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Friday, October 31, 2025

Basketball - What Mistakes Are You Willing to Tolerate?

Read and study across domains. Ray Dalio, formerly of Bridgewater is famous for his task-oriented approach and rigid accountability. He emphasizes what might be called "mission critical" mistakes.

The problem for basketball coaches and players is that about a third of games are decided by two or fewer possessions. That creates a small margin of error and a large need for accountability. 

Where do coaches 'recover' from errors, two or three scoring possessions that help win close games? Return to the Four Factors. 

  • Avoid "shot turnovers." They're "no hope" shots. My coach labeled them "sh** shots" over fifty years ago. 
  • DME (defensive mistakes and errors) such as beaten in transition Example
  • Reduce turnovers (zero percent possessions) and live-ball turnovers that cause high points/possession chances. Example
  • Stop failed or non-existent blockouts. Second shots score 50 percent and third shots 80 percent. Not blocking out the first possession of the game counts as much as the final. One coach claimed that stationing a guard at the free throw line averages three rebounds a game. Example
  • Bad fouls (perimeter shots, poor technique, retaliation fouls, late shot clock fouls that bail out opponents) Example
  • Prioritize free throw shooting. Practice under fatigue and pressure (we used partner shooting with verbal harassment of the shooter.) 

Highlight videos generally don't show "stupid shots", "bad fouls", "lack of effort" or "bad turnovers, e.g. driving or passing into traffic." Watch film of youth or high school games and the decision-making is dramatically worse...some of which is not in the coach's control. 

"Stamping out bad basketball" includes attention to detail, knowing your job, and execution. 

Lagniappe. Leaders drive culture. 

Lagniappe 2. "It's our universe." Add constraints in practice.  

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Thursday, October 30, 2025

Basketball - Perception, Action, Will

Coaching and playing basketball mean overcoming obstacles. Everyone needs to overcome something.

Ryan Holiday's "The Obstacle Is the Way" divides into three sections:

  • Perception
  • Action
  • Will
Holiday shares numerous examples about how historical figures transformed themselves or situations using these elements. 

Perception is in the eye of the beholder. 

"I'm a good coach but I don't have the talent. I don't have the feeder program. I don't have the facilities or the practice time. This isn't a basketball town." Look at it as an outsider.

  • What have we invested in learning and applying player development?
  • How have we connected with the community and youth programs? Did we meet with the coaches, share ideas, and seek integration?"
  • "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools."
Actions change directions. 
  • Are we leading or managing? What have we done?
  • Attended and reached out to youth coaches?
  • Established a strength and conditioning program?
  • Conducted free clinics?
Whose will is it anyway?
  • "Deo volente." It's in God's hands. If we didn't get the hay into the barn, that part is on us. 
  • Teams reflect the coach's will. Do we teach preparation, resilience, and selflessness?
  • Will to win has less bearing than will to prepare. Did we have the will to prepare? 
  • "The best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining." - John F. Kennedy
Our "will" represents us as the smartest, the most skilled, the most beautiful. Maybe we should wish to be the hardest working or the kindest. We have a modicum of control of the latter. 

Three quotes from "The Obstacle Is the Way"

- "The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition."
 

- "What matters most is not what these obstacles are; but how we see them, react to them, and whether we keep our composure."
 
- "Failure shows us the way—by showing us what isn’t the way."

Lagniappe. Amor Fati: Love your fate. Don’t just endure it — embrace it.

Coaching blends creativity with execution. Both matter. Both reveal us.  

Lagniappe 2. Coaching blends creativity and execution. 

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Wednesday, October 29, 2025

"Make a Basketball Play"

"The game rewards the right plays." - Brad Stevens

Everyone knows what a "basketball play" is. Or not. Basketball plays separate extraordinary from "other."

The Celtics just made one as Hauser got a pass on a corner cut and immediately flipped into the cutting Garza cutting down the lane. In that instance, it was "superior ball movement."

