Professor Adam Grant explains happiness versus contribution.
Our gratitude journal (three items daily) reviews what we are thankful for. Grant advises us to keep a "Contribution Journal."
What three things did we do for others today?
Write to inform and share actionable items.
Make others around us better through actions and words.
Be a "justice warrior."
These mimic the qualities of exceptional players.
The best players impact the game. They give the game what it needs at that time.
The best players make everyone around them better.
Exceptional players lead. They impact society in a meaningful way as role models and positive influences on society.
These apply to coaches.
The best coaches impact the game through maximizing the roles of people, strategies, and operations (execution).
The best coaches foster development of character and competence.
Top coaches understand they serve a variety of communities.
Lagniappe. Kelvin Sampson shares. "Touching every line is a metaphor for life."
Houston HC Kelvin Sampson - Why Coaches Fail
"I think the coaches that fail at every level, are the coaches that are passive aggressive. Passing aggressive coaches are usually afraid to hold kids accountable, they rationalize."
Lagniappe 2. Most people do not have a realistic assessment of our situation. "High school seniors: 70 percent report that they have “above average” leadership skills, compared with 2 percent “below average”; in the ability to get along with others, 25 percent rate themselves in the top 1 percent, and 60 percent put themselves in the top 10 percent." - From "Originals" by Adam Grant
Lagniappe 3. Stay under control even when you don't want to.
"Presentations should cover no more than three aspects in fifteen minutes." - Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo
People tune out boring coaches.
The Greeks said three factors influenced others - ethos (character), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion). The best talks rely on pathos manifesting as passion. Tell great stories. Paint mental pictures. Engage audiences.
Quality presentations had three prominent qualities - novelty, emotion, and memorable stories.
Be original. Everyone can be more creative, more influential. Business leaders were shocked when they heard that introverts were often the most creative people in the room. They assumed their loudest voice was the smartest. You know the saying, "An empty barrel makes the most noise."
Learn across domains. Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly said, "I'm a salesman." Think how you can sell yourself.
The last song Doug Collins heard before the 1972 Olympic game against Russia? "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" He's not a fan. But he could begin a talk with that.
Bring emotion. Big events leave big marks, indelible mental ink. That's literally "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."
An Athletic Director's parent told me that a parent came to the AD irate about the softball coach. "The coach doesn't know what he's doing." The AD answered, "Well, he's 21-1." The coach stayed as the parent's complained got dismissed.
Be memorable. Geno Auriemma took questions after a UCONN practice. Someone asked, "were you nice because you had an audience?" "No, I was nice because they're babies. If I yell, they think, "Coach hates me.""
Bill Gates gives a lecture on infections.
What leaves the greatest impact on people? Belief. When you hear, "I believe in you" or tell a player, "you're the best player I've ever coached," they never forget that moment.
Style and content both matter.
Use eye contact and an occasional gesture.
Vary our voice. Alter the volume. Alter the pitch. Sometime silence can work.
Add humor. Add graphics. Combine them.
You see the local baseball field and the football field behind it.
The longest homer ever in Melrose helped launch Craig's professional baseball and Hall of Fame career. It landed halfway down the goal post down the left field line. It had a crew of four and a hot meal on it. I served that up. I was part of engineering history.
Know your stuff. Be direct. Be memorable.
Summary:
Make it original.
Make it emotional.
Make it memorable.
Lagniappe. Control the narrative.
This is elite coaching
“We are trying to play fast when it’s 5 on 5, we can’t do that. We have to manipulate the spacing first”
Really good stuff
He’s a young coach but you can tell he is a non stop student of the game
Acquire and share accumulated wisdom over your lifetime. Webster's definition of curator includes: "a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area."
Here's an excellent collection of concepts from Dave Kline:
1) Set high standards. Believe your team will meet them.
2) Reasonable people will draw different conclusions without a shared picture of excellence. (Making a team is not enough...chasing excellence is a shared vision)
3) Small feedback given regularly is coaching. (Coaching is not criticism. Coaches mentor players and teams to translate process into excellence.)
4) Subtracting is 10x harder than adding. Which is what makes it 10x more valuable. (Do more of what works and less of what doesn't).
5) Your culture is the sum of everything you celebrate minus everything you tolerate. (What we tolerate sets the floor of achievement.)
6) Trust people with the truth. (Coaching advances players and teams toward the truth.)
7) Your team will mimic your actions before they follow your words. ("Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear a word you say.")
