Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Everyone Is Special. Every Player Is not a Special Player.

Treating everyone fairly isn't treating everyone the same. Herb Welling told me, "if you have the special player, you have to take care of her." 

What makes players special? Size, athleticism, skill...and their mental approach. The mental approach facilitates:

  • Optimizing physical play with strength and conditioning (Bo Jackson said he only did pushups and situps, but there's only one Bo)
  • Game knowledge with video study and game experience (pick a great player to study)
  • Deliberate practice to build three-level scoring (inside with either hand off either foot and both feet, basket attack, three-point shooting)
  • The will to defend possession after possession
  • A winning blend of sharing, ambition, and toughness
Become your own coach developing a practice routine:
  • Warmup
  • Inside scoring (practically this requires a defender)
  • Scoring off one dribble from the elbow (box drills) and wing (try different drills)
  • Three-point shooting off the catch (spin to yourself if necessary) and side-dribble

How can we add value for the special player? 

  • Individual attention (rebounding isn't beneath us)
  • Sandwich need areas between praise 
  • Be brutally honest...the great player has targets on her back from opponents and teammates (envy)
  • Develop big picture thinking (impact winning) and attention to detail (microskills like footwork)
  • Focus on strengths (Don Kelbick) 
  • Separating moves

Avoid dysfunction. Be realistic. The player has to add value for the school and vice versa. 

Offer a comparison player (this helps coaches visualize the player). 

Network an appropriate fit for the student-athlete. When players aren't good fits or don't genuinely like their school, don't expect a good experience. 

Mr. Rogers said, "Look for the helpers." Be a helper. 

Lagniappe. Study great players (vision, decisions, execution). 

Lagniappe 2. Xs and Os. "Easing" into a double screen three. 

Lagniappe 3. Thoughts on Watching Video from BBallImmersion. Here are some observations from Zak Boisvert. 

Zak Bosivert @ZakBoisvert @PickAndPopNet Assistant Coach, Army

"I was heavily encouraged by Tom Crean to spend time as a young coach watching film. Many young coaches were intimidated by film and I agree with that sentiment as I was very intimidated at first. I didn’t know what to watch, what to look for, etc.. I made a decision when I was in college to watch one hour of film every day. It’s now as much a part of my daily routine as exercise and sleep. Dick Whitmore encouraged me to start a writing notebook. I use one of those old marble “science lab notebooks” and the 16 I’ve gone through are some of my most cherished possessions...The key is chunking information. The key to knowledge that is quickly-fetched at a moment’s notice is being able to “chunk” information into simpler terms. Expert chess players don’t just memorize the pieces, they recognize common patterns within the game of chess and “chunk” that information."

 

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