Life and basketball reward character and competence. Coaches who learn to communicate, to add value and get buy-in change lives.
1. Coaching is about relationships. As Alfred Adler teaches in The Courage to Be Disliked, all problems are relationship problems.
Stories have emerged that last season's Celtics team leader Jaylen Brown was upset when Jayson Tatum returned and received the coveted last player announced. Nothing matters until it does.
2. Establish clear priorities. Coach Ellis Lane (New England Basketball Hall of Fame) taught family, school, basketball.
Coaches get what we accept. Some college coaches say they will not sign players who disrespect their parents.
3. "Every day is player development day." Study it. Learn it or outsource it. Never ignore it.
A minority of coaches are "talent aggregators." Most have to "grow their own." Have a plan shared with all players, even if you are not allowed to coach them out of season (e.g. Massachusetts).
4. Stories are powerful. People remember a story better than a string of facts. Become a storyteller and assemble a portfolio of stories.
Spencer Haywood tried out at Detroit. The college coach told him to make 15 consecutive free throws and he'd get a scholarship. The rest is history.
5. “Get more and better shots than opponents.” - Pete Newell The quickest path to improving is better shot selection. Use shot charts, analytics, and video to teach. A player must backstop her “shooter” claim with numbers.
I hear stories about how so and so is a great player or a great shooter. Then reality hits. As Dizzy Dean said, "If you can do it, you ain't boasting."
6. Analytics- “begin with the end in mind.” Design practices to transfer actions that impact games. Teacher’s pets use SPCA - shooting, protecting (the ball), crashing (win Coach Rav’s “War on the Boards”) and attacking the basket (get fouled).
Dean Smith sometimes scrimmaged UNC using "shot selection" scoring.
7. Tell the truth. Elite players want to be coached.
“Turnovers kill dreams.” "Fouls negate hustle." “Video is the Truth Machine.”
8. Teach leadership. Everyone can lead. Model excellence. Use storytelling examples.
Arlene Blum led an all-woman team to ascend Annapurna, one of 14 Nepalese peaks above 8,000 meters. Two women summited and two died trying. "Women can be every bit as bold and fearless as men, and face the same consequences of their actions."
9. Win this possession. Each possession distills the game to its essence. A turnover is a zero percent possession.
A “$h*t shot” is a turnover Live ball turnovers are the worst, becoming high points per possession chances.
10.Use Coach Knight’s “Power of Negative Thinking.”
Ridding those 10-15 bad possessions a game changes everything. Show players examples on video. They need to see the infamous Michigan timeout or the Princeton upset of UCLA using a back door cut. Good teams do not give games away. Lesser teams find ways to lose.
Lagniappe. Force turnovers. When we forced a "dead dribble," the team called "pinch" and other defenders went into full denial. It caused more than its share of turnovers.
When a player picks up their dribble, we don't just pressure them. We try to kill their pivot foot pic.twitter.com/VxIGa6S0gt
— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) July 30, 2026
