I promised my guys Chase, Wolf (real name), Ted, Garrett, Adam (shooting champ) and the gals Amy and Beth that I would write something about them. They all do a super job and make things easier for all of us coaches and players.  Often they get no recognition, but without them the game could not go on. They come in early and they are the last to leave. They help out with game preparation doing such things as getting uniforms ready, water, towels,etc… and then they help with getting tickets from the players to will call. They do a million things. Then on top of that they have the thankless job of rebounding and chasing down balls when the players get there for their pregame workouts. During the game they are working as well doing everything from mopping up the floor to handing out towels and water. After the game they are still working picking up after the guys and getting the laundry going. They are MVP’s in my book. Thank you all.

   This past week Adam beat me in shooting from the free throw line, college three and NBA three point line. He had to win from all three spots to get into the blog. Well it took him all season to finally get in. He beat me fair and square. He won all three spots. I had to shoot left handed as did he. The only problem is that Adam is a natural southpaw. Now I have to really get back into the gym and work on my game.

   The ball boys are keeping me sharp as I try to get some shots up before the players come out. Before the LA Clipper game I hit 50 NBA three’s from straight on and then 41 in a row from the right corner. I was trying to beat my personal best of 78. Hopefully I will break it by the end of the season.

    Congratulations to Antawn for being the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He has been huge for us all year. I am so happy for him. He comes to play everyday and never complains about anything. Antawn is a true pro and a wonderful human being.

   It is great having Caron back. Since he has returned though he has suffered another injury. He has something wrong with his left hand. Speaking of injured left hands Antonio has one as well. We have had more injuries, but the guys give it all that they have. Now we need to get everyone healthy for the playoff push. Even Ted our ball boy has been out of commission with a bad ankle. It is always good to see him when he comes to the games.

   Happy Easter to everyone.

   It is hard to belive but it is that time of the year, MARCH MADNESS. What a great time for the basketball fan, all the games and tournaments. Then after all of that there will be the selections . After the selections are finalized and the 65 teams are announced, the arguments begin. Who should be in the tournament and who should not be in the tournament. There are always good arguments on both sides. All of this before the tourney begins. San Antonio is a great city to host the event. The weather is super and the Riverwalk will be full of life. The coaches can get outside after being in the gym all season. I will miss my annual trip to the Final Four. I also miss all of the coaches and friends that Ihave made over the years.

     The Wizards have had a tough stretch since I have last written. Orlando came into our building and gave us a good beating. They played with more energy than us. Dwight Howard is becoming more and more like Superman all of the time. He just keeps on getting better and better each year. It is scary. The rest of the league will need Kryptonite to stop him. Then we  went north of the border and beat Toronto in OT. It was a huge win for us. It is always nice to go up to Toronto and see everyone in the organization. They all treated me like family. On this trip I got to see Doreen, she is the secretary and was so helpful to me last season. Thank you Doreen for everything. It is good to see TJ back playing after his injury. I wish him and his family the best. TJ is a great kid who is also very funny, but more importantly he is a generous and thoughtful person. After the OT win we headed to the airport and had to go through customs before boarding the plane and then we had to de-ice as it was snowing hard. I arrived home at my place a little before 3:oo am. After getting back from Toronto we played Charlotte at home. Charlotte came out on fire and scored 35 in the first quarter. That is too many points to give up in any quarter and we never could recover. The guys put up a heck of  a fight but we fell short. Back to backs are tough on us because our roster is so thin. The starters are playing alot of minutes and the rookies are getting their share too. A day off will do everyone a world of good.

    The word is that Caron will return to practice this week. Having him back will be great, now we can rest Wes. Wes has been logging heavy minutes in practice. Another body in practice is going to help out everyone and adding Caron back in the mix will make practices more competitive. We need him for our last twenty games. No word on Gil’s return or Etan’s. It is hard to belive that there are only 20 more games left in this season. The older you get the faster time goes by.

    Milwaukee comes into town for tomorrow’s game and my good friend Jim Todd (a.k.a. JT). I have known him for years and he is a great guy. I miss him as we have shared alot of good times in the past with this great game of basketball. We have had alot of laughs both on and off the court. JT is back in Milwaukee for his third stint. That says something about him.

