Viral Basketball Coaching - Leverage Feedback Loops, Value Added, and Social Proof

The best coaches and leaders learn continuously. Success pleases but does not satisfy them. 

"A feedback loop is a cyclical process in which the output of a system is measured and used as input to adjust future actions, allowing the system to learn, adapt, and self-regulate over time."

Basketball-reference shares a table of the career arc of Neemias Queta. Statistically, Queta doesn't overwhelm. Watching him play, you see a "growth trajectory" in rim protection, screening, passing, and game understanding which has earned him more minutes and a growing role.

Analyst Brian Scalabrine labels him a product of the Celtics' "Big Man University." Practice the right way, play the right way, and get positive feedback in terms of minutes, role, and recognition ($). 

Lessons emerge from "Viral Loop" by Adam Penenberg that extend ideas from Cialdini's "Influence" and mental models, popularized by Charlie Munger and others. 

"Viral Coaching" implies "self-reinforcing" truths. Here are just a few:

Trust

Trust gets you on the court and keeps you on the court. Performance earns trust and confidence underpinning trust "comes from proven success." Conversely, limitations dampen trust. Mitchell Robinson's free throw struggles sideline him to prevent "Hack-a-Shaq" action.

Social Proof

Social proof of widening approval amplifies the message. Coaches understand the value of analytics and "preferred actions" - threes, layups, and free throws, spread through basketball - even to preteen levels where the statistics don't confirm benefit. Books, television shows, and websites gain in popularity as users 'share' with peers. 

Readership doesn't confirm quality; the blog has never been about monetization. 

Case Studies

Case studies provide concrete, credible stories of success (and failure). Ellis Lane assumed a perennial losing program at Wakefield High School. Within three seasons he developed a sectional champion, won multiple league titles, a state title and earned entry into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Added Value

Added value creates sustainable competitive advantage. That includes basketball philosophy, player development, offensive or defensive tactics, game management concepts, and sports psychology. The best coaches constantly seek 'edges' that propel their processes and results. 

Actionable 

Actionable information extends beyond "what ifs." Actionable plans can prosper on their own but benefit from social media amplification - e.g. Facebook, Instagram, X, or Linked In. In addition to big picture thinking (e.g. Sports Psychology), granular (detailed) information on the physiologic benefits of mindfulness, coaching trends, and relationship advice (e.g. Hard Conversations) changes us. 

There's also value in shared experience of "this worked well" or "I owned failure here." 

As Kevin Eastman might add, "Don't be a know-it-all, be a learn-it-all." Phil Jackson said, "Basketball is sharing." 

Lagniappe. Popovich rules. 

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Basketball - Lessons from "The Power Broker"

“Hospitality has always been a potent political weapon.  Moses used it like a master. Coupled with his overpowering personality, a buffet often did as much for a proposal as a bribe.” - Robert Caro in The Power Broker

Learn across domains. Learn from history, politics, economics, psychology, science. 

Robert Caro won a Pulitzer Prize for the biography, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. Moses shaped New York City and neighborhoods supporting bridges, highways, parks, and other massive projects.

Caro asks how an unelected official accumulated extraordinary power. Moses mastered public authorities, financing, legislation, and politics. Caro weighs the pluses and minuses: displaced communities, damaged neighborhoods, and choices that put automobiles first over mass transit.

Ambition and pursuit of power can cause chaos. Knowing the how doesn’t guarantee that you’re doing the right 'what'. Winners and losers emerge. 

Caro explains Moses' complex legacy - interpreting character and competence. I've read summaries, not the entire 1,300 pages. 

The connection to The Power Broker is Caro’s enduring subject: 

• how people acquire power 

• how they use it  

• what that reveals and how it changes them

Here are some principles that translate to coaching:

1. Understand how decisions actually get made.
   Organization charts tell only part of the story. Learn who controls gym access, budgets, transportation, scheduling, and hiring. Dawn Staley explains how she enjoys solving puzzles. Organizational well-being is a puzzle. Relationships affect what we can deliver for players. 