8) It's not real unless it's written down. (Be clear and concise. Share.)
Benjamin Franklin informed these in seven words. "Well done is better than well said."
When you find someone who shares productive content, check in. There may be more than one nugget in that stream.
Lagniappe.Loaded jumpswill increase your block touch.
Lagniappe 2. A process for grading video.
4x4 Project I developed with the help of a coach I worked with.
FOUR key objectives in each of the four phases of play. This is what we practice, and this is what we evaluate on film. pic.twitter.com/JzijNdd1L6
Lagniappe 3. Basketball actions are more than perimeter passing to take a three. You see it and I know you see it.
Teaching players how to rip, pivot & Jab is more important than ever - at the younger levels, you see “hot potato” with the ball more than ever because players aren’t taught how to take space and keep space with jabs and pivots
Image from James O'Shaughnessy "Two Thoughts" (also author of the iconic, What Works on Wall Street)
Players get in trouble when they say they are bored, that there is nothing here for them. As children we heard this a lot, "bored people are boring."
Can we create an assessment tool? It's the Internet. Impossible becomes I'm Possible.
Make learning THE GAME a game. You can create your own Socratic method tool. Drill down within an area (individual defense) and create subheadings like STANCE, OFF BALL DEFENSE, HELP, COMMUNICATION, and so forth.
Go to "Wheel Decide." Preparing for a job interview, a media session, a performance review? You can create your own uncertainty or training opportunity.
Choose a topic and a piece of paper. Write down whatever you know about the topic and then distill that to the most important elements on an index card.
Or choose what you consider more important topics - "basketball separation" or "hard to defend actions" or "toughness." Or choose a fun assignment like "the wit and wisdom of Abe Lemons."
Make learning fun. Make learning a game. And remember there is no cure for curiosity.
Lagniappe. A lack of standards or standards applied inconsistently is a sure way to lose.
Lagniappe 2. Kelbick with the absolute truth about defense.
Don Kelbick with a key teaching point for anyone playing zone defense
If you want to play zone effectively, you must be able to play man effectively first!
Why? Because no matter what you play, you ultimately have to be able to guard the ball.
"Basketball is a game of __________ ." Everyone fills in the blank differently, in multiple ways. Focus today on separation via cutting. Never presume that our players know what we think they should know. Turnovers and presumption kill dreams.
"Movement kills defense." Cutting is underrated. Cutting moves players into spots to drive, shoot, screen, or be unobtrusive. Cutting and pivoting are two vital offensive skills that create separation that get too little time.
1) "Set up your cut." Direct from the Bilas "Toughness" criteria. This applies with or without a screen.
2) Cut urgently. Offense fails without 'intentional cutting'. How many times have you seen teams try to run UCLA cuts with the cutter not setting up the cut and not cutting hard? Urgency is a word players should live.
3) Read the defender. Punish head turners by cutting behind them.
4) Be aware of the ball handler. If they're not looking at you or for you, they can't deliver the ball and your cut is wasted.
5) "The ball is a camera." If you want it to find you, then you have to find or create a passing lane.
6) Walk to run. Walking into a cut can catch lackadaisical defenders unaware.
7) "Go to, to go away." Cutting directly at a defender can put them at a disadvantage.
8) Inside foot cut. I call this the Edelman cut. You don't see this much because most cuts arise off the outside foot. Edelman cuts off the inside foot (maybe with some push off) and scores. Not for regular use.
9) Types of cuts. Access great video like Coach Nick's here on Bball Breakdown. UCLA, Flex, Zipper, Shuffle.
10) The screener is the second cutter. Kid stuff. Zipper cut entry from SLOB with return pass to inbounder and then entry to rolling screener for the layup. Teach the screeners that "scut work" is opportunity.
11) Great offense is multiple actions. Staggered screen (Iverson cut) ices the game in a postseason high school tournament sectional semifinals.
Lagniappe. Exceptional presentation via Basketball Immersion on weakside (helpside) cutting with focus on corner cut, 45 cuts, and dives with baseline drive. Extended video worth showing your players.
"The mental to the physical in basketball is four to one." - Coach Bob Knight
Ask players about their strategies to fortify their mental game. Entrepreneur Sara Blakely shared in her MasterClass that her father asked the children each Saturday dinner, "what have you failed at this week?" Failure is a companion on life's journey.
