Basketball - "Idee Fixe"

Everyone has an "idee fixe," entrenched perception of the basketball world. It's seductive to believe that our ideas and experience are superior to the "next new thing."

The 1980 NBA Champion Lakers made ZERO three-pointers in the NBA Finals. The NBA introduced the three-pointer that season, making it more of a novelty than a staple of offensive attack.

In 1977, "The Punch" of Rudy Tomjanovich by Kermit Washington led to an unprecedented 20-game suspension. But it paved the way for "decongestion" of basketball behemoths, changing the game forever. The adoption of the three-point shot reduced some of the paint pugilism as the game moved outside. 

Fixed ideas lead to concepts such as "defense wins championships" over "balance wins championships," that shot clocks are unnecessary, and a personal pet peeve, "the demise of the pass-first point guard."

There's also basketball "trickle-down economics." As the long ball becomes more and more of a staple, that influence infects every level of play. 

A summary with an AI assist:

• 1979–80 (Inaugural Season): 2.8 three-point attempts per game

• Early 1980s: Remained below 1.0 made per game, with attempts averaging around 3–4 per game

• 1984–85 Onward: Steady rise in attempts, with a nearly linear trend over 25 years

• 2000–2010: Gradual increase, averaging around 10–12 three-point attempts per game

• 2012–13: Reached 20 attempts per game

• 2015–16 (Steph Curry’s MVP season): Marked a turning point — attempts surged past 25 per game

• 2018–19: Averaged 30.4 three-point attempts per game

• 2022–23: Peaked at 35.4 attempts per game, with teams regularly attempting over 35 threes per game. It's still rising. 

There is not a 1:1 correlation with three-point attempts and success. The best team in the NBA (OKC) is 16th in three-pointers attempted per game and the other conference leader (DET) is 27th. 

Image from ChatGPT Plus 

So it's EFG%? OKC is fourth and DET is 17th. 

The object of the game is scoring more points than opponents. Team point differentials reflect the objective. 

Mirabile dictu, defensive rating still matters, too. 

The Thunder and Pistons both appear among the leaders. 

No "fixed idea" or unitary answer explains or solves why teams win or don't. Everything - talent, culture, coaching, balance, and crunchtime execution - goes into the competitive cauldron. 

Lagniappe. Joe Mazzulla ducks some of the "pet peeves" question.

Lagniappe 2. Authentic joy for the success of others is a worthy goal.  

True culture is built when teammates celebrate each other’s wins.

Patrick Murphy nails it:
“If you can be as happy for your teammate’s success as if you did it yourself, the sky is the limit.”

That’s Mudita. That’s leadership. pic.twitter.com/QhtKHoYXyz

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) January 21, 2026

Lagniappe 3. The ability to win without your best stuff is a hallmark of successful players and teams.  

“Tough teams win when the shots are not going.” - Kelvin Sampson pic.twitter.com/xcuqu48nq4

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 18, 2026

Basketball - Learn from Football

Learn across domains. Former NFL quarterback Brian Hoyer (8 minutes, above) discusses systems and reading defenses. NFL passing games attack three levels - short, intermediate, or deep. Basketball? It creates shots from inside, midrange, and perimeter. They're similar and different.

Obviously in football, a touchdown 'weighs more' than an individual score in basketball. But efficient team generate "higher probability" chances. That "sums" to better chances at winning. Whether it's 10-11 possessions in football or 60-70 in high school basketball (shot clock) efficiency matters. 

How do basketball coaches exploit defensive tendencies? 

Transition

Attacking before defenses have 'set up' creates choice with numerical and positional advantage, size and skill edges. More athletic teams may benefit. The downside is "loss of control" as players not coaches define the actions. 

On a 3 versus 2 break, I taught the ballhandler to cheat away from the better shooter, to create a longer closeout if she threw there. 

The Laker "Showtime" break taught wings to be at the boundaries at half court. In the NFL, the West Coast Offense wanted to spread defenses over the 53 1/3rd yards. The principles are the same - force defenders to defend more space. 

Mismatches (size, skill)

The Shanahan versions of the West Coast changed the game with outside zone blocking that could create cutback gaps (for Terrell Davis and others). The Broncos won consecutive Super Bowls based on those principles. In basketball, switched screens create size or skill (attack weak defenders) mismatches.

