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Sunday, November 9, 2025

What Are Your Got to Have it Actions?

Bill Belichick says most football games have about five “Got to have it” situations. Basketball games can have fewer or more. 

What are ours? They usually sort into special situations, versus man, and versus zone. You'll have at least three of each on your play sheet. One advantage of blogging is that your blog becomes a searchable database.

Special situations


Four. A screen-the-screener action that once got a layup five times in a game. 


Inside stagger action 


Screen the middle of the zone. The low defenders make choices on what to take away. 

Versus Man


Elbow get creates three great options:

  • Reject the ball screen and drive
  • PnR
  • 4 slips 


Iverson backscreen. Iverson action can create action for '2' or a possible layup off the backscreen. 


This SLOB also works well as a standalone half-court set. The initial screen gets the ball to the '2' and the three sets a sequential screen for a diagonal cut for the big. 

Versus Zone


We can run similar actions from different formations or different actions from the same one. 


Alternative roads to the same destination. 

Here's what I got from an AI request:

Setup:

  • Two guards up top. Your ball-handler is one; your best shooter is the other.

  • The high-post (5) sets a ball screen on the top defender.

  • Shooter drifts to the weak-side wing.

  • Baseline players occupy both corners.

Action:

  1. Use the ball screen aggressively to split the top defenders.

  2. As the middle defender steps up, the roller dives into the middle lane.

  3. Ball-handler can:

    • Attack the elbow gap for a pull-up.

    • Hit the diving roller.

    • Skip to the shooter, now open on the weak-side wing.

Why it works: The 2–3 zone isn’t built to guard dynamic two-man action. Ball screens flatten the top, draw help, and create multiple “got to have it” reads — all inside 12 seconds.

Coaching Notes: Execution Under Pressure

  1. Get the ball to the middle, then inside-out. The closer the touch to the rim, the higher the foul and conversion rates.

  2. Rehearse “zone scramble” drills. When the ball skips sides, teach your players to re-space quickly — deep corners, 45° wings, strong high post.

  3. Define the decision-maker. Late in games, have a single “hub” who knows he’s making the read. Simplicity wins in chaos.

  4. Don’t chase perfection — chase advantage. The goal isn’t a “diagram-clean” look; it’s a defender in rotation and a player you trust taking the shot.

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Saturday, November 8, 2025

Basketball - Why We Choose Our Opinion Instead of Facts


Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. If alive today, Teddy Roosevelt might say, "Comparison is the thief of joy." 

Life constantly challenges us to improve. We could think better. Of course, most of us will not. Why not?

James Clear shares answers in "Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds."

Three excerpts:

1) Economist J.K. Galbraith once wrote, “Faced with a choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy with the proof.” People prefer their beliefs over truth. The bandwagon effect is real. 

2) "In Atomic Habits, I wrote, “Humans are herd animals. We want to fit in, to bond with others, and to earn the respect and approval of our peers. Such inclinations are essential to our survival. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived in tribes. Becoming separated from the tribe—or worse, being cast out—was a death sentence.” We put the tribe first. 

3) "We don’t always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about." 

Nobody wants to be told how or what to think. That's fine until it's not. In the dreaded Mann Gulch forest fire, leader Wagner Dodge dropped his tools and lit an "escape fire" at his feet to consume the surrounding area. His men carried their tools up the slope, most to their demise. How do we know when to drop our tools or our beliefs? 

For example:

  • Who's right about zone defense in youth basketball? 
  • Sports gambling, how much damage?
  • Coach Pitino says that the players don't care about the money?
  • Shot clock for all states? 
  • Youth sports costs...sustainable? 

Every other ad on sports seems like it's about sports betting. There were two gambling ads on while I wrote this article. 

There's obligatory caution about the hazards of gambling and fine print about where to get help. Sports wagering data suggest the print is smaller than fine. 

Lagniappe: Everyone has their opinion about the most clutch player ever. Via Reddit:

It's pretty well known that Bill Russell was 21-0 in winner-take-all games, but that's incorrect. 

It's been commonly stated over the years that Russell was 21-0 in winner-take-all games (example). If Russell's team played even with an opponent throughout a series or they both got to the same place in a tournament, Russell's team was ALWAYS going to pull it out in the end

But where does that 21-0 mark come from?

