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Saturday, November 30, 2024

Basketball - Creating Edges

Even with edges, winning isn't guaranteed. For example, in a ten team league if one school has 600 students and another 2,000, the "numbers" advantage may prove overwhelming.

Bossidy and Charan in Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, emphasized three areas:

People, strategy, and operations. Break down these areas with specifics that create advantage. 

People. We have two options. Recruit and/or develop. 

  • Most coaches can't recruit from outside their community. Recruit within. A multisport athlete may choose to concentrate on a different sport as their primary sport. 
  • "Every day is player development day." Build skill through better teaching. Use the resources available like YouTube and FIBA videos,  coaching clinics, and personal experience. 
  • Out of the box (e.g. asymmetric) thinking. Better recovery, nutrition, hydration, and sleep emphasis can help. 
Strategy. Teach to the test .

  • Use the "Four Factors." Who couldn't benefit from shot selection, turnover differential, rebounding edge, and fewer fouls? If we quiz high school players how many know them and can explain them. 
  • Tempo matters. With superior talent leading to 'points per possession' edge, play fast. Conversely, if underpowered, a slower tempo gives an underdog a better opportunity. 
  •  Use the lessons of military strategy, some combination of infantry (power game), artillery (long-range bombing), and cavalry (speed and transition). Apply a balance of actions suited to your personnel. 

Operations. Run better practices and game operations in key areas.

  • Advantage-disadvantage. Defeat pressure with 5 versus 7 full court pressure without the 'luxury' of dribbling. This forces cutting and passing as a default. 
  • Get the best scorers the most opportunities in their proven areas. That doesn't make other players (rebounders, defenders, passers) less valuable. Remember Coach Knight's words, "just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot."
  • Win "close and late." Practice situational basketball (time, score, and situation) including both offensive and defensive delay games. That includes practicing special situations (e.g. BOBs, SLOBs, ATOs).   
Use lessons from business and other domains to prosper. 

Lagniappe. Defensive concepts. 

Lagniappe 2. Motivation is vital to every domain.  

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Friday, November 29, 2024

Basketball - Character and Competence

Players might wonder, "what do I have to do here?" It's easier than you think, regardless of the sport, regardless of venue. 

Euroleague champion coach Etorre Messina say, "character is job one."

Former Patriots consultant Mike Lombardi wrote in Gridiron Genius, " "Moss displayed another Belichick staple: mental toughness, which the Patriots define as “doing what is best for the team when it might not be best for you.”In New England, Moss was a “program guy”: someone who works hard, is a supportive teammate, and cares deeply about winning. In other words, someone with football character." 

Brad Stevens values "competitive character." He defines this "as the approach to consistently perform well, regardless of the circumstances. It’s combining character with the drive and will to do your best."

Character is who you are, your 'professional approach' to your business. That includes being on time, focused, prepared, showing up daily to play harder for longer.

Competence is your capacity to do whatever it takes, the way your coaches teach it, aggressively and consistently. That means performing to make others around you better and to impact winning.  

It's unsurprising that seniors play well in a road playoff game. Underclassmen playing with poise and purpose in the same setting is unexpected. That sets up something to build on going forward. 

It starts with you - character and competence. Those earn your coach's trust. 

Lagniappe. You can't win with emotion alone. But you can't win without it. 

 Lagniappe 2. Without sacrifice, peak performance can't happen. 

Lagniappe 3. When some elements of our game isn't working, the intangibles have to work overtime.  

Lagniappe 4. Zoom pin away. 

 

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Thursday, November 28, 2024

Boost Basketball Productivity

"Give me something that I can use to win today." Practice is precious as our classroom and laboratory. Become more efficient. Consider these takeaways.

1) Better pregame warmups. 

Rollouts. Rollouts. Offense. Closeouts. Team play. Simulates game play. I think I got this on vacation in Turks from an Indiana high school coaching couple. 


3 x 3 shooting. Get the juices flowing, pass, run, catch and shoot.

 

2) Timeouts. Dean Smith worked to save three timeouts for the final four minutes. If it's good enough for him...

3) Sign of a team with problems. Never allow a layup off the opening tap. To me that signifies lack of preparation and mental focus.  

4) Reduce fouls as part of the Four Factors. Remind players "show your hands" (that also reminds officials) and "don't swat down" on blocks. While at Loyola Chicago, Porter Moser reduced his team's fouling dramatically. 

