Function at the higher pay grade. That means knowing the duties and responsibilities of our boss and sometimes our bosses' boss. That doesn't mean ignoring the Chain of Command.
As a medical student on clinical rotations, I pictured myself as the intern. As the intern, I visualized the team from the resident's viewpoint. As a senior resident, the model became, "how does the Attending Staff view this problem?"
Raise your pay grade:
Ask better questions (What's the strategy here? Why does this work?)
What if? What if we inverted the press break with the frontcourt players bringing up the ball?
Study great teams, players, and coaches. What made Pete Newell, John McLendon, or Pat Summitt tick? How did Jordan dominate although shooting only 32.7% from three?
Find mentors. “Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence.”
Carve out “thinking time.”
Study situations. Great teams and players find ways to win.
Learn recovery. Players with better recovery after training and games - nutrition, hydration, sleep, muscle recovery, contrast therapy - have proven competitive edges.
Build better habits of time management and efficiency. The younger you craft great habits, the longer your edge, the more marginal gains and magic of compounding.
Learn to assemble disparate data into believable theories. Tom Heinsohn theorized that as defenses sold out to stop threes, basket cuts would gain more traction.
Learn artificial intelligence.
Listen to Yoda. “Do or do not there is no try.”
Lagniappe. Hard-to-defend actions create higher points per possession chances and offenses at or near the top of the league.
Auburn finished last season with the 8th‑best offense in D1 (1.167 PPP).
A big part of it? Their 'Iverson' Cut series. In this Substack post, we breakdown three plays that Auburn used out of the 'Iverson' Cut.
Lagniappe 2. Support our kids; don't live our lives through them.
PARENTS: Don't build your happiness around your kid’s athletic performance. If you get in a bad mood because they played bad, take a break from the game. Your kid needs to have tough performances to learn, not have great performances to make you feel good.
Don’t worship at the altar of analytics but don’t ignore common sense either. Get "baseline data" by asking players what they know about analytics. Unless we've taught them, expect blank stares.
Regularly 'check in' with players on their understanding. It's less than we think.
Let common sense guide us. There’s a continuum in points per possession depending on level.
In the NBA it’s free throws, layups, and threes.
Extrapolating from NBA to youth levels earns disappointment.
Youth teams play zone because few young teams have proficient perimeter players.
"In God we trust, all others need data."
To paraphrase Billy Beane in "Moneyball," if she's such a good shooter, why doesn't she shoot better?
High points per possession:
Live ball turnovers
Free throws
Low ‘contestedness’ layups
Basket attacks off cuts
Open threes for legitimate shooters
Something less and high variance:
PnR
Midrange
Contested layups
Contested perimeter
Isolation
Low points per possession:
Turnovers (ZERO percent)
Poor shooters
High "contestedness" by solid defenders
Out of range shots
Off balance and rushed shots
Think ROB (in range, open, balanced)
Encourage players toward winning actions:
Simplify the game
Earlier shot clock possessions before defense is set
Avoid zero percent possession (turnovers, "shot turnovers")
Better passing as "the quality of the pass relates to the quality of the shot" - Pete Carril
More shots for better shooters, fewer shots for 'limited' shooters ("Just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight)
“During critical periods, a leader is not allowed to feel sorry for himself, to be down, to be angry, or to be weak. Leaders must beat back these emotions.” - Coach K pic.twitter.com/Nb0swbzmpb
Framing is a mental model designed to produce your desired outcome. For example, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger presented three options to President Nixon regarding the Vietnam War. They were withdrawal (loss), nuclear escalation (unacceptable), or continuation ("muddle along"). Nixon chose indefinite war. Kissinger's limited options framed his desired approach.
Sell strengths. With an open high school coaching job in our community, how would I 'frame' the narrative if I pursued the position? I am not...
Education. I attended a local area public high school as valedictorian and was awarded the Scholar-Athlete Award. I graduated from Harvard with an honors degree in Chemistry and played three years of college baseball as a walk-on. Subsequently, I held an Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship which earning an M.D. from Boston University. Subsequently, I invested ten years in training and service in the Navy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and was Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and Critical Care Medicine. I was the Research and Training Officer in the Pulmonary Department.
