Experience is the BEST teacher!

Yesterday's speaker was a gentleman named Joe Branch. He runs an organization called "U Want Game" (www.uwantgame.org). His organization reaches out to student athletes regarding life skills and is a mentoring program. He's a great example for the guys because he is a former division one athlete, who had aspirations to be an NBA player. We all know the percenage is low so it behooves them to prepare for a second career anyway. Joe, who is in his early 30's, played at Northwestern University, has an M.B.A and worked with various NBA franchises, the NBA front office and the sneaker giant NIKE. He a sharp cat, leave it at that. He gave them 13 points to focus on to be successful including networking and appearance. I won't give away all my man's speech but it was good and I think it hit home with the guys.

They had the rest of the day off and we reconvene today for our last practice before our first scrimmage, which is tomorrow at the University of Delaware. We'll take the bus up scrimmage, eat and had back to B-more!

They got it Twisted!

FIVE mo days ya'll! 5 more days until the election! Man...the anticipation is killing me! I won't comment on the ignorance that folks are displaying regarding Obama, his policies, his religion and heritage. I will say what I said earlier on...it will be a blow out! It's a new sheriff in town!

We were supposed to have practice today, but we had some discipline issues to deal with regarding the team. I will spare you the gory details but the entire time alloted for practice was spent running! All coaches have their opinions on how valuable practice time is and discipline etc., I feel that you nip things in the bud as early as possible. Because you try to ignore an injury doesn't mean it's going to heal. Often times it gets worst. Mold in a house ain't going to go away, it's going to get worst. Correct it now! I told the guys that they had to realize how mad or upset I would be because of missed practice time, cause they know how much I really LOVE practice. We talkin bout prack tiss ya'll! It's a classroom, a learning environment, a lab, a refuge, my get-a-way...ya'll get the point! Don't mess wit another man's work! They will have a speaker tomorrow after their 5 a.m run and practice Friday with a scrimmage at and against the University of Delaware on Saturday. Oh yeah, that scrimmage is after their 5 a.m run Saturday morning! Yeah...I'm a lil pissed off about something! But I'm keeping my cool! For real I am...I see ya'll laughing, but believe me...:)

Plan your work and Work your plan! U r what U eat too!

Tuesday afternoon in Northeast B More. It's pretty cold today as everyone pumps up their heaters in the offices. I just finished lunch. I've packing my lunch lately...turkey and cheese, sometimes tuna but always on wheat. I keep gatorades, diet coke and H2O in my fridge so I'm good wit the drinks.

I'll start planning our practice for the day around 2:30 or so. I had a couple of meeting with a couple of the guys and watched a little tape of our first opponent scheduled for Nov. 15th. When thinking about practice, I try to incorporate fundamental work and the schemes that we want to run during the season. It's a challenge for every coach because you only get 2 hours or so a day and have to give your team a day off each week per NCAA rules. It's just a lot to cover but that's the beauty of it too. I'm trying to find a group that can play together and get some continuity. I think I've found the perimeter group and a Big, so we gotta keep the pedal to medal!

Health Care is important 2 Everyone!

The Redskins pulled out another one! Dallas fans have been quite lately...they have enough to worry about! lol Man, they play alittle to close sometimes. I know it's not by design but went I'm talking Skins football I'm a fan, not a coach. We play Pittsburgh next week, hope we get some of those injured cats back.

Practice was late today...7-9 p.m. We actually went alittle later cause we had officials at practice again. We are covering alot as we get closer to Nov. 15th. That's our first game of the season and right now we have a one game season! Practice was o.k. I'm a little frustrated cause I want these guys to be further along right now. We have some vets out because of injuries so I'm trying to remind myself of that and that the new guys are at least getting reps. We do have depth this year cause, if this would have happen last year, we would have not been able to do much for a lack of bodies.

Three weeks away from jumping it up baby! I love this game!

The Show MUST go On! A little rain ain't gonna hurt Nobody!

