In his MasterClass, Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Moneyball, The American President, A Few Good Men) discusses INTENTION and OBSTACLE. This is what we want; that stands in our way.
Intention and obstacle happen in basketball all the time...offense run from the sideline, lack of toughness, bad transition defense...actions that don't "advance the story." If great offense follows multiple actions and multiple efforts inform great defense, single breakdowns collapse the intention.
I seldom lose my mind at practice. We've all been there. Last night I did, reminding players that any correction belongs to all players.
We reviewed the most basic of 2-3 offense...seeking ball reversal and paint touches. The INTENTION is distorting the zone, creating multiple opportunities.
The ball reversed to '3' who then "took several dribbles back out toward '1'. I blew the whistle (too long and too loud) and stopped play. An OBSTACLE to multiple actions is PURPOSELESS PLAY. The action neither pressured the defense nor advanced the intent of creating a quality possession.
Everything we do should advance the story, collapse the gap between our vision and our reality. Yet, it's easy to forget these are children, most with a limited basketball worldview.
If we harp at our children, "clean your room," they tune us out. Seek balance between overcorrection and refocusing.
Practice went better as players received the 'overdribbling' message. For the moment, the whistle decoupled INTENTION AND OBSTACLE. Advance the story.
Lagniappe: "Great offense is multiple actions."
Radius Athletics illustrates a double-staggered screen into "pinch post" like action.Brooklyn Nets - Motion Strong into "Throw & Go" #CoachPaint pic.twitter.com/WMpRjaM8sM— Radius Athletics (@RadiusAthletics) February 27, 2019
