Basketball - Confidence

"Confidence comes from proven success." - Bill Parcells

"If you can do it, you ain't boasting." - Dizzy Dean  

Confidence helps players overcome fear and anxiety. Coaches can't 'gift' it but can help. Coaches sell. Sell 'value'. Sell 'belief'. Sell confidence. 

Players earn confidence through skill, basketball IQ, and physicality. Make everything boost confidence to impact winning. 

How did you build player confidence? Get confidence via buy-in with added value. 

• Offseason workouts taught three-layer scoring. If that meant working as a post defender, passer to a player coming off imaginary screens, or shagging balls, do it.  
• Teaching clips showed positive actions and need to avoid moving screens or to stay vertical to avoid fouls. 
• Preach the value of strength and conditioning and provide a weight vest. 

Know when to say, "we can do this better" and "I believe in you." 

Lagniappe. "These guys can play." 

Boston Celtics Stride Stop Closeouts
✅🍀 pic.twitter.com/Xx4HTQgIVS

— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) December 5, 2024

Lagniappe 2. Seal and score. Do the hard work of getting position. 

Coach John Calipari drilling with the big men

Rim run and seal

"Catch the ball with two hands!" pic.twitter.com/TCGTrV4Pkt

— The Courtside Vault (@CourtsideVault) November 25, 2024

Lagniappe 3. Cross-screen mismatch 

NEED A QUICK LAYUP?
Try this Oregon set to get the ball inside to a scorer! LOVE simple actions like this one to get an EASY basket! #GetBetterOffense #GetBetterBasketball pic.twitter.com/t4n5rXvGpW

— Coach DeMarco, EdD (@Coach_DeMarco) December 6, 2024