Friday, May 26, 2023

Basketball: Tricks of the Trade

"Tell me something I can use today." 

1. Talk with a difference. "Pinch." When the on-ball defender forces pick up of the dribble, defenders yell 'pinch'. This alerts everyone to denial defense and alerts officials that the five second count is on. 

2. "Red." When fronting the post, on-ball defenders get up aggressively to prevent the lob and helpside defenders need to be alert. The defender fronting calls "red" to engage team defense. 

3. Defense starts with ball containment. "Don't back down!" Exhort players to get up on the ball. "Nose on the ball" or "crawl up into them." As I've said many times, no 'dead man's defense' (six feet under). 

4. Allowing offensive rebounds on free throws is both negative and demoralizing. Use "sandwich technique" on one side and your best rebounder on the other. 

5. Timeout organization. Get the most from time outs. 

  • Have one or two core messages to share.
  • Have a "seating arrangement" 1 through 5 left to right so there's no confusion about assignments on special situations plays.  
6. Use every second. There's no "slapping the ball" to start plays. The official starts the play as the ball is handed to the inbounder. 

7. Winners want the ball. "The ball is a camera." If you want the rock, it has to see you. Get open enough so the ball can see you. And don't start a hard cut unless the dribbler can see you. 

8. "The ball has energy." Bring energy and energize teammates. Move yourself and the ball (0.5 second decisions) to raise team energy. 

9. "Movement kills defenses." Player and ball movement stress defenses. The adage, "great offense is multiple actions" implies movement. Think about it:

  • Great individual penetration
  • Urgent cutting 
  • Pick-and-roll
  • Complex screens 
  • Long closeouts
10."Keep a daily journal of what you learned, not what you did." - Don Meyer   We improve by learning what to do, what not to do, and how to do more of what works and less of what doesn't. 

Lagniappe. Study and learn Pete Newell's triad of "footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed." 
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