Lets have a great 2013!

 (Not so much about basketball in this blog today, but maybe you will find it intersting anyway)

Most of the snow is gone and the sky is full of  moist instead of rain and melting snow all around me fathers place in the south of Sweden. Sitting here and listening to some danish music on youtube and relaxning its the day after christmas and Santa Claus gifts has been recieved by many children around the world. One of the happiest is my sisters daughter 6 years old and to see here smile, scream and go totally hyper by what she recieved makes every christmas special.

Personally christmas is as dead to me as the NBA it used to be great when everbody (the greats) was around, but the tradition keeps living for the new generations and wtf., just because I dont like it doesn`t mean that everyone else also should dislike.

Christmas time is a time for reflection of the year it is at least for me and every year no matter how busy I have been around christmas you at least get a couple of days without work and basketball. Reflection time is very valauble and it if often forsaken in the lifetempo that is nowdays.

I think this will be a long blogg I have so many things a want write mostly for myself, but maybe it will bring a thought or inspire in some way, some of you that actually are reading "my world of basketball".

2010, was the year when I finally was able to change my life in a manor, that actually makes it possible for me to gain control of what I can do in the future. I decided to move to Denmark to work and to coach basketball in one of the best clubs in Denmark. I had some personal wishes and goals when I changed country code from +46 to +45.

But like many things in life things dont actually go as planned, I moved over the ocean and was suppose to start working in a store, that took 1 month longer so not a good start. But thanks to great friends and family I managed to scramble together survival money. My personal goals was impossible to continue with due to the situation and of course I had only touched the surface of the problems I was gonna go through.

30 of August, 2010 I finally started working and I managed to work for like  9 days then on my first tournament with my new team boys 98 after a great weekend, where the played themselves to the final of a good tournament in Stockholm, Sweden they won the silver. We where happy since we didn`t see the final as a loss, we kept fighting and we gained respect against one of the very best nordic teams.

That happiness turned into caos on our way home, when our train crashed into a big **** tractor that had derailed over to our track.

I was sitting where the window hangs out

Thanks to luck I guess none of the boys was badly injured, but we had  at the hospital and one had to stay over night to secure his headinjury. I was the worst trainaccident in Swedish railway history and I had coached the boys for 3 weeks. Not a great situation, butme and my ass coach did a tremendous job of keeping it together and after 13 hours of mayhem we we finally home.

It was for me the start of a shoulder injury that really slowly was killing me from the inside out, pain every minute, some days worse than others, but i tried to keep the smile on my face for the kids, to keep my job and of course for myself. I´m a positive guy normally but this september in 2010 was the start of almost 2 years of acting positive, not beeing positive.

2011 - I dont remember much except basketball in this year, it was the hardest year of my life and only the closest of my friends really knew how bad i felt. The whole was a fight to go and work and mentally restrain the pain in my shoulder so I could function. I needed to work to live, but work was killing me from the inside, but I had to suck it up.

2012 - finally some changes up in this ****  at the end of 2011 there was actually some good news. After fighting and seeing every doctor, been forgotten by the system and more I got a time to meet a surgeon. Later in the beginning of 2012 it was decided that I needed shoulder surgery. I had been going the physiotherapy since september 2010 and now it was Janaury 2012 and the surgoen after looking at the MRA said : "Well, you could go to pshysio for all your life and it wouldn´t help, look here".

The accident had smashed my shoulder badly and no matter how much I trained it wouldn`t help.

March, 2012 - Finally time for surgery I have never been so nervous since there are no garanties with surgery, it could be worse, better or the same. If it would have been nr 1 or 3 of those 3 I dont now how I would have managed I would propably gone insane.

He made a double fix in the shoulder, my joint capsle and bicep muscle had both been badly damaged. The jointcapsle was smashed, so my upper arme went over the edge of the capsle. He put a metallic screw there to fix it in place and cleaned up the crushed small bone pieces.

The bicep muscle had moved out of its channel and had to be lifted up and replaced and he had to create a new channel for it since it had moved about 1 cm from where is was before the accident. No wonder I had pain and **** to all doubters a *** to all that thought I was a criebaby.

He did a super job and in writing this I`m actually ashamed of not showing hime more gratitude since he really gave me my life back.

