In all of my years involved in basketball I’ve never seen anything bad happen when a player shot fakes. The shot fake is a sure way to get a defender off balance, out of the play or to commit a foul. The reason shot fakes are so affective is that every defender wants to block shots, so they over react to the fake and become off balance, leave their feet or foul. Coaches spend so much time in practice on closeouts and then in a game the players fly past the shooter whenever they use a shot fake. I remember my first coach told us that if we ever block a shot we were going to the bench. I know what you are thinking, “that’s crazy he just made a great block.” Yes, that’s true on this particular play but how many other times did the player go for the shot fake and put his teammates at a disadvantage or fouled the shooter. My coach preached to try and get the shooter’s shot line off and get a hand in his face. Don’t leave your feet and then you can block out the shooter. Oh I forgot nobody does that anymore either. Players need to play more with their heads. How many times do you see a player go for a shot fake that comes from a player that can’t shoot. There are certain players that you want to shoot. Then you see a small guy leaving his feet trying to block a taller player’s shot and the taller player is so much more athletic. Play hard and play smart. Remember to tell your loved ones how much you love them and how special they are to you. And always Praise the LORD. Thanks for reading take care and God Bless. My shooting app will be available soon. It looks great, the graphics are so vibrant and it will be so useful to players on all levels.

Great time of the year for all you hoopheads. High Schools have finished up their season and the champions have been crowned. Now it is time for the NCAA to get ready for the Final Four in Houston. The NBA teams are jockeying for playoff position and then they have the start of their playoffs in April. The NBA playoffs last forever. It has been a very interesting NCAA tournament, starting out with 68 teams. As always people are crying about who made the tournament and who didn’t. The Big East is over rated and the Pac 10 is down. There have been upsets, bone headed coaching decisions and bad officiating. Coaches are fired, leave their programs, etc… Doesn’t this happen every year in the NCAA tournament?It gives us something to talk about and argue about. Just enjoy the games and cheer your team on. It was great to see the TV networks carrying all of the games. You could see any team or player that you wanted. I didn’t even know that I had TruTV. Then people were in an uproar because the pro TV analysts were doing college games and were in the studio giving their insight. I would rather listen to them than to listen to the fan that fills out a bracket and thinks he knows everything because he is in the office pool. Enjoy the games and keep your expertise to your self. Congratulations to the teams that are still playing in the Elite Eight. The major college programs are being represented by Kansas, UCONN, Kentucky, UNC, Arizona and Florida. Butler is still dancing  and then there’s VCU a team that a lot of experts felt shouldn’t be in the tournament. Enjoy the games and remember there will be only one team cutting down the nets in Houston. When the final whistle blows many of you won’t watch another game until next year’s tournament, yet you consider yourselves experts on the game. I know when the Final Four is over I will continue watching the greatest game in the universe and the greatest players in the world, the NBA. Thank the Good Lord for all of your blessings and pray for the less fortunate.

Wow, how crazy was the last day of the trading deadline. There were all kinds of surprises. Deron Williams to the Nets. Did anyone have that on their radar? The GM’s were busy making trades to better their rosters or to dump contracts or get something for a player (now) than to lose him via free agency. I’m still trying to figure out who is playing for who. Now there are buyouts, waivers, etc.. Crazy happenings in the NBA. What does the future hold for the league? Will there be a lockout? Contraction? Talk of contracts that have already been signed being re-negotiated? I’m sure that will go over big with the players and the agents. If there is a lockout, how long will it be for? Will players go overseas? Will foreign teams want to basically rent a player? So many questions and so few answers. Stay tuned.

I am excited about being able to hold my college camp once again. Due to rules by the NBA I was unable to have the camp because I was coaching in the NBA over the past several years. This year’s camp will be held at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. The camp dates are August 19-21. Have been getting a lot of inquiries about the camp already. Please keep checking this website for more info. I will have all of the info posted shortly. This camp will be limited to 20 players. The staff will once again be outstanding. Coach Mike Mucci of Haverford will be working camp along with Mike O’Koren former assistant coach in the NBA. If you have any questions email me or call 1-800-993 SHOT.