Experience. I have not coached regular season high school basketball, coaching middle school for about twenty years, six as a head coach (two teams apiece for three years). Middle school coaching prioritized the player experience and player development. I played high school basketball, serving as Captain (I called it Team Representative) for a sectional champion in the top division of Massachusetts High School basketball. I was not a star; I understand playing a role.
Player development. I've coached local players who became All-League in four different high school leagues as our players didn't always matriculate at the local high school. Two of our 'graduates' currently play women's D1 basketball in the Atlantic 10. One was on the Patriot League All-Rookie team last season despite playing for a 1-29 American University team. Multiple former players earned entry into the Melrose High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Character development and priorities. Numerous graduates from our program have gone on to success in education, business, nursing, and more. One player graduated from Annapolis and is a Navy helicopter pilot. Another nears graduation as a veterinarian.
Leadership. My high school basketball coach, Sonny Lane, a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, described me as "the best leader the school ever had." I was Assistant Department Head of the Internal Medicine Clinic at Bethesda, Director of Respiratory Services at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, head of the Intensive Care Unit, and served as President of the Medical Staff for the two-year term.
Basketball philosophy. As Phil Jackson said, "Basketball is sharing." Our philosophy has always been "Teamwork, improvement, and accountability." Control what you can control with focus, attention to detail, and high effort play seeking to be a "worthy opponent."
I leave an extensive "paper trail." My basketball blog has over 4,400 entries that chronicle my basketball training, experience, and beliefs. The Feedspot "blog clearinghouse" ranks my basketball blog number 11 in their universe. Yes, I realize that there is no accounting for taste.
Strategy. I love practice. I believe in devoting half of practice to fundamentals. You don't go back to fundamentals; you never leave. I believe that solid offensive teams must handle pressure, be effective in the pick-and-roll game (PnR), and have a half-court offense with "hard-to-defend" actions such as simple and complex screening, front and back door cutting, and excel in special situations such as BOBs, SLOBs, and ATOs (after time out).
Defensively, I think all defense begins with solid individual defense. As a high school player, I was discussed at the Middlesex League meeting as being the "best defensive guard" in the league, so I know the commitment required. Team defense starts with individual defense. Multiple defenses add value to the extent that players have the basketball IQ to execute them.
Communication with parents and playing time. Playing time is earned not dispensed. Maximal transparency allows parents to attend practice as observers if they desire. The best way to earn minutes is effective practice. Coaches should never discuss players with parents other than their own children. Bob Knight aptly said that if you discuss strategy with the fans in the stands that you'll soon be up there with them. A 24 hour "cooling off" period after games helps everyone's perspective. Reserve players should get opportunities within the framework of score, time, and situation. I wouldn't leave starters in to "run up the score" or "keep the score more respectable" in a blowout.
Commitment. I have lived locally for over 34 years, raised our family here where children attended public school. I understand the history and implications, strengths and limitations of the local high school athletic scene. I only ask that the committee takes into consideration the extensive basketball experience, training, and leadership above.
Take your work seriously but not yourself.
Lagniappe. Choose from discipline highlights. Routine. Self-care. Give yourself grace. "Do more of what works and less of what doesn't.
Clayton Christensen, one of the most influential thinkers in business and innovation, had a habit that set him apart—even among Harvard Business School students. As John Coleman recalls in Critical Thinking Starts with Careful Questioning, Christensen kept a notebook to record the best questions his classmates asked. He didn’t just admire them—he studied them. At home, he’d reflect on why a particular question cut deeper or revealed more than others.
His habit wasn't about collecting answers. It was about improving the way he thought.
Coleman shares a few practices that sharpen critical thinking:
Hold your hypotheses loosely
Embrace the discomfort of not knowing
Listen more than you talk
Ask open-ended questions (avoid yes/no)
Consider the counterintuitive (don’t jump to conclusions)
Sit with a problem longer
Ask tough follow-ups
He closes with a reminder that’s both simple and profound:
“Learn to formulate and ask questions, rather than simply answering them.”
This approach to thoughtful inquiry is a cornerstone of how high achievers learn, lead, and solve problems.
