Everyone Hates a Ball Hog - But They All Love a Scorer: The Complete Guide to Scoring Points On and Off the Basketball C by Coach Godwin - HTML preview

"Coach Godwin gives key insight into what it takes to

fundamentally score points day in and day out. This book

is the student-athlete manual for becoming a great scorer."

Josh Pastner- Assistant Coach University of Memphis

Tigers (2008 Final Four)

Everyone Hates

a Ball Hog

But They All

Love a Scorer

____________________________________________

The Complete Guide to Scoring Points On

and Off the Basketbal Court

Purchasing Options

JumpStartHoops.com

Amazon.com

Coach Godwin

Amazon.com

This book is dedicated to my mother, Rhonda who

supported me every step of the way. Thanks for planting the

seeds of success in my life. I am forever grateful.

You are truly my Hero!!!

CONTENTS

Introduction

Pre-Season

Lesson One

The Godwin Theory 2

Lesson Two

You Are What You Watch 12

Lesson Three

Graduating from Shooter to Scorer 20

Lesson Four

The Locker Room View 28

Game Time

Lesson Five

Be Quick but Not in a Rush 34

Lesson Six

Convincing Your Teammates 42

Lesson Seven

Finding Points 50

Lesson Eight

Knowing When to Pass the Ball 58

Lesson Nine

Now That They Know Who You Are 64

Post-Season

Lesson Ten

The Off-Season 70

Lesson Eleven

The Fundamentals 80

Lesson Twelve

Focus on Go-to Moves 86

Lesson Thirteen

Seeking Knowledge 92

Lesson Fourteen

Scoring Off the Court 98

Lesson Fifteen

Using Basketball to Score in Life 108

Lesson Sixteen

Never Stop Shooting 122

Introduction

I once heard the saying, “Basketball is 80 percent

mental and 20 percent physical.” Of course, this statement

made no sense to me in my early years, because to be

honest, most of my scoring came from athleticism and flat-

out being better than everyone else my age. I remember

putting up 30 points at the age of 12 and thinking to

myself, “Man this game is easy.” Oh, if only basketball

would have stayed that way.

When I entered high school, the game of basketball

changed drastically. I was bigger, stronger, and faster, but

so was the competition. I remember playing AAU ball for a

team named Fast Break in the summer. Coach Chris saw

that I was handling the kids my age (15) pretty well, so he

decided to move me up to the Under-17 team. This is when

I learned that the game of basketball was 80 percent

mental.

That summer, I was playing with kids who were

taller, faster, and much more athletic. What usually was an

uncontested lay-up became a block into the crowd, and the

crossover I used against kids my age was ineffective, and

many times it was stolen. This was my baptism into the

game of basketball. I was paying my dues and I had to find

a way to compete.

The next summer, Coach Chris decided to take an

interest in me. He coached at perennial basketball

powerhouse St. Patrick (New Jersey) and had great

knowledge of the game of basketball. He was especially

talented at player development and frequently would give

lessons to kids in the area who had the money to pay. I

never will forget the day in practice when he said, “Be here

tomorrow at 4.” I said, “Coach, we don’t have practice

tomorrow.” He looked at me and repeated his statement.

I walked into the gym on that hot summer

afternoon and was welcomed by two other players who

were going to work out. We started off with ball handling,

and then went on to jump shooting. Drill after drill, Coach

was on us telling us to go harder, faster, stronger. The

criticism was intense because there only were three of us.

There was nowhere to run or hide my mistakes. Position

yourself here; concentrate on your footwork there; I was

out of my element but learning at a frantic pace.

What I learned that summer and what you will

learn after reading this book is how to score with your

mind and not just your feet. Twice a week, he would call

the house and say, “I am picking you up in an hour.” I

would look at my mom and say, “This guy is crazy,” but

she knew he was giving me the work ethic and direction

needed to excel in basketball and life.