Examine a few well-known mental techniques:
1) Visualization. See yourself succeeding. In "Ten-Minute Toughness," Jason Selk proposed a three minute mental "highlight reel." Think about your domain-specific successes.
2) Mindfulness. Most professional athletes and teams have a mindfulness program. Mindfulness reduces stress hormones, increases focus, and decreases anxiety and depression.
3) Self-talk. We behave as we believe. Train ourselves to deliver positive thoughts, positive identity and performance statements.
4) Body positioning. Expansive body positioning is controversial. Studies by Amy Cuddy show that increases in testosterone and decreases in cortisol (stress hormone) occurred after two-minute expanded body positioning.
Actionable: a three minute mindful "body scan" from Chat GPT
A three-minute body scan can be a powerful tool for athletes to enhance performance, recovery, and mental focus. Though often associated with mindfulness practices, a quick body scan is particularly useful in sports because it helps athletes develop body awareness, reduce tension, and improve movement efficiency. Here’s how:
1. Heightened Body Awareness
A short body scan encourages athletes to check in with their physical state—where they feel strong, where they feel tight, and how their body is positioned. This awareness helps with injury prevention by identifying small discomforts before they become significant issues.
2. Enhanced Recovery
By systematically relaxing different muscle groups, athletes can release tension built up from training or competition. A brief scan can promote muscle relaxation and circulation, aiding in recovery between efforts.
3. Improved Movement Efficiency
Athletes often carry unconscious tension in areas like the shoulders, jaw, or lower back. A quick scan helps detect these inefficiencies, allowing them to move with greater ease and coordination.
4. Increased Focus and Readiness
A body scan doubles as a mental reset, helping athletes clear distractions and direct attention to their bodies before a game or practice. This can be especially useful in high-pressure moments.
5. Stress and Anxiety Regulation
By pairing the scan with controlled breathing, athletes activate their parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and fostering composure.
How to Implement a Three-Minute Body Scan
Find a quiet space (or use it courtside or in a locker room).
Close the eyes (if possible) and take slow breaths.
Move attention from head to toe (or vice versa), scanning for tension, discomfort, or asymmetry.
Release tension where needed, adjust posture, and refocus.
Finish with a deep breath and a moment of intention-setting.
Each evening review the day for event highs, lows, and gratitude. Highs reinforce our capabilities. Lows allow us to make physical and mental changes. A gratitude practice increases our motivation, resilience and positive culture. Shawn Achor advised the '21-day Gratitude Challenge'. Write down three things each night for which we are grateful for three weeks and review after three weeks.
Don't double down. Pressure to perform often becomes anxiety. Anxiety can translate to mental or physical mistakes, tentative play, or sequences of errors. Think about how often one mistake (e.g. a turnover) turns into a second (frustration foul). Don't allow drops of blood to become torrential.
Pressure degrades performance.
Use more tools to reduce anxiety and improve play.
Lagniappe 2. Lee Child explains Jack Reacher's mentality in Never Go Back. "When it comes to fear, my DNA is the same as anyone else’s. I trained myself, that’s all. To turn fear into aggression, automatically."
Lagniappe 3. Everything that matters requires quality decisions.
With your children, when they disagree, be thankful. Don’t expect them to agree with everything. Decision making is lonely, suggestion making is simple, anybody can make suggestions. Decision making when it affects others is difficult. You have to do it with courage. pic.twitter.com/X2EkaQBMGu
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) March 28, 2025
You know SMART when you see it. Specific - Measurable - Achievable - Realistic - Timely.
Discover ideas that could work for your program.
1) Don't make it about the time; make it about the work. Time alone isn't enough. Push yourself.
2) Be a tracker. Track your workouts and your personal bests. If you're taking 100 free throws a day, monitor results. Someday you can make 100 in a row.
3) Build basketball IQ. Study top players, coaches, and use video to monitor your progress. Cellphone video is a good starting place for your personal play. Playing a lot helps, too.
4) Have a written plan addressing skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology.
5) Work out with a teammate. In "Above the Line," Urban Meyer shares how he demanded top 10 percent players workout with another player to drag them into the top 10 percent.
6) Use constraints. Force yourself to build your non-dominant hand. Make a shooting drill more competitive with time pressure or goal-elevated. "Beat the Pro" or "Bill Bradley" requires you to make 11 (by one) before your imaginary opponent scores 12 (by three points for your miss). You can raise the standards.
7) Make it competitive. Working against defense and fatigue (run sprints and do pushups between shooting drills) builds realistic competition.
