Crafting Excellence: Lessons from "Bird by Bird"

Anne Lamott teaches writing and shares the life of a writer. "Bird by Bird" is the metaphor for navigating the writing (and coaching) process. 

Stay culturally literate. In her book she shares that her brother had procrastinated a report and lamented the nearing deadline. He asked how he could possible finish. His father said, "bird by bird." 

Bird by Bird reminds us of "step by step" or Coach Popovich's "pound the rock." What messages resonate with our basketball process? 

1. Find your own voice. Authenticity means taking risk and recognizing our emotional stake. For me, respecting team members is central. 

2. Believe. Ups and downs are part of the process, especially teaching young players. "Good writers...don’t worry about whether they’re good writers." Even at our best, we will suffer skeptics. 

3. Practice. To write well, write often. To coach and play better, do the work and build strong habits - pick them, stick with them, check that you're sticking. Pick, stick, check

4. First drafts won't be great. Michelangelo didn't craft 'The Pieta' on his first encounter with marble. Whether or not "10,000 hours" is the standard, keep revising the process. Obsess the product. "Player development is Job One." Are we the same coach that you were twenty years ago or are we working up to our Sistine Chapel?

5. Know our characters. What are our players' hopes and dreams? Ask how we can further their achievement. Let them know how to consolidate their strengths and lessen their weaknesses. 

6. Sweat the details.

• "The ball is gold."
• "It's not your shot it's our shot." (Jay Bilas, Toughness)
• "Win this possession/Be here now." 
• Everyone can be a great teammate. 
• Respect the game, officials, opponents, and teammates.

7. Recognize and share our weaknesses. Claiming to be perfect makes us less credible. Think about it. Have we ever made a coaching mistake? Of course! We learn that we can't develop every player and that every decision doesn't work. 

8. "Seek understanding not validation." Figure it out. Help players and teams become their best. "Are we building a program or a statue?" Stay humble. 

Lagniappe. "Repetitions make reputations." 

Lagniappe 2. Sequentially screening drop coverage "Gortat Screen" 

• Teach
• Be specific. 
• Sweat the details.
• Give and get feedback. 
• Keep grinding. 

Sunday Scraps: A Rational (and Sometimes Painful) Look at Achievement and Emotion

Every day reality and perception flavor our world. What people feel and believe confront what is. 

In Good to Great, Jim Collins shares "confront the brutal facts." "Productive change begins when you confront the brutal facts." Brutal self-assessment challenges us. 

Erik Spoelstra shares, "there is always a pecking order." Envy and jealousy accompany that. 

How do achievers ascend the ladder? 

Achievement =  Performance  x  Time 

Performance =  Training  x  Execution 

ACHIEVEMENT = (TRAINING x EXECUTION)  x  TIME

Differing perceptions of achievement may relate to our perception of the training and the time (which includes both physical time and sacrifices made). And mostly, players and their entourage (friends and family) have a poor understanding of the "training" and the "time" that other competitors on the ladder have invested. 

We see 'our' training and sacrifices, but those others have made are mostly invisible to us. So we invoke seniority or ego to justify our position (my player deserves more minutes, more recognition). But return to ACHIEVEMENT. "It's not about belief, it's about the evidence." None of us are completely objective. 

So what's a rational person to do? 

• Understand we have endowment bias (we value more what is ours)
• Understand confirmation bias (we listen to and read what confirms our beliefs)
• Appreciate that others are multidimensional not monolithic 
• Remain open to the possibility that we are wrong
• Work to become the best teammate and observer possible
• Grow our skills (training) to help ourselves and the team 
• Work to value the team first, however hard that may be 

Basketball: A Look at a Few Alternative Ball Screen Reads

Headed into the postseason, teams need pick-and-roll competence. The most common ball screen reads include the handler driving, the handler shooting (when the handler defender goes under), passing to the roller, and passing to the screener popping. 

But other worthy nuances and options occur, too. Here are a few with brief videos. 

Flat screens.

• Why? Prevents the defense from calling a side defensively.
• Issue? Screener must give the defender a step to prevent fouling. 