Examples illustrate the point: 

  • Draw two and pass to an open teammate.
  • Hit the roller on the short roll for an open shot or pass for an open perimeter shot.
  • Corner crash for an offensive rebound.
  • Basket attack off of a jab step, negative step, or stampede catch on the move.
  • Getting extra possessions via snaring a loose ball or taking a charge.
  • Finding a cutter for a layup...plus/minus the "hockey assist."
  • Exceptional screening, e.g. 'screen assists'
There's no "universal definition." The sense is that it's a higher IQ play that leads to finishing. 

Here, Garza sets a slot ball screen, then screens to seal a second defender for a Hauser three. "Great offense is multiple actions." 

AI Consult: 

1. The Spirit

A basketball play is an action rooted in sound fundamentals, good intent, and awareness of context.
It means doing what the situation and the game demand — not what ego or impulse want.

“Making a basketball play” is the intersection of decision, timing, and unselfishness.

It’s the opposite of a selfish heat check, a bailout foul, or a wild drive into traffic. It’s the right read - whether or not it ends in a bucket.

2. The Components

A. Read and React

A basketball play begins with reading the floor — spacing, defenders, matchups, time, and score — and then reacting with a skilled, intelligent choice.

Examples:

  • Kicking out to an open shooter instead of forcing a contested layup.

  • Rotating early on defense to take a charge.

  • Using a two-for-one opportunity before the quarter ends.

It’s what the game calls for in that moment.

B. Technique Over Luck

Fundamentals elevate the action from random to repeatable:

  • Jump stop, pivot, on-time/on-target pass.

  • Proper closeout angle.

  • Shot off one’s strong foot, not a circus attempt.

A basketball play is one you could teach - because it’s built on technique, not happenstance.

C. Team Intent

Even when individual brilliance shines, it serves the group.
When coaches say “He made a basketball play,” they mean he trusted the team concept.

Think Draymond Green passing up a shot to hit a cutter,
or Jayson Tatum drawing two and finding the open man.

It’s team intelligence expressed through individual execution.

3. The Contrast

A “non-basketball play” is often a shortcut or selfish reaction:

  • Grabbing an opponent instead of moving your feet.

  • Flopping for a call instead of contesting.

  • Forcing a highlight instead of finishing the possession properly.

The NBA even uses “non-basketball move” in officiating to describe unnatural contact meant to draw fouls — another sign the phrase has moral undertones: Play the game honestly.

4. The Broader Meaning

To make a basketball play is to align instinct, skill, and purpose.
It’s a phrase coaches use to teach clarity under pressure:

“Don’t pre-decide. Don’t guess. Read the defense and make a basketball play.”

In short:

  • Read the situation.

  • Trust your training.

  • Serve the team.

That’s a basketball play.

Here's a Cavaliers example. 

 

 

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Storytelling - What Stories Do Our Players Hear?

Players and coaches accumulate a lifetime of stories. Humans are "the storytelling animal." 

The most valuable stories borrow from experience and teach lessons worth sharing. Good stories stick. 

The Heath Brothers share elements that capture attention via the acronym SUCCESS -

S - simple 

U - unexpected

C - concrete

C - credible

E - emotional 

S - stories 

Share your stories:

1. Don't put yourself in a position to hear sad songs. 

In the 1972 Olympics, Doug Collins was part of the team that lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial "three chances" finish. The Americans never accepted the silver medal. Some had it written into their wills that no family member would ever accept. The last song Collins heard coming out of the locker room was Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?"

As a counselor, I drove Collins from Logan Airport to Sam Jones's basketball camp in Easton, MA. 

2. Do. Not. Quit. 

In the top division Sectional semis in 1973, Wakefield High School faced top-seeded (22-0) St. John's Prep, basketball royalty with five future D1 players (I'm told). We trailed 26-12 early in the second quarter. We changed defenses to the UCLA 2-2-1 three-quarter court press and went on a 23-0 run over 8:35. Their best player was a future Celtics draft choice. We were nobodies who never quit. 

