Take inventory of our team with details that separate success from failure.
Without exception, coaches will say "everyone knows that." That may be true, yet watch struggling teams and these issues reappear again and again. And amplifying quotes from the early 1970s or later...
1) Shot selection. How many airballed threes are enough? Bob Knight said, "just because I want you on the court doesn't mean I want you to shoot." And Pete Carill added, "bad shooters are always open." Players should know what a good shot is for them and for each teammate.
2) Develop a reliable inbounder who gets the ball in safely and with enough patience to see plays develop. Inbounding turnovers are disasters hidden in plain sight. Because that player may not be in the game 100%, develop another.
3) Get players into situations where they can attack the hoop by rejecting ball screens. Defending the PnR is tough so why allow defenses not to do that?
4) Stop fouling jump shots, especially threes. Watching many high school players shoot 20-25 percent on threes, why give them higher percentage chances at the line.
5) Contain the ball. There's no DH in basketball. Knight said, "shooters shoot, passers pass, and everyone plays defense." That doesn't seem to be true for everyone.
6) Value the ball. "The ball is gold..." It's math. If you get about 70 possessions in a high school game and get no shot on 20-25, then you better shoot the lights out when you didn't turn the ball over. "Turnovers kill dreams." Entrepreneur Sara Blakely teaches, "obsess the product."
7) Don't dribble the air out of the ball. I see players who can go through the legs and behind-the-back all day but can't pass, shoot, or defend. Don't "pay by the bounce."
8) Move the ball. Bad teams don't get paint touches and ball reversals. Some just pass the ball around the perimeter until somebody takes a "my turn" three. "Movement kills defenses."
9) Disallow the dreaded S's - selfishness, softness, sloth. Read Jay Bilas's Toughness as a team. "The game honors toughness." That shows up by blocking out, taking charges, and winning 50-50 balls.
10) "Show your hands." Teach players not to reach in by using the phrase, "show your hands." It reminds players and reinforces to officials that we're consciously avoiding fouling.
Bad basketball teams violate many of these principles. Don't be a bad team.
Lagniappe. Rip action.
Beautiful quick hitting Rip Screen action from BYU
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 23, 2025
Easy to execute and effective
Add it to the playbook 📂
(Via @HalfCourtHoops 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/e9biY1cPp2
Lagniappe 2. Control our emotions. "The Program: Lessons From Elite Military Units for Creating and Sustaining High Performance Leaders and Teams" by Eric Kapitulik, Jake MacDonald, wanted to share this quote with you.
"When providing accountability during a battle, or any emotionally charged event, speak in a softer tone and lower volume. Yelling or screaming at a teammate during an already emotionally charged event will rarely be well received or acted upon. As discussed, no one likes being told they are falling short at any time and especially so when it is being screamed at them. Further, if we find ourselves yelling or screaming at a teammate who is not meeting the organization’s standards, it is probably our own fault, in that we have let it continue to this point of frustration."