Butt screens. 

• Why? Main advantage is the screener can see the court ahead.
• Issue? Remaining stationary. 

Rejected screens.

• Why? Defenses 'expect' the common actions.
• Issue? Making the right read. 

Rescreens.

• Why? The initial screen may not go as planned. 
• Issue. Decision-making and often skill of the handler. 

Slips/ghost screens. 

• Why? Overeager defenders get trapped. Spontaneous or planned...
• Issue. Better used after successful pick-and-rolls. Carolina turns it into a primary threat.

Lagniappe. Many great coaches from around the world share their expertise. Here's a pick-and-roll video from Pascal Meurs. 

Colonel Blotto and Basketball (Game Theory Can Help Us)

Models can help us win. You know more about game theory than you think. The more we know and can apply, the better chance at success. In a competitive world, do we win with skill, luck, or something else? The Colonel Blotto model (below) helps sort out competition. Models work in many circumstances, too. 

• Electoral college (distribution of time and money)
• Anti-terrorism (money and technology) 
• Law (defense strategies)
• Hiring/admissions (what parameters do we choose?)
• Sports (multiple frontiers) 

Watching the video introduces the basketball dilemma we all face, application of limited resources. "It's all about strategic mismatches." 

• Any strategy can be beaten (UMBC/UVa, Harvard/Stanford women)
• You don't need all your players 
• Figure out where your opponent places players 

You're thinking, "this has nothing to do with basketball." Au contraire...basketball often relies on strategic positioning.

1. Zone offense overload

2. Pressure defense/trapping

3. Defense (load to the ball)

4. Mismatches (via switching)

5. Tactics (to create mismatches, "Draw 2", offensive sets)

How do we win the "Blotto basketball" game? 

• More troops (recruiting, other attraction - keep players 'home')
• More troops (depth)
• More skilled troops (technique)
• Better deployment (tactics)

As the number of fronts increases, the larger the number or troops (resource advantage) needed. 

In basketball "dimensions" might include unorthodox strategies, trick plays, stall ball, and pace of play..."weaker opponents add new dimensions..." 

With multiple player games (e.g. leagues), 1 may beat 2 who may beat 3, but 3 may still beat 1 (cycles are common). 

But history says more troops doesn't alway equal victory (Chancellorsville). 

Strategic positioning can impact outcomes (e.g. Thermopylae)

Takeaways: 

• Understanding game theory helps winners
• Game theory helps quantify the value of more and better resources
• Create strategic mismatches
• Create mismatches in personnel, talent, and spacing 
• Weaker opponents can succeed by adding more dimensions

Lagniappe. This action informs spacing, player and ball movement, and the "scoring moment." 

Lagniappe 2. Some people will always have Paris. Kathy Delaney-Smith and Harvard will always have Stanford. A future Emergency Room doctor, Suzie Miller, scored the winning basket with 0:46 left. 

Force Multipliers: Meaning and Implementation

"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." - Colin Powell

As coaches, we're not interested in a level playing field. Create advantage. Wikipedia shares, "In military science, force multiplication or a force multiplier refers to a factor or a combination of factors that gives personnel or weapons the ability to accomplish greater feats than without it."

We want tools to raise performance, to optimize what we have in whatever way possible. 

Brady Moore shares five relevant strategies for business: 

1. Recruiting

2. Asynchronous information routing and sharing

3. Meetings (synchronous information sharing)

4. Group cohesion

5. Transparency and accountability

Implement Force Multipliers. 

• Positive psychology. 
• Education - 'see the game' 
• Communication.
• Skill development (creates long-term advantage)
• Coaching. 
• Tactics. 
• Technology. 

Positive psychology benefits in a variety of ways. 

Education. Teach players what will translate on the scoreboard. 

• Getting and preventing separation.
• Transition defense (set goals <= 3 transition hoops) 
• Chosen pick-and-roll and switching defenses. 
• Half court offense (beginning with your preferred early offense)
• The primacy of shot selection (shot quality and accountability)

Communication. Comprehensive communication starts at practice. Communication gets people on the same page. Communication intimidates. 

