Saturday, December 18, 2021

Fishing for Compliments? Fundamentally Sound

"Attitude reflects leadership."

Coaches want our teams to reflect our sport values - smart, competitive, engaged, resilient, tough, fundamentally sound. 

List what fundamentally sound teams do. Start with Pete Newell's "get more and better shots than our opponent." 

Defense:

  • Play out of a stance 
  • Contain the ball - deny dribble and pass penetration
  • Position themselves well off the ball to "shrink space" 
  • Communicate
  • Help (Cover 1.5)  and recover
  • Limit transition baskets
  • Contest shots without fouling
  • Block out 

Offense: 

  • Space the floor (force defense to cover space)
  • Cut urgently and pass (player and ball circulation)
  • Attack the basket
  • Pass unselfishly
  • Take care of the ball
  • Take quality shots 

Lagniappe: Our best players extract the lessons we teach. In this 9 second clip, Cecilia (#32) works to get open and uses an economy of footwork to beat the zone. A 6'1" sophomore, she finished the night with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 blocks to help her team (Bishop Fenwick, Peabody, MA) to a 65-57 win.