Basketball: Cheat Codes (Discipline Specifics for Our Superhero Toolkit)

"Discipline defines destiny."  

The first tool in the bag is discipline. Do what we must today to enable what we want tomorrow. We go from a chair master to runner not by thinking but by doing. 

Proficiency at playing or coaching takes time. Remember, "the only short cut to excellence is mentoring." But if we don't have a mentor, become our own coach. 

1. Build better habits. Make it easier to follow through on good habits and to avoid less productive ones. Take your workout gear to work. At Bethesda Naval, admins told us NOT to jog during lunch, as patients complained about appointment availability. At Walter Reed, the "norm" was jogging five miles at lunch. "Doc, why aren't you running?" 

James Clear reminds us in Atomic Habits that it takes weeks to imprint a habit. He advises us, "don't miss twice" when establishing a new habit. 

In the 80s, we learned the "Bruce Jenner protocol" for patients with lung disease. Exercise (training), rest (sleep), diet (nutrition), supplements (medication), and motivation (goal setting, something to live for). What's your why?

Question: What am I doing today to get where I want to be in five years? 

2. Do 5 more. You want to excel. Spend more time reading, watching film, studying the game, exercising. Read five more pages. Watch five more clips. Do five more sprints. Invest 5 minutes at the end of practice in your "cleaner" game winners. Invest 5 minutes in "emergency shots" - fallaways, double pumps, end-of-clock shots. Learn five new things each day. Self-doubt fuels work. Start small but know, "Champions do extra."

Question: what 'unrequired work' am I doing today? 

3. Develop a better story. Learn from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Joseph Campbell writes, "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." 

Geno Auriemma wrote a story of eleven national titles as UCONN coach. But he also wrote of burn scars obtained as a two year-old in Northern Italy, as he rolled too close to the fire the children slept near to stay warm. Life leaves scars. 

Question: how am I telling a better story today, adding, removing, or editing?

4. Don't cut corners. The UCONN women jogged two laps at the start of practice. Nobody cut a corner. Discipline requires us not to skip steps. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich says, "pound the rock" because if it takes 100 hits to break it, you have to deliver 100 blows. 

Question: did I cut corners today? 

5. "Winners are trackers." Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect informs the value of measuring progress. How often do I work out? How many free throws did I make of the hundred I took (I used graph paper back in the day)? Although it won't always be great, Don Miguel Ruiz reminds us, "Always do your best."

Kevin Eastman reads two hours a day. Billionaire Steve Forbes reads a minimum of fifty pages. Coach George Raveling is a prodigious reader as are Michael Neighbors, Steve Kerr, and Gregg Popovich. Invest in ourselves and track progress. 

Question: did I make any progress today objectively tracking? 

Discipline feeds ownership of success...for ourselves and our 'children'. 

Summary: 

• Build better habits. 
• Do 5 more. 
• Write a better story. 
• Don't cut corners. 
• "Winners are trackers." 

Lagniappe. Watch film every day. This Basketball Immersion video shows a litany of techniques to create space (e.g. gaps), increase separation (e.g. pindowns from 5 out), occupy the help (e.g. weakside pindowns). Coach K says, "basketball is about making plays not running plays."

We don't have to attend MENSA meetings to give players an edge.

Lagniappe 2. A FastModel zone quick hitter. Use sequence screening to create advantage at the top then the interior. 

Poker Lessons for Basketball

“Talent alone is not enough if you’re not able to execute.” - Daniel Negreanu

Learn from other domains. Negreanu shares his wisdom. He has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and a pair of World Poker Championships. 

An 'A' game fails when it balances an 'F' game. Discipline and consistency reign. A past situation does not determine the present result. We have to play the hand we're dealt. 

Screenshot from MasterClass.com (Daniel Negreanu Teaches Poker)

Know how to play a situation in advance. A suited 9 and 4 don't pass muster. Seeing a 9-9-4 flop didn't change the preexisting math, just like deciding whether to foul late up three points. 

The skills of poker require fundamental knowledge, application of mathematics (analytics), and discipline. Basketball is similar as you need knowledge, skill plus understanding shot quality, and good decision-making. 

Don't deviate from correct decisions because of selfishness. 

Don't compound a mistake by doubling down. It's a classic. A player takes a poor shot or turns the ball over and immediately fouls. Stop! 

Be objective your self-analysis. 