Skill development. "Every day is skill development day." Each player, desirous of a role, needs feedback and a plan for improvement. Skill development is the best alternative to recruiting as force multiplier. Technique should never be subservient to tactics. 

Coaching. Nobody knows everything. Get coaches with complementary skills. Get players involved in self-coaching. Coaching includes a variety of training - physical, technical, tactical. General Alexander Suvorov, "the General Who Never Lost" preached "train hard, fight easy." 

Tactics. Tactics lie at the heart of the military force multiplier analogy, whether we consider Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar, OODA loops (Colonel John Boyd), or Lee at Chancellorsville (1863). Technical expertise completes solid tactics. All coaches need a reliable stable of solutions for man, zone, BOB, SLOB, and ATO situations, provided they have sufficient talent. 

Technology. Technology is widely available. Use it for education, self-study, analysis (e.g. number and types of turnovers).  

Lagniappe. Winning with less talent (Hubie Brown) Key points:

• More possessions (rebounding)
• More shots
• Free throws (get them and make them)
• Better distribution of shots to the shooter (think Harold Jensen) 

Lagniappe 2. Box drills develop footwork and finishing. 

My protege' Cecilia worked tirelessly on box drills. The 6'1" sophomore capped off her regular season with a 32 point performance yesterday. 

Postseason Upon Us, Teamwork Matters More Than Ever

Walt Kelly's classic Pogo cartoon proclaims, "We have met the enemy and he is us." As teams head into the playoffs, teamwork separates champions from also-rans. Inspire greatness with stories, analogies, and mental models. 

Powerful stories reveal truths about the fragility and teamwork. Teamwork makes teams antifragile. Redundancy (depth) makes teams antifragile. Weights make us antifragile.

TRUE STORY. A girls' high school team headed into the postseason as a favorite to win a sectional title. A player dated (stole) a teammate's boyfriend. The team fractured and lost in the first round. Disillusion became dissolution. 

Basketball's major paradox is the need for individual achievement during collaboration. 

ANALOGY. "Connect the dots." Children connect the dots to create pictures, to get clarity. Coaches "help teams go where they cannot go alone." Sometimes the puzzles have easy solutions and sometimes not. But separating the dots ruins the picture. 

Players are like dots in the picture. Phil Jackson wrote in Sacred Hoops, "The most effective way to forge a winning team, is to call on the players' need to connect with something larger than themselves.” Teamwork connects the dots.

MENTAL MODEL. Teamwork allows groups to achieve a critical mass, a tipping point for success. 

A few individual sticks are easily broken. Bundled, they are not. Finger pointing seldom wins battles. A clenched fist may. "The strength of the wolf is in the pack."Teams choose individual numbers or collective achievement. Remember the UNC Women's soccer motto, "excellence is our only agenda." 

STORY. Ian O'Connor's new book Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski, shares LeBron's buy-in to the Olympic 'redeem team'. "The room turned quiet...LeBron was not very trusting of male figures and coaches, and Coach K just wore him down and established a trust. That meeting was so emotional and empowering that I think LeBron was like, ‘All right, I’ve got to plant my flag here.’

James started talking about the U.S. needing to be “a no-excuse team.” He looked around the room, saw all the talent any basketball player could ask for and announced that a failure to win gold would be theirs and theirs alone. “How many times do we say, ‘I wish I had Chris Paul in the backcourt,’ or ‘I wish I had Dwight Howard with me,’ or ‘I wish I had Jason Kidd with me’?” he asked. “Well, guess what? I’ve got Dwight Howard. I’ve got Jason Kidd. . . . This is what we always wanted. There are no f------ excuses.”

In the moment, players decide the game through their commitment, skill, and will.

ANALOGY. Represent the playoffs as struggles to overcome.

