Tip Jar - Basketball

A few tips have the potential to win or lose games. Here are ten that helped us win or caused opponents to lose. 

1. Dean Smith timeout strategy. Smith worked to save three for the last four minutes. We went three for three scoring on ATO (after timeout) actions in the final few to win a game by three. 

2. Hoosiers inspired "picket fence." Trailing by two in the final seconds, we ran this BOB play to score. If you've run it earlier in the game, having the 5 "slip" to the basket is a great option. 

3. Bad timeout strategy. An opponent used all five timeouts in the first half to avoid held balls. When they mounted a comeback in the second half and needed a few strategic ones, the cupboard was bare. 

4. If you have game film and got burned by an opponent's action, be ready. Our archrival scored multiple threes during the regular season with their "Sideline Box." We "cheated" defensively and shut it down to beat them in the playoffs. 

5. The best coaches often "switch everything" close and late. We'd cross-screen small on big and get a 5 versus 1 under the basket which got mismatch advantage of their strategy. 

6. Constraint department. Use more constraints in practice for player and team development. My favorite action is '5 vs 7' full court press with no dribbling allowed. It teaches "Pass and Cut" or fail. 

7. Another constraint drill is "dribble tag" inside the arc to begin practice, requiring non-dominant hand dribbling. 

8. Kyrie Irving improved his handles with a plastic bag. As a youngster, I'd wear winter gloves while practicing dribbling. That got me to adequate instead of turnover machine. 

9. "Sign on." This is a one time use. I brought a clipboard with a signup sheet to a game that needed extra effort. I asked players to sign an optional "pledge" of extra focus and effort for this "one time only" event. It worked. Correlation is not causation. Another time we were without our best player (currently playing at Richmond) and a clear underdog. I asked players for one more. "I want each of you to get one more rebound and one more stop." That also worked that day. 

10. Pressure free throws. In high school we had four rounds of ten with a partner. The partner could harass you in any way but not interfere directly with the shot. High school boys can imagine some awful distractions. In the Sectional Final in Boston Garden we went 10/10 in the fourth quarter to send the game to an overtime win. 

Bonus. Some courts are asymmetrical regarding sideline boundaries, one close to stands or benches and one distant. I harped on this pregame. Our opponents caught the ball out of bounds FIVE times during the game. 

Lagniappe. Good concept on using or rejecting ball screens. 

Here's the O player using the screen and being limited to only shooting off the dribble because he used the screen.

NB - you can also constrain the defense to only go over or under the screen. If they go under you can constrain the O when they use the screen to EITHER shoot… pic.twitter.com/kPnOI5eE5C

— Coach Liam Flynn (@coachliamflynn) August 9, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Michael Cooper on defending great players.