Quick Note-Taking Hacks
Notebooks don’t have to be leather-bound and old-school—though they can be. Here are a few quick ways to capture what matters:
Use a smartphone notes app
Take a photo or screenshot
Copy a URL and email it to yourself
Send yourself a short text with keywords
Why It Matters
High performers almost always track ideas, questions, and insights. What separates the great from the average isn’t just hard work—it’s structured thinking. They have systems to gather, sort, and share information effectively.
One of the emerging superpowers of artificial intelligence is helping us develop those systems—making us faster, clearer, and more organized in how we handle information.
Coaching begins with preparation, attention to detail, and sharing clear, impactful information. Start with a notebook. Physical or digital, it’s still one of the smartest tools you can carry.
Lagniappe. Let your best players know that you will coach them hard because that helps both them and their teammates.
“I was always hardest on our best players because your best players can take you places that others can’t.”
Youth sports has become big business. The last number I saw was $40 billion dollars.
Are you getting your money's worth? Is the quality of the basketball coming out of these programs better? Has youth sports "priced out" a lot of families who just can't pay that freight?
What are the costs?
Registration fees
Participation fees (program fees, gym time, officials)
Uniforms and sneakers
Tournament fees (spectator fees)
Travel
Hotel and food expenses
Sports club membership (e.g. YMCA)
Sport specific and/or position specific camps (e.g. point guard or setter camp)
Athletic training/strength and conditioning (optional?)
Sport specific coaching/private skill training (optional)
"As little as four hours of exercise a week may reduce a teenage girl’s risk of breast cancer by up to 60%; breast cancer is a disease that afflicts one out of every eight American women. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1994)
Forty percent of women over the age of 50 suffers from osteoporosis (brittle bones). (Osteoporosis, 1996) None of us should want our daughters to repeat the experiences of generations of women—our mothers and grandmothers—who were not permitted to play sports or encouraged to participate in weight-bearing exercises that are necessary to establishing bone mass.
Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression."
Youth sports are a "pyramid scheme" where some at the top benefit with success, recognition, athletic scholarships, even NIL money? All are powerful incentives to reach for the 'brass ring'. Realize that "many are called and few are chosen."
Parents willingly sacrifice "time and treasure" with no guarantees of 'return on investment'. The fees alone for joining club teams can run in the thousands of dollars and generally do not include travel expenses.
The sports season is the tip of the iceberg. The skill building, film study, strength and conditioning, resilience training, and everything else that happens occurs below the waterline.
Play a lot. What alternatives would be possible? My high school coach told us to "play a lot." In the summer, that included "Summer League" games and going to the park to "run" often against older competition. Old guys can teach you a lot.
Safety. Safety concerns changed the landscape, especially for younger players and girls. Players are sometimes called "car athletes" because they play when they get a ride. Awareness of heat safety matters.
Camp driveway. Players can work a lot on their own but the best practice occurs with offense, defense, decision-making, and competition.
Skill training sessions. Once we offered twice weekly outdoor voluntary sessions (June-September) with skill building and team building exercises. The best players took advantage of those opportunities.
ChatGPT shares excellent ideas to reduce expenses:
Youth sports, especially club and travel teams, have become cost-prohibitive for many families. While getting lots of reps and strong competition is key to development, there are practical ways to keep costs down without sacrificing growth. Here are some alternatives and strategies:
1. Play Local, Compete Smart
Join Local Leagues: Many YMCAs, park districts, and community centers run quality leagues at a fraction of AAU prices.
Limit Travel Tournaments: Choose a few high-value tournaments each season rather than traveling every weekend. Stay regional when possible.
2. Build a “Pod” or Training Group
Create a Training Circle: Gather a consistent group of 4–8 players and a coach or trainer to practice regularly. Split court rental and coaching costs.
Skill-Sharing Model: Rotate among parent-coaches with basketball experience. One handles shooting, another defense, etc. Collaboration saves money and adds variety.
3. Emphasize Skill Development Over Exposure (Early On)
Private or Small-Group Skills Training: One or two sessions a week focused on ball handling, footwork, and shooting can yield better returns than games.
Invest in Tools: A hoop at home, cones, resistance bands, or a membership to a local gym can be lower-cost and more effective long-term.
4. Use Open Gyms and Free Play
Find Open Gyms: Many schools and rec centers offer free or low-cost open gym hours. Playing pickup builds creativity and toughness.
