Separating Important from Unimportant. Important Impacts Winning.

Helps players establish important from unimportant. Important impacts winning. Successful coaches add value teaching players to SEE THE GAME and EXECUTE. Bill Belichick is famous for teaching professionals that everything is important. 

Performance depends on skill, health and rest, and emotional state.. They sum to execution as operations (strategy and tactics). Other intangibles like teamwork, communication, effort, and luck factor in. 

Some say that boys have to play well to feel good about themselves and girls have to feel good about themselves to play well. How do we measure that? 

How would we rank important? 

Big Picture Important Factors

• Players/Skill - the Porsche theme - "there is no substitute." That includes depth. Answer: devote more time to skill development. 
• Effort - high motor teams can defeat 'better' teams less committed            Answer: reward effort to encourage effort
• Coaching - coaching encompasses many areas - detail, development, leadership, motivation, organization, preparation, psychology, and strategy.          Answer: constantly refine our coaching "kill your darlings" 
• Collaboration - the sum of having everyone on the same page, teamwork, and communication. Answer: Player-driven leadership is a plus.  
• Culture is the team environment. We hear the saying, "culture eats strategy for breakfast." Great culture is hard to find in isolation.  The Eloi had great culture but the Morlocks were the winners in The Time Machine.                               Answer: Prioritize the Basketball Experience
• Community support helps. "Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan." Answer: "If you build it they will come." Winning beats gimmicks.

Important Details

• With less experienced players, shrink the amount of "important" to unburden  them. 
• Contain the ball. Never leave the basics (see the Villanova videos below). When guys can't pressure and stay in front of the ball, it forces help and recovery and often creates layups, kick out threes, and fouls. The first things players learn defensively are stance and positioning, ball-you-basket and ball-you-man. 
• Space. Ironically, the rise of the three has encouraged spacing. We call the three-point line the spacing line. 
• Value the ball. Turnovers are 0% shots and "mistakes bleed into defense" allowing higher points per possession. 
• Shot quality is the quickest path to improvement. My coach deplored '$hit shots'; there's never been a better term. It got our attention, Old School or not. The term wasn't profane; the shots were.
• Foul discipline. Don't foul jump shots. Don't put opponents at the line early. BUT sometimes you need fouls as part of clock management, so there's a balance. "Show your hands" lets officials know that we're focused on discipline. Kevin Sivils' term, "Foul for profit" is timeless. 

Lagniappe. A little confusing with the D-Man mannequin but the points matter.

Lagniappe 2. ATO, Carolina Slip 

Lagniappe 3. Video study, Villanova - Houston. 

Vintage Villanova with penetration, jumpstop and pivot into a lay-in. 

 

Whiteboard time. Write: "I will not lose ball containment because bad things happen." 

"See both." Villanova gets caught 'ball watching' and the penalty is two for Houston.

 

"Basketball is a game of separation...and deception." Dribble separation with a great crossover. "Technique beats tactics." 

Basketball: Doing the Hard Things Better

What hard things, done better, turn failures into success? 

• Ball containment
• Closeouts
• Transition defense
• Defeating defensive pressure
• Defending the pick-and-roll
• Making a higher percentage of free throws

Share a few specific ideas to improve each. 

1. Ball containment

• Improve lateral quickness with jumping rope

2. Closeouts

• Review principles of helpside defense of your coach (e.g. what is your rule for helping off the corner three?)
• Know the personnel...are you closing out on a shooter or a driver
• Consider using fly-bys against selected shooters 

3. Transition defense

• Shape up (e.g. defensive alignment - stack, triangle)
• Know your assignment (are guards back, how many to the glass?)
• Set a goal - no more than three transition baskets/game

4. Defeating defensive pressure

• Advantage-disadvantage practice (5 v 7 no dribble)
• Get the ball in quickly after a made basket
• Survive the gauntlet (28 special) 

defenders rotate up 

5. Pick-and-roll defense

• Be on the same page, planning and communication
• "Work the coverage, trust the protection"
• Vary the coverages depending on opponent (hedge, drop, blitz, ice)

6. Make more free throws

• Improve targeting (e.g. the word on the plate...e.g. Spaulding)...Bill Bradley aimed in the middle of the four bolts attaching the rim to the back board and shot over 87% in the Ivies and 84% in the NBA
• Pressure free throws (partner can harass but not touch)...
• Sprint between series to simulate game fatigue
• Track daily progress (set a target for consecutive swishes)

 Lagniappe: If we're not making enough shots, analyze why 

Lagniappe 2. Down 1, the Bulls go post entry to inside out...3 instead of 2 

Analogical Basketball Offense, Four Progressive Actions to Score (Iso, DHO, DAT, Rip), and Video Sampler

How will future simulators model basketball offense? 

