Pembroke Hill Girls Varsity Basketball Coach
Overland Park, KS
Joined November 2013
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Liz Monahan retweeted
State Finalists! 🎾🥈 Huge congratulations to Rosie McLiney and Daphne Valenta on bringing home 2nd place in the Missouri Class 1 State Doubles Championship today in Springfield! Incredible season, Raiders! 🔴🔵
Liz Monahan retweeted
If you're looking to score 4-8 more points per game, may I suggest making it a point of emphasis to pass, not dribble, the ball across half court. (We jumped from 86 to 92 PPG last year after instituting this...)
We'll practice 5v5 FC with a rule you have to pass across HC if someone is ahead of you or it's a turnover.
Guys will start running once they see it's an easy 2-4 more points for their averages.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Steve Kerr on the changing nature of basketball…
Fewer play calls. More flow. More concepts. More decisions made at speed. As the game continues to evolve, players are being asked to operate with greater freedom, responsibility and awareness. Rather than relying on constant instructions from the sidelines, they must understand the principles of the game, recognise what is unfolding in front of them and make effective decisions in real time.
I think there’s something fascinating here from a sport psychology perspective. As basketball gets faster, players have less time to consciously organise themselves, think through every option or wait for direction from the bench. They have to perceive, decide and act…in the flow of the game. This means responding to the information available in the moment rather than trying to control every situation through pre-planned instructions.
That places enormous demands on a player’s mindset. Their attention has to be exceptional. They must constantly scan, search and pick up information, reading teammates, opponents, spaces, movements and opportunities. They need to stay connected to what is happening NOW while also anticipating what might happen NEXT. The ability to remain fully engaged with the present moment, without becoming distracted by previous actions or future possibilities, becomes increasingly important as the speed and complexity of the game increases.
Their intensity also has to be optimal. They need to be alert, alive and engaged, mentally and physically ready to respond to a game that refuses to slow down. Too little intensity can lead to passivity, delayed reactions and a lack of involvement. Too much intensity can create tension, rushed decisions and a loss of control. The challenge is to find the level of activation that allows the player to remain responsive, composed and ready to act.
Their intent has to be high as well. They must be purposeful, positive and proactive, rather than waiting for the perfect moment or hesitating through fear of making mistakes. They need to execute with conviction and commit to their decisions, even when the outcome is uncertain. In a fast-moving environment, hesitation can close an opportunity before the player has had time to fully recognise it.
Attention. Intensity. Intent.
These are three mental skills that, in my opinion, become increasingly important as sport becomes faster, more fluid and less scripted. They help players remain connected to the game, respond effectively to changing circumstances and act with clarity when there is no time for lengthy conscious analysis.
But there’s another fascinating layer to Kerr’s observation. Players need shared understanding, shared principles and shared ways of seeing the game. They need to recognise opportunities together, anticipate each other’s movements and coordinate their actions without constantly relying on verbal instructions. The most effective teams develop a collective awareness that allows players to respond to the same situation in complementary ways, even when the exact solution has not been rehearsed.
This is where coaching becomes particularly interesting. The challenge isn’t simply to teach players what to do. It is to develop players who can recognise when to do it, why to do it and how to adapt when the picture changes. Players need to understand the principles behind their actions so they can apply them intelligently in situations that are never exactly the same. The goal is not to remove uncertainty from the game, but to help players become more comfortable and capable within it.
Training must reflect this. There should be less dependence on rehearsed solutions and more exposure to realistic, variable and demanding situations that help players learn to perceive and act together. Players need opportunities to make decisions under pressure, respond to changing information and experience the consequences of their choices. They need to develop not only technical execution, but also the awareness and adaptability required to use those skills effectively in context.
And underpinning all of this?
A High Performance Mindset (HPM).
Because when the game accelerates, the mind cannot afford to become disconnected, distracted or consumed by doubt. It has to remain connected to the game, connected to the task and connected to the next action. Players must be able to acknowledge what has happened, learn from it quickly and then return their attention to what the game is asking of them now.
The future of basketball may involve fewer instructions from the sidelines, but it will demand more from the minds of the players on the court. Players will need to be more perceptive, more adaptable and more willing to take responsibility for their decisions. They will need to understand the game deeply enough to operate with freedom while remaining connected to the collective principles of the team.
