Someone asked coach Amos Alonzo Stagg what he thought of his team. His perfect answer? "Ask me in twenty years."
Years ago our high school volleyball team won a state championship. The coach's son opined, "the players whom you and Ralph coached always become the best volleyball players." So I have that going for me.
Basketball Friday shares drills, concepts, and a set play. Off we go.
Drills. What five drills or activities belong in your "base set?" They can include offense, defense, skill-building, conditioning, decision-making, competition. Steal these drills.
1. Shell drill with live defense. We can run shell drill 4-on-4, 5-out, 4-out 1-in, and so forth. Emphasize stance, positioning and ball containment to constraints including scoring in the paint and multiple actions like beginning with a DHO, requiring a pass and cut, or pass and screen away.
2. Advantage-disadvantage. Good teams apply and defeat pressure. My favorite full court drill is 5 versus 7 no dribble full court press break. If you can beat 7 with 5, then you should defeat 5 on 5.
3. Three-on-three inside the split (the line bisecting the baskets). It's a small sided game that challenges offense and defense. Constraints can include maximum number of dribbles (no more than two per catch) and time to get a shot (get into an offense). Monitor progress with one coach at each end. You can also simulate horns, high ball screen, 1-4 high or low on one side, spread, post split, triangle, and so forth.
4. Three-on-three transition with chaser. 3-on-2 becomes 3-on-3 with chaser. Offense goes to defense. Decision-making drill for both offense and defense.
5. "Specials" (last segment of practice). Each practice we worked on "special situations" including BOBs, SLOBs, ATOs, FT defense. It's three possession games, O-D-O (offense-defense-offense). "Specials" works offense and defense and gave us an 'execution edge' in close games in my opinion. The defense "knows" what's coming in practice, so offense has a priority to adjust.
The girls improvised on this SLOB, with a zipper entry, return pass to the inbounder, and then hit the rolling post for a layup. "Making plays not running plays."
Concepts. While better to "seek understanding not validation," everyone wants appreciation.
A parent accused one of Massachusetts' top coaches of not promoting her daughter enough. I've heard of your kid. How much love do you need?
Dean Smith felt it important to recognize players to the media who got less publicity for scoring or rebounding. He pointed out contributors to winning. It's not just the stars that build winning.
Pat Riley says, "catch people in the act of doing something right." Taking a moment to praise or to thank a player or parent means everything. Robert Townsend in Up the Organization wrote, "thanks is the cheapest form of compensation."
In The Power of Moments, the Heath Brothers inform how we fill 'treasure chests' for others... moments of elevation, insight (aha!), pride, and connection (family, group, team). As coaches, make more special moments for players to cherish.
Set Play. I recently shared video on the post split. Here's another example earning a lob dunk but could have created a hard roll, too. Not how the inbounder decoys disinterest before his hard cut.
Lagniappe. Professor Chris Paul's Pick-and-Roll Class.
Lagniappe 2. Mavs hand back, back screen. 6 seconds.