3. Never be "less than."

Win the "Mental Game." Mental toughness is a skill. Raise the bar. Set high standards. Teach players to play "harder for longer" and make "competitive character" their ethos. Never played college basketball or coached high school basketball? Those who can't do, teach? I have two former players, Cecilia Kay (St. Joseph's) and Samantha Dewey (Richmond) on scholarship in the A-10. Don't be "less than" anybody. 

I always told coworkers, never say, "I'm just the unit secretary" or "I'm just a nurse." Be proud of your best at what you do. 

4. The Bad Loss. 

Every coach has bad losses...without exception. Red Auerbach shared that he got his coaching Prep players in D.C. Leading by one under their own basket late, the inbounder chose to throw a behind-the-back pass which was stolen and converted. Never presume that players know what not to do. Get everyone on the same page. Give and get feedback. And develop a reliable inbounder. 

5. Academics matter. 

As the ad says, most players will never be professionals in sports. Your points-per-game won't follow you around in business, education, or medicine. Your ability to think and to communicate well will. I've coached multiple valedictorians, multiple D1 athletes, multiple All-State players, a Naval Academy graduate, and a former player graduates from veterinary school in a couple of months. Take care of business in class. Inspiration and perspiration lead to amazing achievements. 

6. Keep it simple.

We attended Celtics practice in Waltham before the C's moved to their new facility. My brother-in-law, a Princeton classmate of Wyc Grousbeck, hosted us. The Celtics were preparing for Toronto with Lowry, DeRozan at al. Coach Brad Stevens had the Celtics "go through" off-ball screens to try to limit threes. Youngsters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown worked on their threes. 

Coach Stevens asked my wife what she did. She explained that she had a background in aerospace engines and rocket science. He said, "Basketball isn't rocket science." 

Simplify the game for our players, to help them understand, execute, and do their jobs. Don't make it rocket science. 

7. Champions don't cut corners. At UCONN women's practice in Storrs, we watched Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, and others work. When the women took two laps after having done individual warmups and stretching, nobody cut a corner. If the team that won four consecutive NCAA titles doesn't, why should ours? "Little things make big things happen." 

Closing Thoughts

Tell better stories that resonate and stick. You don't have to be an elite player or an elite coach to share winning lessons. 

Lagniappe. Make outcomes our first priority. Hours invested don't always translate to the best results. Dave Kline's piece makes the point in spades. 

Lagniappe 2. Obradovic is one of the best coaches in the world. Movement kills defenses. Learn from him. 

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Monday, October 27, 2025

Basketball - The Confidence Game

"Confidence comes from proven success." - Bill Parcells

High performance requires high sustained confidence. In every domain, crises arise, and our response impacts results.

Coaching imparts a degree of "know that." Playing experience teaches us "know how." 

Every coaches experiences moments where a player makes a mistake and then looks to the bench and says, "I know, I know." Does the coach say nothing, brooding silently, reply "then do it," or respond, "focus and make the next play." 

Success demands balance. Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. Coaching can raise, maintain, or shatter confidence. Performance blends decision-making and execution. In baseball hitting, outcomes link to timing and "getting your pitch." Conversely, the pitcher succeeds, by working fast, throwing strikes, and changing speeds - disrupting timing. 


Ted Williams's chart illustrates. Former Red Sox pitcher Gary Peters explained his struggles, "I was wild in the strike zone." 

The same issues arise in basketball. 

  • Shot selection. ROB shots - in range, open, balanced.
  • Defensive contestedness. Open shots are better shots.
  • Communication. Communication energizes and intimidates.
  • Risk taking. Gambling defenses expose opportunities. 
  • Effort is a choice. Low effort defense increases opponent confidence.
How can coaches build confidence? 
  • Speak greatness. "That was good AND" is better than "that was good BUT...
  • Catch players in the act of doing something right.
  • Use video to reinforce positive actions. 
  • Expand playing time according to better play. 
  • Share praise via team leaders, assistants, and the media.
  • Clarify expectations and standards; praise meeting both. 
Confidence building doesn't exclude correction. Coach Shawanda Brown reminded players who took a bad shot or didn't pass to the open teammate, "That is not how we play." 