Well it was only a matter of time before Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller’s all time three point record. Who is currently in the NBA that will break Ray’s record? What makes Ray so special is his work ethic and attention to detail. I still remember the first time I met Ray at UCONN. He was in his first year there. But you could already see that he had incredible focus and paid attention to detail. He watched everything that I did and listened to everything that I said. Lazar like focus. If you want to be great at something there are no shortcuts and you must be disciplined and focused. It is one thing to say that you want to be great and something else to actually become great. Ray has always been able to shoot the ball and he continually looks for ways to improve. He doesn’t take days off, he takes care of himself, watches what he eats, gets his rest and is constantly in motion. If you want to be a shooter you have to know how to play without the ball. Reggie and Ray two of the best shooters as well as two of the best moving without the ball. If you work hard to get open you will have your share of open looks and if you know how to run players off of screens you will get more open shots. Young kids have no clue as to how to play the game of basketball when it is not in their hands. A few years ago I was back at Coach Calhoun’s camp doing my shooting demo and I look over to my right and who is sitting there on the floor in the first row, wide eyed, focused as if he will pick up one more little tid bit to make him better shooter. None other than Ray Allen. Ray continue doing your thing and adding to your total.

It amazes me how players on all different levels are unable to make shots. They consistently miss FT’s and open jumpers from 15 feet. Yet they think they can make it from farther out, the dreaded three point shot. If you can’t make a 15′ shot, what makes you think that you can make a shot from 19’9″? You would think that players would be knock down shooters with everything that they have to “IMPROVE” shooting. First off there are hundreds of “shooting coaches” listening to some of them makes me confused and I thought I knew something about shooting. How did some of these guys become “shooting coaches”? But then again I wonder how some coaches became coaches too. Then there are the shooting devices the “Gun” and “Dr. Dish” where a player can get up hundreds of shots in a short period of time. There is “Noah’s Arc”, big balls, balls with stripes, balls with hands on them, balls with electronic devices, smaller rims, shooting gloves, video, etc… I think you get the picture. If players have all of this at their hands, why then aren’t there any great shooters? The reason is that everyone is looking for an easy fix. Reggie Miller summed it up and said that kids just don’t put the necessary time in to work on their shots. Reggie’s shot wasn’t the prettiest but it sure went in, he became a great shooter because he worked at it. MAKE SHOTS NOT EXCUSES! Reggie’s three point record will shortly be broken by Ray Allen. Who is out there to break Reggie’s and Ray’s records?

I am very excited about the upcoming year. As always I am looking to improve my shooting percentage. 2010 I did not make 99% of my shots during my lectures and shooting demo’s. I finished up at 98.82%. Started 2011 breaking one shooting record, most 3 pointers from the NBA corner in a minute with one ball and one passer. In February i will attempt to break my own record of most FT’s in a minute with one ball and one passer which is 24. Look for the website to be updated by my main man Rob Santoro. Hopefully my book on shooting will be out sometime in the summer or fall. Also new this year for the shooter’s club will be a video break down of the shot done on the computer with brand new technology. I have also been working on a phone app for players of all levels. Expect this to be done and in place soon.This year I will also be doing all of my other stuff, individual workouts, group workouts, team workouts. Then I have my week of girls camp in the Pocono Mountains as well as two weeks of boys camp there.Then I will be speaking at camps through out the country from Memorial day thru Labor Day. After four years of being involved with the NBA I will once again be able to hold my college shooting camps, they will be in August. In addition to all of this I am still doing my motivational speaking for companies. After the Final Four I start training future pro prospects, showing them what to expect at workouts. Last but not least I work the pros out too. Remember to thank the Good Lord for all of your blessings and to tell your loved ones that you love them and how much they mean to you.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy new year. There are a few things that I want to accomplish this year. First and foremost Iwant to have a more committed relationship with the Good Lord. I also want to be a better Christian, person, husband and father. There is always room for improvement. It’s just like being a basketball player, you can never be satisfied with where you are. If I improve my relationship with Jesus the rest will take care of itself, but it all starts with having a strong relationship with God. As forbasketball 2011 is the year that I am going to break some records. First off there is a website that has Steve Nash shooting WITH ONE BALL, ONE PASSER, FOR ONE MINUTE. He makes 16 NBA 3’s from the corner which is 22 feet. It is not a college three or high school three and he does not use several balls and several people to pass and rebound. I attempted this in Naples, Florida and made 17, I will do this again because I know I can get 18, my 14th shot rattled in and I got my 18th shot off a little late which also went in. So for now I will have to settle for 17 of 17. Check it on YouTube below. Several years ago I broke the record for most NBA threes in a minute from the distance of 23 feet 9 inches. I did this at the NBA All Star Game in Houston. When I shot, I shot off the rack. My record was broken by someone in California, but it was done with someone handing him the balls. Once again something completely different. I will keep you posted as to what records I will be attempting to break where and when. Thanks for reading!