• "Pyramids" with few survivors at the top.
• Mountains to climb with obstacles to overcome - steep facades, merciless cold, and avalanches.
• Impossible terrain to navigate with insurmountable hazards, Shackleton.
• Zero-sum game...although each contest produces a winner and loser, within each team, it is NOT a zero sum game as teamwork is a force multiplier.
• Gauntlets to traverse

MENTAL MODEL. Jay Bilas' "Toughness" is a mental model to translate false toughness (chest thumping) into authentic toughness, players doing the necessary dirty work. Players can't "decide" to go to the floor, set up cuts, or remember, "it's not your shot, it's our shot." Coaches have to find or train, "that guy."

Image from Silko.

Summary:

• Emphasize teamwork with stories, analogy, mental models.
• "We have met the enemy and he is us."
• Create antifragility.
• "Connect the dots."
• Teamwork forms a critical mass.
• Be a "no excuse" team.
• Teamwork allows people to achieve what individuals cannot.

Lagniappe. The beautiful game.

Lagniappe 2. Create separation off the step back. 

What Coaches Do We Admire? Include Zeljko Obradovic

Talk about a loaded question. Respect a coach for knowledge, success, humanism, leadership, or wardrobe (e.g. Chuck Daly)?

Great coaches exist in many sports, such as Jack Clark in rugby, Bill Belichick in football, Jose Mourinho in soccer, and so on. Someone mentioned Zeljko Obradovic in European basketball. Let's examine his tactics, using a Chris Oliver YouTube video breakdown via Basketball Immersion. 

The most "efficient" use is probably to watch it through and then revisit areas of interest. For most of us who coach "young" players, it's advanced and time is better invested on player development. But education includes technique and tactics. 

1. "Flat angle screen prevents aggressive coverages."

2. Communicate to baseline cut and drift to create space for ballhandler.

3. Reshape spacing with flare and pop. 

4. Slip to punish hedge. 

5. Maintain great spacing to punish tagging defenders. 

6. Attack into icing defense, read help, and reverse the ball. 

7. Punish tag by lifting (also "the ball is a camera")

8. Punish tag with skip past and early decisions

9. Drop coverage opens pop. 

10.Fill spaces behind drives to create long closeouts.  

11.Relocate (e.g. negative dribble) to improve attack angle

12.Swing and seal 

Ball screen - prevent coverage on ball handler 

Down screen into DHO. 

Lagniappe. Models help us understand the world. For a better understanding of models, consider taking the free "Model Thinking" course from Coursera and Scott Page of the University of Michigan. 

Why should we care? Coaching youth teams, I mentally modeled "Draft Choices." Players could be "Lottery Picks, First Rounders, Second Rounders, and Free Agents." Success relates to the talent available in a 'semi-quantitative' way. If our team has a couple of first rounders on the floor and the opposition has four, it's a struggle. But if we have free agents up against a mix of first and second rounders, it's probably a slaughter. It's another way to remain sane when we're up against it. 

Lagniappe 2. Closeout and positioning. Load to the ball, drop to the level of the ball.

 

Basketball Analogies That Impact Winning

"Our goal is to be great every year and to be able to contend for championships on an annual basis and if we want that, we need to act like it." - Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer, Boston Red Sox

Use analogies to educate, clarify, and influence. Education is like a stone tossed into a pond causing ripples, the largest closest to the initial landing but the effect spreading.

In Shortcut, John Pollack explains how powerful (and deceptive) analogies can be. Analogy to baseball (three strikes and you're out) fueled lengthy felony sentences, staring in California. Chief Justice Jon Roberts described justices as umpires at his confirmation hearing, not establishing the rules but enforcing them. Neither analogy was technically accurate, but both changed society. 

Basketball analogies have power, too. 

1. Playing hard is a skill. Talent isn't enough; intelligence isn't enough. Skill comes packaged in different forms, measurable and intangible. Playing hard is a force multiplier as players spread energy and effort. Successful teams play "harder for longer." Care about skills that impact winning; playing hard is paramount for success. 

2. Although not war, basketball uses military tactics - infantry, the power game, cavalry, the speed game, and artillery, the perimeter attack. The most effective teams blend elements of each both offensively and defensively. 

3. The DNA of an organization matters. Ideas flourish or fail in different ecosystems. The mere presence of organization doesn't guarantee success. Bill Walsh guided the 49ers from obscurity to a championship in three years with  Standards of Performance for everyone from the groundskeepers to the players.