  "Water the flowers and pull the weeds." 

Lagniappe. The great teammate... 

Lagniappe 2. AI input from Peter Atwater's "The Confidence Map"

1. Confidence is contextual, not constant.

Atwater argues that confidence isn’t a trait we “have” but a state we move through.

  • It’s situational — shaped by control (our sense of agency) and clarity (how predictable our environment feels).

  • A person may feel supremely confident as a coach in practice (high control, high clarity) yet uneasy as an investor during market volatility (low control, low clarity).

  • Confidence rises when we can anticipate outcomes and influence them; it collapses when we feel powerless and confused.
    Lesson: build systems that expand clarity and reinforce agency — structure, communication, routines — so confidence can regenerate.

2. The Confidence Map: control × clarity

Atwater maps confidence on two axes:

  • Control (high ↔ low)

  • Clarity (high ↔ low)

This yields four quadrants:

QuadrantControlClarityEmotional StateBehavior Tendency
The Comfort ZoneHighHighConfident, calmTake thoughtful risks, collaborate
The Launch ZoneHighLowCurious, optimisticExperiment, innovate, “ready–fire–aim”
The Stress ZoneLowHighFearful, risk-averseOvercontrol, micromanage
The Crisis ZoneLowLowPanicked, paralyzedFreeze, blame, retreat

We constantly move among these quadrants. Leaders’ job: help people back toward comfort or launch, away from stress or crisis.

3. Confidence drives collective behavior — and markets.

Atwater, a behavioral economist by training, links confidence cycles to herd behavior and asset prices:

  • When collective confidence is high, people extrapolate good times forever (bubbles, over-optimism).

  • When confidence collapses, even strong fundamentals can’t overcome fear (crashes, retrenchment).

  • Market sentiment, consumer spending, and political tone all follow the same psychological tides.
    Application: As a coach or investor, watch the emotional climate, not just the metrics. Momentum, morale, and valuation all mirror confidence swings.

4. Storytelling restores clarity.

When confidence breaks down, information alone rarely repairs it. What rebuilds clarity is narrative coherence — a believable story explaining what happened and what’s next.

  • During uncertainty, people crave meaning as much as control.

  • Leaders who articulate a simple, truthful story (“Here’s where we are, why it matters, and how we’ll move forward”) re-anchor groups.
    Coaching parallel: after a tough loss, athletes regain footing through a shared story — “We learned who we are under pressure” — not through a stat sheet.

5. Confidence begets generosity; fear breeds self-interest.

Atwater closes with a moral and social insight:

  • In high-confidence states, people tend to collaborate, share credit, and take long-term views.

  • In low-confidence states, they hoard, blame, and focus narrowly on survival.
    This applies from teams to societies. Confidence expands the circle of “we.”
    Lesson: building team confidence isn’t just psychological hygiene — it’s the foundation of unselfish play, trust, and long-term resilience.

In short

Atwater’s map isn’t about ego; it’s about navigation. Confidence isn’t arrogance — it’s the alignment of clarity and control. Leaders who restore those two variables don’t just calm the storm; they change its direction.

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Sunday, October 26, 2025

Basketball - Proven Tips for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Basketball lives in the public domain. Growth demands work. Excellence doesn't flow from trickery. Learn and share insights that create advantage when regularly applied. 

1. Sleep more and better. Shakespeare wrote, "Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care." He wasn't exaggerating. 

A Stanford study in basketball players who extended sleep showed sprint times reduced by an average 4.5%. Both free-throw and 3-point shot accuracy significantly improved by 9% and 9.2%, respectively. Sleep better, play faster and better. 




















