What is Kobe doing at the House of Hoops- Chicago?

I had the pleasure of meeting Kobe Bryant this weekend at the House of Hoops in the North Riverside Mall this weekend. The House of Hoops launched Kobe's new basketball shoe at the store this weekend. The Los Angeles Lakers played the Chicago Bulls this weekend and the Lakers stayed in Chicago before traveling to Oklahoma City for their game on Tuesday night. One of my best friends, Todd Ambers, is the manager of the House of Hoops- Chicago and coordinated the event and provided me with the opportunity for me to meet Kobe.

Kobe was a great person and a joy to speak with. His basketball intellect is extremely high and I asked him a few questions about playing for Phil Jackson, running the triangle offense and how he stays ahead of the curve on the court himself. Kobe explained to me that he does some form of sports performance and lifts weights daily. In addition, he shoots and MAKES 500 jump shots daily. He even does this workout on game days! I was amazed but not surprised because he clearly strives to be the best. I told Kobe that I worked with youth basketball players at the Chicago Bulls/ White Sox Training Academy in Lisle, Illinois and wanted to give them some advice from him. Kobe replied, "It is imperative to work on your game. Everyday that you don't, someone is gaining ground on you. There is no substitute for hard work and hard work overrides talent."

I had the pleasure of playing basketball with Michael Jordan when he made his second comeback to the NBA and he had the same work ethic. Kobe Bryant is the one NBA player that appears to have the desire and skill to achieve some of the milestones the Michael Jordan did while he was in the NBA. In my opinion, Michael Jordan is still the best to EVER play the game though. Michael's lifetime average of 32.3 points a game and six world championships will always hold a cornerstone in basketball history. He was also a Chicago Bull!

I am appreciative to have had the opportunity to meet Kobe Bryant but mostly to have had the opportunity to converse with him. I enjoyed speaking with him about basketball and having similar basketball philosophies.

Remember, there is no substitute for hard work!

Yours in Basketball,

Coach Stewart

March Madness- "Feel the heat"

Tournament time is here for college hoops and the field of 65 will be determined after tonight's play in game between Alabama State vs. Morehead State. The brackets are set and everyone is eagerly awaiting the games on this upcoming Thursday.

In my opinion, there is not a clear cut NCAA champion this year. Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville and North Carolina are all legitimate number one seeds but there are other good basketball teams that could push through to make a run for the championship as well. Memphis, Oklahoma, Duke, Kansas, Villanova are a few that will be in the hunt. The dark horses like VCU, Western Kentucky, Mississippi State, Xavier will all compete hard to push through their respective brackets as well to upset some higher seeds as well.

I am in a bit of a quandary as I select my picks for my NCAA pool. If I follow my heart, Chattanooga (my Alma mater) beats UConn to go on to the National Championship! You never know what may happen during March Madness!

Good luck on your pools and I hope your teams win!

Yours in Basketball,

Coach Stewart

March Madness- "Feel the heat'

The mid-range shot- "A lost art that can be mastered"

The three-point line and the slam dunk has been a major influence on many of today's young players. They have also set the offense limitations that many players possess as they become high school and collegiate players. While attending a high school game this season, I realized that most players do not understand how to create and make a mid-range shot.

The three-point line was implemented into high school basketball the year after I graduated from Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois. We were taught daily in practice to catch in triple threat, read the defender's feet, create space by attacking the outside shoulder, take one or two hard power dribbles and pull up for a 12 to 15 foot jump shot. Our perimeter offense was based on screens and back cuts but when you caught the basketball on the wing, you were supposed to look to attack your defender. This translated to the college level when I played at Chattanooga. Even though the three-point line was in play, we were taught not to settle. Our coaches would repeatedly tell us, "Don't let your defender off of the hook, attack him and force him to play you." Looking for the mid-range jump shot will also cause the defender to commit fouls to stop an effective shooter. The result of the defender fouling the offensive player is a trip to the free-throw line. I was never a three-point shooter but scored three-point baskets by making the two point shot a drawing a foul on my defender. I would go to the free-throw line to complete the three-point play.

Mid-range shooting has to be practiced and taught. The easiest way for a player to master becoming a solid mid-range shooter is to shoot the ball for 12 to 15 feet at game speed. The player should work out of five spots on the floor: left and right corner, left and right wing and the top of the key. Start out of triple-threat position facing the basket. Pump fake the basketball with a jab step toward the basket, (keep your pivot foot down) take one or two hard power dribbles to get into the 12 to 15 foot range for a jump shot. You should MAKE 20 shots from all five spots. (Total of 100 shots)

Remember, without hard work there are no results. The mid-range shot can be the difference in a player being an real scoring threat or an average offensive player. It will help your point production and give you an opportunity to help you team.

Yours in Basketball,

Coach Stewart

March Madness- "Ready or not, it's here!"

All college basketball fans know that March Madness has begun. I was given my cue last night while watching the College of Charleston vs. Chattanooga for the Southern Conference Championship. Chattanooga defeated College of Charleston to win the SouCon championship. The last conference championship was won by the Chattanooga Mocs in 2005.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is my Alma mater and where I played collegiate basketball from 1987-1991. I was fortunate to receive an athletic scholarship and win a conference championship in during my freshman season which was 1987-88. We played Marshall University in the Sou Con Championship and went on to the NCAA tournament to play in Atlanta in the first round. Our bracket was Bradley, Auburn, Oklahoma and Chattanooga. I watched Bradley's standout and former NBA player, Hersey Hawkins score 44 points vs. Auburn in a defeat! Hersey had 31 points in the first half and 13 in the second. It was an amazing game.
Chattanooga played Oklahoma in the first round. Oklahoma's starting lineup had three NBA basketball players: Mookie Blaylock, Harvey Grant and current Chicago Bulls TV color commentator, Stacey King. At halftime, the score was 48-44 Oklahoma! They had been scoring 100 points all season and blowing teams out. Oklahoma ended up defeating us by a 12 point margin but we played a great game. It was an experience that I will always cherish and never forget.