By the time I entered my senior year of high school,

I was full of knowledge and ready to compete at a high

level. I was fortunate that someone saw my potential and

was willing to work with me. The lessons learned during

those hot summer afternoons stayed with me through

college, and they are part of the reason why I started

JumpStartHoops.com. Now I get to become your Coach

Chris as I share with you what it takes to win and score

points on and off the court. Turn the page and get ready to

see basketball in a whole new light.

Pre-Season

Lesson One

The Godwin Theory

When I look back on all of my accomplishments,

one thing stands out: I broke a scoring record at every level

I competed. At my high school, I hold the single season

scoring record (1998), and at the University of North

Florida, I am the all-time leading scorer (2002). Though

people always asked the key to my success, I never shared

it until now.

Every basketball player wants to be the Big Man on

Campus and score a lot of points. Let’s face it: from the off

the court praise to the media attention and respect, how

can you blame them? But my question always is: “Okay, so

how do you plan to do it?” What I have found out is that

everyone knows what he or she wants to do in life; the

problem is finding out how to do it. I, too, faced this

dilemma and, being the systematic person that I am, I

decided to do something about it.

Like any task or goal that you make for yourself in

life, when it is time to plan and mark objectives, you have

to break things down into smaller segments. Let’s look at a

high school basketball game. Most high school games are

four eight-minute quarters. Right away, you see that the

entire game is 32 minutes long. My approach to every

game was simple. I would say to myself if I score four

points in eight minutes, then I will end up with 16 points.

If I add a free throw in there and score five points a

quarter, I will end up with 20 points a game and no doubt

become the Big Man on Campus. Right away, my

confidence went to the next level as I said to myself, “Who

can’t score five points in eight minutes?” This simple

theory was the breakthrough I was looking for.

When you force yourself to think in quarters, it

makes the game look easy. Out of all the ways there are to

score the basketball—put back rebound, jump shot, lay-up,

free throw—I realized that scoring was more about finding

points than having the best jump shot. There is a big

difference between a jump shooter and a scorer, and I

wanted to join the latter.

This mindset took my game to the next level. In

high school, my goal was to score at least six points a

quarter. Once I figured out the importance of rebounding,

shot selection, and getting to the foul line (subjects that we

will go over later in this book), I started to put up huge

numbers. The confirmation of my theory occurred when I

scored 38 points the second game of my senior year. Three-

pointers, lay-ups, foul shots, and offensive rebounds

ensured that I gave myself the opportunity to score every

time down the floor.

A lot of basketball players shut down when they

don’t score the way they think they should. How many

players do you know rely on one aspect of their game to

fill the stat sheet? If their jump shot is not on that day, or

people don’t get them the ball in the right position, their

confidence and game are at a loss. I became a nonpartisan

basketball player who would accept any form of scoring

that came my way.

In my senior year in high school, I averaged 25

points a game, garnering both a Central Jersey scoring title

and a Division 1 scholarship offer to the University of

Buffalo. When I got to college, the same rules applied,

except instead of four quarters, I now had two halves. My

goal every game was to score at least 10 or more before

halftime. If I ended the first half with 12 points, I knew I

had to score at least eight points in the second half to reach

my goal of 20. If I only had four points at halftime, then I

knew I had to be more aggressive at the start of the second

half.

People always would ask me how I was able to put

up big numbers consistently. There were nights in which I

would end up with 25 points scored with only 9 to 12 field

goal attempts. The secret was always in my theory. Most

basketball players focus on one thing, making all of their

shots. If they start off 0 for 4, then their whole game is off

because they have the wrong mindset. If I started off a

game 0 for 4, then you’d better believe that I would find

my way to the free throw line or crash the boards for a

cheap put-back rebound.

My shot didn’t have any affect on the number of

points I scored. What I was looking for was five points a

quarter (or 10 points a half). If it was counting pennies at

the free throw line, or scoring points in transition I didn’t

discriminate on how the points came. The newspaper

usually said, “Godwin goes for 28.” It didn’t mention how

I did it.

Below is a chart that breaks down The Godwin Theory.