For almost two year it could take me 1-4 hours to fall asleep because of the pain. Now  months after the surgery I can fall asleep quickly and as everybody know sleep is important and effects so many other parts of your life when you dont get.
My shoulder/arm will never be 100%, but at least I`m free of the constant pain that I had for so long.

2012 is one of the worst years since my father was diagnosed with cancer that really cant be cured, but to be a little EGOcentralistict at least something was better inmy life, no more constant pain.

I have so many things to greatful to, my old friends that have stuck with my during the years and my new friends here in Denmark that mostly know the basketball coach side of me, my family and my two great teams that I coach here.

During this period 12/9, 2010 to todays date it has been them that have made me push forward and not to give up. Maybe will sound strange but my teams has been the most important factor for me in this hard times, going on 20 years as a coach now as you know basketball means a lot to me. For many weeks I could go to practise and "forget" about the pain, forget about most of the problems case I had other "problems" to fix.
They are mostly positive and when you hang around positive people its much easier to stay positive.

To see them learn, compete, grow and win was like a painkiller like no other. I`m a thinker that just how I´m and I sometimes wonder what if.....that shit happened and I had no great interest liek basketball. I truly think I would have gone under as human. Basketball is my drug and thank good it works everytime.

Since I moved here I have gotten presents one my birthdays and christmas gifts from my teams these gifts mean so much that I cant describe it in words. Cause to me they say: thank you!

Thanks for the all the hours, thoughts you give us every week in teaching us basketball & life.
So many coaches do this around the world in their sparetime and really makes a huge difference in kids lifes.

2013 is soon coming and it should be one of the greatest years ever in my life and I wish they same to all of you.

Big thanks to all people around supporting me for the last years I can never payback what you have done for me, but I will try.

Alt+Delete - Restart - Basketball Never Stops

A great journey started about 20 years ago I found the role of coaching basketball, it was and still is my passion in life I live it, breathe it and dream about it is consums most of my time. I have become better during the last years to give it a little rest, but its hard as hell.

You might call me a idiot, but "every" minut of every week I think about how I can do things better as a coach or try to find solution to get that kid to learn a skill.
Its a sickness in its finest form and the cure is to go to practise and try to make the thoughts reality.

I worked for 7 years with basketball fulltime in Sweden and fulltime with basketball in Sweden or in other nordic countries doesn`t mean fulltime on the court and with admin things regarding the teams/players you coach, but most times you need to do a lot o work which has no interest to you or doesn`t really use your skills as a human/coach.
If you wanna work with basketball you just have to accept the terms and if complain you will be quickly reminded how lucky you are to be able to work with basketball and that many want your job.

Luck has nothing to do with it, more naive thoughts of a better tomorrow at least it was for me.
When I took my first fulltime "basketball" job I knew the following:

Pay will not be high, it will be very low
I have to do things or coach something I have no interest in doing or coaching
I have to accept doing a lot of hours in certain periods of the year.
Most of my workhours I could plan myself
I will work with the greatest sport in the world

I was OK with that since the naive me was thinking clubs will try to reach a more pro level in all their aspects of the organization.

My first basketball job ended after........WELL, if I get the possibilty to write a book in the future you can read all about in detail there, but lets keep this for them that need to know basis for now.

The book will be entertaining I can promise you that, you wouldn`t believe all the crazyness that goes around in organizations, but rarely it comes out cause people are afraid of loosing their job or future jobs in basketball.

Let them score

I have a friend that coaches a young talented girl, she is only 12 years old and after her first 3 games this season she has a average of 39points, 12 rebounds, 19 steals, 6 assist per game. I had the pleasure of training her and her teamates in 7 practises in one weekend some weeks ago and she is something special.

Swedish, Nordic basketball has never been strong in my opinion in creating scorers, we have a tradition in all sports to create super teamplayers, but that killer scorer, that wants the ball, has her/his go to moves. The players that take over games by her/himself we miss, but % we have them just as other countries but we kill them by moving them up to mant steps or to early to a to high level for them to continue to be a scorer.

For scoring abilities to grow to me a obvious thing is that the players needs to continue being a scorer for many years on her/his team to make that a mindset and to create/maintane a scorers mentality.

What many times happens is that the young scorer is doing great numbers at her/his level and then is moved up 1-2 years and her/she is not ready to be the scorer like in her own age at this level and becomes something else and she/her went from shooting 30 shoots a game to 5 a game. You will not become a scorer shooting 5 shots a game it takes no scientist to tell you that.

