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About the Author
Robert Trupin brings a lifetime of experience as a player, coach, administrator, and counselor to Basketball’s Mental Game. His deep understanding of the sport goes beyond strategy—he emphasizes the importance of leadership, teamwork, and personal growth. Trupin believes that true coaching success comes from valuing players as individuals, not just athletes, fostering both mental toughness and a love for the game.
Robert Trupin
Author Basketball mental game
About the Book
Basketball mental game
Basketball’s Mental Game offers a deep dive into the mindset of championship-winning coaches like John Wooden and Red Auerbach. Through insightful interviews and expert analysis, Robert Trupin explores what it takes to build mentally tough players and cohesive teams. This book is a must-read for coaches and players looking to elevate their game beyond physical skill—learning the mental strategies that create true winners.
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Stay updated with Robert Trupin’s latest insights on basketball, leadership, and the mental game. From coaching strategies to exclusive interviews, get insights into expert analysis that helps players and coaches grow.
The Mind Can Play Games
Have you ever noticed that a team that is playing well begins to stop doing the things that got them into the lead in the first place. It happens in every sport. The team that is winning begins playing too conservatively in order to protect its lead.
Learn To Turn Negative Situations Into Positive Results
It has been said that ten percent of life is what happens to us and ninety percent is how we respond to what happens. Whether these figures are accurate is unknown, but what we do know is that many people have a propensity to turn bad situations into positive results while many others have a propensity to turn positive situations into negative outcomes.
Great Teams Have Excellent Teamwork
The best teams often do not have a starting unit of their best individual players. Instead they have a unit of players who play together best. Basketball is a team game that requires many skills such as shooting, ball handling, passing, rebounding, defense and stamina.
Why Kids Should Play Multiple Sports Before Specializing
I have often been asked whether it is better to begin specializing in one sport from an early age, such as ten years old, or whether it is better to play several sports and wait until high school or later to specialize. I feel, in most cases, it is best to learn to play several sports. An exception may be gymnastics, which generally attracts small children, and where the skills are very specific and not as transferable as other sports are to each other.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Just Grit—It’s a Mindset
People love to talk about "grit," like it’s just grinding through pain. But real mental toughness is smarter than that. It’s learning how to reset after failure, how to stay focused under pressure, and how to believe in yourself when things aren’t going your way.
What Makes a Great Coach? It Starts With Empathy
The best coaches aren’t just experts in drills or strategy; they know their players. They listen, they pay attention, and they care. I’ve seen firsthand how understanding what a player is going through off the court, family stress, school pressure, and self-doubt can completely shift how you approach them on the court.