  • At USF, his '55 team was 5-0 in the tourney on the way to the title.

  • At USF, his '56 team was 4-0 in the tourney on the way to the title.

  • In the '56 Olympics, the US squad was 2-0 when it came to the winner-take-all final 4 for gold after the group stage.

  • In the NBA, the Celtics were famously 10-0 in Games 7's throughout his career.

That adds up to 21-0, but it's incomplete.

  • In the '66 playoffs, the Celtics won Game 5 in the best-of-5 series with Cincinnati (link), so Russell was actually 22-0 in winner-take-all-games.


Lagniappe 2. Excuses or discipline? 
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Friday, November 7, 2025

Basketball - "The Map Is not the Territory"

Mental models add clarity to our thinking. They help us see patterns, avoid blind spots, and make better decisions. The simplest are almost self-evident.

  • Sample Size: “A swallow does not make a summer.” It’s easy to crown someone the “next big thing” too soon.

  • Inversion: “What if we do the opposite?” Think Hoosiers - do you run the picket fence or isolate Jimmy?

  • Circle of Competence: “Stay in your lane.” Knowing what you don’t know prevents high-consequence errors.

A less obvious model is “The map is not the territory.”

AI might define it this way:

“Any representation of reality, whether a map, a financial statement, or a theory is a simplification and can never fully capture the complexity of the actual reality it describes.”

Basketball, like life, lives in that gap between plan and reality.

Coaching: Rules vs. Reality

Every coach has rules. “Max effort.” “No walking.” “Talk on defense.”
Those are the map. But the territory is more complicated.

Players are human. Some days they bring fire; other days they don't. Emotions, chemistry, and life all distort the map.

John Wooden adjusted his practice tempo daily based on how his players looked. Brad Stevens often swapped film for walk-throughs when focus waned. The best coaches redraw their maps to match the landscape they see.

Leadership: Ideal vs. Real

The leadership map says the best players should be the best leaders - communicators, role models, and standard-setters. But the territory rarely cooperates.

Michael Jordan led through intensity, not warmth. Kawhi Leonard leads through example not fiery tone. Meanwhile, role players like Udonis Haslem or Derek Fisher often became a team’s emotional compass.

Leadership, like geography, changes with terrain. Great leaders read the landscape and navigate accordingly.

Officiating: The Game Within the Game

The rulebook is the map. The game itself is the territory.

Officials aim for consistency, but perfect uniformity is impossible.
A hand-check in a high school game might be a foul; in the NBA Finals, the same contact is play-on. Two referees can see the same play from different angles and reach opposite conclusions - and both can be right in context.

Officiating lives in nuance. The best read the conditions moment by moment.

Execution: When the Map Meets Chaos

Basketball is more jazz than symphony. The playbook is the sheet music, but the players improvise.

Opponents switch coverages, players slip screens, fatigue blurs reactions.
Helmuth von Moltke said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”
Mike Tyson translated: “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.”

The Warriors’ motion offense looks spontaneous because it is - organized improvisation around shared principles. Maps give approximation and the best execution reveals precision. 

The Big Picture

“The map is not the territory” reminds us to stay humble.

  • Analytics, scouting, and film are tools but imperfect.

  • Metrics reveal patterns, not people.

  • Culture isn’t a diagram; it’s behavior under stress.

Great coaches, investors, and leaders all learn to update their maps as new terrain appears. They invite feedback, question assumptions, and resist false certainty.

The map helps us plan. The territory demands that we adapt. And in that space between theory and practice, control and chaos, lies the art of coaching.

Lagniappe. The unauthorized Saban biography, "Saban," reveals far more about the complexity of the man. His wife said that her husband wasn't the greatest coach, but he was the greatest recruiter. He earned a fortune at Alabama, and alumni donations poured in many fold. One person will describe him as a great guy and another an ass, and both can be right. 

We don't have to erect a shrine to learn about coaching from him. 



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Thursday, November 6, 2025

JC's Basketball Practice Rules - What About Ours?