Encourage Self-Directed Practice: Shooting and ball-handling can be improved daily at a local court—free and valuable.
5. Partner with a School Program
School Team Alignment: Encourage your child’s school coach to offer off-season skill sessions or summer leagues, which are often cheaper and more community-based.
6. Get Creative with Travel
Carpool and Share Lodging: Coordinate with other families to reduce hotel and gas costs.
Host Local Events: Help your local club host a tournament—this can earn revenue and reduce the need to travel.
7. Consider Multi-Sport or Seasonal Focus
Play Other Sports in Offseason: Basketball IQ and athleticism often improve when kids play other sports. It’s cost-saving and developmentally sound.
Basketball in Bursts: Instead of year-round basketball, do focused 3-month skill blocks followed by a break or change in sport.
8. Scholarships or Financial Aid
Ask About Financial Help: Many clubs offer discounts, payment plans, or scholarships—but you have to ask.
Volunteer in Exchange: Offer to help with team management, coaching, or fundraising in return for reduced fees.
9. Don’t Chase the Big Name Club
Find the Right Fit: A lesser-known club with strong coaches and a good culture can be more beneficial than a “brand name” team with less personal attention.
10. Use Video and Tech Instead of Exposure Tournaments
Film Games or Workouts: A good highlight reel + strong in-game clips matters more than attending expensive “exposure” events.
Free Online Tools: Tools like Hudl, YouTube, and social media can help players get seen without constant travel.
Lagniappe. I love practice.
Bob Knight on Practice: * The single most important aspect of coaching is running effective practices. * The goal is to make practice more difficult, physically & mentally, than the game. * I designed my practice plans the night before, then made tweaks before practice began. pic.twitter.com/s9GA0Lrt0y
"The design of a murder book was consistent across all department homicide squads. It was divided into twenty-six sections—crime scene reports, lab reports, photos, witness statements, and so on. The first section was always the chronological record." From Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
"Yes. I learn what you think is important, how you put things together, make conclusions. You remember you told me once that all the answers are usually in the murder book. We just don’t see them." - from “The Crossing “ by Michael Connelly
What belongs and what organization should our “basketball murder books” have?
Introduction. The goal of the digital record is to establish an updatable history of our season. Review creates chances to learn and improve.
Chronological record. Start with tryouts and proceed through team selection, practice, and individual game reports.
Major suspects. What teams, styles of play, and individuals both others and ours caused GBH (grievous basketball harm).
Offense. Where do our points arise or not arise? Are we struggling against pressure, man, zone defenses? How is our spacing, cutting and passing, shot selection? Are we turning the ball over too much? Do we get to the line and convert?
Defense. How much resistance are we putting up? How is our transition D, ball pressure, denial, limiting penetration, challenging shots, controlling the boards? Do we communicate well, some, or poorly? Are we fouling for profit or our demise?
Conversion. How well do we go from offense to defense and defense to offense?
Forensics and Analytics. What is the relative balance of the Four Factors - effective field goal percentage, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws. SPCA (shooting, protecting the ball, crash, and attacking to get fouled).
Crime scene Photos and Video. Still pictures and video allow us to ask, "what did you see" and "what did you do?"
Witness statements. Observers often don't see accurately or the same thing. Parents' eyes and coaches' eyes see through different lenses both focus and color. Assistants sometimes point out vital findings that we didn't see. Ignore the noise of media and fans.
Summary. Analogy is a valuable tool. "Victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan." The capacity to self-reflection, see objectively, trend accurately, and make corrections has a name - coaching.
Lagniappe. Don't be provincial. Ideas from around the world can help.
22:00 of the best sets and actions for SLOB’s from the 24-25 Spanish ACB League. Every team included. If you’re a coach looking to upgrade your SLOB package, this is a must-watch. pic.twitter.com/Nx4nJuGlJ2
"Blocked practice (practicing the same skill under the same conditions) leads to more rapid gains in performance but limited transfer when variability is introduced." Layup lines do not simulate chasedown layups in pressure situations.
Example: shooting free throws is an important skill. Seldom does a player shoot more than three consecutively. Often players shoot when fatigued or under pressure. Interspersing free throw practice amidst conditioning activities or shooting with movement creates variability and "game conditions."
