Senior Salute.wmv

A special thanks to this year's seniors Brenden Buskirk, Alex Gerch, Jalen Hueser and Matt Milz!

Pipe dream becomes a reality for Beranek

LINCOLN — Paul Beranek loves his son, and had coached him at Ravenna High School, but even he had to wonder.

Drake Beranek was leaving a sure thing at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he averaged 20 points per game as one of the top players in Division II. He was walking on at Nebraska, where he’d have to sit out for a year and then see if he could make a one-season contribution as a senior playing in one of the best leagues in Division I.

“He had a hankering to be a Division I player, and it was his pipe dream,” Paul Beranek said. “As parents, you’re not going to stand in the way, because a kid ought to follow his dream. But as a coach, you’re a little more realistic … ‘I hope it works out. I’m rooting for you.’

“You wonder if maybe he’s just going to be a guy who would be a practice player there.”

It’s no secret any more, though. The young fella’s hankering had some foundation.

No longer the scoring star he was at UNK, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Beranek is nonetheless a solid off-the-bench contributor for a 6-2 Nebraska team that welcomes Alcorn State to the Devaney Center for a 7 p.m. game Wednesday.

In 13.8 minutes per game, Beranek averages 4.9 points and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 55.2 percent (16 of 29) from the field. He’s made 5 of 14 attempts from 3-point range.

If he wasn’t already sure when he arrived in Lincoln, he got a handle on what he might be able to do during practice last season.

“The year off really gave me a pretty good judgment of where I could be,” Beranek said. “The way practices were going, I felt like I had a pretty good shot of maybe seeing some playing time.”

Though the Division I phase of Beranek’s playing career is only eight games old, he’s long since earned the trust and confidence of coaches and teammates.

“Every time Drake is open, I make sure I get it to him, because I know he’s lights-out from 3,” point guard Lance Jeter said. “Getting open looks for him is going to help us even more. He left a good program to come help us and give us a chance.

“It would have been hard to sit out, practice and not play like that, but Drake had a great mind about it, a great energy about it. And that’s what you get in the real games — a senior who is going to step up. He’s a guy you can count on, and that’s how he’s been since he got here.”

Beranek showed in practices last season a strong work ethic and enough talent to get on the floor. He earned a scholarship for this season.

“He just brings positive energy,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. “It’s going to take him some time (to hit his stride) — he sat out a whole year. But he brings energy and toughness — and we all know we could use somebody to step up and hit a shot sometimes. When he shoots the ball, you think it’s got a chance to go in.”

Beranek downplays the unusual route that has made him part of the Husker playing rotation.

“I think I’ve always had pretty good fundamentals, and that’s the one thing that doesn’t change when you go from one level to another,” he said. “The quickness, the speed, the athleticism ... those are all different, but the fundamentals stay the same. Put the ball in the hole, take care of the basketball and make smart plays ... that’s what I focus on.”

At UNK, Beranek certainly had the shooting and ballhandling ability required to play on the perimeter. Because of the nature of Division II — for the most part, players are smaller — he was more power forward than shooting guard. But playing strictly outside hasn’t been a major adjustment.

“Basketball is basketball, and I like playing it,” Beranek said. “It doesn’t matter which position I’m at. I’ll play 5, 1, 2 — it doesn’t matter. As long as I can throw my body around and maybe make a couple of shots, that’s fine. Scoring points isn’t a priority for me — I just want to win.”

There have been some adjustments. Matching up with players like lightning-quick, 5-8 USC point guard Maurice Jones, as he did for a while in a Nov. 27 Nebraska win, is a case in point.

“If I ever guarded anyone that small before, it was my little cousin,” Beranek said. “Now my little cousin is pretty good, but he’s a fifth-grader and he’s not quite as quick as that guy was.”

Improving his defensive work is just one part of the game on which Beranek has focused.

“If there’s one thing I’ve probably gotten a lot better at, it’s my on-ball defense,” he said. “You’ve got no choice down here ... you’ve got to defend or you ain’t playing.”

Before UNK, Beranek was a small-school star at Ravenna. He signed with UNK before his senior season. Maybe things would have been different if he’d waited.

“I don’t know if that was the right decision or not, but at the time it worked out pretty well for me and I owe a lot to the coaches there,” Beranek said of going to UNK. “I’m not going to go back and look at every choice I’ve made. … It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if I hadn’t signed.”

What does dad think about how things have turned out?

“The reality of it is, all those players are really, really good,” Paul Beranek said. “I’m pleasantly surprised at what he’s done.”