8) Build resilience. Mindfulness, sports psychology study, visualization all have potential benefits.
9) Become more athletic. Reward yourself more strength, endurance, and quickness. Leave your comfort zone
10) Increase your range. There's no shortcut to repetitions. Another benefit of working with a partner is having a rebounder.
Bonus: work on your lexicon of basketball team-specific terminology and share it with your team.
It's your choice.
Lagniappe. The game is the game.
“Red Auerbach said it best. Rebounding is the second most important thing. The first is shooting.”
Mazzulla goes to some Zoom actions and both times they open Horford up for an exit corner 3pt. Horford hits the first which has to be a welcomed sign for BOS pic.twitter.com/gy27frtK1J
Success as a coach has no "unitary" meaning. Some will judge coaches by "external recognition" (e.g. awards), others by record, reputation, personal relationship, or 'player experience'. All have some validity.
Bill Parcells said, "you are what your record says you are." Our 'wins and losses' depend on many inputs - talent, coaching, schedule, health, and to a degree, luck. If we're playing a team from a community of 60,000 which has 12 hours of practice time a week and eight players, our 13 from 30,000 with three hours of practice time battles an uneven playing field. If you choose a small roster or only capable players in a developmental setting, you should outperform.
Every coach's criteria for success will differ. Who am I to tell another coach their standard for success? Here are my two:
1) What was the 'player experience'? Everyone's differs. The opportunities for growth arose from practice, offseason player development sessions (optional), and games. Players got the opportunity to play in preseason 'tournaments' (I sponsored), got minutes twice in each half, received notebooks, handouts (e.g. Pyramid of Success, Bilas "Toughness" criteria, playbook/expectations), and periodic email progress reports to parents. There was total transparency as parents were offered attendance at practice, pre- and post-game talks, and the breakup dinner.
Was everyone satisfied? That will never happen. I own whatever shortcomings existed.
2) What kind of people graduated from the program? Did we produce leaders? Did some achieve their dreams?
One player fully achieved her dream of attending the Naval Academy and is now a Navy helicopter pilot. Incredible.
Another player is in the final stages of veterinary school.
Multiple players became high school valedictorians.
Multiple players were named All-Scholastics or All-State in various sports (basketball, volleyball)
Multiple players earned masters degrees in various fields.
Two players are currently playing D1 basketball on scholarship.
Multiple players became executives in Fortune 500 companies.
Many players are succeeding as parents and citizens.
They deserve the credit for doing the unrequired work needed to achieve their goals. To all I say, MUDITA, "your joy is my joy." At least we didn't impede their progress and in some cases made an empowering difference.
None of us get a 'do-over'. Current coaches get the chance for a do-better. Take the opportunity to share your experiences.
Lagniappe. If we have the talent, then "basketball is a game meant to be played fast."
The drill that helped Coach Calipari take down St. John’s? “Drive-Drive-Shoot.” Watch how the Arkansas coach breaks it down—simple, sharp, and game-ready.
Shaka Smart said, "As a coach, it's my job to help our guys be our best."
"If we could control the result every time, it'd be a win."
Great coaches don’t just chase wins - They develop people. • They focus on growth. • They develop character. • They prepare you for life. pic.twitter.com/vxkVtRV3iB
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 22, 2025
Lagniappe 3. "Take away everything that they do well."
Rick Pitino talks scouting
“You have to take away every single thing that they do well”
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 24, 2025
Quotes don't make players. Actions do. Make choices that promote success.
"We make our habits and our habits make us."
"Discipline defines destiny."
"Leave your comfort zone."
I heard it a thousand times from youngsters considering bad choices. "There's nothing to do for us." Don't make bad choices because you think you have none.
Alcohol impairs adolescent brain function, muscle function, and recovery after exercise. Aside from violating league rules on chemical health with stiff penalties, it's unhealthy for you as an athlete.
Don't text and drive. Studies also show that using your phone to send a text while driving can have the same effect on your reaction time as drinking four beers before getting behind the wheel.
Be intentional about sleeping at least eight hours a night. "Prioritizing sleep in athletes’ preparation and recovery routine is not an easy task."
"Here's something I know I'm supposed to do that I really don't want to do...can you make yourself do it...here's something you know you're not supposed to do...can you keep yourself from it."
Lagniappe. The offseason is the opportunity season.
REAL OFF-SEASON GROWTH GOALS:
1) WORKOUT SO HARD that your CONDITIONING never slows you down.
