Sunday, August 11, 2024

Basketball: "Got to Have It"

Coaches invest time putting teams and players in position to succeed.

That recalls a few points:

1) Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Don't try to pound the square peg into the round hole. 

2) Do well what you do a lot (e.g. transition defense, half-court offense, half-court defense, handling pressure).

3) Decide when and how to adjust - do it better, do it harder, change personnel, change strategy. 

"Got to have it" moments arise during games where teams need a score or a stop to capture momentum or to close out games. 

It's a a big ask for young teams to execute actions "cold." Introducing plays on the fly puts players in unfamiliar pressured situations. Often they don't know their assignment. 

On your "play sheet" include a couple of practiced options for:

  • ATO
  • BOB
  • SLOB 
  • Plays versus 'man' defense
  • Plays versus 'zone' defense 
Sometimes one action serves multiple purposes.


This SLOB for a three also runs well as a half-court set. 

Similarly, our team should have a "best defense," a delay offense, and a plan for an opponent's delay offense. Inability to execute 'close and late' turns a playoff team into non-qualifiers. Situational practice means so much for competitive teams. 

One local coach I respect, Ralph Labella, argues for a "situational basketball coach" to assist the head coach with ideas, practice, and decision-making. It's not enough to have an assistant track timeouts and fouls. 

Lagniappe. Practice is precious. 
Lagniappe 2. How are we thinking? 






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