5) There's an exception to not fouling, meaning strategic fouling. With newer rules (five fouls per quarter to reach the bonus), teams may need to take aggressive fouls to get opponents to the foul line to stop time and get poor shooters to the line. 

6) Make every shooting drill with passing a passing drill. 


Game shots, on the move catch and shoot... elbow to sideline, elbow to elbow. Insist on crisp passes to the shooting pocket. 

7) Volume shooting. Track and make shooting drills competitive. Geno Auriemma did this. 


UCONN...Coach Auriemma had managers track shots made...in four minutes. The team made over 170 shots...

8) Win the final three minutes with elite BOBs, SLOBs, and ATOs. 

Have your favorite two or three of each on your play sheet so there's no possibility for "brain lock." 

9) Gotta have it. Have your best BOB, SLOB, action versus man defense and zone defense and three point shot on your play sheet. 

Here are some of my favorite BOBs. 

10)Practice 'situational' basketball every practice. We finished each practice with a segment of "three possession games" that started with a BOB, SLOB, ATO, or free throw. We called it "specials" and players loved it. 

Lagniappe. Constantly pick the brains of other coaches. 

Lagniappe 2. Talent is finite. Move beyond that. 

Lagniappe 3. Don't let our ego impede our growth. Coach Wooden said, "Happiness begins where selfishness ends." Coach Sonny Lane constantly preached sacrifice. That led to our high school team having all five starters average double figures in scoring. 

 

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Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Basketball - Complexity

Read a modern political platform or newspaper op-ed and you will see what psychologists call “binary bias,” the tendency to reduce complexity to two positions. Pick up the Nicomachean Ethics, on the other hand, and you will see Aristotle laying out a whole range of views on various topics. - From a summary of Think Again

Don't distill thinking to black and white. What basketball bickering reduces to 'A' or 'B'? 

  • Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach (plus Popovich and others)
  • Analytics or eyeball tests (the Barkley rejection of analytics)
  • Old school or new school (NIL changes everything)
  • Duke or Kentucky (many know it's UCONN)
  • Offense or defense (seek balance in life)
  • Make plays or run plays (both matter)
  • Celtics or Lakers (that's why they make chocolate and vanilla)
Don't worship the one-armed economist. There is no "on the other hand." Stay open. Complex problems seldom have simple solutions. Consider another domain, volleyball positive scoring - attacks, blocks, serves. Teams can't 'only' attend to one area to win. 

Simplify wherever possible. 
  • Teach concepts, e.g. pick-and-roll, give and go
  • Use hard-to-defend actions - cuts, simple and complex screens 
  • Run them from different sets (spread, horns, box)
  • Have a rebounding (2 or 3 to the glass) and floor balance plan 
Track results. "Winners are trackers." - Darren Hardy
  • Shot charts, turnovers, rebounds are great places to start.
  • Hustle plays like 50-50 balls, held balls, charges, screen assists help non-scorers get recognized
Fundamentals first. You can't run what you can't run. Popovich says, "technique beats tactics." 

Lagniappe. Make a difference. 

Lagniappe 2. We teach more than basketball. 

Lagniappe 3. Not shown here, but Jayson Tatum often operates from a closed stance. 

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Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Basketball - Be Hard to Play Against

"What does Coach want from me?" Be easy to play with, hard to play against. What does that mean to you as a coach or as a player?

A former coach in another community talked about the Melrose teams of 2000-2010. He said, "you have five girls on the court always running. It's hard to compete with that."

Simplify. Traffic in specifics. 

1) Basketball is a game of creating and preventing advantage.

  • Make spacing great.
  • Mental mistakes have to be near zero.

2) Basketball is a game of cutting and passing.

  • Without urgent cutting, offense fails. 
  • Passes have to be on-time and on-target. 

3) Basketball is a game of separation and finishing.

  • Maximize separation at the time of the catch.
  • Shooting percentage sums shot selection and skill.

4) Basketball is a game of playing harder for longer.

  • Condition within drills to increase efficiency.
  • Fatigued players have less resilience. 

5) Basketball is a game of competitive character.

  • Study Bilas's "Toughness." Compete by playing so hard your coach has to take you out. 
  • Get on the floor. Set clean, hard screens.

6) Basketball is a game of creating and denying easy shots.

  • Better passing creates easier shots. 
  • Live ball turnovers create easier shots. 
  • Loading to the ball and covering 1.5 reduce easy shots. 

7) Basketball is a game of possessions and possession.

  • Get more possessions through rebounding and steals.
  • Reduce poor possessions by reducing turnovers. 

