Win More with Lessons of a Lifetime of Basketball

Win with common sense. Great coaches share lessons and time shares experience. Emphasize to players what separates winning and losing. 

1. "Basketball is a game of mistakes." - Bob Knight   Prioritize limiting mistakes. Tell 'em what you're going to say, say it, and tell 'em what you said. 

• "Take care of the ball." Turnovers kill dreams. 
• Bad shots are unacceptable. 
• Don't miss assignments. You have to know your cover, PnR coverage, who does what in transition defense. 
• Stop bad fouling. 

2. You don't trick good teams. Good basketball comes in many different forms. After players have sound fundamentals, then you can mix in other actions. Young teams don't win with Amoeba, the Freak, and hybrid defenses. 

3. "Technique beats tactics." - Gregg Popovich   Invest offseason develop in fundamentals. Some players play a lot of games without developing enough skills to win consistently. I've heard, "so-and-so played a lot of AAU." Did it translate to success in winning the individual and team battles that translate to success in actual games?   

4. "There's no DH." Defense isn't optional. Good teams have to defend in the half-court, defend the pick-and-roll, and limit transition. Talking about playing defense isn't the same as playing defense. 

5. "Silent teams lose." Talk energizes. Talk recruits. Talk intimidates. If we don't teach our teams to talk during practice, they won't talk during games. 

6. Hard to defend actions. Most teams aren't loaded with 'knock-down shooters." If you don't have them, expecting to win with perimeter action is beyond fool's gold. Employ hard-to-defend actions. 

7. Have 'aces in the hole'. Close and late, have 'best actions' that your team and you trust. That includes a couple of BOBs, SLOBs, ATOs, action versus man and versus zone. It gets back to having 'guys' who execute. 

8. Be in great shape. Stay in great physical condition year-round. That might mean playing a lot, playing multiple sports, doing extra conditioning (jump rope, 220s, stadium stairs). To "play harder for longer" aerobic fitness is a must. 

9. Get your rest. There's data to show that sleep improves performance. 

Improved sprint times, 9% improvement in free throw and 3-point percentages

10. Get used to pressure. Build in pressure situations for practice.

• 5 versus 7 full court no dribble
• 3 versus 4 half court no dribble
• Constraints (e.g. practice trailing or leading by 6 with two minutes to go with shot clock)

Bonus. Stop applying NBA analytics and statistics that don't apply to your youth or high school team. You're not them. 

Lagniappe. What's your system? 

97% of high school basketball teams are built around the guards

Building an offensive system around a high post facilitator, just like the current NBA champions, can set you apart

That's one of the many reasons I like “The Spread Offense” pic.twitter.com/rPaXK0zmT2

— Matt Hackenberg (@CoachHackGO) March 31, 2024

Lagniappe 2. Be the light. 

.@Lindsay_Schnell asked Geno Auriemma how he made sure Paige Bueckers' spirit wasn't broken while injured last year.

An incredibly insightful two minute response ensued.

"She was always the most upbeat, positive person in the gym. You knew that when she went home she was a… pic.twitter.com/tfnwxfRqlk

— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) March 31, 2024

Lagniappe 3. (Via email Coach Mac): 

Former NBA player JJ Redick recently shared what he believes are two of the hardest actions in basketball to defend right now. They are: 1. The "Ghost Screen" 2. The "Tap Screen" Similar, but different. I'll explain: With a Ghost Screen, an offensive player acts like they're about to set a screen but then quickly sprints through without making contact. While in a Tap Screen, the offensive player acts like they're about to set a solid screen, but instead they simply tap the defender and slip to the basket.