We're teaching life. Coaches teach the ABC's - approaches, beliefs, and choices. 

Don't create a "life list" (birding) of useful practical applications. Stick to five, the five fingers that make a fist, establish guidelines for each practice. 

1. Be efficient. Start on time, get into and out of drills and practice segments quickly, and end on time. Think like a Swiss engineer. 

2. Stress fundamentals. Figure out how much time to devote to fundamentals (a minimum of fifty percent). Vary drills to keep players engaged and learning. Dean Smith said, "I don't coach effort." We'll never have Michael Jordan, so we must. 

3. Condition within drills. Full court, full press scrimmaging, transition drills, "Argentina Passing," and others keep players running and practicing with a ball. 3 x 3 x 3 shooting gets both high volumes of shots and running. 

4. Make it competitive. Build competition into as many drills as possible. Coach Knight taught that the best activities included offense, defense, decision-making and competition. If I had it to do over, I'd have more scrimmaging, building constraints into it. For example, require scoring inside the paint for part or scoring off perimeter shots, or a paint touch and a ball reversal during a possession. 

5. Defeat pressure defense. Pressure defense forces tempo, challenges teams to pass and cut, and prioritizes avoidance of turnovers. 

My favorite drills is "advantage-disadvantage" 5 versus 7 with constraints of no dribbling. You learn to cut and pass or fail. 

Four-on-four halfcourt without dribbling teaches similar principles. 

Lagniappe. Everybody plays hard in the postseason. You have to get there first.  

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Never Confuse "Simple" Basketball with Easy

Which is easier, doing one thing well or doing five? Students learn the alphabet before studying Shakespeare. There's a progression.

Coach Don Meyer said that coaching had three phases - blind enthusiasm, sophisticated complexity, and mature simplicity.

A great offensive player like KD doesn't trick people. Establish catch-and-shoot, then work on a handful that become second nature. 

Do simple well. Organize, prepare, execute. 

1) Handle pressure defense. Be able to separate in isolation full court. Be able to back-dribble crossover or pass early to nullify the double team. 

2) Good > Great. Great is the enemy of good. Efficiency in the ordinary beats occasional excellence. 

3) Do well what you do a lot. Play and defend in the half-court. Stop transition attacks. Execute and defend the PnR. If you're a shooter, extend your range.  

4) Grow your game. Regardless of our domain, we're either advancing our skillset or falling behind. What one skill you can add? What current skills can we enhance? 

5) What is your skill? What gets you and keeps you on the court? Consult your coaches if you're not sure. Any good coach will tell you to earn trust to earn more playing time. 

6) Study the game. "The WHY is everything." Study video. Study basketball teaching videos (YouTube, FIBA, trainers (Hanlen, Brickley, Kelbick), coaches (Popovich, Etorre Messina, Krzyzewski, Auriemma, Obradovic). 

7) Connect. Some of you have played together and attended school together for years. Strengthen those ties. Share. 

8) Keep a notebook. Write down what you learn. The act of handwriting improves retention. If you learn three new basketball concepts a day, that's over a thousand a year. 

9) Work out together. Shared experience builds skill, competitiveness, and  connection. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had the 10-80-10 concept, that players sort into the top 10%, middle 80%, and bottom 10%. He insisted that top 10%ers bring someone in the middle to training. "Drag them" into the top 10%. 

10) Want to be great. What makes exceptional coaches? Exceptional players. Do not fear greatness. 


One of my favorite basketball teammates played on the freshman "B" team. He asked Coach how he could improve. Coach said, "Play a lot." John became an ML All-Star, outplayed a future Celtics draft choice in Boston Garden, played at Tufts, and had a wonderful career in the petroleum industry.  

11) Never tire of the little things. Coach Wooden attributed Bill Walton's greatness to his will to excel and never to tire of working on "the little things," like his impeccable footwork. You can't be "too good" at fundamental skills. 

12) Believe. Ted Lasso's "fourth thing" was BELIEVE. Belief helps you make a play "in the moment." The 2005 team lost the third set in the State semis and won the fourth something like 25-8. The 2012 State Champions won the fourth and final set 25-10. Excellence has no doubt and leaves none. 