"Make the best possible decision you can with that hand in that moment."

And another thing, in crunch time, you can't bluff on the court. 

Summary: 

• Talent alone is not enough.
• Our "A" game is neutralized by an "F" game
• Knowledge, skill, and decision-making travel together
• Don't double down on mistakes.
• Be objective in self-analysis

Lagniappe. "Every day is player development day." 

Quotes from "You Win in the Locker Room First" and Turn Negative Into Positive (Player Development)

Players tire of hearing the same voice, no matter the coach. Especially in the era of big egos AND big money, 'seat fatigue' happens. 

Jon Gordon and Mike Smith wrote You Win in the Locker Room First. Because we are not Lombardi or Belichick, our attitude, energy, and positivity translate into better or worse experience for players. Here are some quotes:

"Build your culture up and down. Develop it in the boardroom and the locker room." (Steve Kerr preaches culture, mindset, and mentors.)

"Let everyone know your vision, purpose, and beliefs and make sure that your actions are in line with those beliefs and attitudes." (Set a tone and model of excellence.) 

"Be contagious with optimism and positivity...weed negativity from your team." (Everyone in our medical office has read The Positive Dog)

"Address the disease of complacency with your team." (Stay hungry, stay humble.)

"Remember that where there is a void in communication, negativity will fill it." 

"Take the temperature of your building and people daily." (Tom Peters reminds us about MBWA... management by walking around.)

"Utilize outside voices to reinforce messages and themes to your team." (Coach Lane brought John Killilea to speak to us at a post-season gathering. Coach gave him insights to share about each of us.)

"When team members connect and build strong relationships they don't just work with each other, they work for each other." (The Navy SEALs have a saying "two is one and one is none.)

"Stay connected." (My wife and I took Coach Lane and his wife Paula to dinner in Maine for our 40th Anniversary.)

"Your commitment must be greater than anyone else's in the organization." (The best player on the team has to be the hardest worker.)

"You don't have to be great to serve but you have to serve to be great." (A wonderful example of rhetorical chiasmus...)

"Value each team member as a person...decide to be a transformational leader." (We become what we choose to be.)

Summary:

• Players tire of hearing the same voice
• Be contagious with optimism and positivity
• Utilize outside voices
• Stay connected
• You don't have to be great to serve but you have to serve to be great
• Value each team member as a person 

Lagniappe. Look for small deceptions to add. 

Some players use a negative step to launch separation. 

Lagniappe 2. Eastman's "Dog Drill" and more

Basketball: Where Offense Goes Wrong

"All cooking is about time and temperature." - Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller preaches precision cooking. Basketball offense execution demands attention to detail. "Great offense is multiple actions" implies that a single breakdown disrupts offense. 

1. "Offense is spacing and spacing is offense."

2. "Movement kills defense."

3. "Offense is separation." 

4. "If I'm ever before a firing squad, I want him shooting." 

Failed offense contradicts spacing, movement, separation, and finishing. Teach players to learn why actions work or fail. 

Poor spacing creates friction. 

• Clogs driving and passing lanes. Does the defense's work for them. 
• Results in playing in traffic. 
• Allows for easier double teams. 
• Never cut to an occupied post. 
• Reduces the amount of space defenders must cover. 

Brett Brown's clinic discussed the "four point line" as a spacing facilitator. 

Young players have less shooting range which moves them in. Some are "magnetized" toward the ball, corrupting spacing. It also allows defenders to cover 1.5 (their man and help) more easily. "Win in space." 

Poor movement dampens the ball's energy. 

• Poor ball movement obviates long closeouts. 
• It reduces paint touch/ball reversal sequences procuring quality shots.
• Non-urgent cutting rests defenses. 
• It makes life easy for help defenders.

Relocation, relocation, relocation creates open shots. 

Lack of separation has many consequences. 

• Pressures decision-making and passes. 
• Leads to turnovers like traveling, fumbles, five-second calls.
• Results in lower percentage shots. 
• Poorly set screens and not waiting for them denies separation. Some coaches teach players to say, "wait, wait, wait" as the screen arrives. Better late than early off the screen. "Cut hard."

The king and queen of offensive failure are turnovers and poor shot selection. 

Zak Boisvert's slide is one of the all-time greats. Turnovers rob teams of any chance of scoring. High turnover teams lose. Don't give games away.

