Thursday, January 29, 2026

What Drives Losing Basketball?

Books and conferences inform “What Drives Winning?” If we invert, then we excavate “What drives losing?”

Bad Basketball

What is bad basketball? "You know it when you see it." Pete Newell's mantra was to "get more and better shots than your opponents." Bad basketball results in getting fewer (turnovers, poor rebounding) and worse (poor passing, poor penetration, contested) shots and allowing easy chances for opponents. 

Key solution: recognition and change

Flawed Decision Making

Poor decisions contribute to both inefficient offense and ineffective defense. Pressure often magnifies the impact and results in the inability to beat better teams, to win on the road, and to close out winnable games. 

Key solution: play more offseason, study video

Poor Shot Selection

"Shot selection is the quickest path to offensive improvement." As Pete Carril noted, "the quality of the pass leads to the quality of the shot." Better shots are "ROB shots" - in range, open, on balance. High percentage shots ("get 7s") give offenses better chances. 

Statistics define "excellent shooters" not parents' opinions. 

Key solution: "Winners are trackers." Darren Hardy in "The Compound Effect." Shot charts and video review

Turnovers

Turnovers, another part of the Four Factors, originate with combinations of poor decisions and flawed execution. 

  • Turnovers are zero percent possessions. 
  • Live-ball turnovers lead to high opponent points per possession. 
  • "Turnovers kill dreams" 

Key solution: tracking and adjusting minutes (the harsh reality of the bench) for worst offenders

Failed Ball Containment 

Defense starts with ball pressure and ball containment. Too many teams play "dead man's defense" (six feet under the ball handler) and cannot contain the ball leading to layups via drive or dish and penetrate and pitch to set up open threes. Bad containment also generates fouls and gets defenses into rotation/scramble situations...

Key solutions: one-on-one containment drills, communication, and "cover 1.5 help" from teammates...worst case scenarios are personnel or defense changes

Indiscriminate Fouling

Foul for profit. Fouls bail out bad shots, bad shooters, and late shot-clock possessions. Fouls negate hustle. Fouls, like turnovers, arise from poor decision-making or poor technique. 

Key solutions: tracking and video...where are the fouls (reaching in, hacking down, slow or lazy feet, "chesting" players instead of getting legal guarding position

Just as winning teams make winning plays, losing teams play too much bad basketball. 

Lagniappe. Excellent players want coaching. 

at