Lagniappe. This volleyball post contains many hoop truths.

 

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Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Basketball - "Not a Game of Perfect" Part One


Leverage the power of the mind. Bob Rotella earned a reputation for elevating performance through his consulting practice. 

"A person with great dreams can achieve great things."

See yourself as a winner. 

"Play one shot at a time." 

"We've got to find a new dream, 'What's next?'"

"I am not a shrink; I am an enlarger."

"A golfer has to learn to enjoy the process."

Make everyday the chance to chase our dreams. 

Champions have strong will, dreams, and a long-term commitment. 

The difference between the consistent and erratic player is the ability to control our thoughts and channel them into consistency. 

"You have to choose to think well."

"Winners and losers are self-determined, but only the winners are willing to admit it." - John Wooden

The player who fears failure starts to focus on mechanics instead of playing 'freely'

The only place to worry about mechanics is practice.

"Trusting is not easy or instinctive."

"Work at developing thoughts and habits that promote trust."

"The hot streak represents a golfer's true capability." 

Staying out of our way means dismissing doubt that interferes with our game (and our game can be relationships, business, or sport)

Lagniappe. Process, confidence, freedom. AI Assist

1. Focus on Process, Not Outcome

“The smaller your target, the sharper your focus.”

Golf: The best players narrow their attention to one shot, one swing, one target. They don’t think about scorecards or leaderboards.

Volleyball/Basketball Crossover:

  • Focus on the next play, not the scoreboard or the last error.

  • Build consistent routines—from serve receive to free throws—so athletes can anchor their minds in the process.

  • Encourage players to “win the rally” or “win the possession,” not to chase the big picture.

Coach’s cue: “Play the next point.”
Teams that play one possession at a time sustain emotional control and outperform more talented, anxious teams.

2. Confidence is a Choice

“You have to train your mind to see what you want to happen, not what you fear might happen.”

Golf: Rotella teaches visualization and belief. Great golfers picture success, not hazards.

Volleyball/Basketball Crossover:

  • Replace “don’t miss this serve” with “attack your spot.”

  • Confidence comes from repetition plus belief. Players must practice pressure situations (serving at 24–23, shooting with 10 seconds left).

  • Coaches model confidence through calm body language and tone, even when the game tightens.

Coach’s cue: “Confidence is preparation plus imagination.”
You train both the skill and the story in your athlete’s mind.

3. Accept Imperfection and Let Go

“The mark of a great player is not how good his good shots are. It’s how good his bad shots are.”

Golf: Every round includes misses. Champions recover faster and don’t compound errors.

Volleyball/Basketball Crossover:

  • Everyone shanks a pass, misses a layup, or mishits a swing. Great teams respond, don’t react.

  • Teach athletes to “flush” mistakes—physical reset (breath, posture, eye contact), then refocus.

  • Perfectionism creates paralysis. Allow mistakes within aggressive, smart play.

Coach’s cue: “Next ball, next play, next possession.”
Mental recovery is the separator between good and elite teams.

Summary Table

Rotella PrincipleGolf LessonVolleyball/Basketball TranslationCoaching Cue
Focus on ProcessOne shot at a timeOne play at a time“Win this rally.”
Confidence is a ChoiceBelieve before you seeRehearse success, not failure“Attack your target.”
Let Go of ImperfectionBad shots happenFlush mistakes, reset“Next play.”

Lagniappe 2. We don't have to be Newell, Wooden, Smith, or Knight. The best version of ourselves can inform excellence. 

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Monday, November 3, 2025

Basketball - Inside the Numbers, An Early Look

First, I don't gamble. Study numbers to understand the game. As a Celtics fan, I'm not optimistic, not because of management or coaching, but because of the talent drain from finances and injury.

Let's look at the Four Factors differentials for Boston after a handful of games. Sample size deserves mention as a limitation. 

These do not include the Celtics shooting 11-51 on threes last night or their being outrebounded by 19. 

