Total Pageviews

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Basketball Crescendo

"Anyway, the point is it’s a long piece, maybe fifteen minutes or so, and it starts off slow with just a few quiet instruments and then it gathers momentum and builds and builds into a crescendo, a big finish with all the instruments in the orchestra coming in together. And at the same time, the emotions of the listeners build and come together at the same moment." - Michael Connelly in The Fifth Witness (Lincoln Lawyer, Book 4)

How do you bring along a team to peak headed into the postseason?

Timing matters. 

Apply that across domains - art, philosophy, math and science, music, sports. Van Gogh sold one painting during his life. Only after his death was the extent of his craft excavated. 

'The Lincoln Lawyer', Michael Haller discusses the prosecution's plan to build a symphony of evidence against his client, unleashing into a crescendo of proof.  

Readers know that in "The Bear," Carmen Berzatto learned from his mentors that "Every Second Counts." That's true. But they don't count equally. Exceptional teams improve, gather momentum and become "tough outs" down the stretch. 

Continual improvement

"Love our losses." Learning from mistakes means not repeating the same ones. The plan is to improve every day. 

Team ownership drives results

Excellent teams have team leadership that drives the work ethic and accountability. Russell, Magic, Jordan, Bird, Kobe, Duncan and others had outsized influence in their team narrative. "Follow me" works with both talent and mental toughness. 

Build to a crescendo (input from AI)

Boléro is the perfect postseason metaphor: one rhythm, one theme, relentless patience—then an overwhelming finish. Here are three ways great teams build that same crescendo on the way to tournament time.

1) Relentless repetition → mastery under pressure

Boléro never changes its rhythmic spine. The magic is repetition without boredom.

Team version:
Elite teams resist the urge to “install more” late in the season. Instead, they:

  • Re-run core actions (or defensive rules) daily

  • Add constraints, not concepts (shot clock, disadvantage starts, no-dribble segments)

  • Demand cleaner execution each week, not new ideas

Why it crescendos:
Repetition lowers cognitive load. Under playoff stress, players don’t think—they recognize. Like the snare drum in Boléro, the pulse never wavers.

Postseason edge = fewer decisions, better decisions.

Been there, done that:

Deeper into the post-season, more advantage-disadvantage (5 vs 7 pressure) and more free throw practice.  

2) Incremental load → rising intensity

Ravel doesn’t jump from piano to fortissimo. He adds one instrument at a time.

Team version:
Coaches layer stress progressively:

  • Early: technical precision at moderate pace

  • Mid: game speed + physical contact

  • Late: emotional pressure (crowd noise, consequences, score scenarios)

The work feels manageable daily—but accumulates.

Why it crescendos:
Players adapt without panic. By the time postseason arrives, the intensity feels familiar, not threatening.

You don’t “turn it on” in March. You arrive there already acclimated.

Been there, done that:

You don't play the early rounds of the tournament in 'high visibility' venues. But when the stakes are higher and you're playing in Boston Garden, focus is automatic.  

3) Role clarity → collective power

In Boléro, each instrument enters knowing exactly when and how to contribute. No freelancing.

Team version:
Late-season teams sharpen role definition:

  • Who closes?

  • Who stabilizes?

  • Who brings chaos?

  • Who communicates?

Stars get freedom within structure. Role players get permission to be great at one thing.

Why it crescendos:
Clarity eliminates friction. Energy goes outward, not inward. The group sounds louder than the sum of its parts—like the full orchestra hitting at once.

Been there, done that:

Under the bright lights, "dance with the one that brung you." Asking players who have not done it to do it is a big ask, regardless of their parents' hopes and dreams. 

The shared principle

Boléro teaches restraint. Teams that peak don’t chase novelty or hype. They trust:

  • Process over variety

  • Load over shock

  • Roles over ego

Listen to the start of Ravel’s Bolero, then jump ahead to around 11:30. That’s a crescendo - exactly what Haller meant. Bring your basketball season to a crescendo the same way: through steady, deliberate, daily improvement.

