You know good basketball when you see it. I had an hour car ride home, feeling that we hadn't played well and that I hadn't coached well. Winning is not the same as playing well on defense, offense, and conversion.
We lacked offensive flow...despite getting a lot of good shots. We didn't turn the ball over much; we had chances we didn't convert.
Arm players with quality. Young players usually lack the playground "know how" to sustain quality creation.
Conversely, they need freedom, too. Finding balance between freedom and structure always challenges us.
Here's a limited example of a shot list (and a reminder to me not to try to overdo it)
A shot list provides a mental cheat sheet.
What went well? First, the defense did a better job at containing the ball and denying the middle. When they didn't, our centers provided solid protection.
We had a few good chances out of straight pick-and-roll (left) and a beautiful read by the 1 and 5 on a slip for a layup which resulted in free throws (right).
We had possibilities on spread give-and-go...mostly give-and-no...although during one sequence we hit three consecutive perimeter shots (I don't remember that historically with seventh grade girls).
What went badly? I called a timeout with the ball about the level of the hash, looking to set up an ATO (below), but the officials gave us the ball on the baseline...so my timeout and plan were burned. I suppose we could have just inbounded and reset. As I said, the coaching wasn't great.
How do we improve the halfcourt offensive quality? Start by defining hard-to-defend actions.
If one PnR is hard to defend, how about two?
We have the personnel to run dribble handoff into a second ball screen.
We haven't committed to screen the roller (Spain PnR) actions.
Or what about offense from 1967 (Santa Clara), with screen-the-screener?
Or what about getting drivers in position to drive?
We could run staggered screens to get multiple options for a two-man game with half a side cleared. I didn't have that on my radar.
We'll keep working on technique (fundamentals) and tactics (second half of practice) and I'll work to prepare my team better. Everyone needs to keep grinding.
Lagniappe: via @BBallImmersion
Space and re-space. Good offenses are fanatical about spacing.A common problem for players at most levels is to move towards the ball when a dribbler is "dead" or they are denied. Teach & emphasize that players should create space first, prior to cutting to help a teammate. Here is an example from the NBA. pic.twitter.com/aQ0DcHTZS0— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) January 20, 2019
