Share reality, a drill, a story, a quote, a concept, a moment, a suggestion, an idea, a play, a memory.
Dean Smith was ahead of his time...on race (Charlie Scott), the draft (Michael Jordan), analytics (points per possession, occasional scrimmage scoring by shot quality). He remarked that he never felt like a loser even prior to winning an NCAA title.
There are thousands of useful drills. There's no best drill.
An Arik Shivek drill...we don't do this enough. Everyone cuts and everyone shoots - a layup, a jumper, a basket attack against a closeout. "Movement kills defense" but you have to finish.
When I worked at Sam Jones' camp, lifetimes (well over forty years) ago, I had to pick up a young Doug Collins at Logan Airport for a guest lecture. Collins confided that he didn't have big hands but learned to trap the ball between his hand a forearm by flexing his wrist. Who knew?
"The game honors toughness." Nobody says toughness wins in isolation without skill or smarts or unselfishness. But without toughness, other positive qualities seldom emerge.
Ball reversal travels multiple avenues. Scoring increases with ball reversal and paint touches as defense loses focus and makes mistakes.
Take advantage of moments to build player confidence. Find time to remind players of their strengths and let them know, "I believe in you."
Suggestion box. Understand why. We do a drill called Bradleys, where players hop, hop and shoot. It simulates jumping and grabbing an offensive rebound, and going back up strong with a high finish.
Key idea. How are you going to wear down your opponent, both individually and as a team? If you can't answer, you can't expect results.
Be creative by combining concepts like staggered and elevator screens.
Help players make memories. Years ago, an area team invited us over for an "extra game" and proceeded to hammer us by about thirty-five points. Naturally, they invited us back the next year and we had a few new players and more experience. We won by 3. We never got invited back after that.
Lagniappe: How about a misdirection "Flex" action out of 1-3-1?