Rain or Shine...the show must go on! Homecoming was cool it just was WET! Man, it rained hard on and off all day! The officials started the game with those little...too small shirts and at half time they changed into the long sleeve joints. The cheerleaders were soak-n-wet too! They didn't stop cheering tho! I was on the field of course...I'm the "Get Back Coach", the Head "Get Back Coach"! I tell everybody to "get back" when ever someone gets to close to the field. :) Listen, don't hate...everybody doesn't have the skills to handle that position.

Well we had practice first. We had officials at practice today. We had them there so the guys could get use to the calls (fouls, traveling, etc.). Practice ended up better than the day before and some of the guys play better with the officials present. You should see the way they foul each other and look at us when we call fouls. We will have the officials at practice on a regular bases now as we get closer to the season opener.

Anyway, I had my rain suit on and my boots so I wouldn't get wet. The wind was blowing crazy and I sure there would have been a ton more people at the game had it not rained. Well da Bears won 20-3 over Delaware State! It was really good to see the football squad play so well. I know the Alumni were happy. Not happy enough to donate more money, mo money to the athletic program. Man, if everyone really focused on donating something to the schools' athletic program they would be surprised what levels of success could be reached. Congratulations Bears! Go get that title!

Protect Da House Ya'll...No Pain...No Gain

Today was hectic around campus as the Tailgaters started setting up their tents etc. It's like the Morgan Mob is ascending on North Baltimore for 48 hours. We couldn't practice in our gym because they had a tarp down. A tarp for those that are scratching their heads...is a plastic cover they put on the gym floor to protect it from scuffs etc. during events. The problem is that they are using the old or a very old tarp (that caused the old floor to get jacked up) and they should buy a new tarp. The gym floor really looks good! It's going to look great for T.V games. It's a shame they won't buy a new tarp to save the floor, it's like wearing old shoes with a new suit. It don't work homie!

Practice wasn't very good. It was sloppy and their attention span was weak. We gave them off yesterday and were concerned how they would respond to a day off. I really try to be an example to the guys that everyday is a new day and you have to motivate yourself everyday or as that say in D.C...erry day! Growing pains I guess. Young people have a hard time these days being self motivated! We're working wit 'em ya'll! I love my job or what I do but it doesn't come without some struggle...

You don't have to Sing to show off your Bling!

We had a speaker today. Yeah, ya'll...it's Thursday! Hey, you guys have to keep up. :) Peter Harvey (Attorney at Law, former State's Attorney for the state of New Jersey), spoke to the fellas today. It went really well and a couple of the guys asked for his card afterward to discuss career paths. Peter is a Morgan Alum and I really appreciate him taking the time to share his story and views with us.

I taped a pilot for my T.V show today too. I thought it went well and during the taping Marquise Kately and Gene Johnson happened to be coming from class. Hey, it wasn't a set up...those cats were actually coming from class. :) Just kidding, but it gave us a chance to interview those guys and hear their views on the direction of the program. Mark Gray (Co Host of the show) asked if Gene was on the squad last year and my man "Jug" just casually held up his hand to flash his Championship ring. It was classic! We laughed and wished we had it on tape but we didn't get it and didn't want to attempt to recreate it. The fellas handled themselves well and continued to enjoy the rest of the day off. The show started at Hurt gym (the old gym where Marvin Webster played), we walked by the brand new library (it's a beautiful building), the new student union and ended the show in Hill Field House in front of the trophy case.

Mark Gray and Jay McQueen (producer and former college football player at East Carolina/Arena League) were great to work with and I look forward to big things with these cats. We'll seeeeeeeee

Watch What U Say....

Practice is interesting...Wow I guess I have to watch what I say or write in the blog huh? We have a lot of guys but three are out due to injuries. Two should be back by the time we play Nov. 15th. We will scrimmage Sat. and Sun. with Delaware (11/1/08) and Mount St Mary's (11/8/08). Both scrimmages will be tough for sure. We will travel to both schools...we travel a lot in the month of Nov./Dec. and might as well get use to it now!