Coach Bob Knight taught that against zone defense, you could still attack weaker defenders. 

Spacing (spreading the field)

Five-out and horns offenses empty the lane and have no 'intrinsic' weak side. In football, speed receivers can 'stretch defenses' opening up zones. 

1) The ball has gravity. Defenses and young offensive players may unintentionally compromise space. 

2) I taught the 'three point line' as the spacing line. I have read that some coaches preach basket cuts if the defender extends beyonds the arc. That only matters with hard cuts and on-time and on-target passers. 

3) Better spacing creates better passing and driving lanes. 

Opening gaps 

In football, pre-snap motion usually reveals whether defenses play man or zone coverage. In basketball, movement can open gaps or even whole sides of the court. 

Duke Elbow "Handoff/Iso" Series. 

With superior point guard and high post players, the 'elbow series' can create serious advantage. 

Overplays (leverage) 

Tight coverage (overplays in basketball) create both headaches and opportunity. Players can take advantage of aggressive defenders with 1) screens and 2) back door cuts. Young players can learn these "solutions" to the problems that can frustrate them. 

Football shares more analogies:

• Quarterback and point guard - with decisions and accuracy paramount. 
• Strong side/weak side tendencies
• Player weaknesses throwing against the grain or non-dominant hand dribbling

Lagniappe. What keeps you off the floor or gets you minutes? 

Last week I asked high school coaches one question:
What’s the skill holding players back from varsity minutes?
Defense was the clear answer: 51% of votes!

So I built a 10-minute defensive workout you can do alone, no equipment — because half the game is defense whether we train… pic.twitter.com/vHauTHolV5

— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) January 20, 2026

 

Basketball- Interesting or Important

Issues sort into various categories. "Lumpers" might choose interesting or important. The classifications aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Pick-and-roll defense

Many ways exist to defend PnR include:

• Show, hedge, "fake trap" (all the same)
• Drop coverage
• Switch
• Trap/double
• Through
• Ice

That's interesting. What's important is what coaches find works best for their team and that players understand and execute the planned coverage.

Give players a voice and a choice. Allow them to organically find solutions to these:

👇🏼

COVERAGES

HEDGE
BLITZ
SOFT SWITCH
HARD SWITCH
DROP (under/over)
ICE
CORRAL
WHIP
SMACK

Key terminology/Points:

- at the level or at the touch
- this is how the screeners' man is… pic.twitter.com/GPPcse8ZII

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) January 19, 2026

Offensive Attack

No shortage of offensive strategies and systems exist - everything from "The System," continuity, motion, Five-out, Horns-based, Princeton, Flex, "Blocker-Mover," and so on. That's interesting. Important is what a coach can teach and what suits the size, athleticism, skill, and aptitude of his or her team.

Player Development

In Massachusetts, high school coaches cannot coach their players outside of the regular season. That's good and bad. Good in that it doesn't encroach on player availability for other sports and bad in that it requires extra travel and high expense to play on travel teams. That's interesting. 

What's important is that ambitious players need coaching for:

• Skill
• Strategy (game understanding)
• Physicality (strength, quickness, conditioning)
• Psychology (resilience/mental toughness)

There's no "one way" or "best way." Chances are that skill development coaches aren't strength and conditioning coaches. Other options beyond the AAU/Club system could add value in player development at lower cost. Ideally, viable alternatives develop to address the need and interest. 

Videos from YouTube, Fiba, and Twitter share an abundance of great information on every aspect of basketball for every level of player. Teachers like Drew Hanlen, Chris Brickley, Don Kelbick, Kevin Eastman, and Colin Castellaw share an abundance of terrific info. 

Lagniappe. You can become a contributor even if you don't have extremes of size and athleticism if you compete with high intangibles. 

SEPARATING QUALITIES FOR WINNING PLAYERS AND TEAMS

In a basketball world that is becoming more and more consumed by skill and skill development, it’s never been more obvious that the separator for College athletes and teams are the ‘culture’ or ‘winning characteristics’ that… pic.twitter.com/KLYo01IkdD

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) January 20, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Movement kills defense. 

Fred Hoiberg is one of 5 COLLEGE HC’s that I could watch offensive sets from the entire day.

Nebraska has played a ton of 5 OUT this season. They initiate a lot of their dead ball offense using a Weave or an Away Stagger.