 

Posted by at

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Get in Your Basketball Notebook

Basketball is a thinking person's game. Top players track development of:

  • Skill (technique)
  • Strategy (tactics, basketball IQ)
  • Physicality (strength, quickness, endurance)
  • Psychology (resilience, emotional control)
 They monitor knowledge and performance over time in a notebook or "commonplace book." Winners are trackers. 

What belongs? 

  • It's YOUR journal. You curate what resonates for you. 
  • Quotes
  • Tips
  • Articles
  • Video links (personal - cellphone and other)
  • Philosophy
As a student, athlete, or a professional, you own your work, your growth, your education, and ultimately your results. 

Sometimes it helps to "show your work." Here are five highlights abstracted by AI from Austin Kleon's "Show Your Work." 

1. Process beats product

Don’t just share the finished masterpiece. Share the work in progress: drafts, notes, failures, revisions, questions. People don’t connect to polish first - they connect to process. Seeing how the sausage is made builds trust and curiosity.

Think: practice clips, whiteboard photos, marginal notes, ugly first drafts.

My take: Jump start your creative and critical imagination. 

2. You don’t have to be an expert — just a few steps ahead

Kleon pushes back on impostor syndrome. You don’t need mastery to share value. If you’re learning something today, someone else needs it tomorrow.

Teaching-as-learning is legitimate. Humility + clarity > authority.

My take: "share something great every day."  

3. Share something small, every day

Consistency matters more than volume. A paragraph, a quote, a sketch, a drill idea. Small daily signals compound into a recognizable voice and body of work.

This is Atomic Habits before Atomic Habits: identity is built by repetition.

My take: Win the grind. Press on.

4. Be generous, not promotional

“Show your work” is not self-marketing. It’s contribution. Credit sources. Link freely. Celebrate others. Make your corner of the internet useful.

Generosity is the flywheel. Attention follows value, not hype.

My take: Make your work championship quality. 

5. Build a home base

Social platforms come and go. Algorithms change. Have a place that’s yours - a blog, newsletter, archive - where your work lives and accumulates.

Rent attention, but own your library.

My take: Your thoughts and ideas have value. Write them down. 

Big takeaway:

Show Your Work isn’t about visibility. It’s about participation - joining the conversation by letting people see how you think, struggle, revise, and grow.

Lagniappe. Talent alone is not the Golden Ticket. 
Lagniappe 2. Anyone who's played a lot has played for a coach in whom your belief was so great that you never wanted to disappoint them. 

 

Posted by at

Friday, January 23, 2026

Basketball Trends

Trends happen for good reason, chasing wins. Sports breed copycats. 

Here are five widespread trends that show up across the NBA, filtered through “copy what wins” in college and even good high school programs.

1) Pace + early offense (including “0.5” decision-making)

Teams hunt edges before the defense is set: hard push after makes, quick inbounds, early drag screens, and 0.5 rules (shoot/drive/pass in half a second). Etorre Messina had a key role in this development. The goal isn’t reckless speed. It’s forcing rotation. Once the defense rotates, the offense is playing advantage basketball.

Coaching: sprint wide, rim run, early paint touch, and quick decisions.

2) Three-point volume and spacing 

Spacing is now a system, not a vibe: corners filled, 45° slots occupied, bigs pulled out, and shooters relocating on drives. Even teams that don’t shoot a ton still organize to create "3-point gravity" that opens layups and free throws.

Coaching: teach drive-and-kick spacing, filled corners, and relocation (drift, lift, replace).

3) Positionless lineups and skill versatility

More players with the versatility to handle, pass, and shoot; more bigs initiate actions (DHO, delay, short-roll playmaking). Defenses can’t “hide” a weak link as easily because everyone is involved in screening, switching, and decision-making. Mobility is a premium skill. 

Coaching: train everyone in catch-to-attack, simple reads, and screening.

4) Ball-screen heavy evolution (Spain, empty-corner, re-screens, short roll)

Pick-and-roll didn’t disappear, it evolved to:

  • Empty-corner PnR (less help at the rim) - e.g Duke elbow series

  • Spain PnR (back screen the roller)  

  • Re-screens/rejects/snakes

  • Short-roll passing to capitalize on gravity to the ball

Coaching: teach a menu of counters and short-roll reads. 