12 SIMPLE YET SIGNIFICANT DAILY TO DO'S FOR LEADERS

1. Be the hardest worker at practice today.
*Without fail, one of the quickest ways to impact a team is with your own work ethic. Choose to be one of the hardest workers on your team today. Not only does it set the tone for the work ethic of your program, it is also one of the best and quickest ways to enhance your leadership credibility with your teammates and coaches.
2. Be a spark of energy and enthusiasm today.
*Let your passion for the sport shine through today. Spread a contagious energy and enthusiasm amongst your teammates. Think about how lucky you are to be able to play and compete. Remember back to when you were a young child and reconnect with the joy you played with back then. Make your sport fun again for yourself and your teammates.
3. Model mental toughness today.
*Because your teammates will look to you under pressure, adversity, and stress, be sure to model mental toughness today. Bounce back quickly after errors to show your teammates how to respond to negative situations. Maintain your poise and optimism despite any mistakes you might make so that your teammates can trust and rely on you to get them through the tough times.
4. Connect with a teammate today.
*Leadership is all about relationships. Invest the time to build and strengthen the relationships you have with each of your teammates. Inquire about their day, challenges, and goals. Make a special and ongoing effort to get to know every athlete on your team, not just your friends and classmates. The relationship building you do each day will pay off immeasurably down the road.
5. Compliment a teammate today.
*Be on the lookout for teammates who are contributing to your team. Call out a teammate for making a hustle play, pushing through a weight workout, recovering quickly from a mistake, getting an A on an exam, etc. Praise the actions and attitudes you want to see repeated. As Mother Teresa once said, "Kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless."
6. Challenge a teammate today.
*Challenge at least one of your teammates today. Positively push them and yourself to make the most of your workout. Make a friendly wager to see if they can be successful at least 4 out of 5 times in a drill. See if you both can improve your times in conditioning. Offer to stay after to help if there is anything they want to work on. Good leaders consistently invite, inspire, and sometimes implore others to greatness.
7. Support a teammate today.
*Odds are, at least one of your teammates is struggling with something today - it could be a performance slump, a rocky romantic relationship, a disagreement with a coach, an unglamorous role, struggling with a class, or a sick family member. Good leaders are consistently on the lookout for teammates who might be struggling and are ready to offer an ear to listen, an encouraging word, a pat on the back, or a shoulder to cry on.
8. Constructively confront negativity, pessimism, and laziness today.
*As a leader, have the courage to constructively confront the negativity, pessimism, and laziness that will crop up on your team from time to time. Instead of fueling the fire by joining in or silently standing by, be sure to refocus your teammates on solutions rather than dwelling on and complaining about the problems. Left unchecked, these problems can quickly grow to distract, divide, and destroy your team.
9. Build and bond your team today.
*Team chemistry naturally ebbs and flows throughout the course of the season. Take the time to monitor and maintain your team's chemistry. Let your reserves and support staff know how much you appreciate them. Stay connected and current with each of the natural sub-groups on your team. Douse any brush fires that might be occurring and continually remind team members about your common goal and common bond.
10. Check in with your coach today.
*Invest the time to check in with your coach today. Ask what you can do to best help the team this week. Find out what your coach wants to accomplish with today's practice. Also discuss if there is anything your coach is concerned about regarding your team. Discuss your collective insights on your team's chemistry, focus, and mindset. Work together to effectively co-lead your team.
11. Remind your team how today's work leads to tomorrow's dreams.
*It's easy to get bogged down during your season with monotonous drills, tiring conditioning, and demanding workouts. Remind your teammates how all the quality work you do today gives you a distinct advantage over your opponents. Help them see and even get excited about how today's hard work is a long-term investment in your team's goals, rather than just a short-term hardship or sacrifice.
12. Represent yourself and team with class and pride today.
*Leaders have the awesome privilege and responsibility of representing their teams. Take advantage of this opportunity by representing your team with class and pride today. Hold a door open for someone, sit in the front rows of class and actively engage in the discussion, say please and thank you, dress in respectful attire, etc. These tiny pushes represent you and your team with class and distinction. And they ultimately set you up for a lifetime of respect and success.

12 Lessons in Leadership

1. Good values attract good people
2. Love is the most powerful four-letter word
3. Call yourself a teacher
4. Emotion is your enemy
5. It takes 10 hands to make a basket
6. Little things make big things happen
7. Make each day your masterpiece
8. The carrot is mightier than the stick
9. Make greatness attainable by all
10. Seek significant change
11. Don’t look at the scoreboard
12. Adversity is your asset

Are you a LEADER?

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
~John Quincy Adams (1825-1829); 6th US President

Also: Go to Coach Cooley's blog for a great article on "CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP"!

You're Never As Good As You Think, Nor As Bad As You Think

It's ironic that the following article was just posted on Coach Musselman's blog. As you recall, we (Titans) just addressed this topic after our loss to Creighton Prep and the importance of communication and problem solving following a poor performance (game or practice). I shared a Kearney State memory from back in the day when the Lopers lost the first playoff game to Hastings in a best of three series. On the van ride home the team (without the coaches) talked in depth about what needed to be corrected. This impressed me and I was only the ballboy at the time!:) Needless to say, Kearney came back to win the next two games and advance to the National Tournament. Check out the story below and see for yourself how important it is for all teams to "talk their game"!

WHEN YOU'RE BAD, YOU'RE NOT THAT FAR FROM BEING GOOD

When most teams lose, they try to put it behind them as quickly as possible. "Forget it and move on" is a common thought.

Not in Boston.

According to an article in the Boston Globe yesterday, "The Celtics' Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce have been having postgame powwows to go over wins and losses since joining forces last season. When things are good, 'The Big Three' have quick postgame talks. But on the rare occasion when things are bad, like Tuesday, Allen, Garnett, and Pierce are the last three players to leave the locker room."


"That's kind of like the meetings of the minds," Allen said. "When you're frustrated, you have to just find a way to make sure we talk it out. We just try to understand by bouncing [things] off of each other. What are we doing? What's going on? How did we talk? Every game we go in there and sit back and say, 'What do you guys see? What's going on?'"

When you win, you don't even have to talk about the game," Allen said. "You just go in the back and you relax. You're chillin' after spending a hard day's work and having a little something to eat. But when you lose, that's what we do, we sit back and talk it out.

Any time we've lost it's the same because we take losing hard. When we talk about what went wrong, we can talk about the same thing every conversation. Any team that loses, loses the same way. Teams win the same way every time. It's the same stuff.

Experience tells you that you're not as good as you think you are. You're not that far from being bad. But when you're bad, you're not that far from being good. You just have to find a way to improve on the things you've been doing."