An Interview With Maria Angelova (originally published in Authority Magazine)
As a part of our series about “How Athletes Optimize Their Mind & Body For Peak Performance”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anthony Tucker.
Anthony Tucker is a Twin Cities native, former pro basketball player, and founder of Hoop Habits. After leading Minnetonka High School to a State Championship and playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes and MSU–Moorhead, he enjoyed an 11-year international career with an MVP award, scoring title, and time in the NBA G League. Now a high school head coach and director at New Balance’s Elite 100 camp, Tucker shares his expertise through Hoop Habits’ training facility, academy, and AAU program.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Mypleasure, thank you for having me! I grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, living with my mom and sister. I spent some time in the summers with my dad in Indianapolis as well. I open-enrolled at Minnetonka High School and attended there for all four years. I grew up playing multiple sports (Basketball, Baseball, Football) and enjoyed playing each, but ultimately decided to focus on basketball in 7th grade, which consumed most of my time from that point on!
What or who inspired you to pursue your career as a high-level professional athlete? We’d love to hear the story.
My parents were both athletes, and I admired them greatly for their athletic achievements and passions for their sports. My mom played volleyball, l and my dad played basketball at South Dakota State University. My mom coached high school volleyball when I was growing up, so I got a chance to be around the sport, but also got introduced to what the coaching side looked like.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
I was at basketball practice in 8th grade during our winter season when practice stopped and I noticed a couple of tall guys standing in the doorway. One of those guys turned out to be Chris Carr, who I recognized from the Minnesota Timberwolves. I ended up spending the rest of the practice working with him. He asked me to play on his AAU team, but I was already committed to playing for another team and decided to see that commitment through. I still attended his camp that summer and chose to play for him the following summer. Chris ended up being so much more than a coach to me. He was a father figure and a mentor. He even officiated my wedding to my amazing wife, Ali.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your sports career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?
One thing that comes to mind is when I was between my freshman and sophomore years in college. We went on a two-week trip to Greece and Italy for basketball. One day, we played the Greek select team, which is essentially their second national team for international competitions. We were all waiting in the lobby and I decided to take my shoes out of my bag and try to tie them to my backpack because I thought it looked cool. I ended up getting called over by a coach mid-tie session and got distracted. When the bus arrived, I grabbed my backpack and hopped on the bus. We got about halfway to the game, and I realized I had left my shoes sitting on the hotel couch in the lobby. I had to walk up to the front of the bus and tell my head coach that I left my shoes and we had to turn the bus around and go back and get them. Traffic in Athens, Greece, is no joke ,and I was mortified. To this day, I ALWAYS pack my shoes in my backpack first before anything else.
What advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your career?
I encourage anyone who wants to excel at the highest level (professionally) to spend as much time as possible developing their abilities. Whether it’s physically or mentally, you need to spend time cultivating and curating your ability to do something so you can perform at the highest level.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
We have a lot to be excited about right now. We have a basketball academy that takes a 360-degree approach to athletes, providing training in basketball skills, sports performance, nutrition, sports mindset, and recovery. We also have a College Prep program for athletes headed off to play basketball at the next level. Our AAU program, Hoop Habits Elite, is playing on the New Balance circuit and has gotten off to a great start, going 13–3 collectively in their first New Balance session. I’m personally excited to coach high school girls’ basketball this winter and lead a program.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. As an athlete, you often face high-stakes situations that involve a lot of pressure. Most of us tend to wither in the face of such pressure and stress. Can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to optimize your mind for peak performance before high-pressure, high-stress situations?
I believe that preparation is the best remedy for anxiety. If you put the work in you oftentimes feel more confident heading into stressful situations because you know what you have to draw on. That is not to say that anxious moments won’t occur or that you won’t face adversity, but just like a test, if you study you will have a lot more confidence going in than trying to wing it.
Preparation
Breathwork — This is something I began using later in my career but being able to slow things down and really analyze situations helped me in being present.
Conversation — Communication is one of the things that people take for granted. If you’re nervous or stressed, talking through situations has helped me immensely. It fits hand in hand with preparation. Ask questions, talk through strategies, and problem-solving.