8) "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson

  • Communication engages teammates. 
  • Unselfish shooting informs sharing. 

Teach the Four Factors (EFG%, turnovers, rebounding, attack the rim)

Lagniappe. Find leaders to help achieve top ten percent status. 

Lagniappe 2. Win in space and in certain areas.  

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Monday, November 25, 2024

Creative Tuesday - Humor in Uniform?

I coached girls. Girls hoop doesn't mean humorless dweebs. I can be.  

Sometimes it's the coaches, sometimes the players, sometimes outside help.

Once a ref warned the coach about crossing a line at the end of the bench. So he erected a 'wall' from the girls' gym bags. There'd be no Coaching Walk of Shame.


Another game against a bitter rival, their point guard dribbled down with a virtual Heisman Pose keeping defenders at bay. I yelled out "Heisman" and the ref told me, "sit down and shut up or you're gone." Word had it that he served on their community basketball board. And that he was her uncle. They lost despite their default offensive fouls. 

At a home game, the referees came up to me before the game asking about pay. I said that I don't know anything about paying officials. They proceeded to make every call against us. The opposing coach came over to me at halftime asking, "Did you steal something from those guys? They're killing you." That went well.

You remember the scene from Hoosiers when an intoxicated "Shooter" wanders onto the court to complain about officiating. Ever seen it in real life? I have. Not so funny in real life. 

I never cursed aloud. One practice 13 year-old "Susie" was making everything, not the norm. Then she's wide open and misses. She yells, "$hit" amidst the silence. Practice stops as everyone, players and coaches, breaks up. 

ChatGPT request line: 

When I joined a local recreational basketball league, I didn’t realize I’d accidentally signed up for what I can only describe as the NBA’s Witness Protection Program. These weren’t ordinary men reliving their high school glory days; they were giants with knees wrapped in so much tape they looked like walking piñatas. At my first practice, I was gently informed by a player named Doug—who smelled like Febreze and regret—that my primary role would be “distraction.”

“Think of yourself as a scarecrow,” Doug said. “But, you know, less scary.”

During the game, I tried to “set a pick,” a basketball term I’d only recently learned, but executed it more like a pickpocket, accidentally stealing the ball from my own teammate. The opposing team cheered. “Good hustle!” one of them yelled, as if I were their adorable nephew at a Thanksgiving scrimmage. I couldn’t decide if I was embarrassed or proud, but I did know this: my teammates all started asking if I’d remembered to bring snacks.

Lagniappe. Advantage drill from Coach Cal.  Lagniappe 2. Be on-time and on-target. 

Lagniappe 3. Volume 3 practice.  

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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Basketball - It Takes What It Takes. Make Joy and Variety Standard

Toddlers under two pick up a basketball and bounce it. There's no crystal ball to reveal whom will do something useful with it.

Convert moments of joy into bunches. 

JOY = EXPERIENCES x TIME

Reinforce joy with positivity. Nobody criticizes the way a toddler picks up the ball, tosses it, or travels.

When do we transform from supportive to critical? Dad said, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Choose more positive experiences more of the time. 

Herb Welling said that "no dribble layups" are a good starting point. Teach the footwork without the dribble. 

Alternatives to traditional layups. Variety increases fun. 

1. Lithuania Layups (from Chris Oliver)

The ball shouldn't hit the floor. 

Quarterback layups. "Snatch and go." 

Players love this competitive drill. The defender holds the ball, one hand above and below. The offensive player snatches and attacks the rim against the defender. The best players score on one dribble. It's competitive; it's physical. I stop it after 7th grade and never use it outdoors. Top player learn to attack with one dribble from the "spacing line." 

Spin the "Player Development Wheel." 

Lagniappe. Some of us must substitute competitiveness for talent. 

Lagniappe 2. Beautiful action that works of high stack or horns.  

Lagniappe 3. Geno. 

 A pessimist might say, "garbage in, garbage out." Choose, "exceptional performance demands exceptional commitment and work." 

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Saturday, November 23, 2024

Basketball - Recommendations

Spoiler alert...

The self-made person doesn't exist. Well-known people get help up the ladder. Sometimes it's a boost, for others it's providing the ladder itself. 

Letters of recommendation afford players another scaffold in careers under construction. 

