Tuesday, April 5, 2022

"Just One Thing" to Make Situations Better (Analyze, Organize, Act) Plus Xs and Os Breakdown

 


How can we fix a mess? Unhappiness often reflects imbalance between expectations and reality. Coaches know innumerable ways to lose our next game. 
  • Lack of preparation
  • Injury or illness
  • Poor execution
  • Bad decision-making
  • Lack of effort 
  • Luck
  • "Quicksand" 
  • Combinations
The list goes on and on. As a player, how many times did you think about the ways to lose? Hardly ever. Any one play can lead to victory or defeat in a one possession game.

Analyze. "Control what you can control." Always offer specifics. 
  • Attitude. Adjust our attitude/perspective about an upcoming challenge. 
  • Choices. What impacts our decision-making? 
  • Effort. Effort includes thinking, time invested, physical effort when applicable. 
Organize. Howard Marks wrote a fascinating book, The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor 

What sayings comes to mind? "Stop and think", "think before we act," and dot b (.b, stop and take a breath). 


Pulling it all together. 


Identify what is superior and what is not. If we're hiring, value is the coach or the player on the come not the ones on the back nine. 


"Value is what we get. Price is what we pay." 

Act. Do the one thing that applies to you:
  • Make the right play, the right hire (don't force the action...playing into traffic, bad shots)
  • Share the ball ("there is no MY TURN"). Share information. We are in an information business. 
  • Make a teammate better (screen, move without the ball, talk, help and recover defensively). Advance the organization. 
  • Play tough (take a charge, be first to the floor). 
  • Work hard in practice (no false hustle). Be loyal. 
  • Be a great (supportive) teammate. Network.
  • Don't pout. 
Lagniappe. "The difference between winning and losing games..." 


Lagniappe 2. Not the Spurs yet but getting closer.  
Lagniappe 3. Xs and Os. Similar to an Elevator screen but out of a stack.  Lagniappe 4. Kansas - UNC selected highlights. Practice getting into your shot. Horns, DHO, pindown. 


Fronting the post demands both backside help AND ball pressure to challenge the entry pass. Most teams have a call to alert the ball defender on that. 


Create advantage with a bit of deception. Small versus big. Carolina runs a ram screen leading to a high ball screen and an easy two. 

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