2. Competence creates influence and responsibility.
   Preparation and execution earn trust. Use trust to improve the program, while remaining transparent about decisions - our opinion doesn't equal consensus. 

3. A worthy mission does not excuse harmful methods.
   Winning, building a program, or demanding excellence cannot justify abuses, favoritism, or neglect. Our methods matter.

4. Measure the costs that success can conceal.
   Moses’s projects look different from the prism of displaced residents. A winning season also deserves examination from the perspective of reserves, injured athletes, assistants, and players who quit. Winning can displace valued team members. 

5. Control of resources shapes opportunity.
   Practice reps, individual instruction, film study, and encouragement are resources. How do we allocate resources? Our methods reveal our priorities more than our words. Note this 'caveat' - if you get the 'generational player' then take care of her. 

6. Early choices can constrain the future.
   Infrastructure creates lasting commitments. So do coaching hires, selection criteria, offensive systems, and youth-development practices. Ask how decisions will land down the road. A bad decision can have lasting ripple effects. 

7. Invite disagreement before commitment becomes expensive.
   Give assistants permission to question a plan in its infancy. Ask, “What are we missing?” This is part of the 'premortem' exam.

8. Protect yourself from insular thinking.
   Authority can reduce honest feedback. Create regular opportunities for players and staff to speak, then show that data can change. In the US government, a mechanism exists in the State Department called the Dissent Channel. Be curious and open-minded. "What can go wrong?" invites discussion with allies. 

9. Translate expertise.
   Specialized knowledge can make a leader indispensable. Speaking "truth to power" gets shut down. Grow assistants, explain our 'why', and keep records. A healthy program can function during your absence. Some coaches keep a record of every practice. 

10. Treat communication as an obligation.
    Winning can mask problems and avoid consequences. Explain roles, standards, personnel choices, and setbacks honestly. Families should understand the program beyond 'the headlines'.

11. Reassess whether yesterday’s strengths still serve today’s needs.
    A method that once solved a problem can fail when conditions change. Revisit traditions, drills, and the playbook when unsuited to current players and staff.

12. Legacy can disappear.
    Records remain. Player development, trust, successors, and lasting opportunity get scrutinized, too. “Leave the jersey in a better place” should be more than lip service. 

Key Questions: 

Who benefits from this decision?

 Who suffers?

Whose input haven’t we heard?” 

Sports are entangled with politics and relationships. Everyone isn't rooting for us, so have a defensible program. 

Lagniappe. Sometimes our decisions don't work. Self-analyze honestly. 

 

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Basketball - Mastery and Meaning

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Coaches, pay attention to the "basketball experience."

In 1972, our high school basketball team was 8-12, a perennial second division team in a league that birthed a future NBA first rounder (Lexington's Ron Lee). 

Objectively, my role as 7th or 8th man, was limited. I never started. But I never felt devalued or disrespected, even playing the final eight seconds in one game...that we won. An apprentice doesn't run the show.

Coach Ellis Lane raised standards and kept everyone engaged, regardless of role or minutes. We persisted.

Fast forward to March of 1973. The team had voted me captain (I chose the title Team Representative) and I played all 36 minutes (including overtime) of a one-point sectional title game win in Boston Garden. 

I was never the star; mastery and meaning triumphed through persistence. Seek contribution not validation. 

What fosters a memorable basketball experience? Three areas stand out. 

Positivity. 

Better days are coming. Believe. After a crushing two point loss to Lexington early in the season, Coach Lane lambasted us for 45 minutes. "The better team lost." He added, "We won't lose to them again." We didn't, because he showed us "the obstacle was the way." 

Coach never allowed us to stop believing in him or in ourselves. 

Optimism. 

Some say, "You never stay the same. You're either getting worse or getting better." Process, including habits, provide a chance at improvement. How we apply ourselves matters. Earn confidence through relentless work. 

It mattered then; it still matters. 

Service. 

I never told players to play for the community, the school, or the coach. "Play for the girl next to you." Serve the team.  

Service disallows selfishness, softness, or sloth. "The game honors toughness." Only the tough can serve under duress. 

Positivity, improvement, and service. Raise standards to raise performance. 