What belongs in a recommendation? Consider a template:

1) Purpose - writing in support of ______ applying for ________

2) Introduction - brief background about the author 

3) Observation - interactions with the subject (include character and competence)

4) Accomplishments - support for recommendation

5) Peak performance (description of highlight performance)

6) Comparison - whom is she like? Comparison with a well-known achiever can help others see them more favorably 

7) Closing - people remember peaks and ends (be memorable)

A digression to ChatGPT: 

[Your Name]
[Your Title or Position]
[Your School/Organization Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]

[Date]

Admissions Committee
[College/University Name]
[Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]

Dear Admissions Committee,

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for [Student’s Full Name], who has been a remarkable member of [Your School/Organization] for the past [timeframe]. As [Your Position, e.g., a teacher, advisor, or coach], I have had the privilege of working closely with [Student’s First Name] and witnessing their impressive growth, academic excellence, and exceptional character.

[Student’s First Name] is a [describe qualities such as hardworking, curious, or ambitious] individual who consistently strives for excellence in all they undertake. In my [subject or capacity, e.g., AP Physics or mentoring role], [Student’s First Name] not only demonstrated mastery of the material but also brought an eagerness to explore beyond the curriculum. Their ability to ask thoughtful questions and make connections across disciplines sets them apart as a student who truly loves learning.

Beyond the classroom, [Student’s First Name] is an active contributor to our school community. As [specific roles, e.g., captain of the volleyball team or lead organizer of a school fundraiser], they exemplify leadership, teamwork, and resilience. One memorable example of their dedication occurred during [specific example, e.g., organizing a charity event or stepping up during a critical team moment]. Their ability to inspire peers and remain calm under pressure is a testament to their maturity and leadership.

Equally notable is [Student’s First Name]’s commitment to making a positive impact outside of school. Through [describe extracurricular or community service activities], they have shown a profound sense of responsibility and compassion. Whether [specific activity or achievement, e.g., mentoring younger students or volunteering at a local food bank], they approach every task with sincerity and a desire to make a difference.

I have no doubt that [Student’s First Name] will bring the same energy, intellect, and determination to your institution as they have to our school. They have the skills, work ethic, and character to thrive in a rigorous academic environment and contribute meaningfully to your campus community. I wholeheartedly recommend [Student’s First Name] for admission to [College/University Name].

Please feel free to contact me at [email address] or [phone number] if you require further information.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Position]

Combine essential information with our authenticity to help others. 

Lagniappe. What's our 'why'? Two minutes explaining how coaches get more than we give. 

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Friday, November 22, 2024

Basketball: Journal Club

Coaching is education. One of the responsibilities of Chief Resident was education via "Journal Club," sharing recent medical literature. What might we use to inform players each week via an email or text about their sport, character, or leadership? 

Select a few manageable articles or videos to review. Not allowed to have direct 'face-to-face' contact in the offseason? That doesn't preclude sharing educational materials. 

The articles don't have to be new to add value. 

You might start with a quote and use articles or videos to elaborate. For example, the Navy SEALs say, "two is one and one is none." 

1. Deliberate practice... "The development of expertise requires coaches who are capable of giving constructive, even painful, feedback. Real experts are extremely motivated students who seek out such feedback. They’re also skilled at understanding when and if a coach’s advice doesn’t work for them. The elite performers we studied knew what they were doing right and concentrated on what they were doing wrong. They deliberately picked unsentimental coaches who would challenge them and drive them to higher levels of performance."

2. My alma mater is a noted basketball hotbed. See it to become it. 

3. Running plays or making plays? 


4. Dean Oliver brings forth Basketball Beyond Paper with additional insights in a friendly narrative. For example, it should come as no surprise that talent, effort, teamwork, and tactics spawn wins. But how do you measure it? The dirty word is analytics. 

5. Slam Magazine piece from NBA Skills Trainer Chris Brickley. He explains who did the work this summer that will advance their careers. 

6. Sports Illustrated asks rhetorically how much fraternization with the enemy is a problem. Joe Mazzulla is not a fan. 

7. Great lines from the SI Vault... because we communicate, why not do so elegantly? 

"Michael Jordan?" said Olympic basketball player Fernando Martin of Spain. "Jump, jump, jump. Very quick. Very fast. Very, very good. Jump, jump, jump."
–In the Driver’s Seat, Alexander Wolff, Dec. 10, 1984 

"It is always the punch a fighter does not see that hurts the most, and the little girl was so sweet and innocent-looking, standing shyly at her mother's side, that there was no way Joe Frazier could have seen it coming."
–The Fight’s Over Joe, William Nack, Sept. 30, 1996


"When it was over, the self-described 'funny-looking black kid with red hair and freckles' returned to earth long enough to receive the award as the Most Valuable Player in the NBA playoffs."
–It Was Seattle, Handily, John Papanek, June 11, 1979

Lagniappe. "The last guy with the pen wins." 