Just as chess pieces have a virtually infinite combination of space, time, and movement, so does basketball offense.

Because Fergus Connolly's construct asserts truth across sports, recall that it informs four 'states': 

• Initial space/formation
• Player movement
• Ball movement
• Scoring action (scoring moment)

How do we 'organize' that moment - individually (isolation), two-man (e.g. give-and-go, pick-and-roll, inside-outside), three-player (e.g. Pistol, Chicago action), a myriad of set plays, and scripted/random motion?

At the root of the scoring moment is ability to score off the catch-and-shoot, off the dribble, and off complex interplays of screening and cutting. 

And what circumstances might help use 'multiple action' assembly to construct attacks? 

• Lego pieces fit together in nearly endless combinations
• A roll of the dice generate a limited number of possibilities
• Shuffling and picking cards generates 'random' actions
• A wheel spin (e.g. Game of Life) produces a number 
• End-game video (e.g. close and late) of elite teams of elite players and coaches fills a catalog ("It's a copycat league.")

Although "random" combinations might help us, they will not get the ball in our best shooters in their favorite spots. Design actions to get higher probability scorers more higher probability shots. 

1. Favorite isolation action (Lob/Iso option)

5 catches at the elbow, reverse pivots of the left foot and gets a one dribble layup

2. Two-on-two. DHO out of 4 out. 

Multiple options created. 

3. Practice developmental 3 player actions

"Dribble at" creates DHO, backcut, and crossover drive depending on defensive actions.

4. Everyone involved (Corner Rip) 

The high ball screen opens the pass to the midline and the initial cross-screener continues with sequential diagonal screening for a layup. 

Whatever we select, put player development as the highest priority. 

Lagniappe. 

 

Don't apply NBA statistics to lower level play. Few high school teams are making threes at 35% clips. Learn to make midrange shots off the dribble.

Lagniappe 2. NC State ties it up in OT with a perfect flare screen three. This reminds everyone of the taking the foul debate up 3 late. One might legitimately ask why Williams was laying off the point guard allowing an easier pass. 

Lagniappe 3. Alpha dog. The highlights do not do justice to the magnificence of Paige Bueckers during the fourth quarter and overtime. Bueckers scored 17 of her 27 points during the fourth quarter and overtime periods. 

Basketball Fast Five: Spend Less Time Impressing and More Time on the Lesson, Plus Shooting Drills and Applications

"Spend less time impressing the teacher and more time on the lesson." - Sammo Hung, "Martial Law"

You don't have to be flashy to be effective. 

John Havlicek, a former teammate of Jerry Lucas and Bob Knight at Ohio State, was anything but flashy. 

Simplify your game. If you're going to "hot dog" then you better not screw it up. As Prem Watsa says, "don't major in the minors." Have a plan when you practice. 

 

Less can be more. I love Scott Skiles' wraparound pass. But don't sacrifice time needed to develop court vision, make free throws, and enhance athleticism.  

Dribble separation moves. Think change of direction and/or change of pace to separate. Master hesitations, crossovers, and combinations first and then advance to other skills. 

Keep it manageable. Think GO TO and COUNTER as you stock your toolbox. Have a handful of moves that you make yours. Old-timers think of the Sky Hook (Abdul-Jabbar), Dream Shake (Olajuwon), Up-and-under (McHale Move), and Sikma Move. 

Four ways to score. "Know thyself." Maybe it's catch-and-shoot, basket attack, transition, and free throws. Or you're a three-point shooter, live at the line, or great offensive rebounder. Just as a pitcher needs an "out" pitch, you need your stuff.  Become versatile around the basket. 

Close encounters. If you have the ambition to "close" with the game on the line, invest time in honing game winning isolation moves. Practice defending the opponent's closer as well. 

Summary: SIMPLIFY

• Don't major in the minors.
• Separate with change of direction and/or change of pace.
• Keep it manageable. 
• Have four ways to score. 
• A closer needs a closer's bag. 

Lagniappe. Practice with purpose. This video shows ideas for developing your shooting coming off screens. 

Lagniappe 2. Miami Heat 25 Horns...the middle is open and an off-ball screen opens the 2 for a pick-and-roll.

 

Lagniappe 3. Video is the "Truth Machine." Don't care what the announcers say, make your own judgment. UCONN - Indiana video clips

Bueckers rejects the ball screen and scores on the pull-up. 

Practice the shots you plan to get. Fudd comes off a screen for a three.

