Basketball: The Main Thing

"The main thing is the main thing." - David Cottrell, Monday Morning Leadership

Get everyone on the same page. Nothing exceeds Pete Newell's "get more and better shots than our opponent." 

How? Fill in the details - offense, defense, conversion. Manage the list. Prioritize symmetry - offensive pluses guide defensive minuses. 

Offense: "Our shot"

• Get quality shots.
• Take care of the basketball. "The ball is gold." 
• Spacing ("What does that mean to you?")
• Cutting and passing 
• Screening

Defense: "One bad shot" 

• No penetration (contain the ball...HARD)
• No middle
• Limit offensive spacing (load to the ball)
• Challenge shots without fouling
• Every defensive rebound

Conversion: 

• Anticipate.
• Sprint. "Basketball is not a running game; it's a sprinting game."
• Protect the basket defensively.
• Attack the basket offensively.
• Practice conversion. Change drill/dynamic starts (not always dead ball)

What's your why? What's your purpose? 

• Seek mastery. 
• Share the best possible player experience possible. Everyone won't buy into that.
• Control what you can...every day, from energy to feedback. 

Share experiences players can take home saying, "Practice was good. I learned. I got better." 

Lagniappe: "Don't have eighteen minutes? How about three?"

Lagniappe 2: The power of spacing, screening, passing, and cutting. Via @BBallImmersion

A coach asked me recently what was one of the more difficult simple things to cover...step up slot ball screen with spacing and decision making would be my answer. Empower the weak side to space and cut, to read their defender based on the coverage. pic.twitter.com/5uKX7u25jb

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) July 26, 2019

Lagniappe 3: "Constant interruptions are the destruction of the imagination...your worst enemy will have your most beloved face." - Joyce Carol Oates     

Protect time for thinking.