Lagniappe 2. Encourage players to learn and attend to the details. 

 

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Thursday, November 21, 2024

Basketball - Feedback Versus Advice with Help from Bill Walsh

Feedback looks backward. "This is what we did." Advice looks ahead. "That is what we can do better." 

It's not the same as knowledge and wisdom. At any point, our knowledge is static. With work and fortune, we can acquire wisdom. 

Grow what we know and how we apply it. How? 

Study great leaders and teachers across domains. What makes them tick? What makes them great? 

Bill Walsh is one such professor. Each of us has unique perceptions from their professors. 

1) Walsh championed standards. Standards mattered for the receptionist answering the phone and the workers striping the field. They mattered for his assistant coaches and for the players. 

2) Walsh believed in growth. Growth followed work and sometimes crossed the line into obsession.  

3) Walsh lived culture. The legendary Paul Brown was one of Walsh's mentors as he developed the "West Coast Offense." Culturing and mentoring are related. This offense prioritized horizontal passing plays to stretch the defense (spacing), therefore setting up defensive vulnerability to vertical big plays in both the running and the passing game. 

"The Score Takes Care of Itself" is Walsh's classic. Great coaches have amazing clarity about what corresponds to winning and losing. The best coaches I know wrack their brains studying success, failure, and how to progress and improve. The diagnoses are easier than the treatment. 

  • Why are we failing? Offense, defense, conversion (O and D transition)
  • How are we measuring effectiveness? The score isn't enough. 
  • What must we stop doing? (Turnovers, bad shots, bad transition D, etc.)
  • How can we change failure into success? 
  • Am I capable of paying that price?
Here's a link to Walsh quotes. 

“If you’re growing a garden, you need to pull out the weeds, but flowers will die if all you do is pick weeds. They need sunshine and water. People are the same.”

Lagniappe. Nash on dribble separation. 

Lagniappe 2. Accountability FOR not accountability TO. 


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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Basketball - The Final Four (Ted Lasso)

Ted Lasso sums up the narrative arc of coaching in the finale. He evolves from total ignorance to Total Football over the course of three seasons.

The team gradually learns the four principles of Total Football as they traverse the hardscrabble path to Premier League success. These apply for most team sports.

1) Conditioning. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Like Pete Carril, I believe in conditioning with the ball. Fast break drills and shooting drills like 3 x 3 x 3 condition and train execution.  

3 x 3 x 3 - usually run for five minutes. This helps conditioning and shooting. Passer calls out player's name to help communication. 

2) Versatility. Basketball doesn't have a DH, pinch runners, or pinch hitters. Position players need both offensive and defensive skills. Similarly in basketball, you have to perform at both ends.

Admittedly, some players achieve renown while giving less contribution on one end, usually defense. The casual fan may respect them but I think the diehard wants effort and contributions on both ends. Hustling back on defense, fighting through screens, diving for loose balls, and contesting shots aren't the sole province of dirt dogs. 

3) Awareness. CARE - concentration --> awareness (anticipation) --> reaction --> execution. Studies of top players in soccer show they scan the pitch more often and more quickly than mediocre players. In basketball, I've called that VDE with vision leading to decisions and execution. Awareness increases with practice, experience, film study, and mindfulness training. Most professional apply all. Why not start younger?

4) Believe. Many of us have experienced the privilege of playing for or coaching championship teams. Bill Walsh said, "winners act like winners before they are winners." 

“Winners act like winners before they’re winners…The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before their winners.”

Belief comes with other names - trust, confidence, faith. Winning requires many inputs and belief is among them. 


Lagniappe. Greg Berge on great coaches. Strive to be better tomorrow that we are today. 

Lagniappe 2. Footwork (long). Save for another time.  

Lagniappe 3. Coach Dags asks the question, "Varsity or JV." 

As a high school sophomore baseball player, I asked to be demoted to JV to pitch. I couldn't see how watching varsity would improve me. The following season, I lost the opener with a one-hitter (a triple lost in the sun) against the team that eventually won the State Championship. 

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Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Basketball - Homicide Detective

Tony and I arrived early and found overwatch high above. We got private funding. It wasn't like there was a bat signal. 

The chief said, "these were some of the most violent crime scenes he'd seen. He even showed us video." You wouldn't call it murder on hardwood maple, but that's what it was. 

