How 'Bout Dem Gator Boys

At University of Florida home football games
all the fans stand up and sing 'We Are The
Boys From Ole Florida' between the 3rd
and 4th quarters .

It's like how Cubs fans sing 'Take Me Out
To The Ballgame' during the 7th inning
stretch at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In
fact, the two even have very similar, sing-
song melodies.

And I think that's where Joakim Noah got
his knickname for the University of Florida
basketball team. 'Gator Boys'. As in 'The
Gator Boys are hot'.

Sorry, but I can't let a repeat National
Championship go by without honoring this
team. Not so I can crow, because all I did
was watch and yell a lot, but just because
they're such a special group of young men.

And they can all shoot pretty darn well
when they need to if you saw the
championship game Monday night.

The best assessment of this team I've read
this year is from Ron McBay, who does a
weekly on-line column on men's college
basketball. You can find his Hook, Line, &
Sinker analysis during hoops season at:
http://www.RonMcBay.us/HLS

Here are Ron's thoughts:

'The beauty of this team was always how
well the individual pieces fit together.

Unlike [the early 90's] Duke 'Universal
Replacements' team in which the
individual versatility of several players
made them capable of stepping up and
playing different roles as the situation
dictated, this starting five had very
specific skills/talents, each bringing
something to the table that the others
couldn't.

A center who's agile enough to be the point
on the full-court press; a power forward
who can harass three-point shooters on the
perimeter; a 'tweener who can shoot threes,
drive the lane, get tough rebounds, and shut
down the opposing team's best scorer; a
point guard who can distribute and get his
own shot when the need arises; and a
designated shooter who defends well to boot.

That's everything you want a team to be
able to do with no wasted duplication.

Could they pull off the Three-Peat if the
core actually decided to return next
year? Maybe. Probably. But it wouldn't be
nearly as easy without the back-breaking
three-pointers they get from senior guard
Lee Humphrey. He's option # 5, yet if you
remove him from the equation, you can
see how imbalanced their attack becomes.'

Shoot For The Stars,

Coach Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Not only did this team fit together
talent-wise, but they were inseparable
mentally and emotionally too. Like
brothers in arms they fought for one
another. If one struggled, no problem.
The rest of the guys always had his back.
I know every team that excels has
teamwork, but the 'Gator Boys' have it in
an abundance that is rare these days.

P.S.S. The Gator Boys learned how to win,
but they also learned how to lose like
winners. Instead of getting off track they
knew losing gave them valuable feedback
that would made them better. Coach Stan
Kellner teaches that very same principle in
shooting hoops.

If you want to learn how to miss shots
like a winner you want Stan's DVD on
'How To Be A Prime-Time Shooter'.

It's just what you need to energize your
mental game for summer ball or to come
back next fall as a shooting wizard. Get
started today at:

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

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

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.

Who's Got Your Blind Spot

Who's Got Your Blind Spot

"Phil Jackson knows how to coach me. He gets me
angry. When I get angry, I dominate. It's perfect."

-Shaquille O'Neal

Of course you know what happened this year with
Shaq under another champion-caliber coach, Pat
Riley. They've both got new world championship
rings. And how many did Michael Jordan and Phil
Jackson both collect in Chicago?

No matter how talented or gifted you are (or think
you are) at something, you can get better.
And probably much better.

Shaq has, and it took great coaches to channel his
unique individual abilities into a winning team
concept.

Most of the time a good coach can push you harder
and motivate you more than you would yourself.

If you have a good shooting coach locally do
whatever you can to sit under his teaching. It will
pay off in spades in the end.

But shot coaches are not a dime a dozen so you may
well have to get your coaching from a distance-ed
coach via power-packed DVD's. Nothing wrong with
that if you understand what you need.

If you need a vision for what you can accomplish as
a shooter I think Coach Tom Nordland's Swish 2
video is a tremendous resource. Get your passion
ignited or reignited today at:

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

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. If you know you need rock solid shooting
mechanics that will hold up under game-time
pressures then Coach Hal Wissel is your man.
See how to pump up your confidence and act
like a shooter at all times by running over
to:

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

Make Every Shot Count

Copyright 2006 Delker Enterprises, Inc.

The Evolution of a Champion

Udonis Haslem, the undersized blue-collar NBA
power forward was in Gainesville yesterday. It
had been a couple of years since the last time he'd
come home to his alma mater. This time he was
walking taller than usual though. After all he was
a world-champion now.

Those who've known him since Miami Senior High
days though will tell you he's always had a
champion's heart.

He came to the University of Florida as an
unheralded recruit and led the Gators to four
straight NCAA tournament appearances. As a
chunky back-to-the basket center he even
propelled his team to the National Championship
game as a sophmore.

When the NBA passed on him out of college he chose
to play in Europe and used the time to lose 40 lbs,
develop a mid-range game, and become a beast as a
rebounder and defender.

By now you know Pat Riley and the Miami Heat
have taken a chance on this overachiever and have
been rewarded with one of the league's primo
warriors. He's a player who contributes in every
way as his 17 points, 10 rebounds, and defensive
job on Dirk Nowitzki in this year's championship
game attest.

For the past couple of weeks U.D. has been working
with shooting coach David Thorpe on extending his
shooting range.

'I have to do it because Shaq sucks up all the paint.'
Haslem jokes.

And Florida Gator coach Billy Donovan had this to
say about his former player:

'He's one of the guys who gets it. One thing I've
always respected about him is it's all about winning
with Undonis. He has found ways to evolve himself
and he's found a way to affect winning at the next
level. He's a warrior, mentally.'

One of the keys to long term success in anything is
being able to read the prevailing winds and adapting.
Like course corrections with a guided missle we all
have to zig zag ourselves to our eventual goals.

'Cybernetics' is the term author and plastic surgeon
Dr. Maxwell Maltz' coined for that kind of goal seeking
activity in the 60's. In fact, it comes from the Greek
word for steering a boat.

Psycho-Cybernetics then is how to use your thoughts,
imagination, and feelings to steer your life to desirable
goals.

For all you'll ever need to know about this process you
want to check out Dr. Maltz' lifetime work, the 'Zero
Resistance Living' course. It's available only at:

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

Shoot for the Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. For all you'll ever need to know about how to use
your mind on the basketball court you want the books,
CD's, and DVD's of Coach Stan Kellner. There is a world
of powerful information there on how to be the player
and shooter you dream of being. Today is your day to
start evolving at:

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