#CoachHemi: Blog
I spent 14 years in the classroom teaching an array of subjects from U.S. History to Economics to Religion. Although I have transitioned in my life from education to focusing specifically on the arena of basketball, I still search for material to learn from daily. This page is dedicated to all things I find informative, educational and inspiring. Follow this page for updates or send us your material that you find interesting (email to JonathanHemingway@PeachStateBasketball.com).
August 27, 2016 Charity Water
I remember in May traveling downtown Atlanta for a WNBA scout of the Atlanta Dream versus the Chicago Sky when I listened to Bill Simmons’ podcast on Charity Water. Here Scott Harrison, the founder of Charity Water, delivered a powerful message of the problem of drinkable water in the world. His organization donates 100% of the money they raise directly to drilling wells and helping build sustainable water sources to people in some of the poorest areas of the world.
What hit me the hardest was hearing the stories of how people in 3rd World areas have to drink dirty, polluted water just to survive. Often this dirty water is what contributes to illness and disease. The best way to help people get healthy in these areas is not necessarily through providing medicine, but to get clean water to drink.
I encourage you to listen the podcast below. Perhaps it will impact you as much if not more than it has for me.
Bill Simmons Podcast: Charity Water with Scott Harrison (Episode 101)
Also Read the caption below from the Charity Water website:
The message affected me. In reflection, I realized that everything that I need on this earth, I already have. Therefore I was moved to donate my birthday this year to the Charity Water movement. This means that I am asking anyone who wants to buy me a birthday present this year to instead donate $39 (for my 39th birthday) to Charity Water.
You can donate to my campaign by clicking the link below. It will take you directly to my pledge website where you can pay with a credit card or through Pay Pal. I have already donated towards my campaign, I encourage you to do the same.
Charity Water: Jonathan Hemingway 39th Birthday Campaign
August 1, 2016 Strong Link vs. Weak Link Sports
Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast named Revisionist History is quickly becoming my favorite listen while I am in the car these days. His unique look at the world combined with an appreciation of sports makes it seems like we have a lot in common. Recently he released two podcasts centered on education, specifically higher education. He used a sports analogy to explain the importance of funding of universities. As he explains in his podcast (paraphrased) :
Education in America is like soccer. It is a weak link sport. Meaning that a team is only as strong as it’s weakest link (player). A superstar striker may never have the opportunity to get many shots on goal if a team has a weak mid-fielder. Conversely, he says that basketball is a great example of a strong link sport. Teams with superstars generally are the teams in contention for titles yearly (NBA).
His contention is that higher education in America is backward. There is too much money being spent on the superstars of education (Princeton, Harvard, etc.) and not enough on the less well-to-do institutions. He believes that America would benefit by more money being contributed and donated to institutions that educate the middle and lower class versus the elite in America.
Listen to the full podcast below:
Malcom Gladwell Episode 06: My Little One Hundred Million
July 1, 2016 How Important is Exercise?
The month of July is a busy one for me and the group of people I work with at Peach State Basketball. We run 6 tournaments over 14 days in four different cities throughout the month. To say it disrupts the everyday routine is an understatement. One of the sacrifices I usually end up making is my workout routine that I have been good at keeping throughout the calendar year. I get to the gym at least three times a week and workout different muscle groups each day. I would like to find another activity on one of my off days to supplement activity. And it does not need to be basketball – I am getting to old and a broken ankle or torn achilles is definitely not what we need.
To highlight the importance of physical activity I am including an article I found via @TIME. The author, Joshua Steimle, says that exercising is more important than his career. It is an interesting read. Take a look here: Why Exercising is a Higher Priority Than My Career
May 6, 2016 – Is Being Ignorant All that Bad?
The question above seems like an obvious…YES! However, a podcast that I listened to recently re-framed the idea of in a couple of different ways. This American Life produced a podcast called “In Defense of Ignorance”
First – The Dunning-Kruger Effect (29:00 minute mark) explains how the people that are usually the most confident on a topic are typically the most incompetent on that issue. This a fascinating psychological experiment that has been tested.
Second – There are a group of people who have a unique ability to never forget. Normally our mind weeds out the unimportant moments of our lives for us. However, there is a mental condition called Hyperthymesia (41:00 minute mark), which is also known as “Superior Autobiographical Memory” or SAM. At first I was fascinated and thought this would be an amazing attribute to have. However, after listening to people with this condition saying that they cannot let go of deaths in the family or even forget the emotion of a breakup; it put forgetting in a totally different light.
Listen to the entire podcast below:
April 19, 2016 – What does it mean to be Original?
