Winning close games separates good teams from also rans. Losing "winnable games" by beating ourselves frustrates every coach. Protests about development aside, competition drives us. We all like winning.
Basketball Friday shares one drill, three concepts, and one play. Off we go.
Drill. Step Back shooting (Range building). One of multiple drills by Coach Rock.
Modify the drill by requiring a certain number of consecutive makes before stepping back. Track how many shots required to get beyond the arc. Or require that you make "X" number of shots at each spot to get to the arc within a set time. Build competitiveness and range.
Concepts. Details define destiny. Have clear, written guidelines to follow.
a. What's our strategy for deploying time outs? Timeouts can be like water to a person in the desert, life-saving. Timeouts stop a run, allow strategic rest, or get a substitution. But I want three time outs for the last three to four minutes because we've had an edge with special situations and ATOs. That's the Dean Smith approach.
b. Know our best BOB, SLOB, Man, Zone, and ATO action(s)? I love Doug Brotherton's approach to BOBs, having the clock (odd, even, zero) call the play. But sometimes you have an 'Ace in the Hole' to unleash.
Three for three ATOs late gave us an eighth-grade W. Here's a slip of a cross-screen stack choice. The defense expects our top player to get the ball.
c. To foul or not to foul (up 3)? With younger players, it can be a crap shoot, because most players are poor three point shooters and free throw rebounding is another variable. With varsity players and above, there's a statistical edge. If you're going to foul, teach players how to foul strategically. "You must train your team to let as much clock run down as possible (7 seconds and under is my time) and foul, going for the ball, BEFORE your opponent is in the act of shooting."
Set Play. Traffic jam from Horns-like action frees Kemba Walker for a three.