Lagniappe. Feelings drive habits. Habits drive performance. "If you can think ahead, which in turn enables you to feel ahead, you give yourself a better chance of making the right decision in the moment." - Brad Stulberg in The Way of Excellence     

Ways to Win More or Lose Fewer Basketball Games

Strong teams find ways to win and lesser teams find ways to lose. 

Two possessions...

Via ChatGPT Plus: 

"About 31% of NBA regular-season games finish within six points—just under one in three.

That estimate comes from 6,150 games across five full seasons, 2021–22 through 2025–26. About 14.5% finished within three points, and another 16.5% finished with a margin of four, five, or six. Exactly six points accounted for 364 games (5.9%)."

And at the Division I college level? 

About 31% of men’s NCAA Division I basketball games finish within six points, roughly one in three and nearly identical to the NBA figure we just discussed. I calculated 31.2% by adding the shares for final margins of one through six points in a published historical sample of about 48,000 college games.

A small number of possessions separate winning from losing at multiple levels.

We know from analytic studies (Four Factors) that key determinants are:

1) Differential effective field goal percentage - "It's a make or miss league"

2) Turnover differential - "Turnovers kill dreams." 

3) Rebounding margin - "Get more and better possessions than opponents"

4) Free throw differential - "Fouling negates hustle." 

Translate that to "rules" that improve those marginal possessions that decide games. 

The "Moneyball Rule" 

In Michael Lewis's Moneyball there's a quote, "If he's such a good hitter, why doesn't hit better?" Restate it as "If she's such a good shooter, why doesn't she shoot better?" Don't "greenlight" bad shooters. 

"The ball is gold." 

Turnovers are zero percent possessions. Do the math. In a high school game where an 'imaginary' team shoots an EFG of 40% (many shoot worse), 20 turnovers on 70 possessions yields 50 potential scoring possessions. 40% of 50 is 20 hoops (40 points). Teams win few games scoring 40 or fewer. Value the ball. 

"Winners are trackers." - Darren Hardy in The Compound Effect

"Measure a thousand times but cut only once." - Turkish proverb   At a medical conference at National Jewish Hospital in Denver, a University of Colorado professor said, "In God we trust; all others need data." Skeptics thrive amidst a lack of data. Measure what matters. 

Be a Charity Case - win at the stripe. 

Tom Hellen said, "Teams that can't shoot free throws last as long in the playoffs as dogs that chase cars." Everyone remembers the games lost via missed free throws. Painful memories last forever. 

Be on the Same Page

One player doesn't know her assignment. That results in blown coverages, screens not set, help without recovery, bad situational basketball (mismanaged time),  and much more. Practice situations each practice. It's a thinking person's game. 

Give and Get Feedback

"Trust but verify." - Ronald Reagan   One team frustrated its coach by not knowing the offensive sets. He explained that he was giving a test on Monday and if you don't know the plays, you can't start. The players learned the plays. Bobby Knight explained a inbounds play during practice, then handed out pencils and paper expecting players to write it down. Trust but verify. Players know far less than we think. 

"Cut hard." 

Many offenses fail because players don't cut urgently. I remember watching one team run a UCLA set with a wing pass and the guard cutting off the high post. It NEVER got open as lazy cutting gets no separation.  

 "There is no 50-50 proposition."

"Get on the floor." Effort is the controllable. Judge a team not only by organization and talent, but how often they outwork opponents. 

Help your teammates.

Talk. Help AND recover. Space. Set clean, hard screens. Move without the ball. Never cut to an occupied post.  Pass willingly. Sprint back in transition. Teams that don't do all these and more haven't earned the right to win. 

Use the 'Truth Machine'

Watch video as a team. Ask "what did you see?" and "how did you react?" CARE = concentrate, anticipate, react, and execute. I don't believe in only showing positives. Read Coach Knight's "The Power of Negative Thinking" because "basketball is a game of mistakes."

Iron Clad Principles 

Pete Newell said, "Get more and better shots than opponents." How do you intend to do that? 