2) INCREASE your SKILL LEVEL (footwork & handle) so that your fundamentals never hold you back.
3) IMPROVE your STRENGTH (posture & balance) so that your opponent never gains an…
Lagniappe 2. In "The Program," Eric Kapitulik argues for specifics not "good job." "“Good job” is no more helpful than “do better.” Delete “good job” from your vernacular."
Lagniappe 3. Good offense is multiple actions.
Dual actions are running rampant during the tournament. So fun to watch.
Flare - Spread PNR Floppy - Ghost Screen Ghost - Flare Zipper - High Seal
This essentially handcuffs the defense into guarding 2 man actions with 2 defenders and 3 man actions with 3 defenders. Case… https://t.co/P4ushqSmgw
Lagniappe 4. Avoid "magical thinking." Coach Dags explains that there's a process to make more threes and coaches saying "we're going to make more threes" isn't it. Study the video.
COACHES - RETHINK YOUR OFF-SEASON SHOOTING DEVELOPMENT
When we think of off season shooting development, a lot of times we think of reps and drills. Those are a given!
As I do more consulting for Coaches and help them find ways to improve their offense, I find that success… pic.twitter.com/2OPkIAralz
Take inventory of our team with details that separate success from failure.
Without exception, coaches will say "everyone knows that." That may be true, yet watch struggling teams and these issues reappear again and again. And amplifying quotes from the early 1970s or later...
1) Shot selection. How many airballed threes are enough? Bob Knight said, "just because I want you on the court doesn't mean I want you to shoot." And Pete Carill added, "bad shooters are always open." Players should know what a good shot is for them and for each teammate.
2) Develop a reliable inbounder who gets the ball in safely and with enough patience to see plays develop. Inbounding turnovers are disasters hidden in plain sight. Because that player may not be in the game 100%, develop another.
3) Get players into situations where they can attack the hoop by rejecting ball screens. Defending the PnR is tough so why allow defenses not to do that?
4) Stop fouling jump shots, especially threes. Watching many high school players shoot 20-25 percent on threes, why give them higher percentage chances at the line.
5) Contain the ball. There's no DH in basketball. Knight said, "shooters shoot, passers pass, and everyone plays defense." That doesn't seem to be true for everyone.
6) Value the ball. "The ball is gold..." It's math. If you get about 70 possessions in a high school game and get no shot on 20-25, then you better shoot the lights out when you didn't turn the ball over. "Turnovers kill dreams." Entrepreneur Sara Blakely teaches, "obsess the product."
7) Don't dribble the air out of the ball. I see players who can go through the legs and behind-the-back all day but can't pass, shoot, or defend. Don't "pay by the bounce."
8) Move the ball. Bad teams don't get paint touches and ball reversals. Some just pass the ball around the perimeter until somebody takes a "my turn" three. "Movement kills defenses."
9) Disallow the dreaded S's - selfishness, softness, sloth. Read Jay Bilas's Toughness as a team. "The game honors toughness." That shows up by blocking out, taking charges, and winning 50-50 balls.
10) "Show your hands." Teach players not to reach in by using the phrase, "show your hands." It reminds players and reinforces to officials that we're consciously avoiding fouling.
Bad basketball teams violate many of these principles. Don't be a bad team.
Lagniappe. Rip action.
Beautiful quick hitting Rip Screen action from BYU
Lagniappe 2. Control our emotions. "The Program: Lessons From Elite Military Units for Creating and Sustaining High Performance Leaders and Teams" by Eric Kapitulik, Jake MacDonald, wanted to share this quote with you.
"When providing accountability during a battle, or any emotionally charged event, speak in a softer tone and lower volume. Yelling or screaming at a teammate during an already emotionally charged event will rarely be well received or acted upon. As discussed, no one likes being told they are falling short at any time and especially so when it is being screamed at them. Further, if we find ourselves yelling or screaming at a teammate who is not meeting the organization’s standards, it is probably our own fault, in that we have let it continue to this point of frustration."
Chapter 31 of Eric Kapitulik's The Program is entitled, "The Little Things Take Care of the Big Things."
The quote describes the lesson - detail. The player? LeBron James.
Each of us has habits and systems. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that habits are votes for the type of person we wish to be. Writers write, readers read, physically fit people work out.
Many of you recall Admiral McRaven's University of Texas commencement address. He lays out ten rules for success.