5) Defensive trend: switching + scram 

Defenses prioritize taking away clean threes and straight-line drives, often with:

You said
ChatGPT said:

  • More switching (1–4, sometimes 1–5)

  • Scram switching (secondary switching) to 'correct' mismatches after the switch 

  • Strong help rules that suit your teaching

  • More zone looks as change of look (2-3, matchup, 1-3-1)

Coaching: clear defensive rules, simplify as necessary 

Lagniappe. "Earn confidence." 

Lagniappe 2. SEAL Team leader Jocko Willink (author Extreme Ownership): 

Posted by at

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Basketball - "Idee Fixe"

Everyone has an "idee fixe," entrenched perception of the basketball world. It's seductive to believe that our ideas and experience are superior to the "next new thing."

The 1980 NBA Champion Lakers made ZERO three-pointers in the NBA Finals. The NBA introduced the three-pointer that season, making it more of a novelty than a staple of offensive attack.

In 1977, "The Punch" of Rudy Tomjanovich by Kermit Washington led to an unprecedented 20-game suspension. But it paved the way for "decongestion" of basketball behemoths, changing the game forever. The adoption of the three-point shot reduced some of the paint pugilism as the game moved outside. 

Fixed ideas lead to concepts such as "defense wins championships" over "balance wins championships," that shot clocks are unnecessary, and a personal pet peeve, "the demise of the pass-first point guard."

There's also basketball "trickle-down economics." As the long ball becomes more and more of a staple, that influence infects every level of play. 

A summary with an AI assist:

  • 1979–80 (Inaugural Season): 2.8 three-point attempts per game

  • Early 1980s: Remained below 1.0 made per game, with attempts averaging around 3–4 per game

  • 1984–85 Onward: Steady rise in attempts, with a nearly linear trend over 25 years

  • 2000–2010: Gradual increase, averaging around 10–12 three-point attempts per game

  • 2012–13: Reached 20 attempts per game

  • 2015–16 (Steph Curry’s MVP season): Marked a turning point — attempts surged past 25 per game

  • 2018–19: Averaged 30.4 three-point attempts per game

  • 2022–23: Peaked at 35.4 attempts per game, with teams regularly attempting over 35 threes per game. It's still rising. 

There is not a 1:1 correlation with three-point attempts and success. The best team in the NBA (OKC) is 16th in three-pointers attempted per game and the other conference leader (DET) is 27th. 


Image from ChatGPT Plus 


So it's EFG%? OKC is fourth and DET is 17th. 

The object of the game is scoring more points than opponents. Team point differentials reflect the objective. 


Mirabile dictu, defensive rating still matters, too. 


The Thunder and Pistons both appear among the leaders. 

No "fixed idea" or unitary answer explains or solves why teams win or don't. Everything - talent, culture, coaching, balance, and crunchtime execution - goes into the competitive cauldron. 

Lagniappe. Joe Mazzulla ducks some of the "pet peeves" question.

Lagniappe 2. Authentic joy for the success of others is a worthy goal.  

Lagniappe 3. The ability to win without your best stuff is a hallmark of successful players and teams.  

Posted by at

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Basketball - Learn from Football


Learn across domains. Former NFL quarterback Brian Hoyer (8 minutes, above) discusses systems and reading defenses. NFL passing games attack three levels - short, intermediate, or deep. Basketball? It creates shots from inside, midrange, and perimeter. They're similar and different.

Obviously in football, a touchdown 'weighs more' than an individual score in basketball. But efficient team generate "higher probability" chances. That "sums" to better chances at winning. Whether it's 10-11 possessions in football or 60-70 in high school basketball (shot clock) efficiency matters. 

How do basketball coaches exploit defensive tendencies? 

Transition

Attacking before defenses have 'set up' creates choice with numerical and positional advantage, size and skill edges. More athletic teams may benefit. The downside is "loss of control" as players not coaches define the actions. 

On a 3 versus 2 break, I taught the ballhandler to cheat away from the better shooter, to create a longer closeout if she threw there. 