Walsh wrote, "You must know what needs to be done and possess the capabilities and conviction to get it done. Several factors affect this, but none is more important than the dictates of your own personal beliefs. Collectively, they comprise your philosophy. A philosophy is the aggregate of your attitudes toward fundamental matters and is derived from a process of consciously thinking about critical issues and developing rational reasons for holding one particular belief or position rather than another…Your philosophy is the single most important navigational point on your leadership compass."

Steve Kerr leads the Warriors using mindset, culture, and mentors. "Cotton Fitzsimmons and Lenny Wilkens couldn’t be more different, personality-wise,” Kerr said. “But they were both great coaches because they were themselves. And that’s what all my mentors have told me: ‘Just be yourself, be true to yourself, stick to your principles, and it’ll work.’”

4. "There is always a pecking order." - Erik Spoelstra    Recognize that although we want to treat everyone fairly, that doesn't mean treating everyone equally. Collaboration and connection matter, but the minutes, roles, and recognition never distribute equally. "The shark and remora relationship benefits both species. Remoras eat scraps of prey dropped by the shark. They also feed off of parasites on the shark's skin and in its mouth. Remoras keep the waters clear of scraps around the shark, preventing the development of unhealthy organisms near the shark." Wanting to be a shark won't change a remora.

5. The ball is a camera. Cut urgently to open spots to be seen. Get in focus. Movement makes great pictures. Earn the right to be in the picture. Defenders photobomb the camera's targets. 

6. "The ball has energy." When the ball doesn't move, teams struggle. Ball movement energizes players and teams. I watched a high school holiday tournament game tonight and the ball stuck in the first half, with Bishop Fenwick leading 26-25. In the third quarter, the ball came alive and Fenwick won the period 21-5. 

7. Cinderella story. Everyone loves Cinderella, the classic underdog story, using pluck and luck on a pathway to success. There are few better feelings in coaching than helping guide a team to overachievement and unpredicted success. 

Summary: 

• Playing hard is a skill
• Basketball uses military tactics.
• Every organization has its DNA.
• "There is always a pecking order."
• "The ball is a camera." 
• "The ball has energy." 

Lagniappe. "Inside the elbows, inside the blocks..." 

Lagniappe 2. Dream big. 

Lagniappe 3. Teach players media relations. How players interact with media impacts how fans and teammates view them. Sharing credit shows maturity, promotes collaboration, and mitigates jealousy. A former player was interviewed after a President's Day tournament yesterday. "It feels great to be named MVP," said Kay. "I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates, because we've got some really great players which makes it hard to stop us."

Applying the Right Mental Models in Life and Coaching

Better coaching implies better thinking. Thinking better takes work. Being a "know it all" leads to error because we don't. High performance equals "intensive training plus rigorous attention to detail." 

Be on an improvement trajectory. Mental models help. 

"Mental models are a framework for understanding how the world really works. They help you grasp new ideas quickly, identify patterns before anyone else and shift your perspective with ease."

Here's an example. We see a game where one team dominates the other. The loser can't handle the ball, can't break the press. How good can they be? Apply sample size. "It's just one scrimmage." Apply "richness of data." Maybe the loser was missing their best players. The loser is 14-5 and a top eight seed in Massachusetts Division 1. 

What are some powerful mental models? I'll pick three:

• Inversion. "What if we did the opposite?" If extending pressure isn't working, assess results focusing defense in the half court. Revisit how we divide practice time among offense and defense, technique and tactics. "Discipline is more important than conviction."
• Circle of Competence. "Stay in your lane" and "know your job." Teach our systems from what we know while doing the unrequired work to expand the Circle. 
• Probabilistic thinking. "What is the likelihood of that happening?" Basketball results sum both skill and luck. If we know the points/possession for different play types, adjust our offense to increase scoring probabilities. 

What are some less appreciated mental models? 