Skeleton Offense
Coaches sometimes introduce offense without defense. They run players through patterns without defensive disruption. Adding defense requires good spacing, setting up and cutting urgently, and on-time, on-target passing. Finding balance, efficiency, and competition are a constant challenge.
Small-sided games (SSGs) get more touches, allows for constraints, and provides defense and competition.
Conditioning
After a disheartening loss in 1971, we spent an entire practice running. Laps and sprints. It was punitive without benefit. Conditioning wasn't the problem. A better team took us apart. In the immortal words of Director Ron Howard, "What idiot directed that scene?"
Condition with a basketball. Every coach has combination drills. Here's one of my favorites.
Emphasize sprinting to the ball, calling out the receiver's name, and crisp passing. Five minutes of action means nearly continuous running.
Shooting without Pressure
We've all coached players who can knock down shots in 'catch and shoot' drills in practice but can't score with a defender in the same area code. Add constraints like defense, time pressure, or performance pressure. For example, with "Bill Bradley/Beat the Pro" players get one point for a make and the Pro gets 3 for your miss. You have to make 11 before missing three. A harder version is make 15 before missing two.
Brian McCormick’s “Fake Fundamentals” – Examples
Three-Man Weave
Defensive Slide Drills Without a Ball or Offensive Player
Shell Drill Without Live Play
Laps and Lines in Practice
Closeouts with Choppy Steps
Form Shooting with No Defense or Movement
Passing Drills Without Decision-Making
Suicides or “Conditioning” Without a Ball
Pivoting Drills Without Pressure
Stationary Ball-Handling Drills
Layup Lines as a Warm-Up
Box-Out Drills Without Live Rebounding
McCormick challenges these drills because they often lack context, decision-making, and transfer to real game situations. Many coaches do not agree. Make your own decisions.
Lagniappe. Analytics can support our coaching decisions. Apply analytics with goals of raising points/possession.
Ball Reversals 🤝 Paint Touches
Data like this is extremely powerful. This is a study of 12 'high level D1 schools'.
Regardless of level, the goal is to get to 1.00 PPP. Out of any system/style, this data shows us the key to having an efficient offense is having an element… pic.twitter.com/GWoXnJybfq
Lagniappe 2. Art imitates life in this quote from "The Burning Room" from Michael Connelly.
"He firmly believed and it had been his repeated experience that the answers to most cases are hidden in the details." Lawyers say that when you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. And when you don't argue the law. Get the details on your side in coaching - skill development, basketball IQ, strength and conditioning, resilience.
Assigning blame for losses is popular. In a game with 150 possessions, convenience finds a late shot or failed blockout "easy" causes for a late loss.
Distinguish root (underlying) causes from immediate causes. Until we address the underlying causes, many ways to lose appear.
We replay the final possessions or minutes and find scapegoats. What are the core causes?
Management (player acquisition, program development)
Talent (nobody wins big without talent)
Coaching (player development, strategy, game management)
"Connection" (the parts may not fit together well)
Resilience (mental toughness, experience)
Randomness (luck, health, a call - block or charge)
We need diagnoses upon which to apply treatment. I saw a team lose 50-49 despite shooting 22/45 from the line and committing 25 turnovers. Sometimes the answers are easy.
Ask some of the following:
- How can I teach better?
- What can I simplify?
- Have I given and taken enough feedback?
- During practice are we prioritizing our strengths and working to limit our weaknesses?
- Are we practicing situations (BOB, SLOB, ATO, offensive and defensive delay games) pivotal to winning close games?
- Will analytics (e.g. the Four Factors) reveal something I'm missing?
- Can I get honest, objective advice from a trusted colleague?
Lagniappe: ChatGPT (AI) gives an interpretation of proximate and underlying causes.
The proximate cause and underlying cause of basketball losses refer to different levels of explanation, much like the difference between symptoms and root causes in medicine.
🟢 Proximate Cause
Definition: The immediate or surface-level reason for a loss.
Examples:
Missed free throws in the final minutes
Turnovers in crunch time
Poor shooting percentage
Failure to execute a final play
Defensive breakdown on a last-second possession
These are what happened during the game to result in the loss.
🔴 Underlying Cause
Definition: The deeper, systemic issues that lead to the proximate cause.