    My daughter has gone up to Maine with our nanny Jessica until Friday. McKenna is spending time with her grandparents. My wife and I miss her so much. On Friday McKenna and Jessica will come home along with McKenna’s grandmother and aunt Kathy. It is awfully quite around here without McKenna.

    Thanks for reading and keep rooting for the Wizards. Until the next blog.

 Coach Hopla

  We have won our last four out of five. It started with a home win against Charlotte. Then we headed on the road to play New Orleans. We got a great game from DeShawn who hit for 33 points including the game winner with no time remaining. A great win versus a tough team.

   Next up for us was Houston. It was our fourth game in five nights  in four different cities. Houston is the hottest team in the league right now, having won 13 games in a row. The day before we play them they announce that Yao will be out for the season with a stree fracture. It seems like everyone is getting hit with the injury bug. Houston pummeled us, we did not have any energy nor could we get anything going on offensive. Dikembe looked like he was twenty years old again. The only positive thing that happened in Houston was that I got to see my good friend Dennis Skeadas. It is always great to see friends while being on the road, too bad you only get to see them for a short time.

    We left for Chicago the following morning. Had the day off. Thursday we practiced at Tim Grover’s place (ATTACK ATHLETICS) it is a state of the art basketball facility. All of the players and coaches loved it there. I got to see my man Mike Procopio who has been working with Tim for a few years now. Mike used to work my College Camps and I miss working with him. Friday we played Chicago and were down 18 at the half. Coach Jordan gave some half time talk and we came away with a victory. Opened up the third quarter with a 22 to 1 run. The guys never gave up when it would’ve been easy to quit and pack it in.

    We returned to DC late Friday night. Had Saturday off which was much deserved and needed. All of the guys are tired and banged up. The rest will do us a world of good. It will be great to see Carole and McKenna after being gone since last Sunday. I really cherish the time that I get to spend with them.

    We have a 6:00pm game on Sunday versus New Orleans again. Everyone is saying that they will be looking for revenge and it will be payback time. Coach Hubbard says that we will beat them again. It turns out that HUB is a prophet as we beat the Hornets again. They were 39-19 coming into the game. We closed the game out with a 19-0 run. Very impressive.

    Our defense has been getting better, but the past couple of games it has been fantastic. Randy Ayers has done an incredible job thorughout the year getting the guys to play defense. If we continue to defend and share the ball we will be alright. Hopefully Caron and Gilbert will be back to close out the regular season and then the Wizards can do some damage in the playoffs.

     Let’s take time to be thankful for all that we have and to count our blessings each and every day.

  First game back after All Star Game we were flat with no energy and suffered a loss to the New York Knicks. It is in games like this that you wonder what would have happened if Caron was healthy or if we had Gil back or Etan. Any of them or any combination of the three. What the heck how about all three. 

  Injuries are part of the game and the coaches have done a great job of dealing with them. The guys that have been healthy and have suited up come to play every night. They work hard in practice and pull for each other. They are a team in every way. The guys root for one another and get along both on and off the court.

   Next up for us was Cleveland and they just made a blockbuster trade. They were in the Finals last year and just traded away Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble and Cedric Simmons. In return they picked up Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. They won’t be playing against us as they have to have physicals. Cleveland beat us anyway. This was a game that ESPN had on. They were thinking that it would be a great game and it would’ve been if everyone was healthy and the trade was complete. Instead they got two teams with depleted rosters. At least the game was close.

    This was another game that we could’ve won. There have been quite a few of them this year. We just don’t have enough weapons right now to close games out. 

  The guys bounced back with a home victory over Charlotte. They played without Gerald Wallace. Gerald suffered a concussion against Sacramento when Mikki Moore hit him with an elbow. He was down for quite a long time and had to be taken away on a stretcher. Both teams were coming off of back to backs. We played Cleveland and Charlotte lost a tough one in overtime versus Sacramento. It was a total team effort. Everyone played well for us and the bench was huge too. This is the type of effort and energy that we need every night from every player. We have no margin of error, if we are to win games.

    Had a huge win against New Orleans tonight. DeShawn Stevenson was sensational. He comes to play every single night and he has been injured all year. Most players wouldn’t even try to play. D Steve had a career high 33. His dagger at the end of regulation was the difference. I have so much respect for him as does the rest of the staff and the team. I am so happy for him and the rest of the players and coaches. We have been on the short end of these games the past month, so it was a well deserved victory on the road. Got to see Morris Peterson before the game. He is a classy guy and we had a great time in Toronto last season. He seems to be doing well in New Orleans.