Do you use any special or particular breathing techniques to help optimize yourself?
I am a huge fan of Wim Hof and his methods and teachings.
Taking 30 deep breaths, holding for as long as you can, taking one more deep breath, hold for 15 seconds and repeat for 2–3 rounds. The calming, euphoric feeling and lowering my heart rate really settles any nerves I have.
Do you have a special technique to develop a strong focus, and clear away distractions?
I use short, 10-minute meditations usually with the CALM app before games and also when I wake up.
How about your body? Can you share a few strategies that you use to optimize your body for peak performance?
Nutrition is king. The way you fuel your body is one of the most important things you can do. Mobility and flexibility, and having a morning movement routine are things that can make anything from the most rigorous exercise to day-to-day activities a lot more seamless.
These ideas are excellent, but for most of us in order for them to become integrated into our lives and really put them to use, we have to turn them into habits and make them become ‘second nature’. Has this been true in your life? How have habits played a role in your success?
I’m a creature of habit, as are most humans. Any time I can implement a routine and stick to it, I notice the benefits right away. Whether it’s nutrition and eating clean or sticking to a movement routine, I always feel my best when I’m consistent with the things that I value.
Can you share some of the strategies you have used to turn the ideas above into habits? What is the best way to develop great habits for optimal performance? How can one stop bad habits?
The best way to develop great habits is to create a regimen and stick to it no matter what. If you say you’re going to get up at 7 a.m. every single day, set your alarm for 7 a.m. and put your phone somewhere where you have to physically stand up and go turn the alarm off. If you’re going to do your morning movement routine or meditation, do it before you do anything else and give yourself a chance to get distracted. Consistency and intention are at the root of building habits.
As a high-performance athlete, you likely experience times when things are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, that is meaningful, and comes with ease because you have practiced so much. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a mental state of Flow more often in our lives?
Being in a flow state is one of the reasons I love basketball so much. You are always chasing that feeling of being able to get into the “zone” as it is more commonly referred to in basketball. Preparation is definitely the key to finding this state, even though it is such a hard thing to capture. It’s a feeling that we chase and probably don’t appreciate until right after it happens, but once you feel it, you’ll be chasing it forever. Like most things in life, we chase perfection, and the closest we get most times is getting into the zone.
Do you have any meditation practices that you use to help you in your life? We’d love to hear about it.
I am not a meditation expert and have struggled with being able to sustain it for long periods of time but what I have found works for me is being consistent in doing it for a short period of time, free of distractions. Setting aside time to breathe and clear my mind, even if it’s just 3–5 minutes a day, has really helped me.
What do you do to prevent injuries during your workouts or during your competitions?
Recover. I think more than anything, taking time after each practice, workout or competition and doing what my body asks, whether it’s Ice, sauna, compression boots, stretching, lifting the list goes on. When I began listening to my body and being proactive instead of reactive, I found that I got injured a lot less.
What type of workout regime has helped you to rehabilitate from injury?
Lifting and building surrounding muscles has been the key for me. I had debilitating patellar tendinopathy, and when I began working on surrounding muscles instead of focusing on specific pain management, I found it went away and stayed away. I was never a big strength training guy until later in my career, and I really wish I had started earlier.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Right now, my focus is on giving back the gifts I was given by other people. Trying to share my experiences both on and off the court with the people I have contact with and making sure that I provide as much knowledge and value to anyone who seeks it. I by no means have all the answers or even the right answers but what I do have is my experiences. If those experiences can help even a small subset of people, I would be remiss to not do my best to help.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart. For everything you do flows from it.”
This quote means the world to me because, no matter what’s going on around you, good, bad, or otherwise, you have to protect the things and people you love. There will come a time when things are going really well for you and in those times, it is easy to love and celebrate your successes and those around you. But in those times that things may not be exactly how you want them to be, how you treat yourself and others will impact you just as greatly, if not more.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 🙂
The only answer to this question for me is Steph Curry. I admire him greatly for both his ability on the basketball court; he is someone I watch every opportunity. He is also someone I admire off the court.