We have a lot of our stuff (Offensive & Defensive plays, calls etc.) in and we're just fine-tuning things. We have 9 new guys and it's a matter of reps for those guys. Let me get out there to the gym. Gotta give my "words for the day" to start practice. Practice starts at 3:30p.m......

The HOME team! Is COMING around!

Washington Redskins 5-2....dallas cowgurls 4-3. Just wanted to set the record straight cause all I heard last week was that we had the same records. All the dallas fans talking bout how banged up they are etc...I'm not trying to hear ANY of that bull! No sympathy or symphony here busters!

After our practice this morning, I tried to get some rest. Kind of napped until da Skins came on. They gave us a scare but pulled it out. The squad is coming around, with 9 new guys it's going to take some time before they really gel. We will practice Mon.-Thurs. this week and give them Friday off. Our Homecoming is this week so we won't have our gym from Wednesday on and the NCAA rules mandate that you give the team one day off each week. It'll be crazy around campus this week, as all the alumni come home to celebrate and reconnect. Safe travels to everyone and we'll see you when you get here!

How bout them Skins!

Who said Saturday was for relaxing?

Saturday...whew...full day for sho! Last night was our Midnight Madness. It was cool...it could have been structured differently but I appreciate the folks that worked on the program and everyone that attended. The guys from last year's team got their championship rings and it was good to see the excitement on their faces! We just didn't get out of the gym until 11:30 p.m or so.

We had practice this morning from 6-8:30/9 a.m so I had to leave da house at 5. After practice I was going to go to the grocery store to get some items to fix breakfast but because of time...I picked up some breakfast from Pete's near campus. Good thing I did cause by the time I got home there was only time for a quick shower and my ride was out front. I rode with my buddy Hop to the Morgan vs Howard game at Howard University. We played Howard for their Homecoming! My daughter actually met me at the game too! Great game...went into double overtime but Da Bears were victorious! Had to rush to drop my baby gurl off at home and head back to campus for our 2nd practice of the day.

We went from 7-9 p.m and it was off to the house for some needed rest. The fellas tried to get me to watch the Hopkins/Pavlik fight (I got Hopkins...He's a Warrior!). I dropped by the spot just to holla at those cats, then I really came home to shut it down for REAL. But not before I blog! Ahh! Busy day, but the excitement of practice starting, the football team winning and the start of practice (yeah I know I said it twice) is enough to keep me going. Let me get some zzz's... gotta be at the gym at 8 a.m tomorrow. Sleep is overrated!

Count your Blessings! Wait...Can u count?

It's Friday Baby! We can start official practice today! Let's get it ON! I'm ready and excited! I've been listening to and singing Norman Hutchins' "God's Got a Blessing...wit your name on it!" all morning and I'm pumped! Wit my name on IT!

We will actually start our practice at 5 p.m. but start the Midnight Madness celebration at 9 p.m.. We will also have a ring ceremony for the rings the fellas earned last year for winning the MEAC regular season championship! Wit their names on IT! Stay wit me ya'll. It's the first regular season title in the school's history. All the guys will be there except for Boubacar. He's playing somewhere and couldn't get back. This day is the start of the quest that every Division 1 program has of reaching the NCAA tournament and winning a National Championship. And as I told my guys yesterday...a dream without commitment is a fantasy!

And if you don't have dreams, what is fueling you everyday! Wit your name IT! I'm living one of my dreams everyday...Coaching college basketball and making positive deposits in people's lives (my children, my family, friends, players, staff, colleagues, etc)!

Sometimes we get caught up with the little things in life and as my grandfather use to say when someone would ask him how he's doing..."If you check the obituary column and you aren't in there...it's a great day!" Look at every tough task, situation or challenge as a blessing. Trouble and trials come to make you strong! It's your homework and you're practicing for the big Game! God doesn't put more on you than you can handle! Who is the weather man to tell me it's going to be an ugly day cause it's raining? It's just raining homeboy! Wit your name It! I'm baaaaack! Thank You Jesus! Prayer Works!