The Laker "Showtime" break taught wings to be at the boundaries at half court. In the NFL, the West Coast Offense wanted to spread defenses over the 53 1/3rd yards. The principles are the same - force defenders to defend more space. 

Mismatches (size, skill)

The Shanahan versions of the West Coast changed the game with outside zone blocking that could create cutback gaps (for Terrell Davis and others). The Broncos won consecutive Super Bowls based on those principles. In basketball, switched screens create size or skill (attack weak defenders) mismatches.

Coach Bob Knight taught that against zone defense, you could still attack weaker defenders. 

Spacing (spreading the field)

Five-out and horns offenses empty the lane and have no 'intrinsic' weak side. In football, speed receivers can 'stretch defenses' opening up zones. 

1) The ball has gravity. Defenses and young offensive players may unintentionally compromise space. 
2) I taught the 'three point line' as the spacing line. I have read that some coaches preach basket cuts if the defender extends beyonds the arc. That only matters with hard cuts and on-time and on-target passers. 
3) Better spacing creates better passing and driving lanes. 

Opening gaps 

In football, pre-snap motion usually reveals whether defenses play man or zone coverage. In basketball, movement can open gaps or even whole sides of the court. 

Duke Elbow "Handoff/Iso" Series. 


With superior point guard and high post players, the 'elbow series' can create serious advantage. 

Overplays (leverage) 

Tight coverage (overplays in basketball) create both headaches and opportunity. Players can take advantage of aggressive defenders with 1) screens and 2) back door cuts. Young players can learn these "solutions" to the problems that can frustrate them. 

Football shares more analogies:
  • Quarterback and point guard - with decisions and accuracy paramount. 
  • Strong side/weak side tendencies
  • Player weaknesses throwing against the grain or non-dominant hand dribbling
Lagniappe. What keeps you off the floor or gets you minutes? 


 

Posted by at

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Basketball- Interesting or Important

Issues sort into various categories. "Lumpers" might choose interesting or important. The classifications aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Pick-and-roll defense

Many ways exist to defend PnR include:

  • Show, hedge, "fake trap" (all the same)
  • Drop coverage
  • Switch
  • Trap/double
  • Through
  • Ice
That's interesting. What's important is what coaches find works best for their team and that players understand and execute the planned coverage.
Offensive Attack

No shortage of offensive strategies and systems exist - everything from "The System," continuity, motion, Five-out, Horns-based, Princeton, Flex, "Blocker-Mover," and so on. That's interesting. Important is what a coach can teach and what suits the size, athleticism, skill, and aptitude of his or her team.

Player Development

In Massachusetts, high school coaches cannot coach their players outside of the regular season. That's good and bad. Good in that it doesn't encroach on player availability for other sports and bad in that it requires extra travel and high expense to play on travel teams. That's interesting. 

What's important is that ambitious players need coaching for:
  • Skill
  • Strategy (game understanding)
  • Physicality (strength, quickness, conditioning)
  • Psychology (resilience/mental toughness)
There's no "one way" or "best way." Chances are that skill development coaches aren't strength and conditioning coaches. Other options beyond the AAU/Club system could add value in player development at lower cost. Ideally, viable alternatives develop to address the need and interest. 

Videos from YouTube, Fiba, and Twitter share an abundance of great information on every aspect of basketball for every level of player. Teachers like Drew Hanlen, Chris Brickley, Don Kelbick, Kevin Eastman, and Colin Castellaw share an abundance of terrific info. 

Lagniappe. You can become a contributor even if you don't have extremes of size and athleticism if you compete with high intangibles. 
Lagniappe 2. Movement kills defense. 

Posted by at

Monday, January 19, 2026

Basketball - Three Principles

Michael Silver's "The Why Is Everything" emphasizes principles of sport. Kyle Shanahan's concepts and colleagues are explained. He overcame the reputation of "nepotism" and "entitled" and a "product of privilege." 

Shanahan and his colleagues - Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris, and Sean McVay - changed the game. Silver describes them as "hyperdriven truth seekers." 

"Think Players over Plays."

Matching players and plays creates a platform for success. Opponent-specific game plans understanding players' abilities create opportunities. 