    Now we have to get ready for Houston. They are the hottest team in the league, having won their last twelve in a row. The coaching staff watched them play Chicago Sunday night. It was great watching the game as they are two teams that we will play against this week. We close out our road trip in Chicago on Friday.

    Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the blog. Take care and God Bless. 

After a victory in L.A. over the Clippers we headed home for the break on the red eye. Nick got to stay in L.A. and spend time with his family and friends. Some of the other guys headed to warmer climates. CB and Antawn to New Orleans for the All-Star Game. As for myself, I arrived home and headed to the dentist for an appointment that I had made while being on the road. I cracked a tooth in San Francisco while having breakfast. Went to the dentist had an x-ray and it was determined that I must have a root canal. What a way to spend the day. Everything went well. So far, so good.

My wife Carole cooked an excellent Valentine’s Day dinner. Chicken, potatoes and corn. For dessert she made a caramel bread pudding that was out of this world. It was nice to spend the evening together and to be at home. McKenna loved her Valentine’s card and stuffed animal. Of course she likes the candy too.

Hung out with the family on Friday and then went to dinner with Carole at Cafe Milano. Had some pasta that was very good.

Saturday headed up to Baltimore to see my brother and aunt Jean. It is always a pleasure to see them and spend time with them. I only wish that my mom was still here so she could see McKenna. I always tell McKenna about her grandmother Joan, so she will always know where her middle name comes from. Went to the airport to pick up our nanny’s sister Chelsea. She is on winter break.

Sunday our intentions were good, off to church. We got a late start and then a little lost. So we headed back up to Baltimore for lunch with my aunt and brother. It was a nice and relaxing break for me. Everyone needs it. Hopefully everyone will return healthy and ready to make a post All-Star run.

Monday took McKenna to see Nemo at the Verizon Center in her words it was “very, very sad.” Practice at 6 pm.

Well, we are on the road the week before All-Star weekend. Left for Denver on Tuesday, got in to the Ritz. What a beautiful place with a gym next door. After arriving headed over to the gym to work with Etan and Pech. Got a good night’s rest.

Melo had 49 points on us. He is a tough cover. It was great seeing my close friends John Welch and Jahmal Mosley. They are doing a great job, they are excellent coaches but even better friends. I am very blessed to have them as my friends. Good luck the rest of the year. It is always a pleasure to see you guys. I only wish that we could spend more time together talking hoops and catching up on every thing.

Flew to Phoenix after the game. Got into our hotel around 2 in the morning. Had practice with low numbers again. Got some shooting in. Etan and Pech stayed after for some work. Enjoyed a great meal with the coaching staff and Zach our media guy. He is the best, always on top of everything. The weather is fantastic in Phoenix this time of the year. Another good night of rest. That makes two this week! Up early to meet with the staff and then off to shoot-around. The gym is always freezing in Phoenix during shoot-around. It sure does heat up when it is game time. The guys played their hearts out. They were shorthanded but fought for everything. We ended up with a one point loss. Caron and Antonio did not dress. Deshawn is playing on one leg. He is on the All Madden team. D Steve is as tough as they come. Caught the plane to San Francisco afterwards.

Got to our rooms around 2 again, by the time the bags arrive it is 3 and sleep is never long enough. We are at the Hyatt, it is not the Ritz, but what a view of the city and the bay. San Francisco is a great city. Went for a nice walk after our meeting. Play tonight and come back to the hotel for another night before flying to L.A. to play the Clippers on Wednesday. We need to get a win, soon. We also need the All-Star break to get our guys healthy and to rest the others.

Being on the road you not only miss your family but the people at the Verizon Center. They are always helpful and friendly from the top of the organization to the ball boys and ball girls. A great group to be around. Hope everyone back in D.C. is doing well and staying flu free.

Don’t forget Thursday is Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the All-Star game. Take care, until next time.