 

"Great offense is multiple actions." UCONN's downscreen into a pick-and-roll doesn't goes as planned, but Nelson-Ododa stays with the play and gets the reverse layup.

 

UCONN's ball screen 'drop coverage' is messy and the roller wide open but Williams recovers to block the shot and Indiana punches the ball out of bounds.

 

UCONN intends to score a third in transition, a third off threes, and a third off sets. Not sure how they classify this one. 

Practice Communication Skills - Labeling

Nothing to see here. You're an experienced coach, a former player, maybe you've won championships. You're busy and don't need distractions from building your program, your team, your coaching staff. But you're also curious, which makes you a better coach. I've just labeled you. 

Effective coaching changes behaviors. Former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss, shares techniques including labeling. Labeling frames the situation. Let people know our view of the situation and the possibilities. 

Help others be seen, heard, and understood. It won't always matter. We're 17-3, playing our first playoff game in 1973. We split against the defending State Champion. Coach tells us the team we're playing is competitive, 15-5, and will beat us if we're not prepared. We look at each other, eyes saying, "No way." At halftime, we're up 45-10. Kevin Eastman says, "you can't fool dogs, kids, and basketball players." 

Send a message. "Susie, you're not going to want to hear this. You work hard, but not as hard as you can. You've improved, but not as much as you can. You wonder how to get more minutes." You're being honest but not brutal, label a 'value message' for Susie, and it can go a few ways. If she pouts, that's on her. If she says, "I need to be better to get what I want and I'm going to do it," she'll have a chance to succeed. 

Michael Jordan was at UNC. He told assistant coach Roy Williams, "I'll work as hard as any player ever has at Carolina." Williams answered, "If you want to be great, you have to work harder than that." You know the 'rest of the story.' 

Great players want coaching. Great players want edges to elevate their game and feed the monster. Label a great player and they'll usually double down on relentlessness. 

Lagniappe. Range... shorten, sequence, time (patience) 

The Ultimate Struggle - Simplicity and Execution

"It's your game." Simple is hard. Choose simplicity and clarity. 

Warren Buffett tells investors to imagine having twenty lifetime 'tickets' to invest. Think hard. Apply analogical tools that anyone can understand. 

1. Focus. Bob Woodward had a sign on his desk at The Washington Post, FAA. Focus and act aggressively. 

2. Give. "Basketball is sharing," says Phil Jackson. The most successful givers combine giving and ambition. Whom is it about?

3. Write it down. On a one page sheet of paper, write our basketball essentials.

4. Edit. "Advance the story." Reduce the page to an index card. 

• "More and better shots..."
• "Be here now...this possession."
• "Make good decisions."
• Build winning habits.
• Process over results

5. Make it indelible. Religions emphasize commandments or pillars. What absolutes must players must learn and embrace? Don Meyer advised, "you can't use everything." Teach to the audience. Don't try to teach sixth graders differential calculus. TIA...teamwork, improvement, accountability.

6. Buffett has the 25-5 rule. Write out twenty-five priorities; whittle it down to our top five. 

7. Use "Commander's Intent." Make the objective clear with a desired end state. Be sure the team understands the necessary steps

8. Win with better habits. Pick, stick with, and check habits. On many basketball sites, coaches ask for or preach about the best offense. "What offense will work best for my fifth graders in Lompox, Idaho?" They can't make layups, shoot, cut urgently, or block out. Shakespeare learned the alphabet and grammar before he wrote eternal prose. 

Crabbed age and youth cannot live together; Youth is full of pleasure, age is full of care; Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather; Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare. Youth is full sport, age's breath is short; Youth is nimble, age is lame; Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, age is tame. Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee.

William Shakespeare

Our favorite team lost their last game by a point. Check the film.

• Did they miss one layup? 
• Did they miss two free throws? 
• Did they surrender an offensive rebound that led to a basket?
• Did they close out poorly leading to a basket?
• Did they get beaten on a pick-and-roll pass or a slipped pick? 
• Did they commit a bad foul leading to free throws? 
• Did they gamble on a steal that translated into a basket? 
• Did they turn the ball over leading to a transition basket? 
• Did they allow a transition basket because of lack of awareness?

"Every day is player development day." Skill is king. 

The rundown Spartak Tennis Club in Moscow turned out more top twenty tennis players than the entire United States. The teaching produced players with exceptional fundamentals honed by years of repetition...imitatsiya. Players practiced for years before permitted to compete. "The magic is in the work." 

We want results. Now. That's not how sport (or music, chess, or writing) works. Getting people to abandon the short-term for the lung pull is tough. 

