Every coach owns authenticity. Among the best was Carolina Coach Dean Smith, sharing wit and wisdom in A Coach's Life. Smith wrote books that coaches could study, not self-aggrandizing biographies.
Today's missive brings excerpts from the chapter entitled "The Carolina Way."
"Each year we had the same goals: ) Play together, 2) Play hard, 3) Play smart...unselfish, effort, execution."
He hated showboating. "Try to act like you've done this before."
One writer labeled Carolina "the IBM of college basketball."
"To make winning an end in and of itself seemed neither realistic nor good teaching."
1) Were we unselfish?
2) Did we play hard on every possession?
3) Did we execute the basic fundamentals well offensively and defensively?
"There was a fourth principle at work in our program : to have fun."
"Basketball is a game that is dependent on togetherness."
"A demanding teacher is quick to praise action that deserves praise, but will criticize the act, not the person."
"Caring for one another and building relationships should be the most important goal."
I didn't remember that he had lost Tom McMillen to Maryland because his parents wouldn't sign his grant-in-aid papers.
Their practice sheet started with a Thought for the Day, like "You can tell more about a person from what he says about others than what others say about him."
"The EMPHASIS OF THE DAY was a basketball thought..." like "sprint back on defense" or "catch the ball with both hands if possible."
He shows a couple of practice plans with words we've said a thousand times...
Emphasis of the Day: Offensive: NO UNNECESSARY DRIBBLE!
Defensive: PRESSURE ON BALL-DON'T FOUL DRIBBLER!
He talks about the numerous college coaches who came to visit, watch, and talk basketball. He makes the point, "the NBA and college basketball are two entirely different games."
Reading takes us to different worlds, to meet people from all walks of life.
Lagniappe: I like to watch film daily, for both review and exposure to new ideas. Coach Daniel's breakdown always reinforces core principles.
Key points from Lakers-Rockets video include the pros and cons of personnel change, specifically going smaller. It improves the spacing, perimeter defense, opportunities for three-point shooting, and in the Lakers' case ball movement.
Lagniappe 2: Doug Brotherton's HS club executes horns via a stagger with options.
We ran "Horns Triple" as a sequence ATO tonight, to open the second half with back-to-back baskets. Great execution from our team. Double stagger, into a DHO for our best shooter. Slipped the second screen the next trip.#XsAndOs #GrowTheGame🏀 pic.twitter.com/kGp5Scp3oN
— Doug Brotherton (@CoachBrotherton) November 18, 2020
Lagniappe 3: Dribbling Drills
