
home improvement. These units are so nice
they're going to add value to your home,
and for sure that's what you want to tell
your wife.

P.S.S. This reminds me I've had a number
of people say they'd like to buy more of my
stuff too, but they don't have the budget for
it.

Believe me I know tight budgets. Some of
you are volunteer coaches like I've been, or
work more for the love of the game and the
kids than for the money. That's one of the
biggest draws of amateur sports.

Maybe I can help with that, and you can
even work up to buying a Pro Dunk top of
the line goal system for your home. Living
in abundance is something you can grow
and develop in no matter where you are
starting. And for you to win, somebody
else doesn't have to lose. You just have to
learn the rules of the game and practice
the fundamentals.

Would you be interested in me writing
more about how to win the money game
in this blog? It's a big part of success and
character in general, and there are
specific laws of abundance and prosperity
God has laid out for all.

I'm not talking about being greedy or
idolizing the big green, but having enough
to provide well for your family, fulfill the
wholesome dreams in your heart, and to
be able to bless other people.

Let me know.

Note: This blog entry is protected by
copyright, but you have permission to
copy and use it in its entirety as long
as the links are intact and the contact
information is included.

Copyright 2006,2007
Delker Enterprises, Inc.

Coach Dean Delker
8413 SW 4th Place
Gainesville, FL 32607
352-494-6572

dean@deandelker.com
http://www.deandelker.com/

How To Survive A Nailbiter

Even though college basketball is my great passion,
living here in Gainesville it's hard not to get caught
up in football frenzy too sometimes. I'd been too
busy this fall to get to any home games, but Matthew
my 14-yr old had wanted to go all season and
yesterday was the last regular season conference
home game against South Carolina so we went.

That meant the Steve Spurrier who had made the
Florida Gators champions and then abandoned
them for the NFL was coming back to his alma
mater as the evil genius who was trying to beat the
Rowdy Reptiles like a drum. Even though South
Carolina had not won in the Swamp since joining the
SEC 20 odd years ago the presence of 'the ole ball
coach' made this an instant rivalry game. One worth
seeing for sure.

The game turned out to be about as statistically
even as you can get. If you didn't see the game,
with 8 seconds left we were up 17 - 16, but the
Gamecocks were close enough for 48 yard field
goal. That sound's long, but their kicker had
already hit a 47 yarder. He'd also drilled one from
55 yards earlier that had been nullified by a penalty.

Now I love my Gator fans, but I really got tired
yesterday of hearing the fear, worry, bitching,
grumbling and complaining that was going on in
the stands. They would not be satisfied. No matter
what happened they felt it was their duty to pick
things apart. Fortunately I was still able to enjoy
myself and celebrate the good that was happening.

When it finally came down to the potential game-
winning field goal all I could think about was the
quote from General Chesty Puller in the Korean
War when he said "All right, they're on our left,
they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're
behind us...they can't get away this time."

I turned to a couple of people and said, "Hey,
we've got them right where we want them."

I got a lot of quizzical stares, but I kept smiling.

Of course everybody in the stands was hoping
the Gators would win, but how many believed
they would. It makes a big difference.

If you're a sports fan you probably know what
happened.

They snapped the ball, the kicker kicked it well,
but Jarvis Moss a 6' 6" defensive lineman who
played a lot of basketball in high school has a 35"
vertical. The other lineman made penetration
and gave him room to flex for a good jump. He
timed his jump perfectly and got just enough of
his hand on the football to knock it off course.

Gators won, and I've never heard such a
spontaneous eruption of exhilaration. It was
magical. Nobody wanted to leave the stadium.
Hope is a good thing and the stands might have
been full of it, but I'm glad the players actually
believed and did something about it. As a shooter
you want to get to the point where you don't just
hope in your ablilities, but you believe in them.

It really helps your belief level when you've
putting in the practice time and know what you're
doing. It wouldn't have worked for Jarvis Moss to
just run out on the field and say, "I'm going to block
that kick".
No, he had trained for it. He had the vertical leap.
He knew his teammates could create space for him
to penetrate and leap. He and the team believed
they would get the job done.

Help yourself believe in you by following in the
footsteps of a shooting coaches who knows their
stuff. A great place to start is Coach Tom
Nordland's Swish Method of shooting. You can now
get Tom's new Swish 2 DVD and have 2 hours of
solid instruction and drills to build on. Start laying
your foundation today at:

http://www.deandelker.com/swish2.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Coach Hal Wissel can also get you believing in
yourself. See how simple he can make it for you by
running without delay over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/wissel_order.html

Make Every Shot Count

Copyright 2006 Delker Enterprises, Inc.

Why Men Don't Ask For Directions

There's a video floating around 'You Tube' or
somewhere entitled "Why Men Don't Ask For
Directions?".

In it, what looks like a student is approaching a
young lady at a bus stop and starting to ask her for
directions. Before he gets five words out the
woman is spraying enough mace in his face to
drive him to the ground in agony. Then while
he's trying to recover she whips out a Taser and
proceeds to shock him silly. Funny stuff.

The joke about men not asking for directions has
been a comedian's staple for years. The joke has
been told hundreds of ways, and it still gets laughs.
That's because there's much truth to it.

It's not just directions guys won't ask for though.
We don't like to ask for help, period. That's totally
stupid though. Successful people are smart enough
to glean from the experiences of those who have
gone before them.

In his book 'Living A Dream' Dick Vitale talks about
how he advised Matt Dougherty who had been let
go by North Carolina to call Bobby Knight to find
out how he had dealt with being let go by Indiana.

Dickie V. could give that kind of advice because he
himself had asked for help more than a few times,
and because he knew for a fact Coach Knight had
sought advice from Florida's athletic director
Jeremy Foley on what it would take for a
university to hire him. If a Hall of Famer is big
enough to ask for help, don't you think you could
too?

