Tuesday, March 8, 2022

"Specifics" Drive Progress, Plus Player Development and a Horns Set


Specifics, not tradition, drive progress. As coaches, preach specifics. Give players concrete examples. Here are a few.  

"Play hard." 
  • Beat your 'man' to half court in transition defense.
  • Take charges. 
  • Be first to the floor for the loose ball. 
"Play smart."
  • Take the quality shot - in range, open, on balance, and situationally appropriate
  • Do not drive or pass into traffic
  • "Foul for profit"...no retaliation fouls, frustration fouls, or fouling jump shots
"Play together." 
  • Be connected on defense. 
  • "Trust the protection" on the pick-and-roll
  • Bring energy and energize teammates. 
"Be tough."
  • "Play so hard your coach has to take you out." - Jay Bilas
  • Never quit. 
  • Do the grunt work, set hard screens or fight through them.
"Be coachable."  
  • Be the best listener.
  • Excel in your role, regardless of your status.
  • Do the little things. Leave the gym better than you found it. Represent.
"Take care of the details." 
  • Set up your cuts. 
  • "Draw 2" and pass.
  • Always know the time, score, and situation. Be in the game on the bench. 
"Ball containment." 
  • No direct drives...
  • Pressure the ball. Crawl up into them.
  • Deny penetrating passes.
"Quality shots." 
  • Know a good shot for yourself and each teammate
  • "It's not your shot, it's our shot." - Jay Bilas, "Toughness"
  • Be "range tested" 
"Multiple actions."
  • Great offense is multiple actions.
  • "The screener is the second cutter." 
  • Urgent cutting opens receivers and gaps.

"Multiple efforts." 
  • Great defense is multiple efforts. 
  • Cover 1.5 (off the ball, cover your man and help)
  • Help and recover.
"Do the work."
  • Repetitions change our brains and our skill. There is no muscle memory but myelin memory as neural pathways are reinforced with more speed and accuracy.
  • EDIR5 - explain, demonstrate, imitate, repeat x 5
  • "Repetitions make reputations." 
To do your job, you must know your job. Take every opportunity to inform the details and get feedback from players to verify their understanding. 

Lagniappe. Player development feature. Study the finer points of defense by top defenders like Marcus Smart. 
 

Lagniappe 2. Horns clear. 
Lagniappe 3. The learning process.
  • Discover
  • Process/organize
  • Share 

 

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