Basketball is _______________. Everyone has ideas.
- "Basketball is a game meant to be played fast." (Wooden)
- "Basketball is a game of mistakes." (Knight)
- "Get more and better shots than your opponent." (Newell)
- Basketball is about finding edges.
- Basketball is about wearing opponents down.
- Basketball is a game of separation.
Dr. Fergus Connolly reminds us that most sports have four phases:
- Initial positioning (spacing)
- Player movement
- Ball movement
- Scoring moment (execution)
Separation occurs either with or without the ball.
Separation with the ball focuses on individual athleticism and skill. Ja Morant highlights help illustrate.
A few include:
- Draw 2 and pass
- Create long closeouts via pass
- Exceptional speed, explosive penetration
- Hesitation with continuation
- Change of direction (e.g. crossover)
- Side dribble quickness
- Pivoting/footwork off the catch or rebound
- Pick and roll
- Step back jump shots
He is also facile without the ball:
- Back cuts
- Use of off ball screens including staggered screens
- Give-and-go
Other key separation with or without the ball:
- Euro step
- Negative step
- Attack off moving catch (catch and go)
- Float dribble (Durant)
- Complex screens (stagger, screen-the-screener, screen-the-roller)
- Short roll passing
- "One more" passing (extra pass)
- Transition
Young players, find ways to create more separation.
Lagniappe. What makes coaches proud? It's the success of our graduates. Victoria, a first year veterinary student reached out to report progress.
She was one of the toughest players I ever coached, an All-State Volleyball player, an outstanding student, and an excellent assistant for one season. Her nickname summarized her play, the V-Rex.