Sports Mentorship Quotes

I wasn't happier for anyone more than Vic Fangio. He deserved to be a head coach, in my opinion. I was really pulling for him and pushing him whenever I got a chance.

Des Bulpin discovered me and, along with my dad, would be the biggest influence on my career. I remember him telling me when I was 15 that Jermain Defoe and I would play together for England when we were older, and he hasn't been too far wrong.

Assistants like Tim Grgurich worked with me and watched film of me from my Oregon State days.

I know personally as a young player when coaches came to my school that is someone you want to be like and I think that helps massively.

I had this DVD that my coach in Cameroon had mailed to me when I first came to America. It was an hour-long tape of Hakeem Olajuwon and some other legendary big men. I probably watched that DVD every single day for three years.

It was okay for Wayne Gretzky's dad, for instance, to give him a hockey stick, or Joe Montana's dad to give him a football, or Larry Bird's dad to give him a basketball, but it wasn't okay for Gloria Connors to give her son a tennis racquet.

I told him (Pete Rose, Jr.) who to watch. I said if you want to be a catcher, watch Johnny Bench. If you want to be a right-handed power hitter, watch Mike Schmidt. If you just want to be a hitter, watch me.

One of the best things about being a Yankee is that you have guys like Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, Ron Guidry and Reggie Jackson wandering around the locker room offering you advice.

Zidane was one of the best players that I have seen. Now as a coach, I try to learn as much as possible from him. He knows a lot because he was an exceptional player.

My curveball is a blessing. My father taught it to me. He felt that it was a pitch he wanted me to learn, right on the side of the house, and it just ended up working. I never asked what the tricks were, or anything like that.

I was attracted to cricket at a very young age. My father's elder brother Akram Siddiq saw the passion for cricket in me, so he pushed me, and then another uncle - father of Kamran, Umar, and Adnan Akmal - advised my father to work hard on me, as he thought that I will make it big in cricket.

It's that way all the way down the line. I've got a boy coaching college ball and another son coaching high school. All the way down to summer leagues, all the way down to kids who are 14 years old. All those teams have a closer.

My dad was a huge basketball influence in my life on and off the court. Playing for him and having him around, having him push me harder than maybe another coach would have was a huge blessing for me. Getting to play with my brother was an unreal experience at Oklahoma, in college, it's some of the funnest times I've had in basketball, and I'll cherish those memories forever.

But I think there is a widespread opinion that the support system for athletes should be more firmly established.

My dad is my hitting coach. When I need help, I go to him.

My parents got me into tennis, and it's why I do what I do, and probably why I do it as well as I do it, because I've always had their guidance and their experience and their help throughout my whole life.

I'm really lucky to have Lindsay Davenport as my coach. She was number one in the world, and she's won Grand Slams, so if there's any person who can help me get through, it's her. Getting her advice is very special for me.

My dad was around every second. Teaching me the game.

For me, I really enjoy helping out the Youth Baseball Academy. That's something that any time you're helping out the game of baseball with at risk children, that puts a smile on my face.

The coaches are working with me every day. And if you feel like the coach is behind you, you'll take some chances.?

With [Samuel] Eto'o, I talked a lot about his great career and how I could become a better player.

My dad was the first one who said, 'You're going to end up behind the plate because you've got a very good arm and you're very smart when it comes to calling a game.'

Much of the fire with him [Ben Hogan] was lit by Byron Nelson, who came from the same town - the same caddie yard - and achieved fame and fortune several years ahead of Ben and who, as a kid, had always been popular and better liked than Ben. No puzzle at all.

I grew up in youth programs in Chicago, so they are definitely close to my heart. It is all about helping kids and giving back to a sport that has given me so much.

I've been through a lot and played for a long time, so I can understand what others will go through. That's why I want to help them out. There are a lot of players who go to Belgium, for example, and have had terrible experiences. I know players, and they have come to me.