Dissatisfied with your role? Then, expand your knowledge, your athleticism (our community offers physical training sessions free to middle schoolers Monday through Thursday), and your skills.
I want both the perimeter and the post players to learn the footwork to attack from the perimeter. We almost always have undersized post players, mandating they learn to put the ball on the floor.
Yesterday, I included the Paul Pierce "Wing Series" in the missive - direct drive, pullup, step back, spin back, and hesitation drive. How do we implement the teaching?
Wing Series base (skeleton). Begin without defense, emphasizing the front pivot (up) and introducing the reverse turn versus overplay on the catch.
Add on-ball defense. Both offense and defense learn to attack.
Add low post away option. Coach varies the defense (rotate, stay home) to create decisions for the driver.
Add point guard with defender to simulate game action. Depending on participation, players will have mismatches in size, strength, and quickness...also game realistic.
Lagniappe:
"Mouse in the House..."
Learning the 'screen game' takes a lot of time for young players. Defenders need communication and defined plan (hedge, switch, double/blitz) and offense understanding of getting an advantage. I want the screener defender to make the call (early) on the defense, to assume a leadership role.
Yesterday (we had five players), we switched more than I would like but the offensive players grasped getting an edge ("mouse in the house"). When the posts got the smalls in low, they took advantage of the mismatch.
Lagniappe 2. Optimism bias...via Randy Sherman
We're all subject to cognitive bias. Highlights:
"I will not have a bad team because I am a good coach."
"If your team is average you will not “coach” your way to elite in a season."
"In his book Black Box Thinking author Matthew Syed offers a helpful exercise that could guard against optimism bias – the pre-mortem."
"The better usage of their time would have been to lay the foundation for their PROGRAM by installing a long-term system even though it may not have been the best thing for the varsity TEAM in the short term."
What's your Plan B?