• Social proof. We rely on what other people think. Polls, social media, and popularity distort our judgment. People buy books and watch movies that are popular. J.K. Rowling's early book sales spiked only after Harry Potter. Countries hire people to promote ideas on social media.  #ThinkforYourself
• Commitment and consistency bias. We hate being wrong. We'd rather stick to our guns than get it right. After we express a strong opinion or make an important choice, we stick with it. It's the scholarship student or NBA lottery pick who can't play but gets extra opportunities. It's the coaching choice that turns out to be a lemon or sticking with the overcompensated but unmotivated employee. 
• Fundamental attribution error. We attribute behavior of others to character and judge our behavior based on situation. Steven Covey tells the story of a man on a train poorly supervising three noisy children. A fellow passenger says, "what's the matter with you? Can't you take care of them." The father says, "it's been so hard since my wife died." When a successful player underachieves, don't make assumptions, work to understand if a situation is affecting her play. 

As coaches, better tools like storytelling, mental models, and analogies shift the odds of success in our favor. 

Lagniappe. "Every day is player development day." Borrow other workouts to become your own coach. 

Basketball: Playoff Checklist and Individual Move Menu

Coaches seek a 'Goldilocks' approach headed into the playoffs. We want neither deconditioning nor fatigue. We want a team on the rise - healthy, mentally focused, and playing well. 

What belongs on our playoff checklist? The MUST, NEED, WANT approach of Bill Parcells is one way to go. 

Here's an example from an offseason list. 

But another approach might be PREPARATION, PRACTICE, GAME PLAN. 

Think back to our Goldilocks analogy, formulate a manageable list. 

Cone down on the absolutes:

• Synthesize the practice plan that translates into results
• Never leave fundamentals, be on the same page in every phase
• Attack weaknesses and utilize strengths getting feedback

Lagniappe. Develop at least four ways to score within the scoring moment. Stars don't need everything but a quiver of GO TO and COUNTER arrows. 

- Appropriate warmup of shooting (Jay Wright)

- Long-distance shooting - catch and shoot 3s, catch and side dribble threes

- Box drills into various finishes (front and reverse pivots)

- Jab series including negative, neutral, and 'shimmy' steps

- Attack off the catch (stampede)

- Side dribble float into direct attack or crossover attack

- Wing series

Leave your comfort zone. Rule of 2s, two minutes to learn, two weeks to practice extensively, and two months to implement as core move

Lagniappe 2. Winning competes with ego. Young players often don't understand what it takes to win and focus on themselves (minutes, shots, recognition) over victories. Also, distractions (relationships) are always a concern. Plus, in the COVID era, you never know which key players might be out. 

Breaking Down Success: Norwood High School Basketball Film Study

"Success leaves footprints." - Kevin Eastman

Kristen McDonnell coached four state championship girls teams and has the Norwood High boys off to a 16-2 season in 2022. YouTube video breakdown illustrates how in a randomly selected 2022 game with two boys teams coached by women. 

Dave Smart reminds us that success relates to managing key elements: 

• Transition O and D
• Half court O and D
• PnR O and D 

1. Phases - spacing, player and ball movement, execution of scoring moment 

Spacing into rejected wing ball screen. Ballhandler identifies weak side slot as open and makes the pass but shot is missed. This is the type of shot they can live with. 

2. Mind the gap. 

The "sandwich screen" doesn't create an open shot, but there's enough of a gap for a direct drive for a high probability "9" shot. (Get 7s or above). 

3. Defending the ball screen. Communication, coordination, trust the protection.

 

Norwood switches the initial ball screen and the on-ball defender goes over the screen as the ballhandler can't use the screen well and loses possession. Score the possession as a win for the defense. 

4. Create "contestedness" with aggressive on-ball defense and help/recover defense. 

The defense makes the offense work for the shot and makes for a tough finish. 

5. "Win in space." A common theme at many levels is losing possession during dribbling or passing into traffic. Great players win space. 

Parents tell us, "don't play in the traffic." A live ball turnover is a 0% shot and statistically bleeds into defense as this possession did.  

6. Execution style... 

Norwood sets 1-4 high and Walpole takes away the initial cut. I was thinking pass to the top and backscreen for the wing. The shooter had other ideas. 

