Total Pageviews

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Basketball’s Silver Rule

Rest easy, Adam Silver. Nassim Taleb’s “Silver Rule” belongs in the game: Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.

Applications on the court:

  1. Physicality, not assault. Basketball isn’t gentle. But moving screens with flying elbows or “gorilla basketball” designed to injure? That crosses the line. If that's your ethos, switch to football. When four middle school girls get knocked out with injury, that's no accident.

  2. Sportsmanship starts with coaches. Down 15 with three minutes left? Get kids more minutes, don’t press the bottom of the other team’s roster. Running up the score in middle school basketball teaches the wrong lesson. 

  3. Respect the refs. Some coaches start “working the officials” from the opening tip. I’ve seen one tossed 45 seconds into a game. If nothing has happened yet, why stir trouble? 

  4. It’s not all about “my boy.” A Hall of Fame coach once told me about a parent furious his son didn’t get the final shot in a close game. Another teammate got an open look and missed. That happens. Basketball is a team game. 

  5. Handshake lines should be brief. After an upset win, the opposing coach told me, “We would have won if we made any shots.” We’ve all thought that, but the line isn’t the place to say it. Wins and losses don’t define our worth.

A Good Rule: when it’s better left undone or unsaid, don’t do it—or say it.

Lagniappe. Strive for consistency. 

Lagniappe 2. I coached with an excellent coach, Ralph Labella who argued that commitment was most critical for achievement.  

Posted by at

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

The Basketball "Idiot Index" - Finding Inefficiencies

Walter Isaacson, in his biography of Elon Musk, shares how Musk devised an “idiot index”—a simple measure of inefficiency. The index compared the cost of a finished product to the cost of its raw materials. If the gap was wide, then the process was flawed. Smarter design and execution could shrink the gap, save money, and improve outcomes. Musk would bring component production "in house." 

That insight raises a compelling question: what would a basketball version of the Idiot Index look like?

Diagnosing the Gap

Biographers give us glimpses into how people think. Sometimes it enlightens us, sometimes it unsettles us. Translating Musk’s idea into basketball invites the same reflection. What are the “hidden inefficiencies” that separate a team’s raw material (talent and potential) from its finished product (wins, culture, reputation)?

Some candidates for a Basketball Idiot Index might be:

  • Potential vs. Actual Level: The space between what a roster could achieve and what it consistently produces.

  • Impact of Coaching: The margin by which superior teaching, preparation, and systems elevate the same players.

  • Avoiding Self-Inflicted Errors: How much better a team would be if it simply cut down on turnovers, bad shots, and defensive lapses.

  • Program Development: The gap caused by the absence (or strength) of a youth pipeline feeding into high school or college programs.

  • Culture Costs: The inefficiency created by poor team culture—conflict, selfishness, or corrosive outside influences (the “Hoosiers” problem of meddling parents).

Who Can Diagnose the Index?

Doctors order tests, engineers measure tolerances, and biographers trace patterns of thought. In basketball, the diagnosticians are:

  • Coaches who spot recurring breakdowns in execution.

  • Players who self-scout honestly, asking what holds them back.

  • Analysts and Statisticians who track efficiency ratings, turnover ratios, and shot quality.

  • Leaders in the Program who observe cultural issues that undermine performance.

The index doesn’t just measure what went wrong; it tells us how big the gap is between what we are and what we could be.

Can the Index Be Fixed?

A high Idiot Index in basketball isn’t permanent. It points to opportunity:

  • Skill Development: Raising the “floor” of players through fundamentals.

  • Smarter Systems: Installing offensive and defensive schemes that play to strengths.

  • Culture Repair: Building trust, accountability, and unselfishness to eliminate wasted energy.

  • Process Discipline: Practicing repetition, attention to detail, and Wooden-style habits that turn preparation into execution.

Fixing the index means shrinking inefficiency—the same raw material (talent, effort, resources) producing a much stronger finished product.

Musk’s “idiot index” wasn’t about blaming people—it was about spotting inefficiencies that others ignored. Basketball needs the same humility and rigor. The goal is not to shame but to measure and improve.

If your team’s Basketball Idiot Index is high, the challenge is clear: identify the gaps, own them, and then turn potential into reality.

Lagniappe. Coach Berge on earning more minutes. 