December is here and hoops season is in full swing for everyone. The NBA, college and high school are all playing at this time. I love it when I can watch a game any night, any where that I might be. Went to a women’s college game the other night. It was a blow out but I had an enjoyable evening none the less, talking with none other than Thomas J. Cirrincione, aka “Tootie.” last night I watched the Knicks and Celtics. This was a very enjoyable game to watch. Amare is playing out of his mind. He is a player that has improved over the years. I remember him in HS and he had no jump shot what so ever. It’s great to see when players improve their skill set. Players should always look to get better. Basketball is a game where you can get better on your own. There are so many things that you can work on and improve on. Shooting, ball handling, passing all can be improved through drill work and repetition. Then you can work on your body through stretching, weights and specific exercises. There is so much to do that you should never ever be bored. I always change up my workouts both on the court and the weight room. New drills and new exercises keep me fresh and motivated. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Don’t forget what Christmas is all about, help those that are less fortunate not only at Christmas but all of the time. May God Bless you and your family.

I hope everyone had a very happy, safe and healthy Thanksgiving. It was great being home, not traveling anywhere or any game to play. It was my first Thanksgiving at Boothbay Harbor, ME. UCONN won the Maui Classic. Congratulations to the HUSKIES coaching staff and players. How about Kemba Walker, he has been playing at another level, it doesn’t matter who he is playing against, he is putting points on the board. The HEAT are struggling as they are trying to find their way. Many people are surprised by their early struggles and some are not. It is tough to get three guys together who were all the MAN on their previous teams. Now they must share the ball and the limelight. This is easier said than done. LeBron and DWade are used to having the ball, when one doesn’t have it the other looks lost. If and when they figure it out they will be scary and fun to watch. The HEAT have also lost players to injuries. Speaking of injuries there have been alot this season. None more devasting than Greg Oden’s. This guys entire career has been one injury after another. You have to feel sorry for him and all that he’s been through. Now he has time to send pictures of himself to adoring fans. On the other hand Blake Griffin has returned from being injured and he is a monster. Saw him play in Denver and he plays hard, hits the floor for loose balls and is a physical speciman. Blake is fearless in attacking the rim and going after rebounds. I enjoy watching him and the way he plays. Could use some work on his jumper and at the line, but who doesn’t. Hopefully the Clips can get healthy and get better. You could say that every year about them. High School ball has started up and I went to a scrimmage the other day and neither team talked on defense, they did scream for the ball on the offensive end when they were open or clap their hands. Kids don’t talk anymore because of their upbringing. They text message, IM, fax, facebook etc.. their is no verbal communication. Guys you need to talk to one another and let your teammate know that there is a screen, that you have his man, that you are switching, that you need help. TALK on the floor. I will be heading to Florida on the 13th and will be there until the 22nd in the FT Lauderdale and Miami area. Maybe I will catch a couple of games or practices on the HS, COLLEGE or PRO LEVEL. Take care and don’t put on alot of weight eating leftovers.