Sunday, October 14, 2018

Basketball: What's in Your DNA? Is Attention to Details that Matter?

Build nightmares. Be Dr. Frankenstein. We tinker at a molecular level with the DNA of teams. At our best, we make monsters, the teams nobody wants to face. 


From MasterClass, Ken Burns on Documentary Filmmaking

Instill competitive fury. "If they don't bite when they're puppies, they usually won't bite when they're grown." - Bill Parcells  

Recast possibilility into reality. We live a blend of heredity and environment. Each player merits a mental picture of both expectations and potential. That isn't just role but possibilities. "This is who you are; that is whom you can become." 

Transform ordinary into extraordinary. Everyone can make one more play. Be great in your role by making the best decisions every possession...we can't control results but we inform decisions. 


All PLAY DNA is not created equal. Know your specifics. In the NBA, CUTS and TRANSITION produce the most points per possession. Isolation and pick-and-roll ballhandler scoring falls to the other end of the spectrum. Do more of what works. Create more separation off cuts. 



Choose your battles. Do we fight on the fields (dominate the middle) or the streets (the ends of the court)? We are small but athletic, so our style emphasizes speed. We are cavalry not infantry. 



Leave your comfort zone. Forget complacency. Leave the shallow end of the pool. Those unwilling to abandon the shallows never swim with the dolphins. For coaches, that might mean giving players more freedom. 

 There's no one path. Coaching DNA is no monolith. John Wooden was an English teacher. Bob Knight majored in history and government. Dean Smith studied mathematics. Gregg Popovich majored in Soviet Studies. Bill Belichick and Brad Stevens were economics majors. 

Know the power of the single image (Ken Burns), the photographic version of genetic material. Many great players have a signature memory (image above)...




...and complementary move(s) off that (see Paul Pierce wing series above). 

 Unlike our human DNA, we retool our athletic DNA. We define our commitment, discipline, preparation, aggressiveness, and to an extent, our outcomes. Without the will to do, we cannot become. 

Lagniappe: 
Good teams capitalize off defensive mistakes. In this sequence the ball defender tries to cheat over the top, gets beaten off the rejection, and then help off the corner three doubles down on the mistakes. 

Lagniappe 2: Without the ball
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