Who's on First? What's on Second? Let's Eat!

Yesterday we had the MEAC Head Coaches meetings here in Winston-Salem, NC. We discussed the 2009 MEAC tournament, the conference schedule for the 2009-10 season, bench decorum, rule changes, new NCAA legislation and the Pre-Season All-Conference picks and team predictions. We also discussed the ESPN bracket buster, which, Morgan State will represent the conference this season. It's historic because it's the first time ever, that a MEAC team or HBCU (Historically Black College or University) will participate in the Bracket Buster. Marquise Kately was voted to the 1st team All-Conference while Reggie Holmes was voted to the 2nd team. This time last year we didn't have anyone on the pre-season teams. We are at least making progress. The league coaches and SID's voted Morgan State as the pre-season pick to win the conference. How that happened when we lost the Player of the year in the conference, the Defensive player of the year and our starting point guard, I don't know. But we'll take it as a sign of respect for the program. Now, while it's nice for your peers to recognize your potential and your hard work, you don't win games on paper! "We talking bout practice!" That's was my man Allen Iverson's famous quote for those that didn't get that!

We will stay with a sixteen conference game format which means that each team will play 8 home games and 8 away games. Each team has been randomly selected to play 4 teams once and 6 teams twice. Winston-Salem will not count in the conference standings. Don't ask me to explain that...

Anyway, we have the Kick off luncheon this afternoon, where they will announce the pre-season picks etc., we will grub and then break out about 2 p.m..

Ready...Set...Meeting....Go!

Man...it's Monday morning and I'm really getting excited about the official start of college basketball practice Friday at 7pm! The good thing is all teams are undefeated and have the same goals! Yeah, ok some are more realistic than others but, that's not the point. :) Everyone is starting behind the line, at the begining of the race.

I will fly to Winston-Salem, NC tonight for the MEAC (Mid Eastern Athletic Conference) conference Head Coaches' meeting tomorrow morning and the Conference's annual Kick Off Media luncheon
Wednesday. This is the opportunity for the media to speak with the coaches in the conference regarding their expectation(s) for the coming season. A couple of weeks ago, all the head coaches and SID's (sports information directors) voted on pre-season all conference teams, player of the year and the pre-season predictions of where the teams will finish. The head coaches meeting is designed for the coaches to strategize about the coming season's issues regarding college coaches and the future of the conference. We meet with the supervisor of officials, talk about the scheduling of non-conference opponents and discuss ways to highten the visablity of the MEAC as a whole. Oh, if you are wondering why we are having the luncheon in Winston-Salem, it's because that's the location of the 2009 MEAC tournament. I wonder if I will have to pay for the peanuts, pillow, soda or leg room on my flight? There's no telling now! Oh yeah, I'm flying Southwest, I should be aiight!

Brother, brotha, brah the.......

Friday around 11:30 am or 12 noon I went to George Washington University to watch my little brother, my bag (my Dad always thought it was my "Bag" instead of my "Bad"), my youngest brother, run his team through a workout. The NCAA rules allow a team to do a team workout for an hour or so each week until official practice starts on October 17th. Mike's the head women's coach at GW and I stopped through to learn a thing or two from my baby brother. Whatever, I was here first...so I can say it the way I want to say it! :)

I walked out of there with my chest on swoll! He's doing his thing and I know my Pops is smiling down, really proud of him too! Anyway, it was a good workout and I always get a kick out of whenever I meet someone from his circle and they ask, Who's older? LOL! He hates that by the way! Just the fact that the question has to be asked is good enough for me! For the record...I'm 3 years older than Mike. But if you are around us at the same time, for the first time...ask anyway! :) Go Gee Dub!

"Smooth" landing!