7. Off-ball defense. Note:

a. Load to the ball "Helpside I" with weakside defenders with a foot in the paint

b. Drop to the level of the ball

c. Ballhandler uses the screen poorly allowing defender to go over the top

8. Draw 2. The ballhandler drives and the corner defender gets caught helping too much. 

Penetrate to pass sets up an open corner 3, the third most efficient shot (in the NBA). 

9. Gambling gets burned. 

Going for the steal in the background creates "numbers" and an open foul-line extended three-pointer. Dave Smart's adage about the importance of winning in transition proves true again. 

10. Reading the ball screen. 

Walpole elects to trap/blitz the ball screen and the roller draws help (protection). This leaves the corner wide open and this time the shot doesn't go down. If the pass had gone to the short roller, then he would have the wide open corner three pass. 

Better teams create more opportunities, have fewer turnovers, take away what the opponent wants to do, and allow "one bad shot." 

Lagniappe. "Every day is player development day." 

• Your "GO TO" and "COUNTER" move become your signature. 
• Ply your craft with a handful of moves that separate and finish. 
• Find what works for you - negative step, jab, attack off the catch, lateral float...it's your bag. 

Basketball Friday: Networking, Learning, and Growing...Plus a Set Play and Drill

Learn from other people's mistakes. Network to learn, to share, to help players advance, and possibly to help your career. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Find one thing to steal. 

Add value. Don't be delusional about our place. "The tail doesn't wag the dog." Relationships based on respect and listening have a better chance.

Where to begin? Expand our community and refine our processes/systems.

• Local basketball community
• Higher levels when possible
• Social media groups
• Social media individuals
• Global outreach 

Learn locally. Within the local basketball community, find coaches to study. Ask to watch their practice. "Pick their brains" and bring a notebook. Seek what worked for them and what hasn't. Most coaches enjoy sharing with other passionate coaches. 

Study higher levels. If you can watch a 'next level' practice (e.g. college or professional), do it. Watching Geno Auriemma coach a UCONN practice, we saw key points:

• "There are no shortcuts."
• Operate at a higher tempo. 
• Set the highest expectations.
• Sweat the small stuff. 
• Elevate the competition (UCONN practices against men)
• Track everything (e.g. free throws, shooting efficiency)

Leverage online resources. There are wonderful online resources (e.g. blogs, Facebook groups, Twitter feeds) where experienced coaches share.

• Facebook groups - many great resources, some public, some private requiring an invitation (find what suits you). "Be curious not judgmental." 
• Twitter feeds - Coach DeMarco has an interactive feed and weekly questions
• Chris Oliver shares video, training, and more
• Zak Boisvert goes everywhere
• Coach Drew Hanlen has daily training videos

Coaching podcasts. Nobody has the time to listen to all of them. Here's a recent link to dozens. Many have Twitter presences and some will interact. Here's an excellent one (Hardwood Hustle) with George Ellis, a recent mentee of Coach Larry McKenzie.

• Model the behaviors we want to teach. 
• Establish your non-negotiables. 
• "Every player on your team has a story." How are we shaping their story? 
• Can we get a player on the blueprint to excellence? 
• Don't operate out of fear. Talent is not the same as buy-in.
• Are we holding people to our standard?

Cover the world. Explore FIBA (e.g. Coaches Education) 

Zoom! Some coaches establish regular meetings online to share education and philosophy. In my online interview with Kristen McDonnell, an outstanding boys coach from Norwood, Massachusetts, she shared belonging to such a group. Coach McDonnell won four state titles coaching girls. Her boys' team is 16-2 and ranked in the top 10 in their division. 

Play. "Hammer action" uses weak side flare screens to open up a perimeter shooter, most commonly a corner 3. 

This is a play from Coach David Blatt. 

Drill. Calipari shooting drills. 

Summary:

• Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence.
• Add value through sharing.
• Start locally.
• Expand through online communities. 
• Go global. 
• Zoom! 

Lagniappe. "Basketball is a game of separation." 

Lagniappe 2. It's not enough to understand basketball. We have to understand people and politics.