2. Improve your habits. James Clear is the habit guru, author of Atomic Habits. Here's a link to a summary.  Key points:
  • Make good habits easier and bad ones harder. 
  • One percent improvement compounded daily raises performance over 37 times. 
  • "Don't miss twice." Maintain habits by doing. 
3. Develop a mindfulness practice. It is apolitical and non-religious. It takes about ten minutes a day. It improves sleep, focus, and immunity. It helps memory, reduces anxiety and depression. The UCLA Mindfulness site provides free, short mindfulness scripts. Professional teams and Olympians champion mindfulness training. 

4. Read. What? Consider starting with "Game Changer: The Art of Sports Science" by Dr. Fergus Connolly, Human Performance expert. Sounds dry. It's not. "The difference between who we are now and whom we become in five years are the people we meet and the books we read." 

5. Journal. Write down your thoughts regularly, especially adding something that makes you think or question a previous belief. The great Don Meyer kept one notebook for basketball, another for general information, and one for appreciation for his wife. You don't have to share and it only takes a few minutes a day. 

6. Keep a "rethinking scorecard," as suggested by Adam Grant in Think Again. For example, I thought the Celtics might win 35-40 games this year. Even with a small sample size, there's a glaring weakness...defensive rebounding. They're far below the MVP (minimum viable product). 

7. Teach leadership directly. Leadership has many elements and all of us can coach better and benefit from coaching. 
  • Model excellence.
  • Focus on communication. 
  • Find leadership examples. A parent recently noted how he appreciated how my volleyball blog gave a 'shout out' to a reserve player (not his child) who cheers relentlessly. 
  • Speak greatness. Be positive and praise the praiseworthy. 
  • Become a storyteller. Stories stick. Develop a portfolio of worthy stories. Before the Civil War, Ulysses Grant was selling firewood on the streets of St. Louis. All he did was save the Union. Perhaps unfairly, Winston Churchill was blamed for the failures at Gallipoli during WWI. All he did in WW2 was help save Western Civilization. 
8. Study greatness - coaches, great players, and player development. Study your role models' role models. Usher studied James Brown and Gene Kelly, two of Michael Jackson's role models. Two of my coach's role models were John Wooden and Dean Smith, certainly worthy of study. 

Lagniappe. Habits and discipline... 










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Saturday, October 25, 2025

Basketball - Give Yourself the Chance to Be Successful

Executives, coaches, and fans fall in love with platitudes. “We need to play harder" or “We’re not putting ourselves in position to win.”

They’re not wrong - but they’re incomplete.

Young players and sometimes veterans, need specifics. What does “playing harder” actually look like? Where does effort translate into points, stops, or wins? Sports are results-oriented. 

Effort Doesn't Cure Everything

Effort matters, but it doesn’t erase bad decisions, poor shot selection, or a lack of toughness. Effort alone can’t “stamp out bad basketball.”

Analytics sharpen the conversation. When you strip a game to its measurable parts, Dean Oliver’s Four Factors predict success better than clichés.

  1. Shooting: Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%)

  2. Turnovers: Turnover Rate

  3. Rebounding: Offensive and Defensive Rebounding Percentages

  4. Free Throws: Getting to the line and converting

Those four areas explain the majority of what separates winning from losing basketball.

Where Effort Moves the Needle

Effort doesn’t directly fix shot selection or passing decisions, but it has an unmistakable impact on three of the eight key subcategories that live within the Four Factors:

  1. Defensive Rebounding: Limit opponents to one shot. The benchmark should be a defensive rebounding percentage of 75% or higher.

  2. Offensive Rebounding: Create extra possessions, extra points, and momentum-changing plays.

  3. Forced Turnovers: Active hands, communication, anticipation - the best defenses make opponents uncomfortable.

These are effort-driven. You know them when you see them. They can’t be faked.

The Cost of Low Effort

When a team’s energy dips, the symptoms show up in the box score:

  • More second-chance points allowed.

  • Fewer offensive rebounds and extra-shot opportunities.

