Selected Notes from Monte Mathis (Dallas Mavericks) 2011 Dallas Basketball Coaching Workshop

I was so honored when Monte agreed to come speak at The Workshop last year. Here he was coming off a World Championship season and he was the most humble man, eager to share his knowledge. Monte gave us a behinds the scenes look at what goes into an NBA championship team and how to bring that to our own teams. Enjoy a taste of what Monte presented last year!

DNA of a Champion -
The 2011 Dallas Mavericks

Ownership By Players - First team meeting of the year, 15 words describing various attributes and standards on the white board. Players choose 4. The most votes they will live by. (What they chose: Believe, Committed, Tough Minded, Unselfish) They picked them; they own it. Holds players accountable.

Trust - Trust your teammates. Trust in the coaches. Trust in the system.

Great Relationships - Took time to get to know each other. What makes Jason Kidd tick? What works for Jason didn't work for Dirk. What makes Dirk go?

"Play With An Edge" - Both ends of the court. Have something to prove. Can't be soft. That edge has got to cut.

Motivated Leaders - Our best players were our greatest leaders (Dirk, JKidd, JET). The saying is true. Our best players worked harder than anyone on the court, in the weight room, in the training room [to rehab]. They led by example.

Respect For The Game - Respect for each other. Respect what every single person in the organization does for the team. From receptionist to video to owner to player etc... Built on great relationships.

Great Mix of Players/Coaches - Team chemistry. Young guys and veterans. Shooters and drivers. Toughness and finesse.

Offense and Defense Matched Personnel - Everyone knew, understood, and accepted their role. Built on the chemistry from great relationships and respect.

Positive Attitude - Optimistic even when down. We were resilient and, back to the 4 words, tough minded.

"No Shortcuts" - On of off the court. All it took was a look at times. Constantly reminded guys in practice. There is no other way. Told the guys "Know when to party". There's a time and a place for that. Know when that time isn't and don't.

There Will Be Problems, Issues, and Conflict - Never smooth sailing. Losing. Overcoming obstacles. It all goes back to being positive and having that resiliency.

Accountability - "Let's be real." Honesty. Ego has got to get out of the way. That's being an adult. No B.S. That's reality. In film session with sensitive player that needed some love, "Give me 10% hate (not really hate, but criticism) and I'll give you 90% love. Deal?" Stems from the great relationship built.

ROLES - Understanding and acceptance. Everyone knew everyone else's role. Dirk knew what his role was but also knew what all of his teammates' roles were too.

Unified Coaching Staff - Agree to disagree. May not like it, but at the end of the day that's what Coach Carlisle wants. You can have disagreements, but always behind closed doors. Players see it all. They know when the staff isn't together and will feed off that. Loyalty to each other.

Talented and Confident Players - Let's face facts. You've got to have players; guys that can actually play. The X's and O's are great, but you need the Jimmy's and Joe's too.

Prepared - Opponents scouts. Do a self scout. How are you going to guard you? Do your homework. Practice planning. What would you do against your team?

Everyone Stay Ready - Crucial to keep bench players engaged. Keep pushing the guys in front of them. Never know when the injury bug will hit.

Practice - Get them to compete. Whatever you need to do to keep practice competitive. For example: Series of 5 3's from 5 spots. If a player hit 20 of 25 they got to sprint to a cowbell in the arena and ring it. Guys were going nuts to get to ring that bell. Even in 5 on 0, have coaches rate the execution on scale of 1-10 after 3 trips. Lowest score runs. Be organized! Time management.

"KILL" - Keep it likable and learnable. Work. Go hard. But make it fun. Make guys WANT to come to practice.

Keep Coaching, Teaching, Demanding - Even when you're winning. Coach harder, demand more even when you're winning. Don't listen to the back-patters. You're not as good as you think. AND you're not as bad as you think.

Goal Driven - Vision (The Ring)

UNSELFISH!!! - With a team full of NBA All-Stars, the ball still touched everyone's hands. We had each others back.

A Little Bit Of Luck - The stars lined up. To win a championship there's got to be a little luck involved. The luck that happens during a great year, you earn it from your work during that year.