A question from Herb Welling inspired this discussion.
Players play. Better players understand what to avoid to win. And coaches lose sleep over knowing there are hundreds of ways to lose.
Prem Watsa advised coaches "don't major in the minors." Don't overinvest time on minutiae, things that don't matter. What are some "underrated" concerns that separate success and failure?
1. Fouling. Players foul bad shots, perimeter shots, and foul via bad technique or frustration. They 'swat down' needlessly to block shots. They reach in instead of moving their feet. Don't put other teams at the line and in the bonus needlessly.
- "Show your hands."
- "Don't swat down."
- "Move your feet."
2. Inbounding the ball. Inbounding takes the right balance among caution, aggressiveness, and patience. Turning the ball over against the press or in special situations (e.g. BOBs and SLOBs) often decides outcomes, especially in close games. When done well, you're not noticed. When done poorly, you wear the goat horns.
- Start the play as the ball is handed to the inbounder, not with a slap.
- Train inbounders. Make it an important job.
3. Blocking out. We included free throw rebounding in our "special situations" practice (ODO - offense, defense, offense). We'd start possessions with a free throw, 'sandwiching' the best rebounder and blocking out the other. Part of the reason San Diego State is in the Men's NCAA Finals is their offensive rebounding of free throws.
- Block out or "hit and get."
- D-boards are about aggressiveness and toughness.
4. Reducing turnovers. Zak Boisvert divides turnovers as decision-related or execution-related. To reduce them, study the origins. If traveling is a problem, invest more time on pivoting. If catching is a problem, work on catching with weighted basketballs and multiple basketballs. Never neglect "shot turnovers" which is Doc Rivers' term for the worst possible shots.
- Track turnovers and report them to your team as a stat.
- "We get what we accept."
5. Free throws. Tom Hellen says, "Teams that miss free throws last as long in the postseason as dogs that chase cars." Every coach and many players experienced bad losses from missed free throws.
Everyone has their favorite drill for pressure free throws. Each practice, we had four rounds of ten of pressure free throws. Partner could say or do anything except obstruct the shooter. Imaging what teenage boys say to each other for distraction.
Lagniappe. There's nothing guaranteed.