• All defense starts with ball pressure
• Deny dribble and pass penetration
• Shrink space - load and drop to the level of the ball
• No middle
• Help - cover 1.5, your player and half of another
• Contest shots without fouling "never foul a perimeter shot"
• Block out or "hit and get" the rebound

Love your players but don't trust them to know a fraction of what you do about what wins and loses basketball games.

Far more principles exist, but these provide additional foundation. 

Lagniappe. "The game honors toughness." Randy Brown knows hoop. 

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Basketball - "Pelts on the Horse"

Bill Parcells used the phrase “pelts on the horse” for earned credibility: proof you’ve done the work, not just talked about it. Writing thousands of basketball articles shows interest. It doesn’t prove expertise.

Even a coach’s record is a murky credential. Winning reflects players, resources, competition, and coaching, in proportions no one can fully untangle. And the verdict shifts with the results. 

Win consistently without a league title, and people say you couldn’t win when it mattered. Win the league and miss the championship, and you couldn’t win the big one. Dean Smith said that before his first two national titles, he never felt like a loser. Wooden didn’t win his first until his sixteenth season at UCLA.

So what do players remember? I hope it’s character, competence, and the basketball experience. They won’t have agreed with every decision, and if we’re honest, some decisions fell short.

Mine did. When I chose a dozen sixth graders for a three-year fellowship, I committed to them. If they committed and did the work, they stayed. But then another solid player arrives, the balance tips, and the promise I made becomes a problem. That’s on me.

It’s why I believe that in developmental basketball, youth and subvarsity, putting winning ahead of growth usually backfires. The development track has also become expensive. Fees don’t buy playing time, but minutes, like practice, carry meaning for players and families alike.

When I coached, fees ran about $500 a season, covering gym time, referees, and league fees. I took no stipend and sponsored the team into two preseason tournaments. Skin in the game. I was fortunate to be able to.

“Pelts” raises a larger question: what constitutes successful coaching? That’s a topic for another day.

Lagniappe. Earning trust. 

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Basketball - The Wall of Inspiration

I don't have a team, a gym, or a locker room. That reduces the urgency for a "wall of inspiration."

Many of you readers have all of the above and few would even consider what might belong. What works for me might mean little for you.

Suggestions? 

Coach Wooden's "Pyramid of Success." 

Coach Ellis Lane posted this in the high school basketball locker room in 1971. A former player of mine carried her laminated copy in her gym bag every day on the way to becoming a three-sport captain and a graduate of the Naval Academy. 

Basketball Quotes

A shorter list emphasizes what you consider "the best." 

• "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson
• "Old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit." - Proverb
• "The game honors toughness." 

Photographs

Images imprint memories. You decide what works for you. 

Winning exhausts champions.

Posters

Mia Hamm inspired Anson Dorrance to write this. 

Advice

Jay Bilas's "Toughness" article became iconic.

Book Summaries

Read "The Four Agreements." Then, reread.  

Miscellaneous (Lessons Learned)

"The ball is gold." (Turnovers kill dreams.)

"Sacrifice."

"Shot selection is the quickest path to basketball improvement."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same Story, Different Day

In his Substack, Ayodeji wrote, "Your coaching can only change the lives of people who buy. Nobody buys until your marketing moves them. Which means you'll change more lives with your marketing that your coaching."

Be fascinated by the process. They call doctoring, "medical practice." Coaching might deserve being called a "coaching practice." We aren't perfect. 

Timeless principles: 

Chuck Daly said, "I'm a salesman."

Sara Blakely says, "Make it. Sell it. Build brand awareness." 

Ted Lasso simplified the message to "Believe."

How do we sell?

Make it personal. Ask players what they want. Everyone wants to be seen, be heard, and be respected. 

I had lunch with a coach recently who asked each player to write down what they wanted from the season. He said that he told them that at some point he would ask them for the paper. He hasn't asked yet. 

Be a truth teller. 

If we're going to succeed, this is what the team needs from you. Everyone can't get 15 shots and 25 minutes. That's the math. And the math doesn't treat everyone equally. 

Check in. 

Give and get feedback. What's going well? What's not? How can the process work better for you? Everyone won't love the answer. 

