Dick Vitale Baby Quotes

Knight inspires me in a similar way. When he was coaching, Knight was a brilliant teacher, a stern disciplinarian, and a purist who thought the game should be played the right way. The practice floor was his classroom; his players were his students. And he wouldn’t put up with any distractions.

Calipari has been trying to change the perception of the phrase “one and done” as a bad thing. So, the thing he’s been talking about is “Succeed and Proceed.” Calipari actually claims that if he had his way, he would coach players for four years because most of the young players aren’t ready to make the transition to an 82-game NBA season. That is so true, and let’s not forget that by getting an education, they will be preparing for their biggest game, the game of life.

Now the spotlight comes on and I’m saying to myself, ‘Earvin, you don’t play the game above the rim. You play it cerebrally. You play it in an intelligent way and just be who you are.

But what puts him over the top, in my estimation, is the job he has done putting America back on top in the global game. He’s brought back the passion and sense of pride in playing for the red, white, and blue, by getting NBA All-Stars to understand they are playing for the name on the front of the jersey, U.S.A. Since he’s become coach, Team USA has played with the utmost sense of urgency, bringing back the gold medal to where it belongs.

The world would be a much better place if people treated one another with decency and respect. There is no reason to be cruel to someone who is down or has any sort of problem, physical or otherwise. Trust me, man. I know. And today, if you’re being bullied, you do not have to just suck it up. If you have or your child has a problem, tell someone in authority and talk about the pain. There are a lot of people out there who provide helpful guidance and support, like counselors, spiritual leaders, teachers, coaches, etc., all you need to do is reach out. Bullying is a problem that has really left its mark on our society, and I know there is more we can all do to stop it.

Don’t think you are a great person just because you are a star in a given sport and win all the time because the next time, you may lose—and the time after that.

It’s not how high you jump, how fast you run. All you guys here can run faster, jump higher. But I’ll tell you, I can get my friend Larry Bird and the two of us will play any two of you and when it’s all said and done, we will get the last laugh.

No matter what Mike Krzyzewski is making at Duke, it is not enough. He’s underpaid! He is absolutely worth every penny he is getting. He is like a CEO of a major corporation when you think about his value to Duke University.

Being a teacher taught me how to be organized, to have a game plan in English, History, Math. The same discipline carried over into coaching. If you are an efficient and effective coach, you start off every day with a plan. You don’t just walk in there and roll out the ball. You’ve organized what you are going to do. You break down your offenses, your defenses, your individual skills.

You don’t win championships by being a bunch of individual all-stars,” I told them. “You do it by being a team—doing all the intangibles and playing together and really trying to help one another in chasing your goals.