Like turnovers, poor shot selection is a coach-killer. Doc Rivers calls the worst shots "shot turnovers." Shot selection encompasses decision-making, selflessness, skill, and situation. Pete Carril reminds players, "the quality of the pass relates to the quality of the shot." And every player needs to know what is a good shot for them and for each teammate. Putting the ball in the non-shooter's hands at the wrong time can haunt you for decades. 

Summary: 

• Teach players what leads to poor offense. 
• Bad spacing makes life easy for defenses.
• Lack of movement simplifies defense.
• Lack of separation leads to turnovers and poorer shots. 
• Turnovers take away even the chance to score.
• Don't be guilty of shot turnovers. 

Lagniappe. 

"You finish school...but you never finish education." 

What do we want? How can we get it? What am I doing today to get closer?  

Poor shot selection 

Turnovers (decision-making or execution)

Basketball: Ten Tips for Young Players

You're young, love the game, and thirst to improve. Be on the lookout for tips. 

1. Be coachable. "Help me, help you." Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence. Be the person with whom coaches want to work...first at practice, going hard on every rep. Separate yourself with your presence. 

2. Finish plays. Scores, rebounds, assists, steals all finish plays. Players who finish possessions never go out of style. 

3. "Get to your dominant hand when possible." Savants don't discuss "the best off hand finisher ever."

4. Learn to watch video. Transform your "software" (vision). 

5. "Know thyself." Leverage your strengths. 

6. "Move." Move the ball and yourself. "The ball has energy."

7. Learn to finish off two feet for more control and stability. 

8. "Study your mentor's mentors." - Usher   

Pretend that elite coaches are our mentors. In this article about the Sixers and Brett Brown, they share issues about spacing, getting open for shots, and organization. New Celtics' coach Ime Udoka counts Gregg Popovich, Brown, and Steve Nash as mentors, so pick up tips from them. 

9. Become a "habit stacker." Sequence strong habits - reading/study, exercise, nutrition, practice, and sleep. Habits mean being your best version every day. And remember James Clear's advice, "don't miss twice." 

10. Say "yes." Got an opportunity for individual tutorial, practice, or growth? Take it. "Unrequired work" pays dividends later. Great players do extra. Be the guy. 

Summary:

• Say "yes" to opportunity.
• Be a habit stacker. 
• Finish possessions.
• Leverage your strengths.
• Study your mentor's mentors. 
• Study video. 
• Outwork the competition. 

Lagniappe. When asked why he robbed banks, bank robber Willie Sutton answered, "because that's where the money is." Steals (the money) shows when players become complacent and show the ball. 

- Stay in front of your man

- Active hands

- Stay close to your man

- I teach going for steal on the upward phase of the dribble

- Look for your opportunity (you are the mongoose against the cobra) 

Lagniappe 2. Udoka exudes confidence.

Basketball Friday: Lessons from Sacrifice to Small Sided Training and More

Basketball Friday examines concepts, a drill, and a set play.

Most coaches have an introductory meeting, a give-and-take session to share ideas with players and the extended basketball family.

A parent asked the coach, "what's your basketball philosophy?" and he answered, "I don't have one." The parent lamented, "I knew we'd have trouble." 

Coaches bring their ethos, philosophy, and culture, the foundation of the team's future identity. In MacArthur's epic speech at West Point, his message to graduates was clear, "duty, honor, country." Is our philosophy as clear? 

Coach Sonny Lane made it clear, success means sacrifice. In three seasons, he took the team from perennial cellar dwellers to a 21-4 sectional champion in a league that the year prior spawned two NBA first round choices (Ron Lee, Bob Bigelow). 

Jay Bilas's Toughness mandates include, "It's not your shot, it's our shot" linking the success of the team with accountable individuals. 

The optimal philosophy doesn't exist. We preach, "teamwork, improvement, accountability" in a developmental program. 

Drill. Small-sided setups teach decision-making and finishing. As in chess, "set up the board" and see how the pieces move. 

Constraint play on one side of the split with four options. 

Alabama 'corner drive' with reads against the closeout. 

Set Play. Early offense is a challenge for many young teams. "Pistol Get" action opens the floor for multiple options. 

Lagniappe. Jerry West's advice to John Beilein was to "be yourself." Sometimes good advice can still blow up on us. 

Lagniappe 2. "Every day is player development day." If we can't recruit, build better players. Better players beat better plays. 