Congratulations to my Chattanooga Mocs for making the 2009 tournament and best of luck in the tournament! The Mocs pride continues to run deep...Let the games begin!

Johnny "Red" Kerr- the man, the myth, the legend.

I am writing today's blog with a very heavy heart. While I was writing last Thursday's blog about Norm Van Lier, Johnny "Red" Kerr was passing through this basketball life to basketball heaven. It is ironic that both men passed away on the same day and the impact it has left on the basketball world and Chicago is tremendous.

Johnny "Red" Kerr was a basketball legend. Most people knew him as a University of Illinois basketball standout, three time NBA all-star that played in the same conference as George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain, first Chicago Bulls head coach and legendary Chicago Bulls broadcaster. As the Chicago Tribune's Chicago Bulls sports writer Sam Smith wrote, "Johnny "Red" Kerr was the original iron man." He packed his lunch pale and went to work every single day like most Chicagoans do.

My connections with Johnny "Red' Kerr were through working for the Chicago Bulls. I was the Coordinator of Player Marketing for the Chicago Bulls and I handled the appearance and endorsement opportunities for the current and former basketball players. Mr "Red" (is how I referred to him) was the MC for a Chevrolet event for the Chicago Bulls top draft pick, Elton Brand. It was Elton's rookie season and Chevrolet had offered him and the Bulls the same endorsement deal that Michael Jordan received as a rookie. Ironically, it was a Scottish holiday and Mr. "Red" made sure that everyone knew it. Mr. "Red" wore a kilt and a hat to represent his Scottish heritage. A six foot ten inch man with a kilt on! He asked me had I seen better legs on a 6"10 guy and I quickly said no. Mr."Red said that he knew he didn't have pretty legs but didn't care. He was not trying to please us anyway! We had a ball laughing with Mr. "Red" that day. I also found out that Mr. "Red' was a south sider and grew up on 67th and Racine. He went to Tilden High School, which had rich basketball tradition that Mr. "Red helped create. He was and remained true to his roots that carried through his playing days and broadcast career.

I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with and know Johnny "Red" Kerr. He is Chicago Bulls basketball and I will miss him dearly. He is the grandfather of Chicago Bulls basketball and a cornerstone of the NBA. Mr. "Red" and "Stormin" Norman are looking down from basketball heaven rooting the Bulls on forever!!!

Yours in Basketball,


Coach Stewart

"48 Minutes of Intensity"- A tribute to Norm Van Lier"

The Chicago sports world lost a great man today. Former Bulls great and Comcast Sports Net Bulls commentator Norm Van Lier passed away at the age of 61. Norm's nickname was "Stormin" Norman and he lived up to it as a player. Norm was a feisty point guard who was always mixing it up and diving for loose balls on the court. He was a solid play maker and managed to maintain double-figure scoring seven of the ten years he played in the NBA. Norm's "intensity" on defense was the attribute that set him apart and made him a three-time All-Star as well.

I was fortunate to work with Norm Van Lier at Sports Channel (Comcast Sports Net) and the Chicago Bulls. I also considered Norm as a basketball mentor and friend. Norm lived his life with "intensity" and was not afraid to share his point of view on Chicago Bulls basketball. His wealth of basketball knowledge gave him the permission to speak his mind about whomever and however he chose. Norm wanted today's basketball player to understand that playing hard every practice and game is mandatory. He would point out the players that did not do it and hold them accountable to adjust it. He was "old school" and there are not enough people that share his philosophy. Norm also was one of my celebrity guests at the grand opening of our Schamburg Bulls basketball programs at the Schaumburg Sports Center and a host of other Chicago Bulls sponsored events throughout the years.

I had the pleasure of being coached by Norm in a pre-game scrimmage at the United Center a couple of years ago. Norm was intense as a coach and pushed our team to play hard even though it was a scrimmage. He gave me a compliment about the way I played defense. This was a surreal moment for me because I grew up emulating Norm! I truly appreciated it because the compliment came from Norm Van Lier. I grew up and am currently a die-hard Chicago Bulls fan and watched "Stormin" Norman when I was a little guy. My godfather, Flynn Robinson, was a Chicago Bull for about a year with Norm Van Lier. Flynn was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and there was no cable TV at that time to watch my godfather play. Even though he was my godfather, my dad's rule was that we pulled for home team anyway. My formal basketball years were then developed watching Norm and his backcourt mate, Jerry Sloan play for the Chicago Bulls. The were both as tough as nails and arguably one of the best backcourt tandems ever in the NBA. They played tenacious defense and made it hard on their opponents at all times. I grew trying to emulate Norm's style of play.

As youth, grade and high school coaches, it is important to demand your players to play hard every practice and game. They will appreciate you for it and will maximize their opportunities on the basketball court in the future. There is no substitute for players giving "48 minutes of intensity" or however many minutes of "intensity" you play at your game level. Players, give your best effort at ALL times. Don't ever let it be a question about your desire and will to play the game of basketball!

"Goodbye Norm! I am going to do my part in carrying on your basketball philosophy!!!"

Yours in Basketball,


Coach Stewart