If a player has scoring mentality we need to guide that player into the same role if we move them up or of course that mentality will change.

My friends player has a lot of things going for her not only doesn`t she have scoring mentality, she is athletic, intense a loves to compete and shatter the openents.

She also has more of a boy mindset when it comes to scoring. Whats the first question from a boys thats core after a game?

How many did I score? is propably the most common question.

She asked after one game that question and my friend answered 43points (25minutes) and she was like "damn!" and he wondered why that reaction?

I didn`t break my record of 46 points from the last game. I love it!

We coaches also often teach a lot of skills/moves to our players, but the can only use them 1-0 or with dummy defense or againts their own teamates that maybe are a little bit weaker.
Cause if they are trying to learn ex "Kobe`s turn around fadeway or whatever and they are on a to high level with to strong players, what will happen BOOM ball goes to another areacode or they get pushed totally of balance and they fail bigtime.

If they get the chance to make that move their move in their own agegroup and make it a habit and not a 1-2 times/game they will be ready for tougher challenges.

Is this the truth in all cases, NO their is never one truth in sports or in life it of course is decided by manyy factors, but most players we coach or see is not Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durrant, like they where at a very young age, but we sure as hell can create Swedens version of Kobe Bryant or Denmarks version of Kevin Durrant if dont rush and put the talent in the wrong sourroundings to early.

I may be wrong but I doubt it, like my banner says.

You are not like everyone else

I kept thoose words with me all life, it was a sentence from my mother after I came home and acting up since i wanted Levis jeans like everyone else. I said everybody got LEVIS jeans and she answered you are not like everyone else and I truly think that was the start for me to go my OWN way.

Everything I have been taught in life, sports I anylized with - Is this me, do I stand for this? Is thsi really true?, What do I think about that? Everybody thinks it is like this, but what do I think?


Its a thing that have made me the coach I`m, not the coach that is like everyone else. My reasoning is that there is not only one truth in basketball teaching or playing. In everyway there commen areas, but you can attack the problems, skills in so many ways.

To me my mothers words at later stage in my life allows me to question even the most decorated coaches in history, should I agree what they say, write just because they are "greats" or should I take what i like from them and be ME?

To me its all about being yourself, you cant be a good teacher if you are not teaching by experience, passion and what suits your personality. Bad teachers just teach what the book says and has no thoughts of their own, they dont teach in my mind, they just "pass on what somebody else has taught".

You are not like everyone else, influences from all over the world combined with my personality has mad me the coach I`m not because I followed a few great ones like a fanatic.

Basketball is a funny sport in one way, since some great coaches do something on the highest level and then everyone almost follows no matter what teams, age, level they are on like this is the new truth and the new only way to play, practise.

Once they said the earth wasn`t round, but flat....once everybody laughed at Janne Bokløv from Sweden when he introduced the "V" shaped legplacement in ski jumping a few years later and everone followed.

You have the classic high jumping change in styles with the Fosberry flop.

I have never been a follower I have choosen my own way in good ways and bad ways, but at least I`m trying to be me and nobody else.

I think we killing basketball with all this pick and roll basketball instead of more movement without the ball, less dribbling and more action. Pick and roll is fairly usuccesful when you break it down into stats. I can acctually find myself being bored watching games nowdays since its so predictable and many teams on the highest levels look like. OK, well we have give up lets run the same offenses as everybody else. In my world its all about doing something everone else is not doing and because of that give them headaches and make them adapt to you and spend time to prepaire to play you.

Basketball needs to adapt to the more and more athletic players, bigger, faster stronger and a slow pace pick and roll offense is to me not the solution, its not very fun to watch, not very effective and only involves a few players. Its a coaches simply way to keep the ball in the best ballhandlers hands and cause of that less turnovers and more control, but in many teams you get very little out of your players potential.

I will never be a euroleague coach, dont have the ambition, or the brown noose to succeed, but I would do it my way if I had the chance. Would my team play pick and roll yes but not as first or last option every single time.

Was in greeece some years ago watching Aris practise before their big game against Panaithiakos and coach says, well this offense, and this and this and this is the same as we have, so we need to prepaire for those that we dont run ourselves. i can still remember thinking what the fuck......