Their false motion and tag manipulation associated… pic.twitter.com/AsVToSSb7z

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) January 20, 2026

Basketball - Three Principles

Michael Silver's "The Why Is Everything" emphasizes principles of sport. Kyle Shanahan's concepts and colleagues are explained. He overcame the reputation of "nepotism" and "entitled" and a "product of privilege." 

Shanahan and his colleagues - Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris, and Sean McVay - changed the game. Silver describes them as "hyperdriven truth seekers." 

"Think Players over Plays."

Matching players and plays creates a platform for success. Opponent-specific game plans understanding players' abilities create opportunities. 

Basketball application:

Watching a lot of NBA basketball with "switch everything" beliefs, watch how teams use screens and DHOs to create mismatches. The Celtics fell behind Miami big, but came back by getting Tyler Herro (a mediocre defender) onto Jaylen Brown. Small on big screens create mismatches down low (postups) or high with bigs chasing quicker guards. 

"It Just Works."

Trusting the mission wasn't enough. New age players want more, more explanation and more comprehension. "It just works" may mask ignorance that the coaches don't know why. 

Intellectual curiosity can often reveal better explanation and options. Concepts well-explained make sense. The system can enhance and extend what players can do. 

This is why. This is how. This is how we beat them. "Built-in solutions (to adjustments) can break" opponents. "There's a mismatch. They just can't have enough people for the gaps that we have."

Exceptional coaches have exceptional conceptual understanding. Scars and pain are unavoidable. 

Basketball application:

"Five out" offense (50, Spread, Open) became popular to force spacing, open lanes, and make doubling hard. When help comes, penetrate and pitch (drive and dish) often yields open threes. 

"Tell Me the Why."

Justify your position. Know your why and explain "anything and everything." We can't expect enthusiasm about execution without explaining how we are creating advantage. 

Basketball application: 

Forcing young players to play man-to-man defense (even at the expense of wins), raises player development for success at higher levels. Thinking that more wins for sixth graders validates your coaching expertise is fool's gold when those players struggle against older, better, athletic players.

Would you rather remember playing in a sixth grade championship game or a sectional championship game in a major college or pro arena? 

Lagniappe. Winning last year or yesterday doesn't mean anything for the next game (language). "You can't learn only from your losses." 

Lagniappe 2. "I seek ideas, ethics, and values I should believe in, not because they make me anything more than I am now, but because they make me better." - Stanley McChrystal in "On Character."

Basketball- Mastering Fear

I once spoke with the mother of a player.

“It looks as though she’s afraid,” I said. “Afraid of playing. Afraid of contact.Afraid of getting hurt.”

The mother paused, then replied, “It doesn’t look like she is. She is.”

That distinction matters.

Fear doesn’t always announce itself. Often, it simply governs behavior.

Fear Is Central to Player Development

Progress in basketball, especially at the competitive levels, requires confronting fear, not pretending it doesn’t exist.

Players are afraid of:

• Bigger, stronger, more physical opponents

• Being embarrassed or exposed by better players

• Defensive pressure and turning the ball over

• Having shots blocked

• Taking the meaningful shot

• Not making the team

• Injury

• Re-injury after returning from one

These fears are rational. They are human. Ignoring them doesn’t resolve them.

Diagnosing Fear

Sometimes fear is obvious.

You see avoidance behaviors:

• Passing up the ball before pressure arrives

• Drifting away from contact

• Relinquishing responsibility by not moving to get open to receive the ball

Other times, fear only becomes clear after missed opportunity, hesitation, not competing. 

That’s why it’s often better to ask about a player’s concerns early, before fear hardens into habit.

“What worries you when the game speeds up?” “What do you think about when the ball comes to you late?”

Treating Fear

There are no shortcuts. But there are two reliable paths.

1. Skill development
Competence breeds confidence. Players need tools to handle the ball under pressure, to finish through contact, to separate with footwork, to make better decisions. Fear falls when players know what to do.

2. Desensitization
Avoidance reinforces fear. Exposure dissolves it.

If a player fears pressure, they must face pressure. If they fear contact, they must experience contact. If they fear the arena, they must enter it.

That may mean practicing against better, older, more physical players. In girls’ and women’s basketball, it may include selected practice against boys or men, not to intimidate, but to normalize speed and chaos.

