Thursday, November 17, 2022

Why Do Teams Win?

If our job is about winning, have strong beliefs about why teams win. What do we have to do to win?

1. Talent. If we can't acquire the talent, make more. "Every day is player development day." As Don Meyer said, "do you want two better players or two better plays?" 

1b.Ability to handle pressure. Strong teams share the ability to handle and apply pressure, both physical and mental. 

2. Coaching. Shared vision, shared sacrifice, shared results. 

  • Core - "Get more and better shots than opponents" - Pete Newell
  • Play the game possession by possession. "Win this possession."
  • Defense - "No easy baskets/one bad shot"
  • Offense - Share the ball, cut and pass, take good shots.
  • Conversion - O to D and D to O
  • Add value and get a buy-in to play "harder for longer."
  • Be "performance-focused and feedback-rich." 

3. Culture (including attitude). "Basketball is sharing." Follow your dreams. Develop of culture of hard work, improvement, and belief. It's impossible to have a positive life with a negative attitude. Winning is a culture of expectation. 

4. Unity (Teamwork/Trust). Put the team first. "It's the scoreboard over the scorebook." Be happy for the success of the team and the success of teammates. 

5. Sacrifice. Defense shows caring about the team more than you care about yourself. 

6. Conditioning. Pledge to be the best conditioned team in your league. Condition within drills and scrimmaging. Condition for excellence not punishment. Better conditioning adds resilience.   

7. Effort. Effort has to be the norm and rewarded. "I'm not here to coach effort." - Dean Smith

8. Game understanding. Pete Newell said a coach's primary job is "helping players see the game." It's a teaching profession but you don' have to be a school teacher to teach. 

9. Resilience. Winning is hard which makes it valuable. Playing hard is a skill. Confidence is a skill. 

10.Strategy. "Technique beats tactics." Playing fundamentally well defines success. 

Lagniappe. Believe.   


Lagniappe 2. Keep pounding. 

at