In case you missed this past Sunday's story about a rising high school freshman basketball player who described going on autopilot mid-game — here it is: 👉 In case you missed it *** One Thought. I talk a lot about reset routines. Having a planned response to bounce back from mistakes is critical for young athletes. However, the routine is useless without the awareness it's needed in the first place. If a young athlete doesn't recognize they’ve drifted, the routine never fires. That's the real...

"I was on autopilot." That's what a rising high school freshman basketball player (we'll call him Damien to protect the innocent) told me earlier this week. He wasn't talking about his drive to the gym. He was talking about what happens inside his head when things start to go sideways in a game. Something doesn't go his way. He feels bad about himself. His attention turns inward. And then he's stuck — watching the game happen around him instead of competing in it. Sound familiar? I had my own...

Hi Reader, I recently had the pleasure of joining Coach George Vaz on the Transforming Basketball Podcast. I wanted to share it with you directly because I think it speaks right to what so many basketball families deal with. We talked about mental performance coaching — what it actually is, why it matters, and most importantly, how your young athlete can start using these skills right now. Here's some of what we covered: ✅ Why mindfulness and breathing aren't just "soft" skills — they're...