The dictionary defines original (noun) “as something serving as a model or basis for imitations or copies.” If you look closely at our world today there are very few things are people are truly original. Instead of finding those that are the model for copies in fact we see many more imitations. This is not a negative fact in my view. Some of the best things in the world are copies. Take the iPhone for instance. It was not the first to have touch screen technology, but Steve Jobs and Apple simply took that technology and made it into something revolutionary. This blog post was inspired by a TED Radio Hour podcast that I listened to about a year ago and recently revisited again. You can listen below (What is Original? by TED Radio Hour)
After listening to this podcast earlier this month, there was a media buzz about Kobe Bryant after his last game of scoring 60 points. In fact one media personality called Kobe a fraud, because he had essentially copied his basketball game from Michael Jordan. This prompted me and another writer with Peach State Basketball to write an article on this topic for PSB Pop Culture. You can read the entire article, entitled Everything’s a Re-Mix, by clicking the icon below. The piece delves into the ideas of how athletes and artists all use imitation to make their products better.
April 10, 2016 – Keys to Interpersonal Connections
I have always thought of myself as a bit of an introvert. Traditionally I have preferred to be by myself or in small groups as opposed to being in large groups of people. Yet over time, I have changed. I enjoy the company of my friends and also like to meet new people and engage in conversations. Part of this is maturation or as a result of my development professionally. Nevertheless, there is a bit of a science in connecting with people that I do not know personally. I ran across an article from Entrepreneur.com which I connected with good habits in making interpersonal connections. Developing good conversation skill is still an important part of our world. As more and more people begin to hide their face behind a phone, someone who can actually look you in the eye and hold an extended conversation is important.
Take a look at this article from Graham Young: 5 Ways to Instantly Connect with Anyone You Meet
April 2, 2016 – Why I Gave up Chicken
Recently my wife and I have cleaned up our diet. We have cut out chicken and beef from our menu at home and when we dine out. In replacement of those proteins we have inserted turkey, fish and seafood. The initial results have been positive for us. Jean and pants that once fit us a little snug now have much more room around the waistband. This dietary changed combined with regular stops to the gym have me on the right track in terms of my weight and my health.
That said, many people have questioned me about the reason as to why we decided to cut out chicken. My usual response centers around how most chicken is prepared unhealthily – fried or otherwise. Mainly our decision is to move towards turkey, which is leaner than most chicken products that we buy. Recently, however, I did found an article on the Money section of Time.com. It talks about how chickens are bred today, which makes them obese. In fact many chickens before slaughter can hardly walk. So perhaps the lean chicken we think we eat, is not so lean after all. I am not advocating everyone giving up chicken, but I do find this interesting. Read the article below:
Why Whole Foods Is Saying No to Fast-Growing, Beefed-Up Chickens
March 3, 2016 – Frankie Antonelli’s Story
Broadcaster @debbieantonelli didn’t see limits in son Frankie, who has Down syndrome. She saw potential. My story: https://t.co/4HC2HpRHA4
— Sally Jenkins (@sallyjenx) March 2, 2016
This is simply an amazing story about a family who loves and pushes their son to be the best he can be. I was particularly touched by how Debbie Antonelli encouraged her son to try and not be afraid of failure. This is a terrific lesson for all of us, regardless of our limitations. The heartfelt story is definitely worth the read.
February 18, 2016 – Less Is More…In Life
I ran across an article on Facebook last year written by Joshua Becker concerning the idea of minimalism. It is an extreme idea of minimizing the amount of possessions or things in your life. Interestingly my wife and I have had conversations centered around the same ideas recently. Becker’s byline says Inspiring others to live more by owning less. You can get an idea of what becoming a Minimalist entails by clicking here: Becoming a Minimalist
February 11, 2016 – Handwriting?
I listened to a podcast today that centered around the question of Is Handwriting Important? This is a very relevant question these days as we all move to a digital recording of information. While I have never practiced cursive writing in my adulthood, handwriting is very important to me and my job. While in the gym watching basketball I write notes on to a pad of paper with a pen. Yet, we I turn these notes into articles or evaluations for our websites, it always done via computer. I can remember writing history papers in college and always writing a handwritten rough draft before turning it.
A couple of interesting takeaways from the podcast:
One study showed that students that took hand written notes were able to retain information better than those who typed their notes.
Another speaker made the point that there has always been a friction between technological change and traditional means of communicating information. For instance: Ancient civilizations often used story telling or oral tradition to pass history from generation to generation. Our world lost the great minds of memory when hand writing was introduced. Point being is that we always lose something when there is change.
You can hear the entire podcast below.
“Who Needs Handwriting” courtesy of Freakonomics Radio
January 27, 2016 – UW Women’s Basketball’s Key To Success
One of the things that our mentor, Don Meyer at Lipscomb University, used to preach was the idea of “Less is More.” Here is an article that I believe highlights this concept. It is on the University of Washington and coach Mike Neighbors and his staff have ascended into the Top 25 by Not Practicing Too Much. It seems counter-intuitive, but as Neighbors points out in the article that this idea helps keeps his team fresh during PAC-12 play. We highlighted the Washington Husky program in a feature article a few weeks ago. You can read that piece here.
Read the AP article featured in Sports Illustrated below.