Yesterday I had breakfast downtown with my man Scott Perry, the GM for the Detroit Pistons and it was good seeing him and having a chance to catch up. Scott P was one of my assistants during my Cal days and went on to coach at Michigan (Assistant) and Eastern Kentucky (Head Coach) before becoming a scout with the Pistons and moving up the ranks. He's a Pittsburgh Steeler fan (his father played for them back in the day) so you know you have to hear some s#*t about that damn towel, especially during football season! :) I also got a chance to meet Joe Dumars for the first time (President of the Pistons, former All-Pro and future Hall of Famer) and see my main man Chauncey Billups. I recruited Chauncey out of high school and got really close to him during that time. I hadn't seen him since my days as an advance scout with the Toronto Raptors and he wasn't doing very well and was actually on his way out the league. We talked in the hallway of the Orlando Magic's arena and "Smooth" was having a tough time. He hadn't found his groove in the league and that had to be tough for a cat that was all state for 4 straight years in high school, was a college All-American and a top 5 NBA draft pick. Well, you know what happened next, he found a team, found his groove and became a world champion, finals MVP and an All-Star. I hadn't seen him since then and was glad I had a chance to tell him how proud and happy I was for him that he hung in there to really live out his dream!

We laughed about the time I went to see him play and a gang fight broke out causing total chaos! That was my introduction to gang violence in Denver, Colorado. Yes Denver! Well, we exchanged numbers and I wished him well as they boarded the bus for practice. I love that dude and thought he and Shareef Abdur-Rahim were going to play together (at Cal). I got the big fella (and he made History at Cal) but my man stayed home and went to Colorado (he did great things there too). One of my favorite things in life is to see people reach their dreams and goals cause in the end...that's all that matters!

Old School to New School....Can U hear me?

Tonight I was invited to speak to the Bishop McNamara high school football team. They have a team dinner every Friday night before their Saturday games. I have special memories regarding my high school days and I happen to be in the school's Hall of Fame, so having an opportunity to share my story with the new-age generation was cool. They wear their game jerseys and get together with their coaches and some of the parents cook and serve them a team meal. They also have a speaker address them before the evening concludes. Well tonight was yours truly! I really enjoyed speaking to the youngsters and sharing my story from my McNamara days to now. It's a different generation for sure and you're not always sure how they receive things, so we'll see. My days at McNamara were different because it wasn't coed back then so it was just the fellas! So you know we cut up more and we had a sense of camaraderie or male bonding going on! You would probably take a little more teasing off a cat when you weren't embarrassed in front of a little "honey" you were trying to crack on. "Crack on," I know that took some of ya'll back huh? "Little Honey," man, let me stop! I'm about to write a song up in here in a minute! lol Thanks for the opportunity to speak to the team Coach, thanks for your undivided attention fellas and thanks for the chili! I hope the fellas throw down tomorrow like their mothers did tonight!

House Call!

Today is, of course, our speaker's bureau...where we have someone from the community come and speak to our guys. Last week instead of having a speaker, we took the guys and made sure they were all registered to vote. Today, we had a Doctor speak to the fellas. Doc grew up in Southeast D.C and was a high school basketball player himself, so I thought the guys could really relate. He spoke about his younger days, being a student-athlete and that day, when the air went out of the ball and he had to do something different with his life. It was a really good session. The guys asked questions afterward and Doc promised to come back to check on us.

Knock, Knock....Who's there?

Hey I'm not feeling the Presidential debating scene right now. My man Barack is knocking on the White House door but, that debate wasn't cool. Man, if Barack went after McCain like he (McCain) went after him(Barack)...they would be calling Barack an angry black man! Come on, "That One!" that reference was nasty! To his credit, Barack is handling it like a champ. A couple times you could see him agitated by the comments and a couple of times he tried to defend himself as a pose to staying on the topic and letting dude look like a fool.

Let's face it, politicians are skillful when it comes to answering questions. Some are better at maneuvering around the in your face questions than others and then there are the McCains of the world who are clearly out of place and start to sling mud. The cat even insulted one of the participants when he said, "You are hearing a lot about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, names you probably never heard of." Huh? Out of touch is all I can say! Keep your cool "B.O" and continue to take the high road! McCain is losing more ground each day and he continues to show that he can't handle the pressure. Barack is showing it everyday! As I blogged about earlier...it's already written, Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. He has a calling and he's about to answer! Helloer!!!!