Posted by at

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Identify Basketball Edges and Leave an Impression


Grandmaster Garry Kasparov once observed that part of chess is knowing what not to do when there’s nothing to do, and what to do when opportunity arises. That lesson applies across sports: players must learn both patience and decisiveness.

When advantage appears—whether in speed, strength, or size—it must be pressed. Great process ensures you can “leave an impression.” As the saying goes, throw your best pitch.

In chess, players don’t see isolated pieces; they see the board in chunks that form themes. Learning works the same way. If you were memorizing Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, you’d break it into manageable parts—“four score and seven years ago” is one natural chunk. Chunking simplifies complexity and helps you “learn how to learn.”

That same principle guides physical training. Skills are built through visualization, practice, and repetition. John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, taught EDIR5: explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition—repeated five times. Top performers across domains rely on this approach because, as Wooden often reminded his players, repetition makes reputations.

Basketball provides its own version of chunking. A simple guard–post–wing triangle can generate multiple scoring options from the same spacing. What looks like one pattern actually contains many layers, just as in chess.


Lagniappe. Execution defines us. 

Lagniappe 2. Coach Tavares suggests ways to free the roll man.  

Posted by at

Monday, September 8, 2025

Basketball - Telling the Story Combines an Outside and Inside Perspective

Coaches live in two worlds: the external one, with media, fans, and peers, and the internal one, with the team. Externally, the best coaches resist hype. Instead of saying “I’m excited about this team,” they let the story and the numbers speak for themselves. Hype sets you up for letdowns. Underselling your team can be worse—players often perform down to lowered expectations.

Internally, clarity matters. Coaches must state expectations and standards directly. Specific challenges push players beyond comfort zones, while vagueness creates confusion. Translate a broad framework into daily habits that define identity, drive performance, and prove character.

1. Identity

Identity is what your team wants to be known for. It anchors style of play and mindset.

  • Balanced offense and defense: Avoid becoming predictable. Strive for versatility—threaten opponents in multiple ways while protecting against theirs.

  • Play to strengths: If speed is your edge, build pace into practices. If power is your edge, train to impose it. Identity is not one-size-fits-all.

  • “Smart team” mantra: Limit unforced errors. Reinforce the idea that intelligence—shot selection, positioning, communication—is as important as talent. 

Identity becomes actionable when coaches embed it into practice design. Drills should reflect the style of play you want, so every rep reinforces the identity. How we practice will define how we play. 

2. Performance

Performance is what you can control today. Principles don’t win games without execution.

  • Preparation: Scouting reports, film study, and walkthroughs. Teach players how to study the game, not just play it.

  • High effort: Effort is non-negotiable. Sprinting to the block, diving for loose balls, or finishing drills strong creates habits that transfer to competition.

  • Attention to detail: Success often lives in the margins—footwork, spacing, timing. Coaches model this by correcting small errors consistently.

Performance becomes actionable through measurable standards—whether it’s serve targets, turnover limits, or hustle stats. Data keeps performance accountable.

3. Character

Character is revealed under pressure. It’s not claimed, it’s proven.

  • Teamwork: Celebrate assists, communication, and rotations that free teammates. Recognition teaches players that “we” is greater than “me.”

  • Unselfishness: Praise players who sacrifice minutes, take charges, or make the extra pass. Build rituals of gratitude, so unselfish acts never go unnoticed.

  • Resilience: Prepare players for adversity by practicing recovery. Simulate late-game pressure, bad calls, or momentum swings, and teach reset routines.

Character becomes actionable when adversity is embraced as part of training, not an interruption.

Pulling It Together

Identity sets the direction. Performance drives the daily work. Character proves who you are when tested. Together, they form a framework that becomes real only when translated into behaviors, structures, and culture.

Frameworks inspire. Programs transform. The job of a coach is not wordsmithing but turning values into lived experience, so that when the whistle blows, your team doesn’t just know who they are—they show it.  

Lagniappe. Horns provides great spacing and a framework to run many options. 

Posted by at

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Basketball - Cultural Literacy, Understanding Gen Z Better

Cultural literacy helps us relate to players. Yes, I'd be 'delulu' to think we'll all have a shared language with Gen-Z. Making an effort to become aware of "their world" might help understand how to help them to focus and solve problems in the basketball domain. We don't have to know their favorite movies and songs, just more about how they see the world. 

