Phillip

[NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB]

"Shame on you... we're not going anywhere"

Coach Underwood reacts to the Elite 8 defeat.

#MarchMadness

[Phillip @philgivens]

What a great season Illini! Another B1G tourney championship and the first Elite Eight in 19 years! It won’t take that long to get back again! I-L-L! Thank you @colehawk23 for everything you gave to Illinois! An all-time great!

[Hoop Herald @TheHoopHerald]

“Defense is a will. You have want to do it, you have to embrace that. You can have slow feet but if you have a big heart it makes up for it. It has to start with me” - Paige Bueckers

THIS IS BIG TIME

(Via @thewinningdiff1 🎥)

[Jeremy Werner @JWerner247]

#illini Brad Underwood: "You guys know I'm all about defense and rebounds. That's what's won us a lot of games."

Disappointed in that end.

"We didn't make layups today, and compound that with poor defense."

[Jeremy Werner @JWerner247]

#illini Brad Underwood: "We got to get back to who we are."

Lamenting lack of offensive rebounds.

"It was coming. Sometimes when you think it's easy, you forget what made it easy -- and that's effort."

[Phillip @philgivens]

@TedLasso Biscuits with the Boss!

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Larry Bird said, "I’ve got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end."

Success comes from doing the work.
🔹It comes from your work ethic
🔹It comes from your preparation
🔹It comes from your discipline

Larry said what drove him is when a coach told him, "Larry, no matter how much you work at it, there's always someone out there who's working just a little harder - if you take 150 practice shots, he's taking 200."

Larry said that comment always drove his work ethic and desire to get better.

He said, "I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me."

How Larry Bird's Work Ethic and Practice Habits Prepared Him for Success:
1. Practice Harder Than Your Play
When you train hard, it becomes easier to compete because you have tested your mind, body, and skills.

Larry Bird's practice habits were legendary. He would wake up and shoot baskets first thing in the morning and then go for a run before practice. He would practice with the team and then he would shoot more shots, lift weights, and then run again. Coaches would bring their teams early to the Celtics arena to see him working out pre-game. O, one team even saw him running stadiums pregame.

2. Practice with Purpose
You have to spend time being intentional and practicing what matters.

Larry Bird would start each morning with 500 jump shots and he had to make 99 free throws in a row or he would start again. He would want to get up as many shots as he possibly could, but he kept shooting until the ball sounded right. There was no end timeline, the goal was excellence in everything he did.

3. Practice to Perform
The goal is a mindset of excellence. When you practice to perform, you're confident enough to overcome that feeling of pressure.

Bird said, "I never felt pressure...Because going into those games you never knew what was going to happen. I always had enough confidence in my game, and I put in the time and the hard work."

His former teammate Bill Walton said, "He wore that body out with the jumpers and the run and the movement and concentration and the focus, discipline and sacrifice. He had it all."

4. Practice The Fundamentals
Look at the fundamentals in your discipline and start with mastering those because creativity and innovation all stem from it.

In high school, Larry Bird didn't play against the best competition but he excelled in high school and college because he practiced the fundamentals. He practiced dribbling, passing, shooting, and positioning. Bird said, "You've got to have them down before you can even think about playing."

"You can make all the excuses you want, but if you're not mentally tough and you're not prepared to play every night, you're not going to win." - Larry Bird
- - -
Follow @coachajkings for more content like this!

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

"Your attitude is your greatest characteristic. You don't control your intelligence, your size, or your God-given talents. What you do control, though, is your attitude. We can all have a positive attitude. It's a choice we make. It gives us the courage to never fear failure."

[Dan Orlovsky @danorlovsky7]

🔥

[ROE #12 @RegOffEd12]

Congrats, North Clay! State Champs!!

[Illinois Men’s Golf @IlliniMGolf]

HISTORY MADE! 🏆

#Illini complete the comeback to win the 2022 #B1GMGolf Championship, extending their run to a @bigten-record 7️⃣ straight and 1️⃣2️⃣ of 1️⃣3️⃣!

[Bobby Gikas @Geekster2199]

ITS A GREAT DAY TO HAVE A GREAT DAY🔶🔷😈💯

[Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS]

This is great stuff from Bruce Weber.

Take six minutes and watch.

[Joey Wagner @mrwagner25]

"Last thing...let the party begin!" - #illini head coach Brad Underwood

[Illinois Men's Basketball @IlliniMBB]

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

#Illini | #EveryDayGuys

[Bret Beherns @BretBeherns]

Giorgi Bezhanishvili was waiting for Kofi Cockburn after the #Illini beat Michigan State 79-74 at Breslin

[Sean Harrington @smharrington24]

Illini win at Michigan State. Great things happen when you play thru Kofi. 27 points, but the defense has to dig, double, and leads to rotations everywhere. Good thing the coaching staff didn’t give up on Grandison. He’s pretty good for this team.

[Mike LaTulip @LaTulip_Mike]

When in doubt…..

Trent Frazier.

[Trevor Gregory @Trevor_Gregory]

@UEAthletics_MBB @UEvansville I am officially ready to take over as the next Head Coach or AD. #ItIsTime #BleedPurple

[Illinois Men's Basketball @IlliniMBB]

"Illinois Winning... that's what this thing is all about"

#Illini | #EveryDayGuys