High School: 4 quarters, 8 minutes each quarter

2 Points per Quarter = 8 points per game

3 Points per Quarter = 12 points per game

4 Points per Quarter = 16 points per game

5 Points per Quarter = 20 points per game

6 Points per Quarter = 24 points per game

College: 2 halves, 20 minutes each half

5 Points per Half = 10 points per game

6 Points per Half = 12 points per game

8 Points per Half = 16 points per game

10 Points per Half = 20 points per game

12 Points per Half = 24 points per game

NBA: 4 quarters, 12 minutes each quarter

2 Points per Quarter = 8 points per game

3 Points per Quarter = 12 points per game

4 Points per Quarter = 16 points per game

5 Points per Quarter = 20 points per game

6 Points per Quarter = 24 points per game

Coach Godwin Tips

Break the game down into quarters

and halves.

Set a reasonable goal to score a

certain number of points per quarter.

Don’t rely on one aspect of your

game to score points.

Focus on scoring points and not just

getting shots.

Learn how to score with your mind

and not just your feet.

Lesson Two

You Are What You

Watch

Most people blame the lack of fundamentals in

today’s game on ESPN and its 24-hour highlight reel.

Older players say that because all kids see are dunks,

three-point shots, or crossovers, young players have

forgotten (or never knew) how to play the game.

Meanwhile, young players argue that basketball has to

evolve and they are just doing what they know. I can relate

to the mentalities of both the young and old.

The truth of the matter is that both sides are right,

because you are what you watch. There comes a time in

every basketball player’s career that he or she realizes the

importance of studying film. As a young player coming

up, I chose to study Michael Jordan. I would study

everything from his shooting form to his offensive moves,

and even his off-season workout plan. I bought his DVDs

and to this day I can look in my video collection and find

all types of film from his glory days. When every other kid

was in the park practicing his famed highlight, the reverse

lay-up, I was focused on how he got past the defender to

get in position to perform his patented move.

Learning how to emulate what you see is a very

important aspect of scoring. This is why people always say

you should play against players who are older and better

than you. They tell you this because experienced players

and coaches know that the more you play, the more you

will pick up. Playing against experienced people gives you

the opportunity to observe and duplicate what makes

them successful. The same is true when it comes to

watching game film.

I never will forget the day my Jordan studying days

paid off. I was a freshman at the University of Buffalo and

it was time to get ready for Miami of Ohio. Just like

clockwork, the first thing we do to prepare for a team is

watch their game film. The session starts off with watching

the opposing team’s plays; then we focus on position-

specific film. Being that I was a guard, our sole focus was

to stop an All-American player from Long Island named

Wally Szczerbiak.

Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 240 pounds, Wally

was a tough match up for any guard. He was tearing up

the competition and we heard before the game that NBA

scouts from Toronto were coming to evaluate him. As a 6-

foot-3 freshman, I saw the opportunity to compete against

Szczerbiak as a way to find the secret to his success. I

studied his game film intently, taking mental notes of

everything he did.

The first thing I noticed was that Szczerbiak was

not a world-class athlete. Yes, he had the size and jump

shot, but he was far from the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant

type I was used to studying or playing against in New

Jersey. What captured my attention was that Szczerbiak

truly scored with his head and not his feet. This was the

enlightening because all my life I was led to believe that

you have to be at least a B athlete to become a great scorer.

This couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

Clip after clip, Szczerbiak was destroying the

competition. Since everyone scouts and has his game film,

I soon noticed that his game was more that just his pure

jump shot. He mastered the triple threat in a way that I

had not seen before. Whether the defender pressed him or

played off, it seemed that Szczerbiak had a natural

progression in his mind. He never looked rushed and

always took what the defense gave him. My new goal was

to be able to do the same.

What I learned from Szczerbiak is the value of

slowing down the game and picking your spots. As I

continued to watch the film, I noticed that most of his

shots came from calculated half-court moves and great

footwork. He would get in his triple-threat position, lull

you to sleep, and explode to the basket to finish a lay-up or

knock down his automatic pull-up jump shot.

I fell in love with his game because we had a

similar skill set. I, too, had a jump shot that ranged well

beyond the three-point arc and a knack for scoring with

my head. Since he was where I wanted to be, I had no

problem following every one of his games, looking for

ways to get better. No matter who you choose to emulate

remember, you are what you watch.

