Aaron M. Smith

Husband, dad, writer, basketball coach @walnutathletics

[Coach Cole @CoachColeCC]

‼️ THIS IS A REMINDER TO ALL HS BASKETBALL PLAYERS‼️ Summer is where you separate yourself. Stay disciplined. Get in the gym an hour a day. That’s all you need. You will separate yourself. Look at your screen time… you got an hour to spare.

[Reds HS Showcase @redshsshowcase]

Due to inclement weather, the Reds have cancelled all of today’s games.

[Reds HS Showcase @redshsshowcase]

Roger Bacon will take on Walnut Hills in game 3/3 at Great American Ballpark for Big League Weekend!

@RBHS_Baseball @RBSpartans
@walnut_baseball @walnutathletics

[Steve Collins @TeachHoopsBBall]

Most coaches overcomplicate the game.
But here's the truth: high school basketball is simple, just not easy.

Sprint the floor like every possession matters.
Step in and take a charge, even when you're exhausted.
Move the ball, don't freeze it with your eyes.
Every championship team I've coached had one thing in common: fundamentals first, flash second.

Want to play deep into March?
Master the basics.
Are you willing to outwork everyone else, play after play?

[Steve Collins @TeachHoopsBBall]

High school basketball coaches:
Teach your kids how to set a screen properly, not just how to shoot from 30 feet.
Screens win games. Footwork wins games. Communication wins games.
Skill over flash. Fundamentals over hype.

[Steve Collins @TeachHoopsBBall]

High school basketball is about doing the hard stuff no one sees:
- Fighting through fatigue in the fourth quarter.
- Sprinting back on defense when you're gassed.
- Being a great teammate even when your shot isn't falling.

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Cori Close (@CoachCoriClose) shares a must-listen message on what it takes to be special.

"Do you want special? Then you better get used to hard."

"Tell me one person in this life, in any area of life, that did something special that didn't embrace hard. That didn't embrace the adversity."

Success is earned in the struggle.

"It's the people who embrace hard. Perseverance. All of those things that need to happen."

Then she got honest about her own leadership:
"Get ready to push that. Get ready to take that on for your players first so that they can see the role modeling of someone who faces hard, who embraces hard."

Leaders go first.

You can't ask your team to embrace hard if you're not willing to do it yourself.

You have to be willing to embrace adversity.

Adversity isn't a roadblock - it's the path.
(🎥 USA Basketball)

[Hoop Herald @TheHoopHerald]

These type of defensive drills are good enough for the best players in the world playing on Team USA

You will still have high school and middle school kids going through the motions like they are a waste of time

[Aaron M. Smith @AaronMSmith1979]

Thanks to the @whhscbox for this nice article on my 8th grade girls basketball team at @walnutathletics ... definitely a fun season with this group.
https://t.co/WvDIgN0mtz

[Coach Jeff Barnes @JeffBarnes52]

As an AD, the growing trend of individualism is making it harder to sustain winning programs. Great teams are built on sacrifice, accountability, and putting the program above personal goals. Championships still come from “we,” not “me.”

[Matt Hackenberg @CoachHackGO]

Circle Motion rewards IQ, timing, and trust

[Steve Collins @TeachHoopsBBall]

High school basketball isn’t won in the 4th quarter; it’s won every day in practice.
- In the sprints when legs are tired.
- In the film room when no one’s watching.
- In the locker room when leadership matters most.

[Coach Tony Miller @tonywmiller]

Want to win close games in March? Be boring.

- play off two feet in the paint
- throw on-target passes
- hit free throws
- take on balance, great shots
- finish around the rim
- secure rebounds with two hands
- don’t gamble on defense

Boring is cool. Boring wins.

[Lee K. Howard ☀️ @HowardWKYT]

What advice does Mark Pope have for young, aspiring journalists?

I’m teaching an upper‑level journalism course at #UK this semester, and on Thursday, I took my class to Pope’s press conference. I asked him what guidance he’d give the next generation of journalists. His answer was worth hearing.

[Aaron M. Smith @AaronMSmith1979]

@BreakthruBball Press

[Aaron M. Smith @AaronMSmith1979]

@CoachLync Wright — Villanova Blueprint

[Brant Minor @coachMinor3]

Well said…

Clutch.. doing what you typically do in a pressure situation!

[Aaron M. Smith @AaronMSmith1979]

Tune in tonight at 9p to watch @OhioMBasketball hand Miami its first loss of the season in the #BattleoftheBricks … Let’s hear it for MACtion on the national stage! Go Bobcats! #OUohyeah

[Ohio Men’s Basketball @OhioMBasketball]

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖.

#OUohyeah

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Most team culture problems aren’t player issues.

They’re adult leaks.
Watch closely.

When parents…
- question officials
- criticize coaching decisions at home
- make playing time the main topic

Kids absorb it.

Not because they’re weak.
Because they’re wired to.

Culture doesn’t stop at the locker room door.

It lives in car rides.
Group texts.
Kitchen table conversations.

If a parent’s identity is tied to their child’s role…

That pressure shows up in body language. In frustration. In comparison.

Here’s the shift:

Instead of asking,
“How do we control parents?”

Ask,
“How do we align adults around standards?”

When parents understand:
- roles are earned
- growth > stats
- adversity builds strength

Everything changes.

Team culture isn’t just what coaches allow.

It’s what adults model.

And kids are always watching.

What’s one expectation you clearly communicate to parents before the season starts?

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

A serious question for parents…

If your child can’t handle a minor hardship as a teenager, how are they going to handle a real hardship later in life?

Don’t clear their path.

You steal their self-worth and feed your own.

Ask yourself: Will my decision help them in 10 years?