Playing the same offense as Panathiakos a team that always is great, with great players and a legendary coach lets help them win over us. Dont get it....,maybe thats why I`m on the level I`m I dont know, but to me that is like watching the movie titanic, you know that boat will sink at the end and you still watch it.

Because of this locked set plays/ high pick and roll offense, many great players never get their chance to shyne or put up numbers. it will alomst everytime ivolve the same players game after game since coaches put them in the spots in the set to get the ball.

Really great players will play better in more motion based offense, no not without any rules thats not what I`m talking about, but the get the chance to really create plays for themselevs, for teammates, the get to use what to have been given and what they have worked hard for.

Setplays are fine I love them.....but I think you need both not only sets or motion and most of all not all this pick and roll. There are not many players that are great in pick and roll and if the shoe doesn`t fit dont wear it.

More action, less pick and roll thats all I wish for.
But then again I`m not like everyone else :-)

"When my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, I want they bury me upside down, and my critics can kiss my ass!"
Bobby Knight

Soon Madrid for me and......

....my two teams. Both boys and girls 98 are going to Madrid in Spain for a week to train, play and experience the positives sides of Madrid.

We are about 50 people in all coming to Madrid and I look forward to it like crazy.

Can you see the talent or do you need new glasses?

After so many years in basketball I can only come to the conclusion that many, way to many coaches in the nordic are close to blind when it comes to identifying talent at younger ages.

The reasons are many, but some huge problems are:

Generelly most dont do tests or checkups, wingspann, reach, background check height, family genetics, sports background and so on.

Its not a surprize that many great athleets come from one or two parents with sports background or it runs in the family.

Its not a surprize that a player whick will be tall has problems with cordination and doing all the stuff the "small ballers" can do. Most matchups are tall uncordinated against much smaller and quicker player and that of course makes it very hard for the tall player to attack the basket with the crossover or whatever.

Coaches have a couple of solutions for this: They dont put the tall player in the roster, they place them under the basket or make them screeners and rebounders.

He/she is 14, check yourself coach!

Once heard a coach talk about a game that was ongoing and he said; "I cant understand why this coach plays his tallest as pointguard, if he would put him inside they would win this game"

Who cares!?
The player today plays college and had several double doubles this past season at the highest level. She is still about the same height and has a lot of thanking to do that she didn`t play inside when she was young.

Identifying talent  is so important in nations where Basketball aint so big, cause we need every one of those to get better further on.

Several years ago a had a young bigman about 205cm at 15(he is now 211cm and will play college. I started him every single game and we lost several games because I played him so much that I did. As you maybe undertstand he had to defend against 170cm, 180c, players and that missmatch at that age almost only works for the smallballer.

After a game a former eliteplayer (bigman) came over to me and said something like this "Big respect to you for playing the bigman most wouldn`t, I just wanted to tell you that you are doing the right thing" and thats sadly true.
To me this was a big clap on the shoulder, since somebody noticed what I was trying to do for this kid.

Physic testing has gotten veyr populaur in nordic nowdays and thats great, but you cant compaire 210cm with 180cm`s in running tests. Many make a big deal with conditioning tests that make no sense in hell when it comes to basketball.

In basketball there are stops in average every 13th second and the players that run the most run about 4-4,5km in a game. We have to go away from football (soccer) conditiong tests and test for our sport.

We have to stop to always put the smallest at the PG position just because he/she has full body controll and can dribble like a and1 mixtape player. Sometimes there are no taller with personality/leadership to play PG and well then of course no problem in playing the smallballer.

I had a one of Pg`s in a nationalteam and I asked him who is playing Pg you and ?
He said "They will not use me as Pg cause I`m to tall" Holy christ!  To quote the great coach Jan Mikulowski

I will end this post here, cause I will watch U20 champioships game between Serbia and Germany and this is the last thing. To identify talent you need to know what talent is and what is needed in our sport. I great way is to watch international youth games and so on. The risk you take is that others say "get a life", well my life is basketball what is yours ? Working monday-friday and the getting drunk? Well not my coup of tea.

Peace, Unity & Basketball and having fun!

9 days left to work and then I got to Madrid with my two team to have a camp and lots of fun for one week in august.

Looking forward to vacation and visiting a hot Spain for a week.