January 14, 2016 – Small Ball Revolutionizes the Game
Here is a basketball article on the evolution of the “Power Forward” or the 4-player in the NBA. Written by Jesse Blanchard on The Cauldron presented by SI.com, it explains in detail of how ‘Small Ball’ revolutionized the NBA game. Blanchard makes the interesting point that the 4 spot is becoming more important than even the point guard position. Click the icon below to read the full article.
January 4, 2016 – Will Leitch
I began following the writing of Will Leitch a few years ago after hearing him on a Bill Simmons podcast. He was the founding editor of Deadspin and now a contributor to multiple publications. He was born in Mattoon, Ill., very close to my hometown in East Central Illinois.
He wrote a piece for Deadspin before the New Year entitled “Nobody Cares if you Lie.” It is too deep to summarize. It is worth the read, however. Click the icon below to read the entire article.
December 28, 2015 – Tom Petty Biography
I listened to this podcast from Freakonomics entitled “Should everyone be in a Rock Band?” This was interview with Warren Zanes who recently released his book Petty, which is a biography on the rock legend Tom Petty. The interview was insightful to the economics of running a band and in general good story telling. I like story-telling. I enjoyed the podcast so much that I bought the book for my father (and myself) for Christmas. Listen to the podcast below:
December 21, 2015 – The Power of Kindness
I was touched by this article written by Katie Couric, which was shared on Time.com. The story centered on how Karlie Kloss, a modern day celebrity, developed a meaningful relationship with a a teenage girl suffering from cancer. Read the story here: Karlie Kloss, Abby Shapiro and the Power of Kindness
December 13, 2015 – Finances
Here is an article that provides some practical suggestions on how and when to use your credit card. Credit card debt is something that can bury you if you are not careful. These principles are sound reminders for adults and good words to live by for those who are just beginning their financial journey.
Read the entire article here compliments of TIME.com: 3 Things You Should Never Buy With a Credit Card – and 1 You Always Should
December 7, 2015 – Podcast, This American Life
I found a new podcast to follow, it is called This American Life. It is actually a weekly radio show that is broadcasted nationally over 500 channels and listened to by over 2.2 million people. The broadcast is then archived into a podcast that can be listened to at any time.
- This week’s topic: “Status Updates“
- They look at three intriguing, yet completely different types of Status Updates.
- First: The teenager’s world of updating their status via social media (Instagram specifically)
- Second: Two best friends who status change over time and the complications that arise.
- Third: A look at a town who finds out that they all have something in common: debt and garnishing of wages
Listen to the entire Broadcast here:
December 1, 2015 – Mental Strength
Here is an article I read on Mentally Strong people. Typically these type of articles are centered on What To Do. This interested me, because it talked about What Not To Do.
- My favorite: They don’t shy away from change.
- This resonates with me, because of the amount of change I have experienced in the past three years (marriage, child, career change).
Read the entire article here published by Business Insider: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do
November 23, 2015 – For Profit Universities
Education. Sports. Student Loan Debt. A University that is a For Profit Institution? Here is an article by fellow Central Illinoisan, Will Leitch, on Grand Canyon University. This is a thought provoking article on an University that Will calls “The NCAA’s Most Controversial School.”
Read the Full Article here: The NCAA’s Most Controversial School
My takeaway: Grand Canyon University is being opposed by other athletic programs in the West for making the transition to the Divsion-1 level. The controversy: if GCU makes the NCAA tournament in men’s basketball, the money (1.6 million dollars in 2014) would go straight to the stockholders.
November 17, 2015 – Quitting Can Be Good
Here is one of my favorite podcasts: The Upside of Quitting
Normally we associate quitting with losing, however in this episode it talks about how quitting can actually be a good thing…short term and long term. Listen to the entire episode here:
November 9th, 2015 – Happiness
One of my favorite things to do while I am in the car, especially when driving for a period of time, is to listen to podcasts. The reason why I prefer podcasts is that I can listen to them when it is convenient and I pause whenever I need to do so. A favorite series of mine is the TED Radio Hour. They typically take a topic and then have several people talk on that idea from different points of view.
Here is a podcast that I listened to recently, it was called Simply Happy. One thing I learned from this podcast, ‘We are not as happy when we are mind-wandering.’
Listen to the whole episode here: TED Radio Hour – Simply Happy
November 1st, 2015 – Job Interview Questions
I read this article on TIME.com entitled “29 questions That Were Asked at Facebook Job Interviews”
- This is interesting to me, because it states that Facebook is now considered one of the best places to work in the tech industry. So it is no surprise that the vetting process is somewhat unique.
- My favorite question, “25 racehorses, no stopwatch. 5 tracks. Figure out the top three fastest horses in the fewest number of races.”
Read the entire article published by TIME.COM here: 29 Questions That Were Asked at Facebook Job Interviews
Jonathan Hemingway is a National Evaluator for the OTRHoopsReport. Hemingway serves on the Board of Selectors for the Naismith Trophy. also He is also the publisher of CoachHemi.com. He has been involved in the community since 1996 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him via email at JonathanHemingway@PeachStateBasketball.com and follow him on twitter @JLHemingwayPSB