Advantage-disadvantage drills, 2 on 3, 3 on 4, and 5 on 7 accustom players to numerical disadvantage. 

The Work Is Courage, Repeated

Speeches or a single drill won't dispel fear. It yields to preparation, repetition, and confrontation.

Players don’t become fearless. They become braver. And bravery, like any basketball skill, improves with practice.

Lagniappe. Match effort to dreams. 

Coach K once said, "You can either lower your goals to match your effort, or you can raise your effort to match your goals."

No Deposit - No Return.
Everything is earned. pic.twitter.com/Ilr905YHaS

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) January 16, 2026

Beyond the Box Score

Readers want to impact winning. Everyone can’t be a “box score hero.” Yes, teams need guys who score, assist, rebound, and block shots. And they need "Joes" who do the grunt work that earns wins although not marking up the 'usual' box score. 

Practice 

• Be the hardest working 'guy' at practice. Stand out with effort.
• Compete. 
• Communicate.
• Energize yourself and teammates.  
• Push the starters - and yourself - to be better. 
• Be coachable. Transform coaching into growth and performance.

Make Winning Plays Beyond the Box Score

• Take a charge (gets a stop, opponent foul, and a possession).
• Set great screens - drag, flare, rescreens - that often earn 'screen assists'
• Block out - rebound as a team.
• Talk - energizes and recruits ours, and discourages theirs.
• Save possessions on loose balls and "50-50" balls.
• Make "one more" hockey assist passes.
• Break up a transition chance with chase down hustle. 
• Force opponent turnovers and mistakes with stunts and feints. 
• Pressure and contain the ball. 
• Cover 1.5 and close passing lanes. 
• Challenge shots without fouling.
• Force a held ball.    

None of these show up in the box score but all show up on the scoreboard. Coaches see everything; winning plays earn opportunities. More winning play earn more minutes.  

Lagniappe. Shot quality is the quickest path to shooting improvement.  

Nothing supersedes SHOT QUALITY in terms of winning basketball games.

Shot quality can't exist without 2 critical factors:

1. Spacing - establish a base template and a template tou 'terminate' to if the advantage goes neutral. HAMMER THIS.

2. Ball Movement - get to the…

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) January 14, 2026

 Lagniappe 2. Set and exceed high standards. 

“Rules are for those who cannot follow direction. Standards are for those who aspire to do special things.”@TimCorbin pic.twitter.com/84HWWufScM

— Bob Starkey (@CoachBobStarkey) January 12, 2026

Lagniappe 3. At the end of life, six sets of hands carry you up and down the church steps. Be worthy of having people you helped want to carry you into your next journey. 

 

Ten Basketball Truths

Why ten truths? There's nothing magical about ten - Arabic numerals, Ten Commandments, ten players on the court.

The skill level in basketball has never been higher and yet "it's never good enough" as players chuck up bad shots, drive or pass into traffic, and put "scorebook over scoreboard." 

Watch high school basketball and truths reveal themselves.

Excellent teams communicate well.

If you can't hear it, it isn't happening.

"The best teams play "harder for longer."" - Dave Smart

"Hard includes playing in a stance, denying passes, and containing the ball. 

"Score first" point guards made the game less fun to watch.

Get others involved.

Use more "hard to defend" actions.

How can you play without the pick-and-roll, screen-the-screener, or even Spain? 

Examine a team's "compete level." 

It should be obvious. 

Chuck Daly's "48 Rule" never goes out style (what players want -48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million).

How many "me too" shots did you see? 

Most teams are not talented enough to play without a framework.

Young players seldom can create enough to freelance fully. 

Think about what makes a team hard to play against. 

"Movement kills defenses" and excellent defenses are in your pocket. 

'Know thyself."As a player, how do you impact winning?

What is your varsity skill. 

Do you love the game? 

Only you can know.

Lagniappe. The goal isn't to work harder. It's to become the "Source of Truth" that both the human and the machine rely on.

 

Esprit de Corp

"They knew the platoon was more than the mere sum of their numbers - they had imbued themselves with this knowledge and made it theirs. They were great, they were magnificent; he was proud to be their leader." - LT Sam Damon in Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer

Not everyone "gets to" be the face of a franchise as either the star or the coach. Special opportunity and obligation come with that territory. 

Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" features team spirit as one of the three central building blocks.