Examples:
Lack of mental toughness or late-game composure
Inadequate practice of end-of-game situations
Poor conditioning or fatigue affecting execution
Team culture that tolerates low accountability
Inconsistent coaching messages or strategy confusion
These are why it happened—the foundational or structural issues that contributed to the outcome.
🏀 Basketball Analogy
Proximate Cause: We lost because we gave up a wide-open 3 in the final seconds. Underlying Cause: We don’t communicate well on switches because we don’t consistently practice closeouts and late-game defense under pressure.
Coaching Application
Address proximate causes to improve execution.
Solve underlying causes to improve culture, preparation, and consistency.
Both matter—but only fixing proximate causes is like applying a Band-Aid without treating the infection. Strong teams address both.
"Invert, always invert." - Mathematician Carl Jacobi
A post about reasons to love coaching merits a rebuttal. A senior Army physician once asked, "Why are you a doctor, EGO or MONEY?" I said, "Sir, I never had any money and the Navy won't change that."
Let's list some possible frustrations
Work-life balance
Player commitment
Player obstinacy (rare)
Misaligned interests
Parents (occasional)
Money (it costs parents too much)
Coaching well consumes time. Family time competes with coaching time. If coaching is not our primary job, then it squeezes time further.
Player commitment varies. Everyone deserves coaching. In the Harry Bosch vein, "Everybody counts or nobody counts." It can be frustrating to have 'hobbyists' who aren't as committed as others.
Frank insubordination is rare. What makes it worse is that participation is voluntary. If a player doesn't want to be part of the program and chooses to do her own thing, why are they around? Invariably, it's a matter of maturity.
Misaligned interests. No scouts are coming to middle school tryouts, middle school practices, or games. The player consumed by numbers who puts the scorebook before the scoreboard doesn't make much sense. There are stories about players berated by parents because they didn't shoot enough or score enough. That's on the parents.
"Snowplow parents." I rarely saw it. Advocate for your child's attention, playtime, respect. If you don't who will? Every child is a special person. Few children will be special players. Literally, no child with difficult parental input ever became all-league or above.
Money. Over half a century ago, the cost of youth basketball and camps was reasonable. It's gotten crazy as the explosion of youth sports offerings drives the industry into the tens of billions. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer, sponsor tournament fees, and cater an end-of-season gathering. Still, participation fees for kids ran over $400 a year (gym time, league fees, officiating fees). Total that across multiple leagues, multiple sports, and multiple children and parents are paying thousands annually.
With city budgets strained amidst inflation across numerous domains and tax overrides voted on regularly, the system feels unsustainable.
Despite the issues, I always felt it was worth it, regardless of the wins and losses.
"Our defaults work off deeply ingrained biological tendencies—our tendencies for self-preservation, for recognizing and maintaining social hierarchies, and for defending ourselves and our territory." - "Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results" by Shane Parrish
Let's take a 'hypothetical' situation. A hypothetical is an imagined situation not necessarily true.
Presume there are three similarly skilled guards with the necessary skills - offensive, defensive, basketball IQ. Realistically, two ascend the "depth chart," and the third initially has a smaller role.
You may have played the game "musical chairs," where the music stops and everyone scrambles for a seat. And each round, one chair gets removed. That's the lineup "numbers game."
Similarly, the Red Sox have a group of capable outfielders - Abreu, Rafaela, Anthony, Duran, Refsnyder, Yoshida. Depth is great but teams have three outfield slots and the DH. Everyone will not be happy and ownership doesn't want to pay big money for hypothetical production.
The "numbers crunch" challenges coaches and players. Different factors play into it - ego, emotion, the "social" situation, inertia.
Everyone needs to be valued (ego demands).
Being left out can create dissent, frustration, anger.
Comfort picks the status quo if possible.
How is the team reacting to the decision?
Across the wide world of sport, what happens? Some players put the team first and keep working. Some players redouble their efforts, knowing that playing time is 'dynamic' and depends on performance. Some players rebel and become a distraction. Some quit.
Coach Sonny Lane used to say, "It's not who starts that matters, it's who finishes."
Earn the trust of your coach and the chance at minutes, role, and crunch time.
Control what you can control - attitude, choices, effort.
Be a great teammate.
It is hard not to have what you want. If it's important to you, keep grinding. You will always get an opportunity. It's up to you to make the most of it.