Lagniappe 3. Attend to the details... as Bill Belichick does. "He focuses, with insane precision, on routine moments where a tiny individual improvement — better technique, better timing, better awareness — boosted the team’s performance." Hat tip: Brook Kohlheim

Lagniappe 4. "Failure can make you stronger" and other lessons from a Navy SEAL, Admiral William McRaven. 

Basketball: Xs and Os, What About BOBs (Special Situations) and More

Scoring differential on special situations makes a difference. I recently shared SLOBs that play. As a follow-on, here are some baseline out of bounds (BOBs) plays. At the end of each practice, we play "3 possession games" (O-D-O, offense-defense-offense) that mostly begin with BOBs or SLOBs.

Some coaches prefer to run different actions from similar sets (e.g. Box) or similar actions from different sets. Only imagination constrains us. 

1. Triangle Slip

"Triangle" in its many iterations creates a "four low" against three defenders. At the least, a perimeter open shot becomes available. 

2. 14 Curl 

"Empty and fill." Empty, cut, and curl. 

3. 15

We had a dynamic post player and 15 created an inside pick-and-roll option. Here's another option (below).

4. WHAM (Pentucket) 

Screen the middle of the zone. If the zone low defender stays home, you create a wide-open corner 3. Our HS team got burned in the post-season by this play. 

5. "Four"

We scored five times in one game with this action. 4 fakes the backscreen and gets a screen from the 5 (screen-the-screener). I remind defenders, "bigs away come back into play." 

6. Tiger (and Cub...slip)

Tiger creates multiple options off the backscreen. 

Lagniappe. From Missouri? "Show me." We scored off "Lion" a variation of Tiger aligned along the opposite lane line. Our "big gun" was the decoy and the slip paid dividends. 

Lagniappe 2. Everyone wants "Curry Range." Work on it. 

 

Basketball: What Are Our Absolutes?

Every program has absolutes, dos and don'ts - passing grades, no tobacco or substance abuse, school attendance on game day for eligibility. But the bare minimum won't achieve excellence. 

1. What's our organizational philosophy? Ours has been TIA - Teamwork, Improvement, Accountability. Bill Walsh's The Score Takes Care of Itself covers organization as well as any book I've seen. 

2. What's the plan? How do we plan to wear down opponents? Dave Smart discusses being able to play harder and longer than opponents. Work at communication, energy, positivity and get everyone on the same page. "It's the scoreboard not the scorebook." 

3. Write it down. Track what we do and why. Revise to improve. We want players to become more efficient. Hold ourselves to the same standard. 

4. Get better players. If we can't recruit, that means devote time to player development - athleticism, skill, game knowledge to elevate the VDE triad - vision, decision, execution. "Every day is player development day" to build VDE. 

5. Pareto principle (80-20 rule). Spend the lion's share of our time on what's most important. "Do well what we do a lot." Be good at finishing possessions:

• Halfcourt defense
• Halfcourt offense 
• Transition defense
• Pick-and-roll offense
• Pick-and-roll defense 

6. Handle and apply pressure. Every team will apply pressure points (full court, trapping, denial). Failure to cope with pressure guarantees defeat. I've never found anything better than 5 versus 7, no-dribble, full court practice (advantage-disadvantage). 

7. "Foul for profit" as Kevin Sivils says. Free throws are the most efficient scoring tool (points per possession). Do not give away points by bailing out an opponent's bad shots. "Show your hands; move your feet." 

8. Offensive and defensive delay. Play well at different tempos. Practice special situations every day. I favor three possession games, O-D-O (offense-defense offense) which start with a free throw, BOB, or SLOB. Whatever our delay game, it always gets named "4" after the Carolina Four Corners. 

9. Define roles and work to get players to buy into them. Pete Newell's counsel that a player must know whether they are a screener, facilitator, or scorer still applies.  That's tough with many voices in a player's head. Players need "no mind." Focus upon the task at hands. "Be a star in your role." 

Reality? Everyone will not be happy. 

10. Be flexible. “I thought I was never wrong but I was.” Uncover ideas to upgrade our program. Some NFL teams now practice or meet for 25 minutes and give players 5 minute "cellphone breaks." Because.

Lagniappe. Breaking guys down off the dribble. I prefer teaching girls crossovers, hesitation, and combinations because I think those are less "turnover prone" than behind the back moves. 

Lagniappe 2. Game winning lob gives Phoenix a 2-0 series lead. 

