Next Season Starts NOW!

It's hard to believe that it's been almost two months since the season ended. As the spring sports hit full spring and the weather FINALLY starts to actually FEEL like spring, it's vital for the development of the high school basketball player to also be thinking about their plan to get better.

There are more opportunities to play year-round than ever before, but quite simply, NOTHING....let me repeat, NOTHING makes up for the consistent attention needed to develop individual skills. Playing games is important to develop a "game sense" and instinctive reactions to constantly changing conditions, however, it simply takes TIME and PERSISTENCE to develop the necessary skills to actually experience success.

One of my favorite books in recent memory is Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. Gladwell uses several examples to illustrate his rule of 10,000 hours. Basically, in order to master or perfect anything, it takes 10,000 hours. Broken down, is one person spending a lot of time spent focusing on something while others are likely choosing to do something else. (Ha...classic example illustrating the economic definition of an opportunity cost) Basketball SKILLS fall into this category.

For example, I've never heard of a great shooter whose story is that he just picked up a ball and was a "great shooter"...(well maybe in his own mind)...But, when you profile guys that are universally recognized as "great shooters", their stories of time spent working on their stroke are strikingly similar AND they reflect Gladwell's theories.

Put in terms of a high school basketball player's development, we might not be talking about 10,000 hours....but the mentality is the same. It takes an investment of part of one's self to remain consistently committed to a goal and endure KNOWING the results will reveal themselves over time.

Without question, being a well-rounded athlete is important. There are valuable skills and experiences taken from playing a variety of sports. Simply look at our list of all-time leading scorers at Mounds View...only one of the top 10 was a "basketball only" athlete. With that being said, putting consistent practice in during the off-season, even if it's 15-30 minutes a day will pay HUGE dividends come next winter.

Without rambling further, I'm sharing some resources that I've collected over time to help guys with this task.

• Understanding Shooting Practice
• 2008 USA Basketball Shooting Workout (this is the actual workout that the USA athletes used in preparation for the 2008 Bejing Olympics. Kobe Bryant would complete this workout...and continue to do more individual work)
• Minnesota Off-Season Shooting/Ball Handling workout - this was given to me by Travis Busch who played for Tubby Smith at the University of Minnesota. He had to track his workouts daily.

Spring & Summer Event Sign-up Reminder

Today is the deadline for the May events and Monday 5/2 is the deadline to sign-up for June events that were highlighted in the spring meeting and the packets every player should have received.

You can view the documents online through the following links:
Event Summary and Sign-up Instructions

• May Events - Sign up or contact one of the coaches with your intent ASAP
• June Events - Sign up or contact one of the coaches with your intent by MONDAY 5/2
• July Events - Sign up or contact one of the coaches with your intent by THURSDAY 6/2

Please contact of of the coaches (Zig Kauls, Dave Leiser, or Mike Kauls) if you have any questions.

Highlight DVDs Available

Copies of the highlight DVD shown at the JV/Varsity banquet are available. Please contact me (michael.kauls@moundsviewschools.org) or have your son stop by my room (231) for a copy.

You can also view it online here. Just enter the password: mvhoops to watch.

Spring/Summer Player Meetings

This message is intended for all players that participated in the Mounds View Basketball Program this past season from grades 9-11. If you haven't already, download, (or see Mike Kauls in room231) a personal evaluation/planning sheet to fill out and return it (or email it) to one of the coaches.

The coaches would like to meet with every athlete that desires to continue in the program to discuss:

1. current areas of individual strengths/weaknesses
2. identify individual development relative to other players in the program
3. individual & team goals for future
4. a PLAN to achieve these goals

These meetings are optional, but encouraged.

Players are free to contact and meet with any of the varsity coaches (Mike Kauls, Dave Leiser, Zig Kauls) to identify a time to meet 1-on-1.

Email Contact Information
Ziggy Kauls
zkauls@comcast.net

Dave Leiser
david.leiser@moundsviewschools.org

Mike Kauls
651.621.7203
michael.kauls@moundsviewschools.org

Turning the page.....

It's always a bittersweet Sunday afternoon when we have our season ending banquet. It's always tough to say goodbye to our seniors after watching them develop over the course of several years. It's especially difficult this year because they were such a genuine bunch of good guys. We didn't have the kind of success in terms of wins that we all hoped for, but it was definitely apparent on Sunday that this group experienced something as a team that few can claim. I can't remember a banquet in recent years that had so much laughter and a general feeling of friendship among the players. It also explains why they stuck together so well, even when we were struggling midway through the season.

However, banquet Sunday also signifies the beginning of a new journey. I am really excited about the returning group of guys and am confident that they will continue to build on their experiences, both good and bad, that will help them be successful next season. While Brett Burckhardt, Chris Severson, and Kevin Sharpe were elected captains by their peers for the 2011-2012 season, there's an incredible opportunity for our returning seniors to lead our team and program as a class.

Again, I want to thank you all players and families for allowing us to coach this group. These guys will always have a special place in my heart and represent another successful chapter in Mustang history.

