Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Basketball: The Sum of Possessions

"Possession and possessions..." Think about basketball games as the sum of possessions. Success means winning more possessions, more individual battles. 

Teams score or allow points based on positive play, opponent error, negative play, or opponent positive play.

"Control what we can control." Make more positive plays, reduce our negative plays (e.g. poor shots, turnovers, blown assignments, rebounding and fouling). Note the Four Factors among those:

  • Differential shooting percentage (score)
  • Turnover margin (protect)
  • Rebounding edge (crash)
  • Fouling (attack)
"Basketball is a game meant to be played fast." - John Wooden   

That's especially true with superior talent. As the undermanned or underskilled team, more possessions favor the superior team. Think coin flips. If you get paid a dollar for every heads and lose fifty cents for tails, you want as many flips as possible. In the extreme, "stall ball" occasionally keeps less competitive teams in games. 

If a new coach says, "I believe in uptempo basketball" and lacks skill or athleticism, his tenure will likely be brief. 

If we're unfamiliar with an opponent, starting with fullcourt pressure might resemble running into a dark alley. What we don't know can hurt us. I return to a game where we fell behind 6-0 within a minute or so because of aggression against a 'better' team. 

Key points:
1. Make every possession count. 
2. Excellent teams play harder for longer (more good possessions).
3. Don't give away possessions.
4. Consider "scoring" possession quality. 
5. Be intentional in style of play to fit your talent and athleticism. 

Example: Bishop Fenwick faced St. Mary's in the Massachusetts Division 3 Girls State Championship game. MASS has a 30 second shot clock. St. Mary's with two D1 and one D2 recruit had beaten Fenwick by over 30 twice during league play. Fenwick did their best to control the tempo, take away transition, and played a lot of 1-3-1 zone and challenged perimeter shots. St. Mary's won 47-43, although Fenwick was within two in the final minutes. Fenwick also had their "Dream Teamer," Cecilia Kay who had 23 points and was a force inside. She returns for a senior season. 

Lagniappe. Impacting winning isn't just about scoring. 
Lagniappe 2. Sell the move. 


at