EFG% differential

"Just because I want you on the floor, doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight

Rebounding differential 

"Get me the ball, Danny." - Gene Hackman, "The Replacements"

Turnovers

"The ball is gold." - Coach Sonny Lane

Portland is the high forced (21+), high own turnovers (16+) team

Free throws  

“...and you will make your second shot” - Gene Hackman, in "Hoosiers"

Allowing 12 more free throws per game is one indictment, although indirect, of rim protection

Some will say, "the only stat that matters is the scoreboard." Hard to refute that. The top teams necessarily master key areas. The basketball venue is the Court of Truth. 

Lagniappe. Pop wisdom. 


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Sunday, November 2, 2025

Basketball - "Advice"

Back words up with meaning. "There is nothing cheaper than free advice" and "never give advice that you can't take."

1. "Don't miss twice." James Clear's best seller Atomic Habits includes the importance of sustaining good habits. In addition to making good habits easier (the exercise cycle is in the corner of the family room, perfect for watching sports while pedaling. 

2. "Make every part of practice impact winning." Dr. Fergus Connolly is a Human Performance Expert who has worked with great teams and great coaches and programs such as Jim Harbaugh, Chip Kelly, and the US Special Operations Command. Simple warmup activities such as dribble tag inside the arc build skill and competition. 

3. "Teams that can't shoot free throws last as long in the playoffs as dogs that chase cars." Each practice we shot four rounds of ten with a partner. The daily winner challenged the coach for the right not to run sprints. Success translated to a sectional championship in the top division in Massachusetts. 

4. "Toughness is a skill." Brad Stevens says, "The game honors toughness." Reward toughness - setting screens, containing the ball, fighting through screens, taking charges - with minutes. Minutes are educators. 

5. "Fouls negate hustle." Don't reward opponents with bad technique, retaliation fouls, fouling perimeter shots, or bail out late shot clock situations. 

6. "No laps, no lines, no lectures." Sport rewards efficiency. Brian McCormick means that none of the above are efficient. A UCONN practice runs like Swiss watches under Geno Auriemma. Brad Stevens said that watching Bill Belichick's practices made his practices better. Squeeze every second possible out of practice. 

7. "Shot quality scoring." Dean Smith's scrimmages sometimes used scoring based on shot quality - layups or jumpers two, contested shots less and turnovers negative. Coaches create our universe and make the rules. Carolina usually led the ACC in shooting percentage as Smith emphasized shot quality. 

8. "Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses." - Sun Tzu  Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Be good at what you do a lot. 

9. "Every battle is won before it is fought." - Sun Tzu  It's harder to evaluate a team from the 'outside view'. When we have the privilege of seeing practice, the teaching and the priorities, it provides an analytical framework. 

10."When conducting individual meetings it has become critically important that the head coach not be alone in the room with the player when the conversation happens." - Carl Pierson in The Politics of Coaching  Coaching is hard and dissatisfaction will happen sometimes. 

Lagniappe. "Don't be a blame guy." 

Lagniappe 2. Cream from Crean. 

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Saturday, November 1, 2025

Basketball - Visualization

Visualization, "see it and become it," works when blended with physical practice.

In "Ten Minute Toughness" Jason Selk advocated for a "highlight reel" as part of daily mental practice. 

An AI take:

There’s solid evidence that visualization (mental imagery) improves sport performance.

What the research shows (high level)

  • Meta-analyses consistently find that imagery boosts performance across skills and sports, and works best combined with physical practice (not as a replacement). ResearchGate+2ScienceDirect+2

  • Recent systematic reviews/meta-analyses focused on motor imagery in sport likewise report positive, reliable effects on execution quality and outcomes. MDPI+1

  • Sport-specific syntheses show gains in targeted skills (e.g., service accuracy in racket sports). PMC

  • Randomized trials document improvements in speed/agility/reaction or technical execution when imagery is added to normal training. PubMed

A few practical takeaways you can use with athletes

  • Pair imagery with physical reps (e.g., brief pre-practice or pre-point “highlight reel”), rather than doing imagery alone. Effects are larger in combo. ResearchGate

  • Keep it brief and frequent (e.g., ~3–10 minutes, several times weekly). Some newer syntheses suggest total weekly “dose” matters, but brevity plus consistency is workable in team settings. MDPI+1

  • Script process cues (footwork, timing, breathing) rather than outcomes (“win the possession”). This aligns with how imagery most often helps performance under pressure. MDPI

  • Train imagery skill (vividness, controllability); athletes with stronger imagery ability benefit more, but ability itself can be improved with practice.