What qualities and values translate to forming a team "more than the mere sum of their numbers?" Team performance mirrors inputs. 

Competence

Competence means more than knowing Xs and Os. The saying that the sport is "overcoached and undertaught" manifests on video daily. 

• Wisdom transcends knowledge. 
• Leadership bests management. 
• Care surpasses oversight.

Teaching appears in details and in energy. Strong teams talk on defense. They create advantage constantly. They come off screens tight and don't give up easy baskets. They win close games through force of personality. 

Communication

Coaching is a relationship business. Communicators who get "buy-in" outperform by adding more value. Communication means honesty and integrity with the ability to navigate hard conversations. It is better to lose a game than to lose our team. 

Don't be the guy who takes credit for victories and passes responsibility to the players for losses. 

Relationships raise spirits when adversity hits. And it always does. 

Positivity

The coach and team leader must bring positive energy to work every day. Success requires performance regardless of whether you feel like it. Coaches and 'stars' have the ability to stay focused and to energize the team consistently. 

Enthusiasm

"Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." Princeton coach Pete Carril reflected on joy. 

“Light bulbs, that’s what I call them. Light bulbs. There’s an intangible feeling a coach and a player have that you can delight in. When [players] walked on the floor … I could be dead tired: I saw him, I felt good.”

Optimism

You can only be as good as your self-belief. Optimists see better days ahead. That doesn't mean blindly overlooking deficiencies. It demands clear-eyed recognition of strengths, limitations, possibilities and the will to drive the process forward. 

Director Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story." The coach has to advance the story. Optimism energizes.

Authenticity

We have to be ourselves because we can't be anyone else. Don't be Dr. Jekyll one day and Mr. Hyde the next. 

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (1841)

There's an ocean of difference between a foolish consistency and the mindful will to maintain high and increasing standards. 

Leadership

What is leadership? Leadership is not about titles or self. Leaders have the capacity to attract followers and to raise performance of those around them. Leaders have the ability to set a course and to adjust when necessary. 

Lagniappe. Relationships come first. 

As a coach, you can be..

…technically brilliant
…a genius in strategy
…the smartest in the room
…experienced in the game

But if you can’t connect with people, you won’t get the best out of them.

Coaching is about people first.

— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) January 14, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Lever your athleticism with technique. 

Playing Off Of 1 Foot vs 2 Feet

“Playing off of 2 Feet really evens out the athleticism.”

Jump stop- regain balance
Stride stop- settle momentum
Pro hop- direction change
Bully stop- hit defender 1st pic.twitter.com/Ybwx7G2ojb

— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) January 13, 2026

Basketball - Creating Advantage

Offenses fail when players can't recognize advantages.

Most programs could use more practice time on developing/recognizing advantages.

— Reid Ouse (@reidouse) January 13, 2026

Teach basketball symmetry. Good offense creates advantage and good defense minimizes it. 

Where does advantage arise? 

• Spacing/initial positioning
• Player and ball movement/create separation
• Finishing/"the scoring moment"

Truth in Aphorisms

• "Great offense is multiple actions."
• "Great defense is multiple efforts." 

Video Reveals these Truths

High school video can reveal excellence and limitations among design, decisions, and execution. The goal is education not criticism. I do not know any of the players or coaches. Both teams have improved.  

Spacing

"Win in space." Driving or passing into traffic creates advantage for defenses. White gets back in transition and takes away a paint pass. 

Manipulate space. Against an extended defense, white brings everyone to the ball and then "takes the top off" with a look ahead toss. Although it's not initially complete. Secondary 'troops' finish the play. 

Player and Ball Movement

White gets advantage off the dribble and "draws two." The ball has gravity. They penetrate and pitch for an open corner 3. 

 

Well-designed BOB from 1-4 low. Has options for multiple perimeter shots and a backscreen for the initial screener (screen-the-screener).

 

The Scoring Moment

The game has evolved strategically to threes, layups, and free throws. This isn't always an advantage as poor shooting can offset theoretical advantages. 

The "diamond press" puts a premium on trapping, limiting dribble advancement, and relies on vision and reaction from the "anticipator." 

Getting to the scoring moment can challenge teams. Here the spacing is good and the PnR fails? Why? The ball handler can't use the screen ("B to B in Hoosiers) and doesn't deliver the available pocket pass.

