"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." - John Wooden
My high school coach, Ellis Lane, offered that two statistics - assists and rebounds - usually defined winners and losers. Assists identify successful possessions and rebounds your ability to possess the ball. Assists are 'above the line' play, intentional, purposeful, and skillful.
At the end of the day, great passing is the same as great quarterbacking - decision and execution. Decisions begin with vision (seeing the possibility) and being in synchrony with the receiver, knowing where she wants the ball and how she can receive the ball.
Coaches express that in different ways, like "on time and on target." Sometimes the passer has to wait and sometimes she has to act.
I tell players that a higher risk pass is justified when it has high probability of an easy score. Like shooting, passing must be situationally appropriate.
We teach players that you catch with your eyes, your feet, and your hands. You have to see the pass, shorten the pass (distance between passer and receiver), and then physically catch the pass.
We all teach "pass away from the defender" and "see the help defender". But do we understand where our points arise?
Coach Torbett shows how subtle changes turn into points. Hubie Brown has emphasized the importance of keeping your dribble alive with the 'stutter dribble' in the same situation.