If you didn't get a chance to see the highlight video at the banquet, you can watch it here. Just enter the password: mvhoops to watch.

Spring & Summer Information Meeting

On Monday night, April 11th at 7pm, there will be an information meeting at Mounds View for all basketball players (9th-11th) interested in spring and summer opportunities and camp information.

All players should plan to attend but is open to all.

If you cannot attend, but plan on participating in spring & summer events contact Mike Kauls in room 231 to get additional information.

See you all Monday night!

New Section for 2011-2012

The Minnesota State High School League just announced that we have been moved from Section 5AAAA to 4AAAA. Our new section opponents more closely resemble the traditional section alignments from years past. Check out the new sections here.

Section 4AAAA for 2011-2012
Mounds View
White Bear Lake
North (St. Paul)
Stillwater
Tartan
Woodbury
Mahtomedi
Roseville

End of the Road

As we rode home on the bus last night, I couldn't have been prouder of these young men. Last night was a perfect example of the saying "the scoreboard didn't tell the whole story." We gave Cooper a great game last night and our guys fought to the end TOGETHER. The final score of this game (85-66), and our record for the season (10-16) may not stand out in the record books, but this season was an incredible example of what any coach would want to have happen within a team. We had outstanding captains--and outstanding senior leadership. Guys remained hungry to compete everyday. We fought through injuries, losses and even some personal disappointment in a way that can only happen if guys truly enjoy and appreciate each other as teammates. This team grew together--and as individuals more than any team I've had the opportunity to coach in my ten years at Mounds View...and they did it with class.

After the game, as we talked among the coaches, we reflected on the growth of this group over the last couple years. (We specifically thought about the JV game at Shakopee last year...If you don't remember, it was a 40 point drubbing.) It's pretty remarkable when you consider how well they played last night. There's a quote that goes something like: "The test of a team's character is not how they handle winning, but how they handle a loss." Held to that measure, this team stands alone.

To the guys, I want to say THANK YOU...it was a privilege to coach you all.

Section Brackets Set

The Section 5AAAA brackets were determined on Saturday morning and we drew the #6 seed which sends us to #3 Robbinsdale Cooper (18-8) on Thursday (3/10) for the first round of play. Game time is 7pm. Click on the bracket for other playoff brackets.

JV Game Cancelled....again..

Unfortunately, Park has once again cancelled the JV game tonight. 10th grade and Varsity will still play at regularly scheduled times.

Record comes with Win!

Friday night was a pretty special night. Without taking away from the overall team effort of winning our sixth straight game against Forest Lake (W 67-55), it should be pointed out that Jordan Van Eps tied a school record (Cole Christenson, 2009) by making eight 3-pointers during the game. There have been a lot of great shooters that have played for Mounds View over the years....It's a pretty special accomplishment. Congrats Jordan.

In avenging the earlier loss to the Rangers, the Mustangs moved to 8-6 in the Suburban East Conference and 10-11 overall. The win marks the third conference win in row over a team that we lost to the first time through the conference schedule. Tuesday night brings the opportunity to extend that streak to four as we head to Cretin-Derham Hall to take on the Raiders. Game time is 7:15pm. We hope to see you there!

Monday JV/Varsity Practice Still at 3:30pm

We will still have practice today at MVHS at 3:30pm. Please drive safely.

Being a Teammate

This was forwarded to us by former Mounds View baseball coach, Mark Downey, who is now coaching at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

He forwarded to us as a great example of a Mustang alum actually living out what is so often talked about by coaches. Most people acknowledge that being a member of a team...at least a healthy one...requires some self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, acknowledging it and living it can be two very different things. Also, it applies to EVERYONE. No one escapes this from top to bottom...for the superstar it might be giving up individual statistics (see the second-half of Michael Jordan's career) but on the other end of the spectrum, it might be a role player letting go of individual frustrations of not playing to support teammates along the way. (This, I would argue, is probably THE most difficult thing to do as a member of a team.)

That brings me to the inspiration of this post.

Pat Delahunt was one of our captains in 2006-2007. In all reality, as a ninth grader there is no way anyone would have predicted that he would even be a varsity contributor based on his natural ability. However, he is one of the most goal-orientated, tough minded and hardest working players I've ever come across. (Garrett Ganske, a high school teammate from 1995 will probably forever hold the #1 spot in my mind!) He literally WILLED himself into being a player. He spent countless hours working on his game...often times alone. Pat in the truest sense is a gym-rat. A lot of people play basketball, but there only a handful that are basketball players. Simply stated, he LOVES the game. It took time, but by his senior year he was starter and in the process earned the respect of his peers to be voted captain.

His high school career was statistically average at best, but his legacy as a student, teammate and person stand out among the best to ever wear a Mustang uniform.

Pat was cut from the St. Olaf squad his first two years. And now, his senior year, despite the thousands of hours he's put in the game, he's only played 15 minutes all season. But he continues to be an outstanding student, teammate and person. In Coach Kosmoski's words:

"Pat became a part of our team last year as a junior. I have been able to count on him every single practice with his consistency and effort on the court. His positive energy is inspirational and has not only made himself a better ballplayer, but he has made those around him better as well. Pat has only been a positive asset to this team these past two years. There is a reason that we are a better team today than last year, and Pat has been an integral part of this growth."