B-More...careful it's College Hoops Season

Tonight the Legends Sports Museum in Baltimore hosted all the local college basketball coaches for a forum about the local teams etc. The local media covered with channel 2 being the only news station I saw. We all spoke about our programs and our plans for the upcoming season. The museum has sports memorabilia from all local sports teams and their special seasons or accomplishments. The display for Morgan State was interesting and highlighted the great football teams and future Hall of Famers, the great track accolades, the division II National team led by the future NBA All-Star Marvin Webster and ten Bears led by the late Chip Silverman.

All in all, it was a cool evening and I think the event will continue to grow. Last season was very good for college basketball in Baltimore and this season shouldn't be any different.

Hi Haters! Hi Haters!

This just in for all the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles fans...ya'll both share something in common. We (The Washington Redskins) KICKED A** on ya'll's home Field! I know when Philly went up 14-0 all the bars in town were hopping! All the Dallas fans could say after we beat them was, "That's aiight, Philly gonna whip ya'll." My last comment on this subject is...STOP HATE N! :) Washington 23 Philadelphia 17

Some folks joined our church this morning and had the nerve to announce that they were Dallas Cowboys fans too! How bout that!!! We'll pray for them anyway! :)

Another One Bites Da Dust! But....Today was a GOOD day!

Today was a good day! Every time I say that, it reminds me of Ice Cube’s song “It Was A Good Day.” “I gotta go cuz I got me a drop top…and if hit switch, I can make the….drop”, the old school cats know what I’m talking bout! I say it was a good day because my cousin got married today. My mother, brother, sister-in-law and I drove to Richmond, VA to see my man and his bride jump the broom. I drove by myself because I had to drop my son Blake, off at his high school basketball workouts first and I didn’t want to hold up the rest of the crew.

Anyway, it was a nice wedding and it was really good to see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins on a happy occasion. To often families only get to see one another on not so happy occasions. You know what I mean…man, do I have to spell out everything? :) Congrats cuz! Or cousins now huh! She was the happiest bride I’d ever seen! When the pastor asked if she would take cuz to be her husband…she shouted, YES! There was laughter in the church as all the fellas interpreted that to mean a beginning to the end of Sunday afternoons of watching NFL. The women laughed as if to say, “Another one of us gains control of a household.” lol "Hooked it up for later… as I hit the Doe....thinking will I live...another Twenty-FOE!” Yes, but without the Remote!:)

Rock The VOTE! Go Register Youngman!

Thursday's at 11 am are usually designed for our speaker's bureau, but today we took the fellas to register to vote. We've had discussions on the importance of registering and voting so it was a good opportunity to take the first step. Some of the guys had already registered (as we had directed earlier) so it was a matter of getting the rest of them set up and finding out the procedure for the out of town guys. There was actually a rally on campus focusing on the Presidential race so there was a campaign spirit around campus today. So, today was a good day!

The Vice Presidential debate is tonight! Let's see what happens!

If THEY win...the JOKE'S on US!

One of the funnies things I’ve seen in a long time, is the spoof on Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric and the Barack Obama/John McCain debate on Saturday Night Live. You can watch it online by googling “Saturday Night Live Palin.” If you haven’t seen this…please go on and watch it! Hilarious!!!!! As a friend of mine said, America can’t possibly vote McCain and Palin into office after we’ve laughed so hard at their expense. I mean, I read an article this morning and the woman writing the article didn’t even sound right trying to justify Palin. She talked about how the words Palin uses are more familiar to American people and that “heck” and “darn” is part of her appeal. People can relate to her and that Barack uses too many long uuhhs. HUH? Can you say Katie Couric? Please Google this folks…I mean, “heck” what else do you have to do “darn!” Live…It’s Saturday Night!