Here are ten key takeaways via ChatGPT:
Make Your Bed – Starting the day with a small accomplishment builds discipline and momentum for bigger tasks.
Find Someone to Help You Paddle – Success requires teamwork and support from others.
Measure a Person by the Size of Their Heart, Not the Size of Their Flippers – Grit and determination matter more than physical attributes.
Get Over Being a Sugar Cookie and Keep Moving Forward – Life is unfair; embrace hardships and keep pushing forward.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Circus – Extra challenges (failures) make you stronger and more resilient.
Slide Head First – Take risks and be bold in pursuit of success.
Don’t Back Down from the Sharks – Face your fears head-on with courage.
Be Your Best in the Darkest Moments – Tough times test character; rise to the occasion when it matters most.
Start Singing When You’re Up to Your Neck in Mud – A positive attitude can inspire and uplift others during adversity.
Never, Ever Quit – Perseverance is the ultimate key to success.
McRaven’s message: Small actions, resilience, and teamwork can change your life - and maybe even the world. Nothing resonates more with basketball.
A core tenet of Stoicism is "control what you can control." What have the top players I've coached had in common? They had unusual size, athleticism, and will to develop the skill to become Division 1 athletes. Second, they had exceptional attention to detail. Samantha Dewey was always in her notebook, studying better basketball execution. Cecilia Kay has extraordinary intellect, a high school valedictorian. She grew an exceptional basketball IQ through video study. She was on the Patriot League All-Rookie team this season.
As a coach, what "little things" have you emphasized that got big results?
Teamwork. Be a "team first" player. Scoreboard over scorebook.
Priorities. Take care of business - home, school, then sports.
Share. Give credit to coaches and teammates. They'll remember.
Learn every day. You never know when you'll need knowledge.
Simplify. Vast stores of knowledge distill to fine points of wisdom.
Give and get feedback. When people are not on the same page, painful failures persist.
Lagniappe 2. From "The Program," by Kapitulik et al. "The mission must always be communicated down to the lowest level if we hope to accomplish it. It isn’t enough if only half or even 80% of the team knows it. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that every single team member knows and understands the mission."
Lagniappe 3. Don't be afraid to coach.
SCARED TO COACH YOUR BEST PLAYER?
If you are scared to coach your best player because they may leave, you are doing the rest of your players a disservice. Players will leave their HS, AAU, and College teams for a million different reasons. That is the basketball landscape… pic.twitter.com/wx63GKJz1T
“He expected players to know they were being paid to be pros.” - “Daly Wisdom” - Pat Williams
Education changes behaviors. Coaches are teachers. Coaches change behavior. The better we teach, the better the behavioral change as we enforce the standards needed to improve performance.
How do we teach better? We can examine topics and techniques for instruction. Share some examples.
1) Player development. When we're doing well, players acquire more skills and higher basketball IQ. We can do that directly or enlist a player development specialist. Even if we have access to talent, there is always value in superior training.
2) Explain better. For example, one important technique for defending the high ball screen is to 'hedge' or 'show'. Coach Mike Krzyzewski phrased that as fake trap. In addition to renaming, he includes a description of the action. Similarly, we could describe 'drop coverage' as "go under."
3) Use the Socratic Method. Measure the depth of players' knowledge by asking questions. "How might we defend the high ball screen?" If a player answers "trap the ball handler," ask whether that creates more options for the offense (e.g. short roll, pop). If the ball handler is a shooter, what coverage might be less desirable? E.g. drop coverage may open up the ball handler as outside shooter.
4) Use alternative techniques. Multiple techniques (e.g. visual, auditory, movement-based) may clarify. When we ask players "what happened?" they may misremember and benefit from video teaching.
5) "Change limits." Coach Krzyzewski also informs the importance of changing limits. The phrase often heard is "we get what we accept." So many aspects of basketball are subject to change - shot quality, pass quality, on-ball defense, off-ball defense, communication, fouling, etc.
Where do we start? Approach decision making from different angles. Teams can do self-examination (the inside view), bring in consultants (the outside view), or combinations. The inside view has the advantage of familiarity of the most detail. The outside view may have less partiality but can be seen as 'meddling' or a 'witch hunt'. Many coaches distrust the outside view. So there's no easy answer.
Lagniappe. This examines many flavors of the ball screen.
What's our approach to the "one time" situations that decide wins and losses?