Coach Godwin Tips

Find someone who is successful and

study his or her game film.

Pay attention to the subtle details

that make that person successful.

If you see something you like,

implement it in your game.

Lesson Three

Graduating from

Shooter to Scorer

My Szczerbiak epiphany couldn’t have come at a

better time in my career. The spring of my senior year in

high school, I made a terrible mistake. While going to play

pickup ball at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, I

forgot to wear my ankle braces and ended up paying for it

with a severely sprained ankle. The doctor said I had

chipped a bone in my ankle and stretched ligaments. He

said that it would heal eventually, but not as fast due to

my still being active. This completely changed my life

because now I had the dubious task of playing Division 1

college basketball without the athleticism that helped me

put up 25 points a game in high school.

But Szczerbiak had shown me that I didn’t need

athleticism to score. The most potent scorers are those who

score with their minds. I likened it to the basketball

difference between an shooter and a scorer. A shooter is

someone who goes out and just uses his/her jump shot to

score. There is no plan or direction; he or she gets the ball

and shoots it. A scorer is someone who takes his/her time,

identifies the weakness in the defense, and attacks

accordingly. It’s like playing the game of chess. Every

move is calculated and has its purpose.

With limited athleticism, I was forced to get back to

the fundamentals that Coach Chris taught me during those

summer workouts in St. Patrick’s gym. Coming off of

screens and picking my spots became my trademark. Since

I was a dead eye shooter, the only thing stopping me from

scoring was getting open.

Every practice was another opportunity to figure

out how I was going to get my points. Without great

athleticism, it was next to impossible to get those rebounds

that I made a living off of in high school. I recall playing

against North Carolina and trying to get a rebound over 7-

foot-2 Brendon Haywood. I soon realized I needed to find

a new way to score.

What I learned was that there were certain spots

and situations on the floor that were impossible to guard.

In transition, you are taught to stop the ball and protect the

basket from easy lay-ups; this was the opportunity I was

waiting for. In transition, when my point guard got the

ball, I would sprint to the corner. I found that this is the

one spot on the floor that no one defends on a fast break.

In fact, every position beyond the three-point line sets you

up for a wide-open shot because the defense has to recover

to the paint.

At the University of Buffalo, I was instant offense

off of the bench. Everything came together one winter

night. We were playing Central Michigan, one of our

conference foes and I was excited for the match up. The

only problem was that I still had a bad ankle and my

lateral movement was limited. I tried as hard as I could to

hide myself on defense, but the coaches saw right through

it; consequently, my playing time was sparse.

Central Michigan got out to an early lead on us,

and my coach was looking for answers. He looked down

the bench and said, reluctantly, “Godwin, get in there.” I

was never nervous, mainly because I figured, “Hey, if I

make any mistakes, it will go into the, aw, he-is-an-

inexperienced-freshman pile.” As soon as I hit the floor, I

had one thing on my mind: finding the open spot. It was

our ball and we were taking it out under our basket. The

play was designed for me to set a screen, but I chose

otherwise.

With my assistant coach yelling at the top of his

lungs to run the play, I drifted out to the three-point line

and waved my hands in the air. My point guard passed me

the ball and right away I shot it. It hit nothing but the

bottom of the net. I came down again and, since we had a

motion offense, I had free rein to utilize a screen. Swoosh,

another 3. In five minutes, I ended up with 12 points on

my way to a 26-point game. My metamorphosis was

validated, I learned how to become a scorer on the college

level.

Coach Godwin Tips

Find out if you are a shooter or

scorer.

Make a goal to study the game and

become a scorer.

Find multiple ways to score points.

Ask the question: How can I score

more points? The answers will come.

Lesson Four

The Locker Room View

The game of basketball is played at many speeds.

Each game is affected by a variety of factors, including

coaching philosophy, referee calls, and player personnel.

As a player, I would try to figure out the pace of the game

before I played in it. In high school, most teams are known