Great Article by Bilas

[JDev]

Jay Bilas has a breat article up about toughness, and what consitutes it. It is a good read, as it defines "tough," and solidifies the notion that Duke has a lot of tough players.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insid...26id%3d3868904

[MarkD83]

For those of you who doubt Jay's allegiance to Duke when he picks games, you need to read his description of toughness. You also need to read several of Coach K's books about basketball. Jay's opinions are clearly influenced by Coach K's thoughts. Jay learned well while at Duke and seems to have remembered what he learned.

I still think that when Jay picks against Duke he is subconciously using reverse psychology. Let the other team believe they are favored and maybe they will lose that egde they need to beat Duke.

[weezie]

Well, Jay didn't get where he is by being a dope. The article does read so much like K's outlook. It also seems to be describing one "Kyle Singler" to a "t," and, of course Duke's other players all show aspects of what it takes to win.

And as to whether or not Jay has a reverse psychology view of Duke at times, he hasn't been wrong yet.

[greybeard]

Thanks for the link. It is very worthwhile for me personally, as it provides some insight into K's approach, much of which is discernible on the service but some of which is less.

For example, these hard fast rules about being in an athletic stance, or a defensive stance, I can see how one would equate that with being "tough," but I do not know that I agree that it is always the best strategy, and certainly whether it is the best strategy for all players.

As Jay points out, to me this sport of basketball is filled with illusion--that differentiating illusion from where people really stand, where their center of gravity and momentum and intention really are, and confusing the other player about such matters, comprise a huge part of the game, or at least a game within the game. Also, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I think that being more upright has its advantages from a performance point of view, especially for players with different talents and abilities.

K, it would seem, takes an approach that says something to the effect, "the heck with illusion, here we are and we are coming to get you," all the time. I kind of knew that but not to the extent that Jay's post implies.

Like I said this is very useful to me personally in understanding the Duke game. Interesting, might explain a whole lot.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Thanks for the link. It is very worthwhile for me personally, as it provides some insight into K's approach, much of which is discernible on the service but some of which is less.

For example, these hard fast rules about being in an athletic stance, or a defensive stance, I can see how one would equate that with being "tough," but I do not know that I agree that it is always the best strategy, and certainly whether it is the best strategy for all players.

As Jay points out, to me this sport of basketball is filled with illusion--that differentiating illusion from where people really stand, where their center of gravity and momentum and intention really are, and confusing the other player about such matters, comprise a huge part of the game, or at least a game within the game. Also, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I think that being more upright has its advantages from a performance point of view, especially for players with different talents and abilities.

K, it would seem, takes an approach that says something to the effect, "the heck with illusion, here we are and we are coming to get you," all the time. I kind of knew that but not to the extent that Jay's post implies.

Like I said this is very useful to me personally in understanding the Duke game. Interesting, might explain a whole lot.

Jay's article certainly is useful to those who seek to understand basketball better. He writes so well that one could also apply many of the ideas to the work place or other settings involving relationships and effort or investment of self.

[Turk]

I tripped over "The Bilas Manifesto" over the weekend and was simply blown away. To be honest, the specific basketball techniques are not all that original. Much of it is just the solid fundamentals I was lucky enough to be taught several centuries ago. Articles of this type usually fall into one of two categories: 1) generic motivational blather where you can fill-in-the-blank with any sport or commission-based job of your choosing, or 2) overly detailed technical arcana that has no connection to the bigger picture of winning basketball.

Bilas' article brings the two together in a brilliant, concise way, using "toughness" as the unifying theme. The other point that grabbed me was Jay's admission that "he learned it way too late". That's true with most things in life, but in a basketball sense it really resonated with me as well.

Jay raised points in the article that I talk about with my 4th / 5th grade team in every game and every practice. I've saved it off for use in future seasons. In all honesty, I think I would be equally impressed with the piece had it been written by one of Jay's other colleagues at espn.com, and dare I say it, even a Carolina guy. But having it come out of the Duke / Coach K philosophy makes it extra special. Great work, Jay! Thank you!!