I have no doubt the lessons Pat has learned through playing basketball are going to lead him to great things as he moves on to the next stage of his life. It was a privilege to coach him..for many it has been a privilege to call him a teammate and friend..and for those that don't know Pat De La Hunt, I can only hope you have people in your lives like him.

Tough Four Game Stretch: Part II

Just over a month ago, I blogged about a tough four game stretch against four of the strongest programs in the Suburban East Conference. We went 0-4 during that time.

As we go through the conference schedule a second time, we've arrived at the same stretch once again....Only this time, with our 67-49 win over Stillwater on Tuesday night, we've already notched more W's than the first time through.

Tuesday night was arguably the best combined effort of our Varsity and JV teams all season. Both teams adjusted well and played very efficiently on both ends of the floor.

Friday night should be another great test in our rematch against Forest Lake. Our January game at Forest Lake was one of our ugliest games of the year....However, our team has grown a lot in the last 4-5 weeks. Having won 6 of the last 7 games, I'm excited for our guys to get another chance to take on the Rangers! We hope to see you there!

Coach Has His Own Dance?

After coaching at Mounds View for over 44 years, Coach's legacy on the basketball court speaks for itself, but at the Sno-Daze pepfest last Friday, it was taken to another level. Apparently, he's also an accomplished dancer. (Check out the last seconds of the pepfest video.) Check out the lyrics written by Liv Rosin.



Our captains (Blake Anderson, Jordan Van Eps, & Matt Kruger) also had some fun....at our expense! Ha!...if people only knew how much I harass Coach Leiser about his red sweater!

Mustangs at the Target Center!

On Saturday, February 12th, the Mustangs boys basketball team will play St. Anthony at the Target Center. Game time is 1:00pm.

Due to our agreement with the Timberwolves, tickets are a combination package; they will not be available for just the Mounds View game.Tickets are $15 and can be used for the TIMBERWOLVES game against Philadelphia that evening at 7:00pm.

Click here for more information about tickets.

Watch the Mustangs take on the Raiders LIVE!

Once again, CTV North Suburbs will be going LIVE on channel 20 with tonight's Mounds View vs. Roseville boys basketball game. Along with that, it'll be web-streamed starting at 7 pm.

http://www.ctv15.org/schools/mv/sports/basketball/mvhsboys.html

The cities that will see it LIVE on channel 20 are Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, Saint Anthony and Shoreview.

JV Game at Park Cancelled (Tue. 1/25)

Unfortunately, several JV players from Park have fallen to injury and/or illness leaving Park without enough players to have a JV game tonight.

Players: As of right now, the bus will still leave at 4:30pm for the B-squad game. BRING STUDY MATERIALS WITH YOU!

Sophomores and Varsity will still play at 5:45pm and 7:15 respectively.

Parent Booster Club Announces "Theme Nights"

Join us Friday, January 28th at "our house" as the Mustang Boys take on the Bears of White Bear Lake!! It is CAMOUFLAGE NIGHT -- dress up in your best camo gear as the Mustangs HUNT DOWN the Bears!!

Parents, don't feel you have to dress up in camouflage, but we'd love to have the students participate. Of course, if you want to, we won't stop you! ;)

• Two $5 Caribou gift cards will be given away to the best dressed camouflage wearer at half time of the Varsity Game.

• SENIOR STABLE -- come on out and ROCK THE HOUSE!!

Game Times:
JV and Sophomore squads play at 5:45pm
Varsity tipoff is 7:15pm

(Courtesy of Mustang Parent Booster Club)

Timberwolves High School Basketball Tour at Tonight's Game

While we did not organize this through the program or through the booster club, the Minnesota Timberwolves have selected our game to be part of the Wolves High School Basketball Tour.

Representatives from the Wolves organization will be traveling to Mounds View tonight to be a part of the local basketball community. Details of the event listed below.

• The Minnesota Timberwolves Reps will arrive an hour before the game starts
• As fans enter the facility the Wolves Van will be parked outside the front entrance
• A table will be set up near the entrance with Wolves reps handing out prizes and a chance for fans to enter their name into a drawing for the halftime shooting contest
• Main Attraction: Minnesota Timberwolves Halftime Shooting Contest (Details Below)

MAIN ATTRACTION

The main attraction will be the halftime shooting contest in which 4 lucky fans in attendance will have a chance to win some great Wolves prizes. Before Halftime there will be a chance to enter your name into a drawing to be chosen for the halftime shooting contest (Please notice the shooting contest will take the majority of halftime). Each contestant gets a chance to make a lay-up, free throw, 3 pointer, and half court shot in 30 seconds.

• Lay-up: Wolves Hat
• Free throw: Wolves Shirt
• Three Pointer: 2 Lower Level Tickets
• Half court shot: 4 Lower Level Tickets