Basketball Friday emphasizes at least three concepts, one drill, and a set play. Steal an idea today.
Too much attention to numbers causes problems. For example, remind players that "it's the scoreboard, not the scorebook."
DRILL. I call it the "Elden Campbell" warmup. Make five consecutive shots from five spots, both short corners, elbows, and middle of the key. That was part of Campbell's warmup. Can't do that? Do the work until you can.
CONCEPTS. What numbers define success?
1) "5 more." Do five more reps. Spend five more minutes on a project. Write five pages a day. Read five more minutes.
2) "372." Stops make runs. Chart consecutive stops. When your team gets at least three consecutive stops, seven times each half, in both halves, there's a high chance of success.
3) "2 - 50 - 30." Read. Kevin Eastman reads 2 hours a day, meaning 180 extra hours a quarter. Steve Forbes reads fifty pages a day. I encourage players to read at least 30 minutes daily outside of required reading.
Find passages to inspire better writing. Director Werner Herzog encourages his film students to read excerpts from The Peregrine.
“Approach him across open ground with a steady unfaltering movement. Let your shape grow in size but do not alter its outline. Never hide yourself unless concealment is complete. Be alone. Shun the furtive oddity of man, cringe from the hostile eyes of farms. Learn to fear. To share fear is the greatest bond of all. The hunter must become the thing he hunts.”
― The Peregrine
4) "The 95." Billy Donovan reminds players that they play 95 percent of the game without the ball. Excellent players get a lot done defensively and making teammates better on offense through spacing, cutting, and screening.
5) "14." An easy naming system for defenses uses the first digit for the type of defense and the second for the extent. "14" represents "man-to-man" full court (four-fourths of the court). Examples:
14 - full court man
24 - full court run and jump
51 - quarter court 1-3-1 zone
72 - half court 2-3 zone
83 - three-quarter court 2-2-1
6) "Even-odd-zero." Coach Doug Brotherton's system uses the clock to call special situations plays. If there were 5:12 left in the quarter, then the "even" play is called. He uses additional calls to override or supplement the automatic system.
SET PLAY. "Andover"