  • Fewer turnovers forced, effectively surrendering more possessions.

  • More easy baskets allowed — transition layups, back cuts, second chances.

Effort gaps turn close games into losses.

Coaching Interventions

Coaches can’t legislate effort, but they can cultivate it.

  1. Prioritize toughness. Rebounding and defense flow from a mindset as much as a system.

  2. Solve the chicken-or-egg problem. Recruit rebounders - or coach up rebounding technique. Emphasize block outs or “hit and get,” make contact first, then pursue the ball.

  3. Play the performers. Minutes reward production. Effort and execution earn the floor.

  4. Train for the demands. Strength, quickness, and conditioning create the physical base that sustains effort. Fatigue is the enemy of energy.

The Bottom Line

Effort isn’t a slogan — it’s an input. When directed toward the right outputs — rebounding, forcing turnovers, and defending with pride — it becomes a force multiplier.

Hard work won’t fix bad basketball, but smart, focused effort elevates a team’s ceiling.

Lagniappe. We do players no favors by letting things slide. 

Lagniappe 2. One of "The Four Agreements" is 'Don't Take Anything Personally'. What others say defines them not us. 








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Friday, October 24, 2025

Basketball Adversity

Adversity is inevitable in sports. It visits every athlete, every coach, every sport — uninvited, inconvenient, and never on schedule. The question is not if, but how.

Belief, patience, and unity turn those moments into lessons. That’s how a good team becomes a great one — and how excellent teams endure.

It arrives as a slump in performance, lost playing time, injury, losing streaks, role frustration, lack of recognition, or problems off the court. Sometimes it hides behind good fortune — coping with success can be its own test.

Unfortunately, sometimes it begets a feedback loop. A slump causes a loss of confidence. The loss of confidence worsens the slump. Or it appears as sleep disturbances, feeling down, or anxiety. Everyone is different. 

Sometimes there's a trigger. Sometimes not. 

Solving problems means recognizing and addressing them. Much like a garden, water the flowers and pull the weeds or nature will take its course. 

There’s no single fix. What helps one athlete may not help another. Experienced coaches have seen what steadies players when the winds pick up.

  1. Family support. A voice at home that says, you’re loved no matter what, keeps perspective intact.

  2. Mentoring. The seniors who pull aside a younger player and say, I’ve been there, turn experience into strength.

  3. Team connection. Trust within the group — the “Ubuntu” that says I am because we are — helps players weather tough stretches together.

  4. Faith or grounding. For some, it’s prayer or reflection. For others, it’s quiet gratitude or journaling after practice. Stillness helps balance the storm.

  5. Relationships with coaches. Feedback lands best when respect runs both ways. A coach who challenges you and believes in you changes the conversation from why me? to what’s next?

  6. Counseling and mental skills. Talking to a counselor, a teacher, or a trusted adult isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom. Champions train their minds as much as their bodies.

In strong programs, they remind each other that The Standard is the Standard. Hard days don’t lower it; they define it. 

Lagniappe. SLOBs that worked. 

Lagniappe 2. "The ball has energy." 

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Thursday, October 23, 2025

"A Great Case, Diagnosing a Basketball Program"

In medicine, "A Great Case" is similar to Ahab's white whale in Moby Dick, a compelling obsession. Decades ago, a Georgetown physician asked us, "What is the definition of a great case? The patient must be sick as hell, nobody knows what is going on, and most important, it's someone else's patient." 

In basketball, the parallel is clear. The team is struggling. No one knows for sure what’s wrong. And — if we’re honest — it’s someone else’s team. Your job is to solve the problem, to cut the Gordian Knot.

Building or Rebuilding a Program

Every program needs diagnosis before prescription. Great coaches are part clinician, part craftsman, part psychologist. The art is knowing what to fix first — and what to leave alone.

Early signs of recovery include:

  • Getting the team on the right track
  • Trending in the right direction
  • "Championship vision" even if not immediately
  • Connecting with players 
  • Adding value via player development
The Stoics remind us: Control what you can control. With apologies to Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way, sometimes the obstacles feel immovable — but that’s where growth lives.

