Become Our Own Coach - Five Factors.

"That which we are, we are, and if we are to be any better, now is the time to begin." - Tennyson

"Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Don't have a mentor? Become our own coach. Demand rigorous self-assessment. 

Nobody wants to admit they're limited as a coach or a player. Popovich would say, "Get over it." We're all limited. 

Organize a few thoughts on your team. 

1. "I don't have good enough players." We NEVER do. 

• "Every day is player development day." Spend more and better time on identified need areas. Never skimp on competitive shooting practice. 
• Track progress

What are our five most productive development activities? Write them down. Are we using them EVERY practice? 

2. "Get more and better shots than our opponents." - Pete Newell

• Why are we NOT getting enough or better quality shots? 
• Where are we allowing opponents too many or too good shots? 

With younger players, two major offensive factors are turnovers and passing. Every turnover is at best a ZERO percent shot and at worst becomes an opponent basket. 

If we don't force turnovers (start with ball pressure) opponents get more shots. Poor rebounding is another gateway to opponent volume and quality of shots. 

At a minimum track team turnovers and effective field goal percentage and correlate them with results. Good teams share the ball and get more assists. Poor passing leads to poor shot quality. "The quality of the pass leads to the quality of the shot" says Pete Carril. 

3. "How deep is your rotation?" In youth coaching, the more equal the time, the fewer minutes to the best players and more to the weaker. The effect grows with a bigger roster playing teams with smaller 8-10 rosters. 

Playing time (minutes) is ALWAYS an elephant in the room. There's never an easy answer.

4. "Ego is the enemy." Controlling ego matters. General William Tecumseh Sherman avoided major battles, focusing on objectives and limiting Union casualties. General George Custer plunged ahead and got annihilated at Little Big Horn. Are we building a statue or a program? If I were the best middle school mind in America, what would that mean? That's dumacity (the act or condition of being a dumbass). Focus on the skills and the confidence of our players. The four factor "coactive" of Dr. Fergus Connolly (Game Changer) applies. Grow the technical-tactical and the psycho-physical components of players.

5. How important is winning at your level? Winning demands sacrifice from everyone involved. When the Celtics won their last title, Paul Pierce's shots per game fell from over 18 to under 14. Kevin Garnett's feel from 16.9 to 13.8. Ray Allen's fell from 21 to 13.5. The Holy Trinity of players is money, minutes, and shots. Who is willing to sacrifice and how much? For amateurs it's minute, role, and recognition. 

In developmental play, use improvement as the metric for self-evaluation. Track what you consider the important milestones for improvement. 

Summary: 

• "I don't have enough good players."
• "Get more and better shots than our opponents."- Pete Newell
• How deep is your rotation?
• Ego is the enemy. 
• How important is winning at your level? 

Lagniappe (something extra). PnR progressions.

Lagniappe 2. Evolve. 

Lagniappe 3. If we're losing our minds and voices yelling, practice isn't meaningful enough.