 

Great example of reading advantage here on the 1-4 low. High post entry with fake handoff and drive. 

For young coaches and players wanting to learn, watching more video affords a lot of opportunity.

Lagniappe. Elevator/sandwich screens. 

Play of the YEAR

Michigan: Double Elevator

Never seen this before! ✅ pic.twitter.com/M3DgPeeWgE

— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) January 14, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Force your way onto the court.  

Gregg Popovich said, “It’s your job to make me play you.”

Playing time is earned.

A victim mindset says…I didn’t play because coach doesn’t like me.

A winning mindset says…I didn’t play because I haven’t earned it yet.

Don’t be a victim.pic.twitter.com/6iGZp3Xhe4

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) January 14, 2026

Basketball and Rhetoric

"No lines, no laps, no lectures..." - Brian McCormick

Coaches are teachers - teaching life, sport, and more - even language. Rhetorical devices are language tools of persuasion. Everyone uses them. Everyone can use them better. McCormick's quote stresses efficiency - getting more done in the time alloted. 

Tricolon

McCormick's quote uses tricolon, three words or phrases used to grab attention and make an impression. You know Caesar's "I came, I saw, I conquered" or MacArthur's "duty, honor, country."

"Play hard, play smart, play together." I've heard that credited to Morgan Wootten 

"Vision, decision, execution." I've chosen that as another version of "see it, choose it, do it." 

"Teamwork. Improvement. Accountability."  Asking team members to remember laundry lists of values can be a "fool's errand." In his MasterClass, Navy SEAL team leader Jocko Willink tells the story of a team member who asks for three things to remember, "because I can't remember more than that." 

Metaphor

Metaphor compares two dissimilar things to highlight similarities. 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson   Jackson expresses a core value similar to "force multiplier" or a team can be greater "than the sum of its parts." 

"The ball has energy."  Willing passers create not only better angles and better shots but goodwill. Players have less incentive to pass or to move if they believe they won't get the ball back. 

"The ball is a camera."  If you want the ball, then you must get in a position where the ball (the passer) can see you. The camera metaphor emphasizes the value of playing without the ball. 

Chiasmus

Chiasmus mirrors words, phrases, or ideas in reverse order, often an A-B-B-A pattern. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration featured, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." 

"Do more to become more. Become more to do more." Encourage players to embrace their roles while working to grow them. 

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." - John Wooden   Better coaches and players have specific plans to create advantage when facing tough opponents. Belichick shared Sun Tzu's Art of War advice, "Utilize strengths; attack weaknesses." Trader Linda Bradford Raschke reminds investors to "Plan your trade and trade your plan." 

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” - Phil Jackson   This reminds all of us of the famous line, "the strength of the wolf is the pack." 

Some lines do heavy lifting.

Dean Smith said, “A lion never roars after a kill.” Smith's quote applies multiple metaphors - the lion is the winner, the kill is victory, and roaring symbolizes boasting or taunting. He messages his team to "Act like you've been there before."

Studying effective players, coaches, and their language helps us to become better communicators and influencers for our teams. 

Lagniappe. Adversity is our companion. We cannot wish it away.

Nick Saban said, "There can be no great victories in your life unless you overcome adversity."

"You can’t be a great competitor unless you overcome adversity. That's mental."

The best aren't fearless - they just keep showing up.

They choose toughness, persistence, and grit. pic.twitter.com/ybVBSwHbSv

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) December 28, 2025

Lagniappe 2. “There is seldom just one cockroach in the kitchen. You know, you turn on the light and, all of sudden, they all start scurrying around.” - Warren Buffett

Good teams have better organization, discipline, and training. Less effective teams seldom have "one cockroach." There are usually problems with preparation and training leading to execution problems. 

 

Basketball - "Different" Quotes as the Springboard to Growth

"If you want to be different from everybody else, then you've got to pay the price." - Anton Myrer in Once an Eagle 

Drive expresses itself in different ways. Dan Pink shared three components in his book ("Drive") - autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Sara Blakely, founder and CEO of Spanx says, "Obsess the product." Actor Sam Jackson adds, "Bring the best version of yourself to work every day." And Kevin Durant (top 10 scorer in NBA history) wakes every day asking himself, "How do I get better today?"

