Monday, October 7, 2024

Basketball: Have You Watched Practice?

Direct observation confirms or rebuts our ideas about players, teams, and coaches.

Investigative journalist Bob Woodward tells a story about the Mayflower Coffee Shop. He received information about health code violations and wrote an article based on them. His editor asked whether he had been there. He had not. Woodward went to the Mayflower Hotel and asked to meet with the manager of the coffee shop. He learned that they had no coffee shop, that it was an independent operation blocks away. Woodward said if his article were published, it could have ended his career before it began.  

Opinions can arise from insiders or less-informed outsiders. Deion Sanders points out the value of seeing practice.

  • How attentive is a player to coaching? 
  • How does she interact with teammates? 
  • Does the player lead? 
  • What is the effort and compete level in practice? 
  • What is the structure and tempo of practice? 
As evaluators, learn how hard it is to play with or against the player.

What kind of person is the player? Former Patriots' assistant Mike Lombardi had contacts within SEC sororities. The college women did not hold back about the character of potential draftees.

Make better evaluations with better information.

Lagniappe. Another backdoor action... 

Lagniappe 2. Simplify.  

Lagniappe 3. Practice.  

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