Basketball application:

Watching a lot of NBA basketball with "switch everything" beliefs, watch how teams use screens and DHOs to create mismatches. The Celtics fell behind Miami big, but came back by getting Tyler Herro (a mediocre defender) onto Jaylen Brown. Small on big screens create mismatches down low (postups) or high with bigs chasing quicker guards. 

"It Just Works."

Trusting the mission wasn't enough. New age players want more, more explanation and more comprehension. "It just works" may mask ignorance that the coaches don't know why. 

Intellectual curiosity can often reveal better explanation and options. Concepts well-explained make sense. The system can enhance and extend what players can do. 

This is why. This is how. This is how we beat them. "Built-in solutions (to adjustments) can break" opponents. "There's a mismatch. They just can't have enough people for the gaps that we have."

Exceptional coaches have exceptional conceptual understanding. Scars and pain are unavoidable. 

Basketball application:

"Five out" offense (50, Spread, Open) became popular to force spacing, open lanes, and make doubling hard. When help comes, penetrate and pitch (drive and dish) often yields open threes. 

"Tell Me the Why."

Justify your position. Know your why and explain "anything and everything." We can't expect enthusiasm about execution without explaining how we are creating advantage. 

Basketball application: 

Forcing young players to play man-to-man defense (even at the expense of wins), raises player development for success at higher levels. Thinking that more wins for sixth graders validates your coaching expertise is fool's gold when those players struggle against older, better, athletic players.

Would you rather remember playing in a sixth grade championship game or a sectional championship game in a major college or pro arena? 

Lagniappe. Winning last year or yesterday doesn't mean anything for the next game (language). "You can't learn only from your losses." 

Lagniappe 2. "I seek ideas, ethics, and values I should believe in, not because they make me anything more than I am now, but because they make me better." - Stanley McChrystal in "On Character."


Posted by at

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Basketball- Mastering Fear


I once spoke with the mother of a player.

“It looks as though she’s afraid,” I said. “Afraid of playing. Afraid of contact.Afraid of getting hurt.”

The mother paused, then replied, “It doesn’t look like she is. She is.”

That distinction matters.

Fear doesn’t always announce itself. Often, it simply governs behavior.

Fear Is Central to Player Development

Progress in basketball, especially at the competitive levels, requires confronting fear, not pretending it doesn’t exist.

Players are afraid of:

  • Bigger, stronger, more physical opponents

  • Being embarrassed or exposed by better players

  • Defensive pressure and turning the ball over

  • Having shots blocked

  • Taking the meaningful shot

  • Not making the team

  • Injury

  • Re-injury after returning from one

These fears are rational. They are human. Ignoring them doesn’t resolve them.

Diagnosing Fear

Sometimes fear is obvious.

You see avoidance behaviors:

  • Passing up the ball before pressure arrives

  • Drifting away from contact

  • Relinquishing responsibility by not moving to get open to receive the ball

Other times, fear only becomes clear after missed opportunity, hesitation, not competing. 

That’s why it’s often better to ask about a player’s concerns early, before fear hardens into habit.

“What worries you when the game speeds up?” “What do you think about when the ball comes to you late?”

Treating Fear

There are no shortcuts. But there are two reliable paths.

1. Skill development
Competence breeds confidence. Players need tools to handle the ball under pressure, to finish through contact, to separate with footwork, to make better decisions. Fear falls when players know what to do.

2. Desensitization
Avoidance reinforces fear. Exposure dissolves it.

If a player fears pressure, they must face pressure. If they fear contact, they must experience contact. If they fear the arena, they must enter it.

That may mean practicing against better, older, more physical players. In girls’ and women’s basketball, it may include selected practice against boys or men, not to intimidate, but to normalize speed and chaos.

Advantage-disadvantage drills, 2 on 3, 3 on 4, and 5 on 7 accustom players to numerical disadvantage. 

The Work Is Courage, Repeated

Speeches or a single drill won't dispel fear. It yields to preparation, repetition, and confrontation.

Players don’t become fearless. They become braver. And bravery, like any basketball skill, improves with practice.

Lagniappe. Match effort to dreams. 







Posted by at
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)