Flexibility. Be willing to adapt traditional coaching methods. When a player learns better through different approaches, experiment with new techniques rather than insisting everyone conform to one style.

The key is showing genuine interest in understanding their perspective while maintaining our coaching standards.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Collaboration. Embrace authentic communication not just hierarchical approaches. Gen Z wants transparency about decisions and reasoning behind strategies. They don’t want, “because that’s how we’ve always done it." They ‘hear’ coaches who explain the “why” behind instructions rather than blind obedience. This recalls Pete Newell's saying, "They're not cattle." 

Technology. Use video analysis, apps, and digital tools not just for performance tracking but as teaching methods. Share film breakdowns through platforms they’re comfortable with. Many Gen Z athletes learn effectively through visual and interactive content.

Individualism. This generation values being seen as individuals with unique strengths rather than being a cog in a machine. Work to learn each player’s personal goals, learning style, and motivations.

Mental health. Recognize stress, anxiety, and mental wellness. Gen Z is more comfortable discussing these topics than previous generations, and they expect leaders who acknowledge the mental side of performance.

Include players in some decision-making processes where appropriate. They want to be seen and to feel heard and valued as contributors, not just followers.

This might mean soliciting input on practice drills and culture building activities.

Personal touches. Lead through genuine relationship-building rather than relying on authority. Share appropriate personal stories, admit when you’re in unfamiliar territory, and be willing to acknowledge that we have been and will be wrong sometimes.

Here are a couple of examples (via ChatGPT) of Gen-Z friendly convos:

1. Correcting Technique

❌ Old-school style:

“You’re doing it wrong. Fix your stance.”

✅ Gen Z-friendly:

“Good energy. Try shifting your weight a little lower — it’ll give you more balance. Let’s test it now so you feel the difference.”

2. Giving Constructive Criticism

❌ Old-school style:

“You can’t miss that play. Focus next time.”

✅ Gen Z-friendly:

“I like how aggressive you were going after it. Next step is locking in your timing — that’ll put you in position to finish the play. Want me to show you on film?”

Ironically, for all the talk about the differences, the style reminds me of Coach Wooden's "sandwich technique," correction amidst praise.

Lagniappe. No smooth hands?  

Lagniappe 2. Clinic notes from Mensbasketballhoopscoop  

Posted by at

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Developing a Basketball Program Blueprint

In fashion design, they use a concept called "Lookbooks." An effective lookbook creates a strong, cohesive visual narrative that clearly communicates a specific brand identity while inspiring.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ In basketball, a "Program Blueprint" conveys a similar intent. 

I handed out a program overview as well as handouts such as laminated versions of Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" and Bilas's "Toughness" values. Was it 'overkill' for middle school? Yes. 

Here's how one might look:

🏀 Basketball Program Blueprint

1. Introduction

  • Welcome Letter (from Head Coach)

  • Program Mission and Vision

  • Quick Snapshot: “Identity and Performance”

2. Core Values 

  • Character - You Represent the program continuously

  • Competence

3. Culture & Standards

  • Team Standards (“How we act”)

  • Competitive Character (attitude, decisions, effort, resilience)

  • Player Roles & Accountability ("Excel in your role")

4. Playing Identity

  • Style of Play (offense, defense, conversion philosophy)

  • Competitive Edges (e.g., speed, toughness, unselfishness)

  • Branding DNA (how others see us)

5. Player Development Pathway

  • Practice Schedules, Drill Book

  • Skill Progressions 

  • Mental Game (Mindfulness boosts focus and resilience)

  • Strength & Conditioning

6. Leadership Model

  • Captains (everyone can lead)

  • Player-Driven Standards (peer accountability)

  • Coaches’ Roles (teacher, mentor, strategist)

7. Communication & Community

  • Expectations for Parents & Families

  • How We Handle Adversity (losses, injuries, setbacks)

  • Community Service & Representation

8. Fundraising and Branding 

  • Primacy of Booster Club

  • Legacy (program history, Hall of Fame moments)

9. The Blueprint in Action

  • Season Goals (competitive + developmental)

  • “Proof of Culture” (stories, quotes, player experiences)

  • Long-Term Vision (sustainability)

10. Closing

  • Commitment Statement (make promises to yourselves)

  • Final Words: “Run your race” (results follow the process)

Lagniappe. Develop your standards. 