Lagniappe. Don't memorize a dozen zoom (downscreen DHO) actions. Visualize the possibilities and create.
Michael Connelly's grizzled detective, Harry Bosch, studies a case laying out photographs on a table. Solve puzzles by assembling the pieces. Use the "big picture" and the granular details.
It might not seem "efficient" as film study, yet it calls attention to the action/inaction of everyone on the floor.
Here are a few screenshots from the Celtics-Knicks, Game 5, a.k.a. "the Kornet Game."
Every game "sums" individual possessions. Most focus on "end of game" actions, but winning individual possessions gets underrated and undertaught in my opinion.
Half-court action, at first glance an isolation with Brown against a smaller, defensively challenged Brunson. Kornet is in the "dunker" and Horford spaced in the corner.
Brunson in position to take away the middle, Brown not 'threatened'.
KAT has no "line of sight" for Kornet. He doesn't appear to be able to limit a Kornet cut. Will Kornet cut to the low block? He could also screen for several players. He's not a shooter, so relocating may not move KAT, aside from avoiding a defensive three seconds call.
Pritchard and White space high.
What happens? Brown gets into the paint, uses a "Euro step" and "draws two." As KAT leaves Kornet, Brown delivers a 'wraparound' and Kornet gets an easy two. "Great offense is multiple actions."
Lagniappe. Winning on the road...good suggestions at home, too.
Houston Basketball To Win on the Road: 1) Defend (No Paint) 2) Win Rebound War 3) Take Care of the Ball pic.twitter.com/AGNRC1XuZY
What are our standards? How consistently do we maintain them?
When Nick Saban was a boy, he worked with his father at the family's service station. He washed cars. His father inspected the finished job and if there was one spot or streak, his father made him to the job over. There was one standard.
"What are you selling today?" Model excellence.
Shane Parrish addresses standards in Clear Thinking. "But average standards aren’t going to get you where you want to go. Standards become habits, and habits become outcomes."
Sean Miller shares standards (harsh language).
2: Having high standards "The standard is the standard."
High standards create clarity and direction about what's expected.
Great coaches set the bar high because they want the best for you.
When someone believes in you enough to expect greatness, it inspires you to rise up. pic.twitter.com/VsqNRTAcKn
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) July 21, 2025
49ers coach Bill Walsh preached standards in his "Standard of Performance" and his exceptional book, The Score Takes Care of Itself.
Via ChatGPT:
Bill Walsh's philosophy on standards in The Score Takes Care of Itself centers on the idea that success is a byproduct of relentlessly high personal and organizational standards—not a pursuit of the scoreboard.
Here are the key principles he emphasizes:
1. The Standard of Performance
Walsh’s central concept is what he called the “Standard of Performance.” This is a detailed blueprint for behavior, attitude, and execution, applied consistently across every person and role in the organization—from secretaries to quarterbacks.
“The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on the way to the victory stand.”
He believed you win by doing things right, not by obsessing over winning.
2. Details Create Discipline
Walsh insisted on mastery of the small things—punctuality, communication, dress code, preparation, body language. These weren’t superficial; they were manifestations of excellence and pride. Standards lived in the details.
“Excellence is a habit, not a one-time act.”
3. Leaders Set the Standard—Then Model It
Walsh made clear that standards start at the top. The leader must define and consistently embody the behaviors they expect, even when no one is watching.
“You must be the first to demonstrate the discipline you expect from others.”
4. Standards Before Outcomes
He often reiterated that focusing on execution—on your role, on alignment, on timing—leads to outcomes. But chasing outcomes directly, without standards, collapses under pressure.
“When you have the right culture, the right behaviors, the right standards—the score takes care of itself.”
5. Accountability Without Drama
Walsh did not tolerate mediocrity. If someone wasn’t meeting the standard, it was addressed—firmly, clearly, and professionally. It wasn’t personal, but it was non-negotiable.
Some people say that it's tough to play for coaches with exacting standards - Walsh, Belichick, Lombardi. It's the opposite. Coaches without standards don't commit to attention to detail, to relentless preparation, to relying on each other to execute. Once coaches let things slip, the end is coming.
Lagniappe. Long and unforgettable message from Coach Saban
