"Just skip out the back, Jack.
Make a new plan, Stan." - Paul Simon, Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
Players don't think first about limiting mistakes. Many see scoring as the game. Most coaches have a big picture approach - philosophy, culture, identity. Unlike poker, in basketball, you can't bluff your way to victory. With attention to detail, better teams will take advantage of us.
Our high school coach had a detailed game plan, including three "keys to the game." If we achieved those, we had a high chance of victory.
We need a plan to win and ways not to lose. Let's examine way ten ways to lose.
1. Have no offensive plan. Points don't grow on trees. Where do they arise? Separation and execution...
- Attack the basket on the drive.
- Pass and cut.
- Perimeter skill (shooting)
- Defense into offense (transition)
- Offensive rebounding
- Set plays
Teams with no coherent plan get fewer quality possessions leading to high percentage shots. I see high school games without one pick and roll. You don't need to run set plays every time down the floor. But most young players aren't good enough at freelance to create quality "multiple actions" most trips.
2. Turn the ball over. Points = (possessions minus turnovers) x points per "corrected possessions." If we presume 70 possessions in a high school basketball game, efficiency falls dramatically with turnovers and ineffective shooting. I recently saw a game where one team turned the ball over thirty times. That would yield forty "corrected possessions." Most high school girls teams won't shoot more than forty percent so that yields 40 x .4 (16 hoops). And chances are if you turn the ball over thirty times, you won't be a great shooting team. If you hold your opponent under forty consistently, a turnover-prone offense might win a few games but that's tough.
3. Take bad shots. Every player should know what a quality shot is for themselves and every teammate. Eliminate shots that are not ROB (in range, open, balanced) and stop "shot turnovers."
4. Foul. Excessive fouling increases opponent points per possession. It gets opponent into the penalty giving them more scoring chances. And it risks fouling out your better players, damaging both offense and defense.
5. Communicate poorly. "Silent teams lose." Demand talk at practice. Talk at practice bleeds into games. Good teams develop good habits. (It's a struggle.)
6. Allow opponents to do what they do well. Make drivers shoot. Make shooters drive. Good offenses thrive without defensive pressure, against poor transition defense and against teams with poor help and rotation. "The help can never be beaten."
7. Don't stop penetration. "Know your nos." When we allow dribble or pass penetration, bad things happen. No middle, no penetration.
8. No delay game. Good teams play to win. Bad teams find ways to lose, allowing leads to evaporate because of the inability to run clock and still find ways to develop scoring chances.
9. Charity (stripe) problems. "Teams that can't shoot free throws, last as long as dogs that chase cars." For a team to dream of escaping the netherworld, it has to make free throws.
10. Situational anxiety. Bad teams make poor decisions. They take inappropriate shots in key situations. Bad teams give away close games, they choke. They ignore the Lady of Victory.
Lagniappe. To fill your bag, fill your toolbox.
- The Rondo
- Punch
- Spin
Practice one or maybe two to add new weapons to your arsenal.