When I used to play in the rock band we needed to
get from an early afternoon gig in Owensboro, KY to
an evening show in Central City, Ky - hometown of
the Everly Brothers. We used a map till we found
the bridge was washed out and we had to stop and
ask for directions. Step 1, O.K. We were being
smart.

Before the afternoon was out though we'd stopped
for directions three times and apparently gotten
three wild guesses. We ended up seeing a lot of the
countryside and were over an hour late for our job.

So remember it's not just important to ask for help,
you have to know the right people to ask. If you
want to find out who I go to for advice on shooting
and mental focus you can find it all in one place
today at:

http://www.deandelker.com/products.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Coach Stan Kellner just got back from doing
camps in Denmark. For those of you who have
been waiting I now have the products that were
backordered. They'll go out tomorrow.

For those of you not on the waiting list it's not
too late to see what you're missing today at:

http://www.deandelker.com/kellner_order.html

Copyright 2006 Delker Enterprises, Inc.

Dickie V's Four Keys

The first thing Steve Spurrier did when he came to
the University of Florida in the early 90's was to
work on changing the mindset of his team from
losers to winners. Or at least from those hoping to
win to those expecting to win. He got much of what
he taught from John Wooden, the legendary UCLA
basketball coach.

What does it take to be a winner?

A great place to start finding out is at your local
bookstore or public library. Skim the stories about
the lives of the famous. Look at those successful in
your field and out. You'll find they didn't become
successful because they sat around. Or because
they were just lucky.

Whether you like Dick Vitale's enthusiastic
mannerisms or not, you have to admit he's an
inspiring story. From 6th grade teacher to NBA
head coach in 8 years, only to get fired and go into
broadcasting till another coaching job opened up.
Never happened, but he's been living his dream
now for 28 years.

He said Thursday night he'll sit there sometimes
and feels like he's stealing. He get's paid huge
sums for doing what he loves.

Here's Dickey V's success formula from Thursday
night in one sentence:

Dream It, Feel It, Believe It, and Do It.

You can do that can't you?

It's no shame to need help along the way though.
Don't be too proud to let NBA shooting coach Hal
Wissel give you his expertise on his two "Shoot It
Better" DVD's.

Hal says not to think of him as a shot doctor, even
though he has a Ph.D, because that means the
players shot is sick. It's not. It just needs some
tweaking. One of the players on the Memphis
Grizzlies calls him a shot nutritionist.

Find out what a shot nutritionist can do for your
stroke today at:

http://www.deandelker.com/wissel_order.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Did you hear Billy Donovan dropped the
Siemen's National Championship trophy at
Florida's Midnight Madness last night. I'm
surprised there weren't any heart attacks in
the bleachers.

It's a big crystal globe. (See a picture of me
almost holding it at www.deandelker.com.) It
shattered all over the O'Connell Center floor.
Fortunately though it was just a Hollywood
prop. The Gator boys were pulling a prank on
the crowd.

Don't drop the ball when your opportunity to
shine suddenly pops up. They say the best way
to learn something is to have to teach it to
someone else.

That's the philosophy Coach Tom Nordland took
in his new Swish 2 DVD, subtitled "Learning and
Coaching the Swish Method".

To learn shooting so well you can coach it sprint
on over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/swish2.html

And when you win your championships please don't
drop the trophy. Your fans might not have the heart
for it.

Copyright 2006 Delker Enterprises, Inc.

Why Coach Locked His Locker Room

Coach Kenny Sacht from Boise, Idaho recently sent
the following question:

"What is an alternative to running to "get their
attention" (as I state it). If my kids aren't paying
attention or they don't run to the next drill, I let
them know this is not punishment but a simple
way to help them learn it is important to do what
I say when I say it. It gets their attention! What
is a good alternative?"

How DO you maintain discipline if you can't hold a
big negative stick over their heads? And how do
you take what's usually the hardest part of
practice and turn it into a positive experience the
kids will aspire to.

Coach Bruce Brown teaches proactive coaching and
team building through positive conditioning. He
uses drills that condition but are positive, fun, and
emphasize team building. He also presents
conditioning as a source of pride. If you want to be
in the "inner circle", or the "champions club" here
is what you'll need to do.

According to newspaper reports Florida's new
football coach Urban Meyer thinks much the
same. He has presented conditioning from the
beginning as a prerequisite for entering into full
status as a Florida Gator. If you don't have the
right attitude about staying in shape, you aren't
even part of the team.

I remember his first summer here when players
were doing voluntary workouts he kept the locker
room locked. Players had to work out in their own
clothes, get their own showers, etc. They had to
earn the right to even wear the school's colors in
a practice uniform by showing they took pride in
their conditioning.

It's a year later now though, and this group of
Gators has bonded together as a truly well
conditioned team. Maybe that's why they are
undefeated and rising in the polls as I write.

I've ordered some materials from Coach Brown,
and I'll have a more complete answer for Kenny
down the road, but I did think of one factor that
will help a lot.

The way Coach Kauppinen teaches sprinting and
especially uphill sprinting you can get great results
without killing yourself in conditioning.

You don't have to run, and run, and run to build up
endurance. I know that goes against conventional
wisdom, and it's hard to believe but you owe it to
yourself to get up to speed on the latest research
on the benefits of sprinting. One of them is saving
time, and wear and tear on your body.

Coach Tim will get you up to speed in short order
if you sprint right over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/hill_sprints.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Danish scientists at the University of
Copenhagen saw runners who performed high
intensity sprints increase their V02 max by 7%,
even though they ran half the mileage of a
control group.

Find out how to maximize your training today
by speeding over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/hill_sprints.html