"He doesn't know what he doesn't know." Young players need specifics to grow their basketball IQ and their skill set. Share concepts so basic that every player benefits. Think of them as "Day One" knowledge.
1. "Think shot first." - Don Kelbick The corollary is that you are most open the instant you catch the ball. That doesn't mean catch-and-shoot from anywhere.
2. Ball-you-basket. If you can't contain the dribbler, you can't defend. It's not just athleticism, because not every strong defender is an elite athlete.
3. A game of separation...On offense, learn to separate. On defense, prevent separation. Lazy cutting means no separation.
4. "The game honors toughness." Winning individual battles gives you a chance to win possessions. Coach taught us to win quarters. Even better is winning possessions. "It's not a contact sport, it's a collision sport." You have to embrace the physicality of the game - boys or girls.
5. "Draw two." Excellent players beat their defender and draw help. That opens up a teammate for a pass or exposes another out of position defender. The basketball has "gravity" pulling defenders. That exposes open players.
6. Don't reflexively put the ball on the floor. The quick shot or touch pass to the open player puts the defense at a disadvantage.
7. "Be hard to play against and easy to play with." The best players find solutions for themselves and teammates and create headaches for others. During an 'Executive Physical" for a Navy Admiral, I asked whether he got headaches. He answered, "Son, I don't get headaches; I give headaches."
8. Offense, defense, conversion. Teams that excel at conversion from defense to offense or offense to defense get or prevent easy baskets.
9. "Get more and better shots than your opponent." - Pete Newell The essence of winning possessions is the ability to create or prevent quality shots.
10."Do hard better." - Kara Lawson Your parent(s) have to do hard every day. The "Killer S's" of softness, selfishness, and sloth (laziness) require no skill whatsoever. Do hard better at home, in school, and on the court.
11. Be a leader (click through and watch).
- Don't play in the traffic. Great players create and win in space.
- "It takes what it takes." - Nick Saban
- "Get over yourself." - Gregg Popovich
- "The ball is a camera." If you want it, it has to see you.
- "Run to a spot." Beat your guy to the spot not where (s)he is.
- "You can't cut corners." - Geno Auriemma (During a UCONN Women's practice, no player cut a corner during running.)
St. John’s was one of the best sideline out-of-bounds defenses in the country last year—top 9% nationally!
— Michael Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) August 7, 2025
They used a 2-2 matchup zone to disrupt timing and turn simple sideline actions into chaos.
Full Breakdown + Film session at the Lockdown Substack:
🔗… pic.twitter.com/dBgeK7CCMq
Lagniappe 2. Players must understand that it's not all about ability. Ability matters but intangibles count, too.
For whoever needs to hear this pic.twitter.com/wW3cs5RKNJ
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) August 4, 2025
