Slow motion is better than no motion.

Another week in the books!

This was a weird week for me coming down off the emotional high of the Portuguese Cup Championship Game (where we lost… check out my YouTube videos if you haven’t yet).

Body was worn down, mind was exhausted, and I had to be okay with a lowered work load.

Growth isn’t linear.

3 steps forward, 1 step back, 1 forward, two back, but always moving.

That is the key.

Okay, let’s get into this week.

Basketball Ideas I’ve Been Experimenting With

Can Basketball IQ Be Taught?

This question was raised by JJ Redick on the new LeBron and JJ Redick podcast: Mind the Game. Thumb to roughly 17:22 on the link below to watch their thoughts on this question: Can Basketball IQ be taught/developed?

This got me thinking through the question:

Is basketball IQ innate or something you are born with (ie. height, wingspan, ect.)?

Here are my thoughts:

Baseline basketball IQ such as terminology (what certain plays are called, spots on the floor, different actions) can most definitely be taught and developed. The example I thought of was writing, everyone learns the basics of how to write. The ability to act upon that basketball IQ and the speed at which you process everything happening during a basketball game (from a conscious perspective, NOT instinct) cannot be significantly developed. You can improve through experience in those situations, but most people will never be able to process the game of basketball at the speed of high IQ basketball players. In the same way, everyone can learn how to write, but not everyone is going to write a New York Times Best Seller.

All this being said, if you are a younger hooper, then this should wake you up to the importance of learning the game, learning the terminology, and simply understanding what is actually happening during a basketball game (the game WITHIN the game). This baseline basketball knowledge is the simple price of admission to be considered for high level basketball positions. You can have all the talent in the world, but nobody will take a chance on you if you cannot speak and understand the language of basketball.

Holding Your Follow Through

This has been a huge point of emphasis because of how noticable of a difference my shot feels between when I hold my follow through and when I flick it.

There’s two points if acknowledge about holding my follow through:

1. It’s a visible and tangible representation of my confidence. For me, there is assertiveness in holding my hand in the cookie jar. It’s a “I believe this is going in” statement and I want to watch it all the way.

2. It make my shot more repeatable. When you hold your follow through, you are essentially extending to 100% of your shot. When you flick your shot or pull back from it, you could be at 80%, 85%, 90%, 99%, literally anything. There isn’t a back stop. You can’t extend more than your follow through, but you can pull back to any percentage shorter than it.

The idea is that we want full extension on our shot. We need to get to that 100%. When I hold my follow through, I know I reached that full extension. You may be different, but I’ve found when I pull my hands back, I cannot consistently get that full extension.

Look at both Steph and Klay. They both get to full extension on every shot. Klay holds his follow through more often than Steph. For me, I’ve found I need to do similar.

What helps you get closer to consistent “full extension”?

Mindset Ideas I’ve Been Workshopping

Busy vs. Productive

This week was less busy in terms of less actual time spent on the court and in the weightroom. The intention was to deload my body after two back-to-back high intensity games.

All week I felt myself fighting it.

There was a constant voice whispering that I needed to “do more” or that I was “being lazy”.

That voice was rooted in insecurity that I was not good enough without excessive amounts of extra work. It was rooted in my “hard worker” identity.

The tough part for me to comes to terms with is that when the goal is “peak performance when peak performance is needed”, often times more is not always the answer.

Once I acknowledged where this voice was coming from, I was able to redirect it towards what my main focus was this week: RECOVERY and DELOADING. I went to extra treatment sessions, did added mobility and stretching, made sure my repetitions were dialed and focused, and tried to enjoy my moments of rest.

I am rambling a bit, but I know how hard it is for basketball players to take off days or have days where they do not go 110%.

Even pros have the same thoughts you are having. They are human thoughts not just your thoughts. We are all in this together. Take a breath.

Trust the Process (Joel Embiid Voice)

Like I said in the introduction, watch the two Portuguese Cup Championship Vlogs on my YouTube from this week. I fried in the championship which was probably our biggest game of the year so far.

This year has been an up and down year for me full of new experiences. From playing on the favorite to win the league, to breaking my face and having to wear a mask, to being the ONLY new guy on a team that just won a championship, to being the youngest American, its just been NEW, and with newness comes expected adversity.

Though it all, I have found a new level of commitment to my process and a new level of understanding of who I am.

It has been beautiful and harsh all at the same time.

But, I am extremely proud of myself of how I have handled everything.

This Cup Championship Game, despite us losing (it hurts and it hurts bad), was extremely validating for myself.

In the biggest game of the year, my work showed up.

Felt good and I had to tell someone, so why not tell the early entries to this Atypical community.

@treydrechsel

Might be the best feeling when your process is validated by the result…. #basketball #povbasketball #probasketballplayer #basketballmoves ... See more

Double YouTube Drop This Week:

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

I’ll Leave You With This:

Grow, grow, and grow some more.

I promise you have no idea the heights you can reach. I never could have imagined where basketball has taken me. I still can’t really explain how it all happened, but I do know one thing.

I’ve been hungry and searching for growth every since I was a kid.

Never stop learning, never stop growing, because you will become more than you could have ever imagined.

Love you guys…

Live Atypical,

Trey