The 1 Percent Club is that small group of players who go the extra mile in their training -- stay late after practice, do more than is required. That's what it takes to make it to the next level.

Mental pressure is created when a player's confidence level does not meet his or her expectations. Close the gap between confidence and expectations, and the pressure goes away!

As part of the next step in building self-confidence, it helps to create a mission statement or mantra that you should tell yourself constantly.

Self-confidence can help raise your talent level, but talent cannot make up for a lack of self-confidence. Current University of Texas head coach Shaka Smart talks about how confidence helped his team at Virginia Commonwealth get to the Final Four.

Recee Caldwell has won two gold medals with USA Basketball -- first with the Women's U16 National Team in 2011 and most recently with the USA U18 National Team that won the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Caldwell, a freshman this year at UCLA, began playing basketball at age 9. When asked about the most important aspect of her success both on and off the court, she summed it up in one word: Focus.

Malik Newman (Callaway H.S./Jackson, Miss.) took home Tournament MVP as the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s U17 World Championship Team won gold at the FIBA U17 World Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in August. Newman's message to youth basketball players: focus on the basics and always have fun playing the game.