Reasons for Program Struggles

Not every challenge is about talent or tactics. Sometimes the “pathology” is systemic. Common causes include:

  1. Competing attractions: A community’s best athletes are pulled toward other sports — hockey, track, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling.

  2. Demographics: Small schools fighting larger rivals.

  3. Culture: An entrenched tradition of mediocrity or resignation.

  4. Pipeline: No effective feeder or youth development system.

  5. Resources: Limited facilities, funding, or staffing.

  6. Politics: Toxicity within the program or from outside influencers.


The Bottom Line

Every job comes with potential possibilities and pitfalls. Whether in medicine or basketball, your reputation will rest on one thing — how well you treat the case in front of you. Researching and determining existing levels of inertia, resistance, and support can help coaches from assuming unanticipated burdens.

Lagniappe. Brad Stevens looks for "competitive character." 

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Wednesday, October 22, 2025

What's Hard to Teach in Basketball?

Excellent players have a multitude of skills and the know how to apply them. 

Let's choose a few areas that are intrinsically challenging to teach and learn. 

1. Pick-and-roll defense. When run well, PnR challenges many defenses. It can create:

  • Numerical separation (handler defender trapped)
  • Individual separation (screen rejected, handler free to the basket)
  • Open perimeter shooter (pick-and-pop)
  • Open roller (with roll or slip) 
2. Ball containment. Contemporary offensive players have multiple actions to create separation with the ball, both with physical superiority and a variety of moves and combinations. Speed, crossover, hesitation, rip and go, show-and-go, negative step, stampede and more. Developing athleticism (footwork, balance, maneuvering speed) means as much for defenders as offensive players. 

3. Handling defensive pressure. From a young age, players face extended defenses (most commonly zone traps, e.g. 1-3-1, 1-2-1-1) because it's the quickest way to fluster young players. Consider starting with these:

Kirby Schepp keep away. 

Play 'keep away' inside the volleyball lines without and later with screening.


Advance to 4 versus 6 or 5 versus 7 full court defense with constraints (e.g. no dribbling). Make practice hard so games are easier. 

4. Shooting against defense. It's one thing to make open shots in drills and it's another to score with a hand (or defender in your face). Bob Knight condemned "free shooting" and that makes sense. Here's the analogy, “Anyone can shoot at a target. How well do you shoot when the muzzle points at your heart?”

5. Taking a charge. It's easy to explain "how" to take a charge, legal guarding position, and holding your position. Yet, watch most youth and high school games and charges taken are rare. 


The commentary is telling, "sacrificing your body"...and being "willing to take the hit." 

Lagniappe. Competing doesn't stop at the edge of the court. 
Lagniappe 2. The list of what is expected goes on and on. 

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Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Basketball - Many Questions, Fewer Answers

Listen well and ask insightful questions. Provideing readers with a list of possible questions might add value.

An After Action Review from The Leadership Moment (Michael Useem)

  • What went well?
  • What went poorly?
  • What can we do differently? 
  • What are the enduring lessons?
Change can be premature or powerful. These questions are designed to find what works, what doesn’t, and to do more of the former and less of the latter.

Conflict resolution

  • What do you suggest?
  • Where do we agree/align on this?
  • Can you live with this?
Finding compromise doesn’t have to be a lost art. Asking for suggestions is a first step. If a person doesn't want to add suggestions, they may not seek resolution. 

Advice from Brad Stevens
  • What does our team need now?
We may need to work harder, take a day off for physical or mental health, or practice focused on individual or team skills. 

An Outsider Perspective
  • How can I help?
A fresh look can help identify old or novel suggestions. Bill Belichick talked about formations from a 1976 Lions game that helped him win a game over forty years later. “There is nothing new under the sun.”

These nine questions can help "reboot" our team. 

