#TEAMPAT

The support will continually be there for Patrick McCaffery, and that includes LA Clippers star Chris Paul:  link

#teampat

LADY BULLDOGS DISTRIBUTE POSTSEASON AWARDS

It was a great night at the Le Mars Lady Bulldog Basketball awards banquet, held at LCHS.  To read an article about the event, click on the link here

QUOTE FROM EDDIE REESE

Great quote about competing from Eddie Reese (successful swimming and diving coach):

"The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do.  When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special."

THE INCREDIBLE ADREIAN PAYNE STORY

Take the time to read this amazing story about Michigan State men's basketball star Adreian Payne, linked here

DAVID TAYLOR

Photo by Ginger Robinson

Penn State national champion wrestler David Taylor has had a remarkable college wrestling career, dominating his opponents and racking up bonus points with convincing wins.  These thoughts from Taylor are fantastic from a competitive standpoint of what he is always seeking in every match:

"I've had the same mentality since I was eight years old and I've tried to keep that as I went through high school and college.  There's always that moment when you're like, 'Maybe I'll win by a couple points.'  But there's a time in a match where you can win by a couple or you can win by eight."

FRAN MCCAFFERY AND KIRK FERENTZ

Take a few minutes to read both of these incredible, connected stories about Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery and Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz.  The first article is linked here and the second article is linked here

MORE ON PLAYING YOUR ROLE

We'll follow up the article from a couple days ago about "Accepting Your Role" with another article about how vital role players are to the success of a team.  Check out the article linked here

MENDOTA HIGH SCHOOL (CA) FOOTBALL

Take the time to watch this inspiring feature from ESPN on the Mendota High School football team in California.  The link is here

ACCEPTING YOUR ROLE

Treynor Cardinals

This article is a must-read...the Treynor (Iowa) boys basketball team just finished 3rd place at the Iowa boys State Basketball Tournament in Class 2A, largely in part because of a senior who accepted his role for the good of the team.  This is a great example of what happens when players accept their roles and lead with a positive example for all to follow.  Check out this fantastic article, linked here

CANBY LANCERS BOYS BASKETBALL

This is a must-see story out of the tiny southwest Minnesota town of Canby.  The boys basketball team has qualified for the state tournament for the first time in 63 years, losing in the opening round of the state tournament in triple overtime at Williams Arena.  All achievements and results on the court aside, the reason this is a must-see is because of the courage, perseverance, and spirit of the team's head coach and players.  This story is personal to me (Coach Kopp) as well because the head coach and his family are close friends of my family, and I knew the head coach's son Jake very well since childhood...Jake was only one year older than me when he passed away last summer after a courageous battle with cancer.  The team dedicated their magical season to the memory of Jake.  To watch this story, click on the link here

BLAKE GRIFFIN QUOTE

Getty Images

"The competitor to be feared the most is the one who never worries about others at all, and goes on making himself better all the time."  --Blake Griffin

STUART SCOTT

Image from Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN personality and anchor Stuart Scott is bravely battling cancer for a third time.  Check out this fantastic and inspiring article from The New York Times written about Scott, linked here

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM NICK SABAN

(AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is one of the most successful college football coaches of all-time.  To read more about Saban and his lessons of leadership and success, here is a very good article from 2012, linked here

DOUG MCDERMOTT

There have been tons of stories written about Creighton star Doug McDermott, but this article could be the best.  Check it out, linked here.

What an awesome quote from the article:  "Doug is successful because he looks at practice as a minimum job description." (Creighton AD Bruce Rasmussen)

JIM KELLY: THE EPITOME OF TOUGHNESS

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly has shown incredible toughness in his life, battling adversity every step of the way.  Check out this great ESPN article written about Kelly, linked here

THE IMPACT OF E. WAYNE COOLEY ON STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL

E. Wayne Cooley video

DAVID SHAW: CAN FOOTBALL CHANGE THE WORLD?

Stanford head football coach David Shaw provides some valuable and thought-provoking insights into a variety of topics in this Stanford TED talk.