Lagniappe 2. Teams that lack "shot accountability" forfeit chances to win.  

Posted by at

Friday, September 5, 2025

Basketball - The Not-So-Secret Formula

Austin Klein writes in Steal Like an Artist, "If there was a secret formula for becoming known, I would give it to you. But there’s only one not-so-secret formula that I know: Do good work and share it with people." Commit to quality. 

The column that matters most is the next one. Wonder is the secret sauce of "how did they figure that out?" It's the Sesame Street song, "I wonder, what if, let's try."

Stay curious. Great books and stories replenish the "curiosity well." Books like George Will's baseball anthology "Bunts" are wellsprings of ideas. The NBA Finals raise questions like what foreign players have been Finals MVP (below) or why did three NBA stars wearing number "0" go down with Achilles injuries? 


SGA's brilliance asks what does Canada do so well in development? Or why do NBA officials get snookered by floppers?

Intensity keeps on giving. Combine it with immediacy and intelligence. 

Develop questions to ask ourselves regularly.

  • What/who can I learn more about? 
  • Have I asked players what they need?
  • What can I teach better? 
  • How can I teach better? 
  • Who can I ask for help on this? 
  • How can I help? 
  • What other resources will be difference makers? ChatGPT Plus helps me. 

Lagniappe. Via ChatGPT Plus, three ideas from "Bunts"

1. The Value of Small Victories

Will uses the metaphor of the “bunt” in baseball—a play that rarely makes highlight reels but can change the course of a game—to argue that not every success comes from dramatic swings. In both sports and life, small, strategic actions often carry great significance. He elevates subtlety and precision over flash and spectacle, showing respect for the incremental and the underappreciated.

2. Sports as a Mirror of Society

Much of Bunts explores how American sports reveal the nation’s character and contradictions. Baseball, football, and basketball become stages where issues of race, class, politics, and culture play out. For example, he highlights how sports reflect meritocracy (talent matters more than birthright), but also how they reveal inequities and excesses that echo broader society.

3. The Intersection of Sports and Politics

Will emphasizes that sports are never fully separate from politics or governance. From stadium subsidies to drug policies, from Olympic boycotts to Title IX, he shows how decisions in government and culture shape the playing field. His conservative skepticism comes through as he questions both the commercialization of sports and the overreach of political influence, suggesting that while sports inspire, they are also deeply entangled with policy and power.

Sport is meritocracy...except when it isn't. Privilege, nepotism, and local politics are often in play. 

Lagniappe 2. More SLOBs. 

Posted by at

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Basketball - Focus Empowers Us and Others

The first price we pay in most endeavors is "paying attention" or focus. Daniel Goleman literally wrote the book, Focus.

It's painfully obvious yet overlooked. The most painful losses many of us have endured occurred from mental mistakes, where players forgot or failed their assignments. We never forget. 

What are the benefits of focus?

1) Attention enhances performance.

2) Don't live on autopilot.

3) Focus increases creativity. 

4) Willpower limits distraction.

5) Increased empathy, see how others feel.

Focus and Leadership

  • See the big picture.
  • Leaders need followers.
  • Leaders help others succeed - "unempathic leaders are unable to see their impact on others"
  • Understand the larger context 
  • Meditation enhances leadership and positivity

ChatGPT shares five highlights from Goleman's book, Focus. 

Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goleman explores attention as a crucial yet often overlooked component of success. Here are five key highlights:

  1. Three Types of Focus – Goleman breaks attention into inner, other, and outer focus. Inner focus relates to self-awareness and self-management, other focus concerns empathy and social intelligence, and outer focus involves understanding larger systems and patterns. High achievers balance all three.

  2. The Science of Attention – Attention functions like a muscle; it strengthens with use and weakens with distraction. Goleman highlights neuroscience research showing that deep focus enhances cognitive control, learning, and emotional regulation.

  3. The Cost of Distraction – Our increasingly digital world fragments attention, reducing deep work capacity. Goleman argues that constant task-switching erodes focus and productivity, making mindfulness and intentional attention management critical.

  4. Flow and Peak Performance – The best performers enter a state of flow, where attention is fully absorbed in a task. Goleman ties this to emotional intelligence and the ability to manage distractions, regulate emotions, and sustain motivation.

