Monday, March 8, 2021

Basketball: Find Coaching Buried Treasure in Plain Sight at Different Coaching Levels

Lloyd Pierce got fired. Yet, Brad Stevens remarked that he always learned something by watching Pierce's teams play. 

What's 'under the hood' with Lloyd Pierce? Pierce was about player development, once working with Jeremy Lin. Lin said, "He is very detailed, very thorough, level-headed. He's just a dog." He also worked individually with Danny Green and Steph Curry. 

Pierce has game. 


What didn't the Hawks see? Beset by injuries, the Hawks didn't win enough. Pierce is not going to be without a job for long. 

What do we learn by watching other teams play or practice? What would another coach learn from watching us teach, coach, or practice? It's practical, not rhetorical. 


I always enjoy watching Coach Ted Cottrell's teams (above, right) practice. Cottrell was Marcus Camby's backup at UMASS and is an exceptional coach. His teams play aggressively on both ends, moving the ball and attacking the basket. His practices are organized, uptempo, segments timed by a visible clock, and often accompanied by music. He excels at both individual skill development and team development. His middle school boys' focus always exceeded that of our middle school girls. 

During games, he is engaged, calm, and his teams play hard with intentionality and steadiness. 

Coach Geno Auriemma's UCONN women practice shared:

  1.  Nobody cut a corner during two laps at the beginning of practice. "Winners don't cut corners." 
  2. Everyone wants to be part of winning. He had as many managers as players.
  3. Another obvious difference was the pace of practice. High. Get more done by doing more. 
  4. Every action oozed competitiveness, whether sprinting through drills or controlled scrimmaging against the 'appointed' men's team. 
  5. Not far down was the extreme skill of the players, starters (like Breanna Stewart) or reserves. Nobody wins eleven national championships without skilled players. 

When I saw a Celtics walk-through under Brad Stevens, I noticed more "technical" details...how they planned to defend Kyle Lowry coming off screens, where they wanted to force DeMar DeRozan, and how they approached off-ball screens. The level of defensive communication was readily apparent. The vital role of assistants in teaching and preparation also shone through. Professionals are pros because of their knowledge, skill, and habits. They have an elite level of refinement.

I want observers of our practices to find them:

  • Organized
  • Uptempo
  • About fifty percent time devoted to fundamentals
  • Enthusiastic
  • Focused (especially the final Offense-Defense-Offense - ODO segment which starts each three possession scrimmage with special situations, e.g. free throws, BOBs, and SLOBs).
Could they improve in the future? Surely. Better small-sided games, more individual instruction, more attention to individual defense, better zone offense instruction, and more. The clock is working against my sixty-six years. 

Lagniappe. Geno Auriemma teaches a simple, intense drill to start practice. 

 

Lagniappe 2. Brilliant Jimmy Butler breakdown. Direct, right time (reading), shimmy, makes a top foot to attack, delayed rip, physical, patient, and skilled!

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