The faster the game, the more important the mindset.
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My new book, Compete, helps players to execute with high attention, optimal intensity, and high intent
Liz Monahan retweeted
🏆 DISTRICT CHAMPIONS! 🏆
Huge congratulations to Rosie McLiney and Daphne Valenta for capturing the Class 1 District 7 individual doubles championship yesterday in Odessa! 🎾✨
Shoutout to Grace Coughlin for taking 3rd place in individual singles!
Liz Monahan retweeted
On Sunday an undrafted rookie quarterback will make his first NFL start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It took him six years of college football to get there.
Jalon Daniels came out of Lawndale High School in California with two Power Five offers. Kansas and Syracuse. He had been committed to Middle Tennessee State before that.
He picked Kansas, and as a freshman in 2020 he started six games and lost all six.
In 2021 he beat Texas in Austin. Kansas had not won a game in that stadium since 1938.
In 2022 he was second team All Big 12, and in the Liberty Bowl he threw for 544 yards and accounted for six touchdowns. He is the first player in the history of the sport to throw for 500 yards and five touchdowns and run for one in the same game.
Then it stopped.
He went into 2023 as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and played three games before a back injury took the season.
Most guys leave at that point. He had already been there four years.
He came back for 2024. Then he came back again for 2025.
Six seasons in one place. Here is what he did with the extra time nobody wanted him to need.
He graduated in December 2024 with a 3.58 GPA and a degree in sport management. He was named Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year, the first in Kansas history. He made Academic All Big 12 five times. He was voted team captain four times, which no Kansas player had ever done.
And in his sixth season, with the money he was finally allowed to earn, he started a foundation.
He named it MOM2JD6.
The 6 is his jersey number. The MOM is his mother.
Kansas describes what it does in plain language. It supports single mothers raising athletic children, through mentorship, training, financial aid and community resources.
Then he enrolled in graduate school in public and nonprofit management, so he would actually know how to run it.
In his last year of college he won the Pop Warner College Football Award, was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.
In April, every team in the NFL passed on him. All seven rounds.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 8.
Now the honest part. Undrafted quarterbacks almost never last, Tampa Bay is turning to him because they have to, and one start proves nothing about whether he can play.
But a kid who nobody but Kansas and Syracuse wanted stayed six years, got hurt twice, graduated with honors, and spent his first real paycheck building something for mothers like his own.
On Sunday he runs out with the first team.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Watching my girls chase their dreams is one thing, but getting to watch them play together again makes it even sweeter. 🏀❤️ So proud of you both! Go CLIP! 🇵🇹💙
Liz Monahan retweeted
Somewhere along the way, I believe many coaches have forgotten that mistakes are supposed to be part of development.
A kid turns the ball over….bench.
Misses an assignment…..bench.
Makes the wrong read……yelling, running, or some other immediate punishment.
Then we wonder why athletes play scared, hesitate, hide from big moments, and constantly look toward the sideline or their parents after every mistake.
Accountability matters. Effort, attitude, and repeated carelessness should have consequences. But every mistake is not disobedience, laziness, or a character flaw. Sometimes a young athlete is simply learning.
If we punish every mistake before we teach through it, we are not developing confident decision-makers. We are developing athletes who become experts at avoiding blame.
Give kids room to fail, process, adjust, and try again.
That is not lowering the standard.
That is coaching.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Raising boys who respect women isn’t enough.
Raise boys willing to lose male friendships over the way their friends treat women.
A man's principles mean very little if they disappear the moment enforcing them might cost him his place with the boys.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Every year on 9/11 I take the kids to ground zero to write down names engraved in the memorial. Then we go home and look them up to talk about their stories. Today, my youngest was writing a name when a woman walked up and asked her what she was doing. When she explained, the woman gently asked “will you write down my son’s name too?” We spent the next few minutes talking to Morton Frank’s mother about his life. He was 31. When I asked her how she was holding up on the 25th anniversary she teared up and said, “same as every other day.” #neverforget
Liz Monahan retweeted
The job of a coach.
“My job is to always be opposite at the moment.”
Calm when chaos comes.
Confident when doubt creeps in.
Demanding when standards slip.
Encouraging when confidence drops.