We have to be able to see the possibilities before we can execute them. 

Lagniappe. "The help can never be beaten." St. Peter's beats the help. 

"Draw 2." 

"One More" pass forces the long closeout. 

Practice a variety of finishes with either hand off either foot (or two feet) from either side of the basket. 

Lagniappe 2. "Chop wood, carry water." 

Basketball: Pet Peeves (First and Second Order)

Pet peeves come in different levels. First order pet peeves deserve higher priority. First order peeves lose games at either end of the court. Coaches lose our minds over games given away. Second order pet peeves are unhelpful and annoying. 

First Order Pet Peeves

• Perimeter traveling. Why travel? Are you a threat from thirty feet?
• Passing or driving into traffic. "Don't play in the traffic."
• Catching out of bounds. Know the boundaries. 
• Missed defensive assignment. Inexcusable mental error. How can we leave you in?
• No protection. A player gets beaten and nobody helps. "My guy didn't score." The ball scores. 
• Failed block out on free throws. Sandwich the top rebounder. 
• 
• Fouling jump shots. If she's such a great shooter, don't put her on the line.
• Fouling bad shots and frustration fouls. You turned the ball over so you think committing a stupid foul helps? 
• "My turn" shots. Some players have a PSC - personal shot clock. 

But second order pet peeves are out there, too.  

• Dribbling near the midcourt line. Do we need a backcourt violation? 
• Bench not in the game. That's why Pat Summitt filmed the bench. 
• Falling in love with the dribble... nobody coaches because they love watching dribbling.
• Moving screens. If you want to hurt people, take up MMA fighting. 
• Coaches protesting every call. They know who they are. 
• Poor pre-shot preparation leads to more 'contests', rushed, and blocked shots.
• Avoiding 'normal' contact - bailing out on free throws, avoiding charges. 
• Floods near the bench. Keep your water in your bottle. 
• Redundancy (I'm guilty, too). "Score the ball." What else were you scoring? 

Lagniappe: Legal and illegal screens (worth reviewing) 

Lagniappe 2.  Hang/float moves. Probably a repeat. 

Lagniappe 3. Xs and Os of the day. 

With a talented 5, if it's not there, cut 3 through and you've got an Iso for 5 and a corner pass if the defender helps. 

Women's Tournament Teaching Highlights Plus Drill, Set Play, and More

It's the best time of the year, March Madness. Let's learn from what worked and what didn't during a few games so far. Teach players execution excellence. Recognize when poor decision-making happens at every level of play. 

Watching video is integral for game understanding. Here are short clips from the NCAA Tournament showing "everyday principles." 

1. Keep it simple. 

Princeton has four out and brings a backscreen, threatening a lob. But the screener pops for a three. 

2. A better mousetrap creates better mice. 

Holmes (54) is a big threat in the post and Princeton tried to keep the ball away. But if you're going to front (without backside help), maximum ball pressure is needed. Some teams use a call, like "red" or "fire" when fronting the post. 

3. Take away open threes. 

Coach Auriemma can't be thrilled with the collapse into the lane leaving multiple perimeter shooters wide open. 

4. Avoid bad fouls...especially three pointers and jump shots. 

Fouling perimeter shots turns them into higher probability shots - free throws. 

5. Create separation. 

Ball movement forces long closeouts leading to multiple actions and great offense. 

6. Slip, sliding away. 

Creighton uses great spacing and slips the pick for an open layup. Hard to assign an error without knowing the intended coverage...but there is no protection. 

7. "Movement kills defenses." 

Creighton cuts off the high screen and note how the cutter "buries" to keep the lane open. They make a second cut and score at the rim without a travel call. 

8. Be more than just a scorer. 

Caitlin Clark threads the needle with a brilliant pass to the roller. 

Drill. Kirby Schepp runs a drill with a "designated screener."

Screeners, cutters, and passers all learn how to use screens more effectively. 

Set Play. The Pacers leverage ball movement and cutting to score an easy one.

 

Lagniappe. Study the best at creating separation with micro skills.

 

Lagniappe 2. Pascal Meurs shares fine points about the hard work of getting open without the ball...using your whole body. 

Pressure and Greatness (Notes from Geno Auriemma)

Geno Auriemma's MasterClass examines multiple aspects of coaching and playing including pressure. He notes, "With the absence of pressure...it's difficult to accomplish great things." Restated, great achievements cook in a competitive cauldron. 

Pressure manifests in many forms - time pressure, peer pressure, and the number of people counting on you. The coach adds that pressure brings out the best and the worst in people.