1) Throw your best pitch. Whether it's sealing personal (a no-hitter) or winning a league title, don't get beat with secondary stuff. That's the rationale between final moment isolation plays. It also immunizes coaches who "go with our best."
2) Use time-honored lessons such as those from "The Art of War." Study both ourselves and our opponents. Knowing an opponent's favorite BOBs or SLOBs can provide a critical edge.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
3) Get time on our side. Use timeouts intentionally. Practice time and score-based situations so players become accustomed to them. Coach Knight explained, "basketball is a game of mistakes."
4) "Trust but verify." The most painful losses come from mental mistakes - blown assignments, coaching ignored, thoughtless turnovers and bad shot selection. Give and get feedback before a crisis.
5) Get favorable matchups. It's no secret that most quality coaches switch when games are close and late. Use that to your advantage. Whether you want big on small or quickness versus less, "plan your trade and trade your plan."
6) "Speak greatness." In a close game where players might feel pressure, Dean Smith would say, "isn't it great that we can be in this situation?" Turn anxiety into enthusiasm.
7) "Possession enders." Develop possession enders, the 'guys' who get scores and stops. If you have a closer, get them practice for their "go to" and "counter" move in crunch time.
8) Start fast. It's hard to win the game in the first frame but you can lose the game with sluggish starts. Be ready from the tip.
9) Be relentless. Never quit. Impossible comebacks happen. Momentum can change unpredictably. Most comebacks require 1) scoring from multiple levels and 2) stops. "Stops make runs."
10) "Win this possession." Play harder for longer with both focus and effort. Attention is a trainable skill. Whether you call it "next play" or "be here now" or "play present," attention is a winning skill.
Lagniappe. Better defense.
BE A GOOD DEFENDER WITH SLOW FEET
Being slow isn’t an excuse for being a bad defender. You need to still compete with energy and effort… but also have a plan when guarding quicker players.
Being able to close out to make the offense out the ball on the floor, and then having… pic.twitter.com/fiHfBUSr6d
“Few things offer greater return on less investment than praise — offering credit to someone in your organization who has stepped up and done the job.” - Bill Walsh in The Score Takes Care of Itself
Praise has it's origins in the Latin preciare(prize, value). We praise what we value.
Praise engages. Praise fuels effort. Praise metaphorically waters the flowers.
Everyone values praise. "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." Praise softens criticism. Coach John Wooden famously used "sandwich technique" to insert coaching correction between praise. Coach Nick Saban distinguishes "you did well AND..." from "you did well BUT..." as the latter detracts from the positive.
Some coaches are effusive with praise and others are stingy.
Praise the praiseworthy; consider using praise strategically. Coach Dean Smith praised reserves who contributed to wins. He knew the media would take care of scorers and stars.
Here are some AI insights:
Great coaching uses praise as a tool, not just a feel-good mechanism. Here are a few strategic approaches:
Targeted Praise for Reinforcement
Instead of generic praise like “Great job!” coaches highlight why an action was effective:
“That block was perfect because you sealed the net and pressed over—textbook technique.”
This helps athletes internalize what works.
Contingent Praise for Effort and Process
Coaches avoid praising talent alone and instead emphasize effort and strategy:
“I loved how you adjusted mid-play after reading the setter. That’s the kind of quick decision-making we need.”
This fosters a growth mindset.
Praise for Leadership and Team-Centric Actions
Recognizing unseen or unselfish contributions reinforces team values:
“You kept the energy up even when we were down—your voice mattered.”
Delayed Praise for Deep Reflection
Instead of immediate praise, a coach might wait until film review:
“Watching that again, your footwork on that transition was excellent. That’s why you got up so fast.”
This deepens awareness and builds memory.
Scarcity Principle to Increase Impact
Praise that is sparing but meaningful carries weight:
A coach who rarely hands out compliments makes a simple “That’s what we’ve been looking for” resonate more.
Lagniappe. Youth phenoms infrequently mature into top players.
Youth athletic parents:🤷🏻♂️
"Stats show that less than 10 % of elite 10-year-old athletes are still elite at age 18. Only 8 % of Nobel Prize winners & world champions were child prodigies. In fact, the only thing that early success guarantees is… early success" ~ John O'Sullivan
Lagniappe 2. Backdoor cuts can be hard-to-defend actions.
University of Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone (@RyanPannone ) breaks down @albaberlin double backdoor sets and what makes it so effective against traditional defensive rules. Play diagram and animation by @LuceoSports 🔥 @euroleague