Keep a journal 

Include leadership opportunities, actions, and results.

Track decisions. "Stuck with the veteran over the young player...it worked out." If a young player fails, then you may have lost them and the veteran.  

It's yours and you don't owe transparency of your thoughts.

Reviewing them can help us make better decisions going forward. 

Lagniappe. A coach argues that basketball season is different. Weigh in 

With the start of the basketball season on the horizon, it is important for high school student-athletes (and just as importantly parents) to understand how basketball season presents some unique dynamics compared to several other high school sports. Understanding these dynamics (and acknowledging how these dynamics present challenges for all involved) is important and can better foster positive relationships between student-athletes (and parents) and coaches in the hopes of having a rewarding and successful season. @WisBBYearbook @JordanLoppnow @ColtonWilson23 @hshoops25 @Uorangemen2 @BrettPickartsWI @WisBCA

— Mammoth Basketball (@MammothBB) November 2, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball - These Don't Grow on Trees

Self-scouting - do you have these 'guys' or do you play 'by committee'? Develop skilled players and role players. 

Offense (Advantage creators)

• Floor general (even more, add a point forward)
• Fifty percent shooter
• PnR handler
• Screen master/roller
• Inbounder (pressure management)

Defense (Advantage removers)

• Shut down defender 
• Eraser
• Glass eater (Windex, elite rebounder)
• Chaos agent (disruptor)
• Point guard defender

Miscellaneous

• Possession ender (scores, assists, steals, rebounds)
• Physical force

Charles Barkley says, "What is your (NBA) skill?" Give the coach a reason to put you on the floor and keep you on the floor. 

As a coach, connecting with the youth program to create expectations and prioritize role players can create both goodwill and good results. 

Play both ends of the floor. If you're a B+ offensive player and a D- defensive player, are you making teammates better, impacting the game, and impacting winning? 

Lagniappe. Leaving the comfort zone. 

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Basketball - Learning from Great Coaches

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Studying great players, teams, and coaches helps us to 'raise our game'. When I think of Jon Chaney, I think matchup zone. There's much more to be excavated. 

If someone asked you as a player or coach, what differentiates you, what would you say? 

The right answer is the right answer for you and your team. 

What are some possibilities? 

1. Build culture and habits around your philosophy. 

"Win the morning, win the day." We make our habits and our habits make us.

•  I believed the quickest path to varsity basketball for young players was offensive development. 
• Another was to avoid "killer S's" - seflishness, softness, and sloth (laziness).
• Condition with a basketball. 

2. Develop rituals around that culture. 

As far as practice, I greeted each player by name and thanked them at the end of each session. Coaching grows relationships not just players. MVB has culture around pasta parties, 'decorating' houses, team songs, snacks on the bus, and more. 

Coaching middle school girls, I maximized transparency, inviting parents to practice, pre- and post-game meetings.

3. "Make friends with the dead." 

Fewer than eight percent of everyone ever born is living. Get to know Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Wilma Rudolph, or anyone else. 

4. Make excellence your only agenda.

"How you do anything is how you do everything." Hard work and belief in service of character and competence inform remarkable possibilities at home, in school, and in sports. Earning spots on the honor roll and National Honor Society matter in a learning culture. 

5. Seek contribution over recognition. 

Fill your toolbox with technique, tactics, physicality, and psychology. Study and practice with intent. Fergus Connolly's Game Changer presents a seminar on coaching and player development. 

6. "Look for the helpers." 

Find a mentor; become a mentor. Get help and learn leadership approaches as a player, young, or veteran coach. As an experienced coach, help provide more leadership tools. 

• Leadership scorecard - where did you have a chance to lead and what did you do? 
• Journaling - track your progress.
• Study a breadth of leaders...basketball MasterClasses from Coach K, Gino Auriemma, and Steph Curry. Authors like historian Doris Kearns  Goodwin and leadership authors such as Admiral James Stockdale, Colin Powell, and Simon Sinek. 

It's impossible to know everything, but it's possible to treat people better. 

Lagniappe. Want to eat well with fewer calories? Here's a link to suggestions. 

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