What belongs in our playing and our coaching highlight reels? 

The "Core Four" development areas are skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology/resilience training. Most coaches have unequal experience among those four elements. 

When we aren't as skilled in one area, we can "outsource" parts by finding assistants with complementary skills or outsource (e.g. strength and conditioning) to specialists. 

Lagniappe. Former long-time Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most often described a player as "fiddling and diddling" with the ball. Jay Wright explains why that's a failing strategy. 

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Friday, October 31, 2025

Basketball - What Mistakes Are You Willing to Tolerate?

Read and study across domains. Ray Dalio, formerly of Bridgewater is famous for his task-oriented approach and rigid accountability. He emphasizes what might be called "mission critical" mistakes.

The problem for basketball coaches and players is that about a third of games are decided by two or fewer possessions. That creates a small margin of error and a large need for accountability. 

Where do coaches 'recover' from errors, two or three scoring possessions that help win close games? Return to the Four Factors. 

  • Avoid "shot turnovers." They're "no hope" shots. My coach labeled them "sh** shots" over fifty years ago. 
  • DME (defensive mistakes and errors) such as beaten in transition Example
  • Reduce turnovers (zero percent possessions) and live-ball turnovers that cause high points/possession chances. Example
  • Stop failed or non-existent blockouts. Second shots score 50 percent and third shots 80 percent. Not blocking out the first possession of the game counts as much as the final. One coach claimed that stationing a guard at the free throw line averages three rebounds a game. Example
  • Bad fouls (perimeter shots, poor technique, retaliation fouls, late shot clock fouls that bail out opponents) Example
  • Prioritize free throw shooting. Practice under fatigue and pressure (we used partner shooting with verbal harassment of the shooter.) 

Highlight videos generally don't show "stupid shots", "bad fouls", "lack of effort" or "bad turnovers, e.g. driving or passing into traffic." Watch film of youth or high school games and the decision-making is dramatically worse...some of which is not in the coach's control. 

"Stamping out bad basketball" includes attention to detail, knowing your job, and execution. 

Lagniappe. Leaders drive culture. 

Lagniappe 2. "It's our universe." Add constraints in practice.  

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Thursday, October 30, 2025

Basketball - Perception, Action, Will

Coaching and playing basketball mean overcoming obstacles. Everyone needs to overcome something.

Ryan Holiday's "The Obstacle Is the Way" divides into three sections:

  • Perception
  • Action
  • Will
Holiday shares numerous examples about how historical figures transformed themselves or situations using these elements. 

Perception is in the eye of the beholder. 

"I'm a good coach but I don't have the talent. I don't have the feeder program. I don't have the facilities or the practice time. This isn't a basketball town." Look at it as an outsider.

  • What have we invested in learning and applying player development?
  • How have we connected with the community and youth programs? Did we meet with the coaches, share ideas, and seek integration?"
  • "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools."
Actions change directions. 
  • Are we leading or managing? What have we done?
  • Attended and reached out to youth coaches?
  • Established a strength and conditioning program?
  • Conducted free clinics?
Whose will is it anyway?
  • "Deo volente." It's in God's hands. If we didn't get the hay into the barn, that part is on us. 
  • Teams reflect the coach's will. Do we teach preparation, resilience, and selflessness?
  • Will to win has less bearing than will to prepare. Did we have the will to prepare? 
  • "The best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining." - John F. Kennedy
Our "will" represents us as the smartest, the most skilled, the most beautiful. Maybe we should wish to be the hardest working or the kindest. We have a modicum of control of the latter. 

Three quotes from "The Obstacle Is the Way"

- "The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition."
 

- "What matters most is not what these obstacles are; but how we see them, react to them, and whether we keep our composure."
 
- "Failure shows us the way—by showing us what isn’t the way."

Lagniappe. Amor Fati: Love your fate. Don’t just endure it — embrace it.

Coaching blends creativity with execution. Both matter. Both reveal us.  

Lagniappe 2. Coaching blends creativity and execution. 

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