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Tuesday, 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.
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. 
Lagniappe 2. Movement kills defense. 

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