What do we need now? How can we improve? Trash the trash.
Sloth. Laziness is a choice. Laziness spreads like disease. Dean Smith said, "I don't coach effort." Most coaches lack that luxury. Demand an excellence culture. Excellence is deliberate. We get what we accept.
Drill: ARGENTINA Passing Drill
What's the best metric for effort? Kentucky used heart rate monitoring to objectify effort. Most coaches rely on the "eyeball test" - transition defense, rebounding intensity, moving without the ball, ball containment.
Selfishness. Taking an open shot isn't selfish. Taking an open shot while a teammate has a better shot can be ("non-shooters are always open"). Situationally inappropriate shots are selfish. There are no my turn shots. "It's the scoreboard, not the scorebook."
Remind players of Jay Bilas' "It's not YOUR shot, it's OUR shot." Sometimes, we have to say, "that's not how WE play" or simpler and louder, "pass the ball."
Softness. TGHT. "The game honors toughness." Ceteris paribus, with similar talent, the more aggressive team succeeds. The 'soft' label profoundly indicts a team's character. Your play reflects your identity, your ethos. Good teams do whatever it takes to dispel notions of softness.
Drill: COMMANDO (Rebounding toughness drill)
Return to the mental model of inversion. Defeat sloth, selfishness, and softness with effort, teamwork, and toughness.
"Reading Lesson" Lagniappe: Advice from Chris Oliver, @BBallImmersion on reducing turnovers