  5. Leadership and Empathy – Great leaders excel in other focus, tuning into others' emotions and perspectives. Goleman emphasizes the importance of cognitive empathy (understanding thoughts), emotional empathy (feeling what others feel), and empathic concern (acting to help).

Lagniappe. "Nose on the chest." I also like "crawl up into them." 

Lagniappe 2. Everyone wants to win. Decide how much emphasis to place on development versus winning. They're not mutually exclusive.  

Posted by at

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Why Do We Fail as Coaches?

"Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi, noted mathematician

If we know why we fail, then we can try the opposite. That's the mental model of inversion. Think "Opposite George" in Seinfeld. 

Relationships. Coaching is first about relationships. The players and team buy what we're selling or it doesn't work. The quality of teaching and player development come next. Inspiration and motivation follow. 

Quality of talent available. "You can't make chicken soup from chicken feathers." Or whatever. Good players make good coaches look better. 

Player development. "Every day is player development day." Players have to hear over and over that they should practice with specific goals to improve some part or parts of their game. Ask "what are you working on today?" 

Team development. Connection and collaboration make individuals into more than the sum of their parts. Players should know and care about their teammates beyond 'superficial' points. When you know how players want to succeed, where and how they want the ball, then you help them succeed.  

Teaching ability. Belichick's admonition to put team first, know your job, and have a 'granular' attention to detail separate winners from losers. 

Lagniappe. Inability to apply and defeat pressure is a primary cause for  losses. 


Lagniappe 2. Seeing the game allows you to play faster. Yet, you can't go a hundred miles an hour, allow plays to develop, and take advantage of defensive errors and mistakes. 
Posted by at

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Basketball - Dragonslayers

Teams win with self-belief. And self-belief arises when teams have the talent, savvy, and toughness to play "harder for longer" however the pressure unfolds. That's a process not an event. 

Talent evolves. Player development never stops from youth to professional. Most players don't know what they don't know so require mentoring. 

Learning the game takes time. Learning to win needs cultivation. Situational practice (close and late) and confirming wins with free throws can help. Small-sided games allow for competition with higher volume touches and decision-making. 

Toughness blends innate qualities, experience, and mental training which impacts performance. Mindfulness meditation increases brain density in the learning and memory centers and reduces it in the "stress response center," the amygdala. DOT B (Stop and take a breath) can help players reset. 

Develop a winning process:

Benefits of This Approach

ElementImpact on Winning
Consistent ProcessBuilds confidence, reduces errors
Advantage ExploitationConverts setups into points, under pressure
Mindful Reset (DOT B)Enhances composure and focus
Continuous ImprovementAdapts and evolves, prevents stagnation

As a young player, I benefited from playing with the same group for six years, including years of Summer League. That helped us to three upsets in the postseason - a team on an 18 game win streak, the 22-0 top seed, and the defending State Champion. 

Lagniappe. "Fly like you." 

Lagniappe 2. The offseason is an ideal time to develop power. 

Posted by at

Monday, September 1, 2025

Basketball - How Good Is Our Coaching Anyway?


"Examine what is said, not who is speaking." - African Proverb

Human nature judges the messenger before the message. We discount advice from someone we dislike, or elevate words of those we favor. Both habits are dangerous. As Charlie Munger reminded us, “It is better to be generally right than precisely wrong.” Good judgment begins with examining the content of an idea, not the identity of its source.

Judging the Message

The critical question is not who said this, but what truth does this contain? Leadership often requires listening broadly and filtering wisely. Arrogance dismisses a useful insight because of its source; embracing a flawed idea because it comes from authority is lazy. Both can sink teams, businesses, and even entire institutions.

We trust our basketball opinions not always on merit, but because of familiarity and ownership. Our coaching is far from perfect. 

The Art of Execution

Ideas only matter if executable. Execution rests on three pillars: people, strategy, and operations. Do we have the right talent? Do we understand the plan? Do we have the systems and experience to make it work? Align resources with goals.

That alignment is imperfect. It requires adaptation. 

  • A company built on speed and creativity should not bury itself in bureaucracy. Speed teams can't plod. 
  • An organization without a strong marketing arm will stumble if it pursues a mass-market strategy. In sports, don't pick fights with "writers who buy ink by the barrel."
  • A business without deep capital reserves should avoid models that demand scale before profitability. In a program with little political capital, don't step on toes. 
Play to strengths, minimize weaknesses, and adapt execution to the resources at hand.

