Matt Williams Jr. - Coaching Philosophy

1. Coaching expertise acquired from working with several of the most intelligent, dynamic and successful coaches in the West -including Len Stevens, Dean Nicholson, and Scott Berry.

2. Superior work ethic, loyal and disciplined.

3. Ability to evaluate and critique a player's playing ability and potential.

4. Enthusiasm and passion for the game of basketball and the development of youth.

5. Quality teacher and motivator on and off the court.

6. Conscientious about adhering to high moral standards in both my professional and personal life.

7. Strong communication skills.

8. Flexibility and a willingness to learn.

9. Genuine commitment to and concern for the overall development of my players.

10. A good person to be around.

The main principles to which I subscribe as a Head Coach are:

1. Creating an atmosphere of mutual respect between the players and the coaches. We will respect each others' thoughts and opinions and thus foster a confidence in each other as well.

2. Each person will be taught to take responsibility for his actions whether it be on the court, in the classroom, or around campus.

3. Hard work is expected of all staff and team members. We will learn to be focused and intense during practice times.

4. Positive reinforcement will be the norm for the coaching environment. I have rarely seen a basketball player's performance improve through derogatory comments. It is my continual goal to build confidence in my players while I teach.

5. As Head Coach, I must be a "motivator". Thus, I must constantly draw on numerous verbal and behavioral strategies that will keep my players fresh, playing well and working hard. I believe it is important to motivate on both a team and individual level. Ideally I will plan for each player's motivational needs before the season begins. Motivational talks during the season will be used to keep practice intense yet fun and obviously as pre-game and post-game inspiration.

6. I must foster a "winning mentality" from DAY ONE. Coaches and players will accentuate their successes and learn from their mistakes...there is always a way to learn from yesterday's mistakes.

7. Consistency is the mark of a good team and of a good coach. I strive to be consistent in my coaching techniques and my demands on my players.

My teams have often been the "David" rather than the "Goliath", but we have still slain our share of giants using five key weapons:

1. Playing to the exhaustion and outworking your opponent. We will win games simply by wearing out lesser conditioned teams out. An advantageous by-product of the full court game is that a lot of people get to play and thus the players develop faster than they would sitting on the bench.

2. Systematic approach to pressure player-to-player half-court and full court defense. You don't have to have great basketball skills to play great defense. In general, 50% of practice will be devoted to defensive drills and instruction.

3. Pushing the tempo of the game, emphasizing transition offense, beating the defense down the court, and capitalizing if we have an advantage. Our half court offenses will be designed around our player's strengths. We will work for high percentage shots. Players will learn to read the defense and create offensively. Three point shooting and ball handling are two major emphases for perimeter players and scoring one-on-one in the low block will be the main focus for the posts.

4. Emphasizing rebounding as the most important statistic at the end of the game. A consistent team goal is to out rebound our opponent. There will be daily drills on boxing out, anticipating shots and moving quickly to the ball.

5. Teaching and cultivating Mental Toughness as a basketball skill. Coaches must train the minds of their players to control and optimize their skills: Concentration, Visualization, Pushing the body to the limit, Reinforcement of success and believing in oneself = Winner's Mentality.