     Congratulations to Antawn and Caron on being named All-Stars. It is quite an honor and they both deserve the award. Caron missed a few games and we struggled without him. We had a nice win against Toronto at home (OT). Then we had to play the following night in Toronto. They came out and gave us a good old fashioned beating. I myself started to catch the flu and this did not help. Could not get out of bed for the next couple of days. I am sorry to say that I missed a game versus Utah. They are also playing at a high level and the addition of Korver is huge for them. Finally got back to the gym, it seems like I was away for weeks. Still weak and light headed. Played the Lakers on Super Sunday. Unfortunately it was not super for us or the Patriots. The Lakers took control from the start and never looked back. Kobe is something else. It is scary to think how much better they will be with Gasol and then when Bynum comes back.

Now we have to get ready for Philly. They are a young team that likes to push the ball. We lost at the buzzer up there at the end of November. Nick Young had a good look but it was a little long. He will make many game winners before his career is over. We took the train up to Philly. It is a nice way to travel, very relaxing.

After Philly we head home and play the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, the second of a back to back. Practice on Thursday and then off to Denver, Phoenix, Golden State and the Clippers. We are the only team that has not been out west yet. Life is not easy in the NBA. You have got to come ready to play every night.

I am glad to be up and out of bed, back in the gym with the coaches and players. We have a super staff and the guys work hard. Etan is doing more and more every day and Gil has been getting some shots up. When we get them back and everyone is healthy we can be scary. It is hard to believe that we are already closing in on 50 games played. All-Star Break is coming the weekend of February 16-18 in New Orleans.

Hope everyone is healthy and flu free.

By: Gilbert Arenas
From: Agent Zero: The Blog File

It was in my development stage of high school when I came across Dave Hopla. I started late and it was around the time when dunking was the new thing. If you can dunk at an early age, that’s the best. Every kid is trying to dunk. So I want to camp and Coach Hopla came out there and usually when you see shooters at these camps, you’re waiting to jump on them and be like, “You missed! You missed!” but he was like, “I’m going to play this game that’s called ‘Shooting Against Reggie.’” You know, because everybody at the time thought that Reggie Miller was the best shooter in the league. So he put a hat on that had a hand cut out hanging from the brim so it was right in his face. He said, “Every one I make counts for one for me; every one I miss is three points for Reggie. We’re going to 21.”

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From: The Washington Post
By: Ivan Carter

Shot Guru Hopla Has Helped Team Improve Percentage From Line, Other Areas of Court

Even when he misses a free throw this season, which is not nearly as often as in the past, Wizards center Brendan Haywood doesn’t worry too much about it. He simply waits for a chance to consult with assistant coach-player development Dave Hopla and makes the necessary adjustment the next time he steps to the line.

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    It is hard to believe that the season is already half over. We are sitting at 23 and 18 with no Gilbert and no Etan. Hopefully we will have them both back soon. It is amazing what modern medicine can do these days.

    Antawn and Caron both deserve to be All Stars. As good as they are as players, they are even better human beings. AJ is a 20 and 10 guy night in and night out. Caron brings toughness to the team and has raised his game to another level.

    We have a tough stretch coming up. We are in Milwaukee tonight. Last time we played them Redd was out and we picked up a victory. They are a different team with him and they are looking to push the ball more than the last time we played them. Then we have Toronto back to back. We play them home on Tuesday and then in Toronto on Wed. They have been playing extremely well as of late. Then we have Utah home on Friday. Utah is a very good team that is very physical.

   This past week we had a real nice win versus Dallas on Martin Luther King day. Then we were horrible against the Cavs. We were bad defensively and offensively. The Cavs rolled over us. Thank goodness there is another game to get ready for. Memphis comes into town for our next game. We beat them on Friday evening. We started out with our best quarter of the year, holding Memphis to nine points while scoring 30.

   It is great going to Milwaukee to see my good friend Jim Todd. JT was up in Toronto last year where he was the lead assistant to Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell. This is JT’s third stint in Milwaukee. He has been an unbelievable friend of mine over the years. I have known him for many many years and have done numerous camps and clinics with him. We had a lot of fun up in Toronto with Bobby Peterson. Hopefully I will be able to catch up with Bobby and the rest of the guys in Toronto.

   Carole, McKenna and Jessica (our nanny) are settling in just fine. Still learning their way around. They know the way to every mall and shopping area already. I know my way to and from the Verizon Center.

    Thanks to everyone that have purchased my videos and dvd’s and logged on to my website.

   Until next week. Have a blessed week