In part, coaches measure growth by achievement under pressure. Despite the adage that great players rise under pressure, pressure degrades performance. Perhaps great players experience less degradation. 

Leaders subject their teams to pressure. Don Meyer said, "make practice hard so games are easy." And legendary General Alexander Suvorov taught, "Train hard. Fight easy." 

Auriemma suggests that we create conditions where the odds are stacked against your players (e.g. 4 vs 5, 5 vs 7) and scrimmages his team against a team of men. Coach Knight calls this 'advantage-disadvantage'. 

When it's not meaningful, there is no pressure.

"You don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training." - Navy SEALs

Certain kids never make the clutch shot in practice (e.g. everyone has to make 1 in a row)...others will "always" make the pressure practice shot

Know which kids to have and not have on the court during crunch time (from training)

Coach Auriemma emphasizes real pressure is other situations, "a single mom trying to pay the mortgage when she's lost her job" 

"The upside (of winning the big game) changes your life." 

"Pressure is my mother walking around with no shoes on while the Nazis took over our town." 

Lagniappe.  Coach Hanlen gives advice to simplify and refine what you have. 

Three Keys to Victory Plus Three Extras

Win the day. That demands "priority" and specifics. Leave an impression, to be the best version of ourselves. Mack Robinson, Olympic Silver Medalist and Jackie's brother, insisted that as a street sweeper, his job was to be the best street sweeper he could be. 

Coach Sonny Lane provided us with mimeographs of opponent's individual and team tendencies and three "keys to victory." Coach included a hand-drawn picture of a key. 

They'd include items like:

• "The ball is gold." Win the turnover battle. Take care of the ball. 
• Dominate the defensive boards. No second shots. 
• Help and recover. Don't get beaten on recovery. 

Some advice is timeless. As the game evolves, so do the keys to victory. 

Recently, watching video before the Indiana (3) - Princeton (11) women's game, I thought these were the keys to Princeton victory: 

• Deny the post. Indiana looks to get the ball in early to #54 (Holmes) in the paint. Princeton held Holmes to 10 points. She had 19 in the first game against Charlotte. 
• Respect the three. Princeton limited Indiana to four three-point goals. 
• Drive on #4 who struggles to contain the ball. 

Unfortunately for Princeton, Indiana came out on top, outshooting the Tigers. "It's a make or miss game." 

Going forward, remember the advice of Sun Tzu (and Bill Belichick), "attack weaknesses, utilize strengths." Seek areas of advantage (natural or created mismatches) and degrade opponents' plans. 

Summary:

• Leave an impression. 
• Some advice is timeless.
• Identify three keys to victory.
• Take care of the basketball. 
• Find natural or created mismatches. 
• Be detail-oriented. 

Lagniappe. "Great offense is multiple actions." 

Lagniappe 2. "Every day is player development day." Find basketball moves that work for you (choose a couple). 

Lagniappe 3. DHO, weak side action 

What's in a Name or a Nickname? Legendary Nicknames Plus Triple Extras Including Shooting Balance Drills

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Did you have a nickname as a player? What's in a name? Consider Kentucky's Treasure Hunt, named after an older sister's friend. Nicknames are even more interesting. Grant Williams wants to be "Batman" because he held down "The Joker" a couple of times. Be careful what you wish for. 

1. The Big Mamba. Kobe Bryant created an alter ego to help him deal with problems in his personal life. 

2. The Big Fundamental. Tim Duncan did everything well, especially winning.

 

Why can't every big make the Duncan turnaround? 

3. The Glove. Gary Payton was "a nightmare." 

4. The Microwave. Vinnie Johnson lit up the scoreboard off the bench.

   

Instant offense. 

5. The Pistol. Pete Maravich viewed himself as a gunslinger. 

6. The Mailman. Karl Malone delivered. Note the first highlight where he 'pulls the chair' on Yao. 

7. The Big Dipper. Wilt combined unique size, athleticism, and skill.

 

 

8. "Clyde" Frazier. Walt Frazier was a great defender and underrated offensively.

 

9. Magic. Only fitting that the ringleader of "Showtime" was Magic.

 

The long bounce pass was an art form unto itself. 

10. The Dream. Hakeem Olajuwon built his game around footwork learned on the soccer pitch.

 

My 'shop' teacher in middle school always called me 'Sims' and that led my point guard Ed Haladay to my basketball nickname, "The Duke..." nor exactly Bermanized. 

Lagniappe. Move on from form shooting. 

Lagniappe 2. DHO Clear PnR 

Lagniappe 3. Shooting balance drills (consider starting closer as needed)