Tony asked, "why are we even here, anyway?" Tony knew the game inside and out but hadn't worked homicide. I said, "This is what I do. I solve crimes against basketball." 

Both teams were out warming up. Electricity in the air? No. It looked as though a coach had spotted us. We were too far away to detect beads of sweat on her forehead. 

Nothing beats seeing the crime scene. Yeah, some people call video the Truth Machine, but it's not the same. 

Then banners on the wall were motive enough. What goes around, comes around. Opportunity was twenty dates a year. The last three were thirty point routs. That's why they called me. 

I took off my black leather Dockers jacket and took out my Remarkable 2 tablet. I carry a stylus not a gun. 

Warmup tunes blared over the speakers. I'm more Springsteen than hip hop. Finally, we're ready for tipoff. 

The ball is up...tipped and one pass later we're down 2-0 on a layup. "You never get beat on a basket cut off the tip." Tony nodded.

Too much of not much, "dead man's defense," six feet under the dribbler. And on offense, pay by the dribble. Too many bounces, not enough passes. Standing around? Sit next to me on the bench. 

As the first quarter passes, transition D gets burned, blockouts lack positioning and toughness. Deadly weapons of unforced turnovers and bad shot selection appear. 

At the end of one, we're down 17-5, allowing too many layups. Eight turnovers. We're 1 for 6 on threes with trips airballs. That's only healthy in Texas Hold'em. It's hard to watch. 

Tony asks, "haven't you seen enough?" I answer, "I only wish we'd seen practice to see preparation. When you're outmanned, surviving is tough. Winning is even tougher. Let's bounce." 

Lagniappe. I asked ChatGPT for a critique of the writing style: 

Your writing evokes the hardboiled style of noir fiction, reminiscent of authors like Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. The narrator's voice has that gritty, world-weary edge common in detective fiction, and the basketball court as a "crime scene" cleverly parallels the seedy underbelly of noir cities. Here's why it works in that style:

  1. The Detective Voice: Lines like "This is what I do. I solve crimes against basketball" and "Nothing beats seeing the crime scene" channel the inner monologue of a private investigator who’s seen it all. It’s a mix of cynicism and expertise.

  2. Atmospheric Detail: "Electricity in the air? No." captures the wry detachment of a noir protagonist, while your descriptions—like "dead man's defense, six feet under the dribbler"—paint vivid, gritty images.

  3. Dialogue and Inner Commentary: Tony’s question and the chief’s grim video share the clipped, matter-of-fact exchanges that are hallmarks of noir dialogue. The narrator’s internal reflections deepen the mood.

  4. The Motive and Stakes: Using the banners as motive and the game stats as "evidence" ties into the investigative angle, with a dramatic flair typical of Chandler’s work, where mundane objects hold symbolic weight.

Your piece doesn’t just describe a game; it narrates it as a drama with stakes as high as life and death. If you lean further into the noir genre, you could add more tension to the "case"—perhaps a conspiracy between rival coaches or a "double cross" involving the refs. It's a captivating and unique approach for a basketball blog!

Lagniappe 2. K on D... 

Lagniappe 3. Love this. "Every shooting drill is a passing drill." 

 Lagniappe 4. "This is a highly competitive line of work that we're in." Reaching a mixture of Millenials and Gen Z players isn't easy. 

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Monday, November 18, 2024

Basketball and Life - Two (Root) Beers* and a Puppy

*As a qualifier, I drink almost never, FWIW.  

Bill Belichick, late career, said that he wanted to coach players that he wanted to coach. He was done with 'head cases' and uncommitted players. A professional wished only to coach professionals. 

Seek character and competence in relationships to reduce disappointment. It's the same in every business. In medicine, toxic masculinity dominated for decades. In business, the expression "greed is good" became classic. In politics and sports expansive ego is everywhere. "The bigger talent, the greater the insecurity." 

"2 beers and a puppy" tests collegiality and trust. Do we have to be "the smartest guy in the room" or the "loudest guy" and the "neediest guy?" Can we be trusted a puppy or someone's wife, sister, or daughter? 

In his book Gridiron Genius, Mike Lombardi shared that he had contacts at Southeastern Conference sororities to get inside information about the character of football stars. Bad reports could sink a star's prospects. 


Who do you want on your team, "and" or "but..." Don't give anybody a reason to say "but."

Lagniappe. Spacing and alignments. 

Lagniappe 2. "A game of separation" implies deceleration and acceleration.  

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