Patient when frustration grows.
Give your team what the moment needs.
Liz Monahan retweeted
In 1988 Dolly Parton pulled every 7th and 8th grader in Sevier County into a room and told them to pick a buddy.
She made them sign a contract.. if BOTH graduate, she hands you both $500. One fails, nobody gets paid.
The county dropout rate went from 35% to 6%.
She handed out the checks herself.
In 1989 she offered $500 to every kid in the county who wanted to go to the local college.
When Gatlinburg burned in 2016, she sent 900 families $1,000 a month for six months.
You've probably heard that part.
Here's the part you haven't:
The fund raised more than expected, so she showed up in May and handed every one of those families another $5,000 on top.
Then she quietly put $3 million into the recovery group that handles the years after the news trucks leave.
She built her county an entire hospital.
She played a benefit concert in 2007, Dollywood and the Stampede matched it, and LeConte Medical Center opened in 2010 with a birthing unit and a women's center in it.
In 2022 she started covering 100% of tuition, books, and fees for Dollywood employees.
Full-time, part-time, AND seasonal.
In 1991 she paid for a bald eagle sanctuary because the birds couldn't be released back into the wild, no press release.
And when Hurricane Helene came through here in Western North Carolina, she wrote a personal check for $1 million and her companies matched it.
She didn't owe North Carolina anything, but she helped us anyway.
She started the Imagination Library because her daddy couldn't read or write. Before he passed, he told her it was the most important thing she ever did.
Rest in Peace, Dolly 🇺🇸
Liz Monahan retweeted
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library gifted more than 332,000,000 books since it was first created 31 years ago.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Summer weekends are sacred time for families to make memories together.
Spending every weekend on a ballfield or in a gym watching hundreds of youth games - and convincing yourself that’s the only way to make memories - is a mistake.
Sports matter. Competition matters. But so do vacations, cookouts, camping trips, family dinners, church, and simply being together.
Balance is the key. Don’t go into debt chasing youth sports. Invest that hard-earned money in experiences your family will remember long after the final buzzer or last out.
Liz Monahan retweeted
A reporter asked Lamine Yamal how he handles the pressure of carrying Spain at 18. His answer: my mother had me when she was 16, that's real pressure. My father picked things off the street to bring food home, that's pressure. All I have to do is play football.
That's the whole story of who he is, and most fans only know the surface of it.
Before he was born, his teenage parents fell behind on rent. Two neighbors named Lamine and Yamal covered them, and his father vowed his son would carry both names forever. His legal name is a permanent record of a debt his family couldn't repay in money. In Arabic, the names mean "the trustworthy" and "beauty."
His parents split when he was around 5. His mother raised him in Granollers on a fast food wage. And here's the detail almost nobody knows: that job is the reason he became a footballer. Through work she met the daughter of the youth coordinator at CF La Torreta, his first club. When she worried she couldn't cover the fees, he told her that if the boy wants to play, money will never be the reason he can't.
As a kid, Lamine told his parents: if you're counting on me getting a normal job, we're in trouble. But if I become a footballer, you'll never have to worry again.
He signed with Barcelona at 7. He was right by 15.
Every goal, he flashes 304 with his fingers. The end of 08304, the postal code of Rocafonda, the neighborhood where strangers paid his family's rent before he existed. It gets credited on every goal since.
Today, at 19, he plays for the World Cup. And if he scores tonight, somewhere in the biggest broadcast on Earth, two neighbors will hear their names, and a postal code will flash on 2 billion screens.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Time sure is flying! From her first camp as a 4 year old with me to her first travel tournament in Omaha this weekend! @PVRiseBball
Liz Monahan retweeted
🚨 Erling Haaland refuses to throw Sørloth under the bus after Norway's defeat to England. 🇳🇴
🗣️ Erling Haaland:
Alexander Sørloth is a great player and, more importantly, a very good friend of mine. Football is a game of decisions, and sometimes you make the right one, sometimes you don't.
People watching from home have time to slow everything down and analyse every angle, but on the pitch you have a split second to make a decision. That's football.
I'll never blame him for that moment because we've all been in those situations. Every player has made a decision they wish they could take back.
I'm proud of what we've achieved as a team. Reaching the World Cup quarter-finals was something very few people believed we could do before the tournament started.