Sustained Success vs. Change

When an approach has delivered durable success, stay the course. Consistency compounds results. But when success is absent, ask why not? Excuses waste time; diagnosis favors progress. Leaders cannot improve an unexamined experience.

A Habit of Reflection

One of the most powerful tools available to any leader is objectivity. Review your last project, meeting, or decision as though you were an outsider. What stands out? Where did execution falter? What assumptions deserve testing? Patterns often reveal themselves only when we strip away self-justification.

Stepping back adds clarity. It shifts focus from personalities to performance, from noise to signal. In doing so, it honors the spirit of that old proverb: wisdom is not owned by the speaker. It belongs to those willing to listen, reflect, and act. 

Lagniappe. Exceptional coaching. Coach Ladouceur 

Lagniappe 2. SLOB Magic from Coach Taveras 


Posted by at

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Basketball Applicable Quotations from Reading Widely

"Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." - Director Werner Herzog

Quotes don't win basketball games or many arguments. But they convey many truths when simple and direct. Provide attribution when known.

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson  An opposing approach withholds info...Don Meyer was among if not the greatest sharer ever. 

"Get over yourself." - Gregg Popovich   Team first. 

“Every battle is won before it is fought.” - Sun Tzu  Teach players preparation. 

"The main thing is the main thing."  What is our main thing?

"People don't quit jobs. They quit people." - David Cottrell   If you are going to survive in a competitive field, you'll need overwhelming skill to overcome an abrasive personality (Think Dr. House)

"Never be a child's last coach."  How does it feel to be coached by me?

"Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say."   Our words mean little if they don't match our actions. 

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."   Few coaches or personalities can redeem the person with character deficits. 

"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso   Be on the lookout everywhere for ideas or principles to steal. Learn analogies and the value of general knowledge. 

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that there is a limit to genius." - Einstein 

"It is better to be generally right than exactly wrong." - Charlie Munger   Warren Buffett's deceased partner said a key to their success was avoiding stupidity. Easier said than done...

“Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses.” - Sun Tzu  Leverage your strengths.

“Every happy family is alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in a different way.” - Tolstoy in Anna Karenina   There is no "classic defective basketball culture." It can go wrong many ways. 

"A lion never roars after a kill." - Dean Smith   Stay humble because basketball and life will always deal out setbacks. 

Lagniappe. Stay curious. 

 Lagniappe 2. Teaching players to separate and finish goes a long way. 

Posted by at

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Basketball - Always "Traffic in Specifics"


Inhabit specifics. There is no et cetera. Many players cannot fill in the blanks. Compare your basketball knowledge now to 'growing up'. Day and night. 

1) Cutting. "Basketball is a game of SEPARATION." Lazy cuts, failure to set up cuts, improper use of screens all are 'fails'. Cutting means cut urgently. "Set up your cut" is a Bilas "Toughness" criterion. "The ball is a camera" and has to see you to find you.

2) Passing. "Fall in love with easy." See the floor, scanning for players in better position to score than you. Do not pass or dribble into traffic. Learn to make the right pass for varied situations. Certain passes are “steal me” passes - wing to top, top to low post, throwing through hands.

3) Shooting. As Jay Bilas reminds players, "It's not your shot, it's our shot." Don Kelbick says, "Think shot first." Get 7's (high quality shots) and ROB shots (in range, open, balanced). The degree of "contestedness" often determines the shot quality (how open are you?)

4) Turnover prevention. "The ball is gold" or "value the ball." "Turnovers kill dreams" and are zero percent possessions. If your habit is turning the ball over, then sitting on the bench is a certainty. 

5) "Everybody plays defense." - Coach Bob Knight  How does that look?
  • Know your assignment. 
  • Contain the ball. 
  • Deny dribble or pass penetration. 
  • Challenge shots without fouling.
  • Communicate - early, loud, and often. 
  • Be alert to conversion - defense to offense and offense to defense.
  • Block out or rebound.
Make a positive, unselfish attitude your standard.
  • Play with joy.  
  • Team first. 
  • Strive to make everyone around you better. 
Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe. Do you have managers? We were blessed to have two GREAT managers in high school, John Hunneman and Andy Johnson. Teammates. They helped us get edges with shot charts and game statistical analysis.  


