The Inside Perspective on Learning from JTIII

Loyal reader Joshua alerted me this great NBC Sports article from a while back. The author, Ed Persia played for JTIII at Princeton from 2000-2004. Persia provides an insiders perspective on what it's like to be a player under Coach Thompson.

An Inside Look at Coach John Thompson III
By Ed Persia
Special to NBCSport.com

If I had to sum up Coach Thompson in one word it would undoubtedly be "traditional."....

Perfecting basic fundamentals was the focus of our every-day practice regimen. Every practice, without fail, started out with three lines in which each player would go through a series of dribbling moves up and down the court. That would turn into two layup lines, where one was expected to attempt every possible layup he could think of with each hand. From there we would make our way into the dreaded "star drill," where we would fire chest passes half-way across the court in weave-like fashion.

What seemed elementary and routine after my first freshman practice could not have been further from the truth. These coaches had a microscope on every little move that every player made and criticized and critiqued as if their lives depended on it.

http://www.nbcsports.com/cbk/1291629/detail.html