Basketball: Apply Pressure with a Fistful of SLOBs and Principles to Remember

Apply pressure. Why let defenses relax instead of stressing them? Have an 'in case of emergency' supply of special situations plays. Especially with a shot clock, wasted time is wasted opportunity. 

SLOBs. Here are five worthy candidates. Keep others in reserve. 

Horns-like set with multiple options including either a pindown curl or a DHO off the pindown. 

2. Box Zipper Curl 

Zipper entry with sequential screen from 5. 

3. Winner (Yes, it's worked multiple times most surprisingly with 5 rebounding a miss.)

Entry to the corner helps mitigate pressure on the passer. Another option is setting 5 as the ballside screener. If they switch, you have a post mismatch. 

4. Zipper DHO Plus

Zipper entry is common off the SLOB. A handoff into a pick-and-roll creates multiple options on the weak side. 

5. GO 

One of multiple give-and-go options for the inbounder.

Lagniappe. Tom Peters. 

My life/43 years/6 words: “Hard is soft. Soft is hard.” So-called “hard” [plans/spreadsheets/org charts/process maps] is soft/abstract/readily manipulable. So-called “soft” [relationships/teamwork/individual growth/culture] is true hard/durable/bedrock-of-execution & excellence.

— Tom Peters (@tom_peters) June 20, 2021

Lagniappe 2. Coach Hanlen ball containment defense 

Poor on-ball defense creates too many help, rotate, and recovery situations that lead to open shots. Watch through to the end. 

Lagniappe 3. Cost-Benefit Analysis

Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Steve Jobs about a Disney-Pixar merger. Jobs drew up a pros and cons list with a long list of cons. Iger was not sanguine. But Jobs said that the weight of the few pros exceeded the numerous cons. There's a saying on Wall Street that in the short term it's a voting machine, but in the long term it's a weighing machine (earnings). 

We do this daily, choosing Pietra or Paula. Kemba or flexibility? Relocate to Seattle? Is Ben Simmons broken or fixable? Recycled coaches or freshness? Surf or turf? 

Lagniappe 4. Zipper-return-screener roll. They figured it out themselves. 

 

Basketball: Master Lessons from MasterClass Professors

MasterClass professors share life lessons acquired over decades. Their wisdom applies to basketball. 

"May I have your complete attention?" - Ken Burns 

The first price of progress is to pay attention. Some have that gift or hone it through techniques like mindfulness that sharpens attention, even for elementary school-aged children. 

Werner Herzog: Focus (squirrels don't become great directors by collecting acorns). One great scene won't make a movie. 

Great films aren't compilations of anecdotes. Winners develop a rigorous process to build comprehensive skill. 

Spike Lee: Theory versus practice, practice matters. "You have to feed your people." Successful coaches add value. I was thinking about free throw shooting tips. James Pauley says, "never leave a free throw short." In A Sense of Where You Are, John McPhee shared a tip to aim for the middle of the four bolts that attach the rim to the backboard (now it often is the name of the rim manufacturer).  

Paul Krugman: Confidence has to be backed by substance (fractional reserve banking). We hear talk about the greatness of this player or that player. Great players make free throws and don't need Hack-a-Shaq rules. 

Ken Burns: "Storytelling is about conflict" and finding out what happens. Every game won't be art. The Bucks-Nets and Hawks-Sixers were grinders about surviving great performances. 

Story is the arc of the narrative, the beginning, the middle, and the end. I've often told middle school parents that the experience is just one leg of a journey filled with starts and stops. The "trend" is away from basketball, fewer "basketball players" and more soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse players playing basketball. 

Ken Burns remarks, "Process says, "not done."" 

Skill matters. Ask players how they are building skill in the offseason. What is their specific program to improve their shooting, their finishing, ballhandling, athleticism, and game knowledge? Do we get answers or blank stares? 

What's your shooting warmup? Do you start with form shooting, by making twenty from each block off the backboard, or do you start jacking up threes? 

We are storytellers. Coaches help players and teams to a better narrative. "Coaches help take players where they cannot go alone." 

Summary:

• Pay attention.
• Develop a great process.
• Have confidence because of your substance.
• Add value.
• Improve your process.
• Build skill across the arc of the game. 

Lagniappe. "non-shooters are always open." Tips for getting more use out of non-shooters (e.g. cutting, screening the ball).