"Coach human beings to be better."
Having experienced assistants makes a big difference...
"It's impossible to be special...if you're not having fun..."
"Fun is competing...and winning." Acknowledges that playing time enters into it.
"Be successful...in the moment." (He's not a big process guy, IMO it's semantics.)
"...creating conditions where you're going to fail...in practice." But he doesn't want the same people to struggle all the time.
Oliver argues that it's psychologically driven...players live in the deep end of the pool.
He values play that finds ways to "cheat drills" as long as it doesn't impair their game performance...(he implies that is another development step)
Hardest thing in playing for him...coping with the highs and the lows.
For some young players, it is more about exposure than winning...because of the system...and that follows players into professional basketball. (The classic about playing for the name on the front or the back of the jersey)
Smart acknowledges that he thinks he's right 70-75% of the time. Don't hide from the elephant in the room. You're a bad person if you think you're better than everyone else and you don't care about your teammates.
4 types of people:
Group 1-talented/arrogant "coach killers" (no control by the coach, don't like Group 2s)
Group 2-talented/engaged "ideal player" (hard to recruit these guys)
Group 3-good/motivated to improve (keys to the team to convert the group 1s)
Group 4-not so great/arrogant (good-bye)
Are you playing to advance the team's cause or your own thing? (This was foreshadowing of the Celtics-Bucks series.)
Being a leader means foremost caring about the team. A mediocre leader can still succeed through caring. But a good leader cares, reads the room, and says the right things.
"What's most important in your success?"
Players have owned their own confidence. (No false confidence/bravado)
What one thing improves practice?
Accountability all the time. He thinks players have to be uncomfortable a lot during practice. He enjoys bad practices because it asks, "how do we fix this?" He expects coaches to fix every mistake (techique or effort)
Goal of at least 250 shots/practice (? time available...2:15)
They have a shooting "ladder" breeding competition
To be special (by middle school) you have to compete
Discusses inclusivity in practice...everybody gets opportunity.
Lagniappe: via BBallImmersion
Defenses break down in transition. Everyone has core principles, protect the basket, stop the ball, force the extra pass, shape up (tandem, triangle, etc.). Coach Oliver's video shows how one cut leads to a breakdown.Decision-making doesn't always have to be fast. This transition advantage situation evolves slowly as the defensive recovery appears be matched up initially. pic.twitter.com/zTOu4IqV3m— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) May 8, 2019