A coach's conundrum centers on "what does my team need now?" That requires curiosity, data, self-regulation, and implies a willingness to effect change where needed.
The first question I ask is "what went well?" Positive reinforcement helps build confidence. I've mentioned that I want to develop AWES (ability, work ethic, and selflessness) which appears as playing well, playing hard, and playing together.
What went well tonight was exceptional energy and effort. That showed up with relentless defensive presence. It produced shutdown defense on one of the best players in the league. Generally, the decision-making was solid as we had only 18 turnovers, not extreme for high tempo offense. Overall, that reflected good decision-making by our primary ballhandlers.
The diagnostic question is "what needs improvement?" Coach Don Meyer reminds us "what is unacceptable in defeat is unacceptable in victory." Our shooting percentage was under thirty percent. Did that reflect rust (one practice in two weeks) or shot quality? I don't have shot charts but I suspect a combination of both. On several occasions, players turned down open direct drives for perimeter shots that missed. That didn't reflect selfishness (because they had a scoring chance either way) but flawed decision-making. On many other occasions, players didn't make 'look ahead' passes to free runners. Most were failed vision, neither selfishness nor "my turn" shots, but not all.
At its core, successful offensive basketball informs quality cutting and passing. Spacing creates driving and passing lanes. Cutting develops easier passes. Better passes create higher quality shots. We didn't pass well. The best teams have a high assist to turnover ratio. We had very few assists, although one outstanding pick-and-roll late in the game.
Yesterday's game should remind us that success is not monomorphic. Good teams learn how to succeed in different ways. One day a team might administer an offensive beating, another excellent individual defense, team defense, or ideally combinations of air superiority (shooting), mobile forces (transition), or infantry (power game).
Quality teams always show competitiveness, toughness, and resilience. Competitive teams figuratively bring fight to each possession. We have competitors who make each other better in subtle ways, through individual and help defense, setting timely screens, and alert transition defense. Don't confuse scorebook numbers with scoreboard results.
Jay Bilas writes about toughness, "Toughness has nothing to do with size, physical strength or athleticism. Some players may be born tough, but I believe that toughness is a skill, and it is a skill that can be developed and improved. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo always says, "Players play, but tough players win." Eric Greitens describes resilience in his eponymous book, "You cannot bounce back from hardship. You can only move through it. There is a path through pain to wisdom, through suffering to strength, and through fear to courage if we have the virtue of resilience."
Congratulations on a quality performance. The "end state" matters. Our greater challenge is to maintain the discipline, effort, and sacrifice necessary to become better versions of ourselves.
