Coach Hammel, out as Merrimack College coach after a long career, delivered a clear message about energy and fun amidst his experience. He made a plea for man-to-man defense, ironic in a competitive league where most of the coaches play predominantly zone defense.
We've heard and shared many of these but there's always something new.
"Practice is my time. Games are the players' time."
"Simplicity and execution."
"We always run from drill to drill."
"Make drills competitive."
"Basketball is over-coached and undertaught." (Pete Newell)
"Drill work has to resemble game action."
"All drills should have both offense and defense."
"All of our individual drills last five minutes and team drills ten minutes."
"Practice must be planned. Bring your practice notes."
"Basketball is a game of physical habit and this must be accomplished through repetition." (another Newellism)
"Everything we do in practice must show itself somewhere in the game."
Break defense down by: transition, individual drills, ball-side, help-side, team defense.
The best defensive players are the sideline and baseline. Once we get the ball there, we want to keep it there.
Know your NOS. (Kevin Eastman)
- No layups
- No middle
- No paint
- No open 3s
- No offensive rebounds
Aggressiveness relates to will to dominate your opponent. It is reflected in unrelenting pressure, denying dribble penetration, getting deflections, and contesting every shot.
Talk wins games.
Defense is about the ball. You can't play defense without understanding its relationship to the ball.
Defensive specifics:
"Turn the dribbler in the backcourt. Force the dribbler in the forecourt."
Big believer in 'shell drill' to help teach help-side defense.
Works on defensive conversion every day (Change drill...a Knightism)
We're going to have four baskets this year, so I can run the defensive drills on one side of the split and have shooting drills simultaneously on the other side of the court.