We gave our country something to be proud of. We fought for every badge, every shirt and every supporter who believed in us.
Losing to England wasn't because of one pass or one missed opportunity. We created chances throughout the game. We had moments where we could have scored, and they had moments where they punished us.
That's football. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you never point fingers at one teammate. We win together, and we lose together.
I'll always stand by Alexander, just as I know he'd stand by me. That's what being teammates is all about.
We leave this tournament disappointed, but also proud. This is only the beginning for Norway, and we'll come back stronger.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Haaland did not make these statements after the match. Sørloth addressed the incident himself in a post-match interview. vg.no/sport/i/Wv8e5K…
Liz Monahan retweeted
One thing I’ve learned from watching high school athletes go through the recruiting process: it takes real courage to show up at college camps.
It’s easy to sit back and wonder if you’re good enough. It’s much harder to put yourself out there, compete against the best, and let coaches evaluate you.
As adults, I don’t think we give these kids enough credit. They’re stepping into uncomfortable situations, risking failure, and chasing a dream in front of strangers.
That willingness to bet on yourself is a skill that will serve them far beyond football.
Whether they leave with an offer, a conversation, or just a lesson learned, they’re already winning by having the courage to show up.
Keep going. Keep competing. Keep putting yourself out there. The people who grow the most are usually the ones willing to be uncomfortable. Proud of you boys @cam_hatfield_ @ryanpalmer2027 @jstremick_22 @bobbywaltos @JSpig18 @PJ11Sweeney keep showing up, that opportunity is coming.
Liz Monahan retweeted
Highlights from Dallas! We went 3-0 as a team and now it’s onto school ball for the month of June! @MissouriPhenom @PreachaZo @GRoth03_ @CoachLizMon
Liz Monahan retweeted
One of the reasons youth sports has become so complicated is because everyone involved is often chasing a different definition of success.
One parent wants college recruiting to be the primary focus. Another wants their child to enjoy the experience and make friends. Another wants championships. Another wants equal playing time. Another believes development matters more than wins. Another believes if you’re paying thousands of dollars, your child should be on the field or court.
None of those perspectives are necessarily or inherently wrong. They’re just different.
The challenge is that one coach, one team, and one season cannot satisfy all of them at the same time.
Parents are also navigating an increasingly confusing landscape. Travel teams, private trainers, recruiting services, showcases, camps, social media influencers, former players, college coaches, and other parents all offer advice. Often that advice directly contradicts itself.
One person says play multiple sports. Another says specialize early.
One person says development matters most. Another says exposure matters most.
One person says find the best coach. Another says find the team that will give your child the most playing time.
One person says your child needs more reps. Another says your child needs more rest.
One person says the child should attend prom and not miss life events. Another says team commitments should come before all else.
For families investing significant amounts of time and money, it can become incredibly difficult to know who to trust.
The coaching side is just as complicated.
Most coaches are not showing up every day trying to hold players back, target families, or play favorites. Most genuinely care about their athletes and want them to succeed. But coaches are often forced to make decisions where there are no perfect answers.
Should they prioritize winning or development?
Should they play the senior who has earned it or the younger player with a higher ceiling?
Should they focus on the best interests of one athlete or the best interests of the team?
Should they reward effort, production, leadership, potential, experience, or loyalty?
Every decision creates a winner and a loser in someone’s eyes.
A coach sees the entire roster. A parent sees their child.
Neither perspective is inherently wrong, but they naturally create conflict.
The reality is that parents often judge a season through the lens of their child’s experience, while coaches are forced to evaluate it through the lens of the entire team. Those viewpoints frequently collide.
Add in the emotional investment, financial commitment, social media comparisons, recruiting pressure, and the fact that every child develops at a different pace, and it becomes easy to see why frustration exists.
Youth sports isn’t difficult because people don’t care.
It’s difficult because everyone cares deeply.
Parents care about their children.
Coaches care about their teams.
Athletes care about their opportunities.
And when passionate people are pursuing different goals, disagreements are inevitable.
The best environments aren’t the ones where everyone always agrees. They’re the ones where expectations are clear, communication is honest, trust is built over time, and everyone remembers that there are many different paths to success in sports and in life.