Quotes can serve as an impetus:

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson

Sharing implies collaboration, communication, connection. These manifest as helping each other at both ends of the floor. On offense, space to open driving and passing lanes and stretch the defense. Move without the ball, cutting urgently, screen, deliver on-time, on-target passes, and take quality shots (ROB shots - in range, open, on balance). The opposite of sharing is selfishness. 

"Impact winning." - Dr. Fergus Connolly

Examine every phase of practice from warmup to recovery. If something doesn't drive the process, why are we doing it? Be as quick to remove something unhelpful as we are to add. Be efficient (using time wisely) to drive execution (what shows up in games). 

"The coach's job is to help players see the game." - Pete Newell

Newell's Cal Bears defeated Wooden's UCLA Bruins eight consecutive meetings. Newell preached footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed. His books and tapes (e.g. "Big Man Moves") provide blueprints for separation from wing to post. Because video is "The Truth Machine," underutilizing tape underappreciates an essential teaching tool. Watch tape of coaches and players who create advantage for players. 

"An easy game to learn and a difficult one to master." - James Naismith

There is no overnight success. It's a grind and partially explains some migration away from basketball to other sports (e.g. volleyball). The exploding costs, unrealistic participants, ego, and delusions of grandeur (NIL riches for a few) can drive bad behavior (e.g. abuse of officials and sometimes coaches). 

"Every day is player development day." - Dave Smart

Talent isn't everything but no coach wins without it. Find it and develop it. In parallel with building technique and tactics, coaches need to develop or outsource physical and emotional (resilience) training. 

• "Think shot first." - Don Kelbick 
• "Develop a GO TO and COUNTER move." 
• "Find four ways to score."
• "What is your NBA (or other level) skill?"
• "Life is hard." - Nick Saban

At the same time, coaches cultivate leadership skills. 

• "Everyone benefits from coaching." - Sean McVay
• "The magic is in the work." 
• "Be warm and demanding." - Brad Stevens
• "The game honors toughness." 
• "Sacrifice." 

Newell's mandate to teach players to "see the game" is a big ask. Players have many choices and distractions. It reminds me of the saying in the Navy, "If the Navy wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one." 

Lagniappe. Zoom is versatile. Chris Steed shares Zoom Elevator. 

ZOOM flows into an ELEVATOR SCREEN seamlessly.

Great action to add from any 4 out 1, or 5 out template. 👇🏼

Miami

Elbow | Zoom | Elevator pic.twitter.com/zgnvjDTmDk

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) January 6, 2026

Basketball Stuff Worth Counting - Beyond the Four Factors

"Measure a thousand times and cut only once." - Turkish Proverb

Experts like Dean Oliver showed the value of measurement in explaining outcomes. Find three "game changing" ideas a day to enhance our chance of winning. 

Conventional and unconventional statistics often reflect if not always predict outcomes. Tracking beyond the critical Four Factors (differentials of EFG%, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws) reveals more about our teams. 

Quarterbacks, point guards, and basketball teams live and die at the intersection of decisions and execution. 

Turnovers

Turnovers sort by decision-making and execution. 

Graphic from Zak Boisvert

Every coach needs to evaluate where the "low-hanging fruit" lies for their team. I recently watched a women's college basketball game where traveling was rampant. Turnovers are the answer to a math questions - the zero percent possessions. 

Kills

Some call three consecutive stops a kill. Get seven a half for two halves and you've stopped 42 possessions. That translates to winning a high percentage of games. 

Bad Shots

Every player should know what a good shot is for themselves and for each of their teammates. Watch some high school games and cringe at a painful percentage of airballed threes. Dr. Rivers called them "shot turnovers."

Transition Points Allowed

We used to set a goal of no more than three transition hoops allowed per game. That's a high bar but not impossible. That begins with knowing who goes to the offensive boards, who balances the floor, and having a clear plan. 

Special situations differential

Years ago we won a game by three against a good middle school team. AN official came up to me and said, "Amazing. Three time outs down the stretch and you scored on the ATO each time." Special situations often separates success and less close and late.

50-50 Ball Percentage and Hustle Stats

Nobody gets all the "up for grabs" balls. But aggressiveness and anticipation show up with more loose balls corralled. Winning 50-50 balls either extends or establishes possessions. Hustle matters. 

Think "hustle equals possessions."

Lagniappe. Lessons are here for us. 