Use a "Filter," the THINK Acronym
  • Is it true?
  • Is it helpful?
  • Is it inspiring?
  • Is it necessary?
  • Is it kind?
Steven Covey said, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Questions provide shared responsibility - listen sincerely to help not hurt. 

Often there is "information asymmetry" that participants should address. 
A parent contacted me during tryouts to share that there was family illness and ask that their child make the team. I answered that I was sorry to hear about illness; no issue existed as the girl was one of our best players.

Lagniappe. Teams need leadership and identity. 
Lagniappe 2. Planning makes practice. 
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Monday, October 20, 2025

Basketball - Make One Plus One Equal Three

Ken Burns says common stories are one plus one equals two; the good ones are one plus one equals three. Morgan Housel calls that leverage—two habits that compound into more than their parts.

Many of you have lived your own March Madness. I did fifty years ago. My twin daughters did twenty years ago. I hope you wrote great stories.

Think Hoosiers: the rim is ten feet, the lane the same width - same court as back home. The stage changes; the standards don’t.

The 2025–26 Premortem

A premortem examination allows you to anticipate and fix problems that haven't occurred. If someone told you today the season will fall short, why? Write the obituary now, then fix it.

Beyond your control

  • Injuries/illness

  • Transfers/eligibility quirks

  • Bad luck (whistles, bounces, brackets)

Acknowledge it—then build buffers: depth, simple packages for next-up guards/wings, minutes management.

Within your control

  • Motivation: Did daily work connect to a purpose and a role?

  • Teamwork: Did we share the ball and the credit—screen, space, extra pass?

  • Resilience: Did we have a reset to stop runs? Could we play "uphill," facing deficits. Did we have depth to control for injuries or other intangibles? If the point guard fouls out early in the fourth quarter, how do we run the offense and break the press? 

  • Decision-making: Did we follow our shot profile and ban "shot turnovers?"

  • Coaching: Did our schemes fit our personnel—and did we adjust fast?

Premortem → Plan

1) Standards that travel (Four Factors + 1). What do you expect? Fill in your blanks. 

  • eFG%: ≥ ___% (shots we want: rim, FT line, clean rhythm 3s)

  • TOV%: ≤ ___% (no live-ball gifts)

  • ORB%: ≥ ___% or DRB%: ≥ ___% (pick one as identity)

  • FT Rate: ≥ ___ (pressure the paint)

  • PACE with purpose: transition chances ≥ ___ per half

2) Roles and leverage

  • Each player names their keep-you-on-the-floor skill (on-ball defense, screening, corner 3, rim runs).

  • Each player names an “out pitch” (the difference-maker under pressure):

    • PG: paint touch → spray

    • Wing: corner 3 + 1-more pass

    • Big: early rim run + verticality

    • Sixth: two hustle plays/quarter (charge, deflection, O-board)

3) Pressure packages (win the last 4 minutes)

  • ATO offense (2 sets)

  • BLOB/SLOB (2 automatics)

Defense (what would you adjust now?)

  • ICE side PnR; when we switch defenses?

  • Switch 1–4 late clock; 

4) Film & feedback cadence

  • Weekly: 5 clips/player (3 keep, 2 fix).

  • Practice: one cue/day posted (e.g., “get 2 feet in the paint before pass”).

  • Game card: shot chart by zone + paint touches and pass-to-assist counts.

What Leverage Looks Like (1+1=3) 

  • Paint touch + one-more pass get corner 3s, higher eFG%

  • Wall up + gang rebound to kill second chances

  • Nail help + low-man early to take away driving lanes without giving up rhythm kickouts

  • Early drag screen + rim run create foul pressure + dump-offs

Cue Card (in team room)

  • Today’s one thing: __________

  • Metric & target: __________ (e.g. turnover reduction)

  • Cue word: __________ (e.g. red, fronting the post) 

  • My out pitch tonight: __________ 

Same court. Same standards. Better habits. Make two things add up to three.

Lagniappe. Wisdom from millenia ago 




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