Lagniappe 2. Growing up in a 1-4 high system, the progression to "Horns" is natural. It opens the lane and has no "natural" weak side. 


Posted by at

Friday, August 29, 2025

Are Hard to Guard Actions in our Basketball Offense?

How do you plan to score? Do you have ideas for transition, motion offense, set plays out of core formations (e.g. Horns, 5-out), and hard-to-guard actions? 

Even with skilled players, creating separation and quality shots can raise offensive efficiency. 

Consider adding a few to your repertoire: 

Complex screens:

Spain PnR (backscreen the roller)

Atypical screening: 

2. Horns "Elbow get"

If you have "bigs" who can put the ball on the floor, then you may have a mismatch against a big less accustomed to defending dribble drive. 

In addition to conventional ball screen action, rejecting the ball screen adds deception. 

Sequential screening (e.g. Iverson action or Corner rip) 

Iverson action

5 - Out options


After running dribble handoffs (DHO), "dribble at" triggering a back cut adds deception.


In addition to basic give-and-go (left), '1' can delay and '3' fakes a return "wing to top" pass baiting a steal by the opposing point guard. '1' then basket cuts. 

Duke elbow series


Clear a side and play a two-man game. '1' can pass and follow for a handoff or use a fake handoff which can create confusion. 

These actions create defensive challenges and get your skilled players edges.

Lagniappe. Time is a precious and irreplacable asset.  
Lagniappe 2. What can we give to our team? 
Lagniappe 3. How many players have you made suggestions or corrections to who were unwilling to change? I remember one player who ALWAYS went right. "If you go left, your defender wlll be totally surprised." She goes left and scores...that one time. 

Posted by at

Thursday, August 28, 2025

A Brief Classic Education for Coaches and Multiple Bonuses

Coaches are teachers, historians, psychologists, judges, and more. Share our classical education with our student-athletes. Use analogy where applicable to playing or coaching basketball. 

“Veni. Vidi. Vici.” - Julius Caesar, 47 B.C.  

Caesar proclaimed, "I came. I saw. I conquered." That's always the goal although not always the result. Students of coaching also remember what Dean Smith said. "A lion never roars after a kill." 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle  

Success in sport reflects our mastery of habits. 

  • Self-care is a habit - diet, exercise, sleep 
  • Skill development 
  • Study - reading, video, basketball IQ/game management
  • Resilience - mindfulness/sport psychology (have we taken even one mindful breath today?)
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits says that our habits are votes for the type of person we want to be. 

“Every battle is won before it is fought.” - Sun Tzu, fifth century B.C. 

Successful players and coaches fall in love with training. Preparation is physical, mental, game planning, player development (e.g. drill book), playbooks, and more. 

Author Salman Rushdie discusses our creative imagination and our critical imagination. Coaches develop our philosophy, offensive and defensive program and playbooks, and then revise it according to our people, opposition, and results. 

“Fortune favors the bold.”

The saying dates back thousands of years and has been adapted and adopted by many cultures. Coaches want players to reflect their philosophy. Strong teams invariably have aggressive players, although aggression comes in many forms - power, speed, craft. 

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Socrates

Socrates preached the value of self-reflection and critical thinking. Watching a game, we see "intention," what a team is trying to accomplish at both ends of the court. If it's not apparent, then it's likely that clear strategies don't exist, that the teaching isn't good, or the players aren't receptive. 

"What we do now echoes in eternity." - Marcus Aurelius   

Marcus Aurelius wrote the classic Meditations. Should we care about our coaching legacy or what would we like it to be? 

Aurelius frequently reflects that even the most celebrated men—heroes, philosophers, emperors—are quickly forgotten. He reminds himself not to chase after posthumous fame because those who hand it down are fleeting, too. In Book 4, Section 19: “All of us are creatures of a day; the rememberer and the remembered alike.”

Our biggest impact is upon those whom we coach. Seek to provide them a memorable, worthy experience. 

“No one can hurt you without your permission.” - Epictetus 

We've all had different types of coaches, different personalities, different substance, and different styles. In "The Four Agreements," Ruiz reminds us to "Never take anything personally," because what others say to us or about us often isn't true. 

A firehose of ideas surrounds us every day. Filter it and use whatever we can to make those around us better. 

Lagniappe. How does a play affect you? 

Lagniappe 2. Shooting drills from Coach Haefner.  

Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)