A game changing mentality to start 2026 right: pic.twitter.com/ILGggyAeqx

— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) December 23, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Simple wins when done well.  

A simple system executed well will beat a complex system executed poorly.

— Reid Ouse (@reidouse) December 23, 2025

More Basketball Video Lessons

The four legs of the improvement stool are skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. Video study informs the first two.

In Basketball Methods, Pete Newell includes screener as an important role. Neemias Queta fills the bill here with a screen assist. 

Dribble separation occurs via speed, change of pace, and/or change of direction. What has Brown done for you lately? 

"All men are created equal." Every "pick and pop" is not.

 

Celtics' "Snap" (Spain PnR, "backscreen the roller") has many options including the guard getting downhill.

 

An unusual pick-and-roll that starts near half court.

 

R. J. Barrett gives the Celtics a taste of their "draw two and dish" medicine. 

Two lessons...first, Pritchard separates with the "negative step." Second, the help steps up freeing the lob for two. 

Beautiful basketball from the Raptors with the short roll pass for the open corner three. 

More conventional Spain PnR with an unconventional finish.

 

Versatile finishing equals off either foot with either hand from either side. 

Lagniappe. Coach Underwood explains how they led the country in rebounding missed threes and their "get back" designations. If you shoot a three or are above the key, get back. 

🏀 Illinois head coach Brad Underwood explains his why he changed his rebounding philosophy, their simple rebounding rules, and how these changes helped Illinois become the No. 1 team nationally in recovering missed threes. pic.twitter.com/XjkeDfpHsP

— Coaching U (@Coaching_U) January 8, 2026

Change of Possession

Many coaches embrace the great Pete Newell's advice to get "more and better shots than your opponent." By extension, get "more and better possessions than your opponent."

Shots are subsets of possessions. Ask ourselves two questions:

• How do possessions end? 
• How does a new possession relate to the previous one? 

For example, we know that live ball turnovers in aggregate lead to higher points per possession for the new possession. 

In basketball:

• Live-ball turnovers (e.g., steals, live errant passes) generally lead to more efficient scoring outcomes on the next possession. This is about  ~1.28 points per possession on average (NBA 2018-19) because the defense is out of position and transition can occur.

• Dead-ball turnovers (out-of-bounds, offensive fouls, ball violations that stop play) often result in lower efficiency possessions, around ~1.08 points per possession.

In the 'higher turnover' environment, e.g. high school, points off high volumes of turnovers, especially live-ball, can be decisive. 

With different types of "conversion" we might expect differing points per possession. Scoring against 'set defenses' is more difficult than scoring when defenses are in crisis (outnumbered) or chaos (scrambling).

"Live ball" conversions other than turnovers:

• Rebounded perimeter shots (e.g. missed threes)
• Rebounded interior shots
• Perimeter steals
• Blocked shots with change of possession 

"Dead ball" conversions:

• Made shots and free throws
• Ball out of bounds
• Shot clock violations
• Dead-ball turnovers

Opponent PPP after missed shots isn't higher after missed threes. Conversely, clear transition defense assignment matters:

• avoid guard misses at the rim with poor floor balance, and

• define clear offensive rebounding/get-back rules (who rebounds, who sprints to the nail, who protects rim in transition). 

What are your favorite "conversion drills?" We used two:

• 4-4-4 transition (four on four with a third group off at half court). After a possession, defense converts to offense and the OFF group has to sprint onto the court, talk and matchup. Offense rotates to OFF and defense becomes offense. 
• "Change." (Knight drill) five on five full court, coach blows the whistle and ball must be dropped and offense and defense reverse. 

Lagniappe. Impact winning (scoreboard) over the scorebook (numbers). 

POINTS + IMPACT FOR RECRUITING

It’s easy for parents and players to get caught up in just scoring and points because that’s what gets you noticed, gets write ups, generates buzz.
But points without impacting the game in other ways will catch up to you not only in recruiting but… pic.twitter.com/WjQlIhV7Wk

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) January 8, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Be versatile off Zoom (downscreen DHO).  

Zoom Action

The most Ran Action in 🏀

The Celtics have added a wrinkle to it:

- Zoom
- Zoom Rip
- Zoom Grenade (Celtics) pic.twitter.com/2mI0AHlIrb

— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) January 8, 2026