Factors affect us beyond consciousness. In "The Mazarin Stone," Sherlock Holmes tells Dr. Watson that he will watch him in absentia with "the third eye." The third eye is intuition.
Research on expertise, from chess masters to clinicians, shows that the experienced see patterns that novices literally do not. That is the rational core of what traditions have called an inner eye.
Pattern recognition belongs to observant basketball minds.
The "third eye" saw this action before it evolved. The defense did not.
Intuition sees actions yet to unfold
- Back cut
- Slipped screen
- Rejected ball screen
- Stolen wing-to-top pass
- Chance to take a charge
- Corner cut to rebound
- Evolving flex action
- Zoom action
"See the game" before it happens
- Play a lot
- Watch your video
- Study video with commentary/annotation
Scout with Bryan is one of the best sites with commentary
Lagniappe. Of course, scoring matters. So does everything else.
One of the best things you can teach a young player:
— Pat Freeman (@pwfree23) September 30, 2026
You don't need to score to play well.
Defend.
Rebound.
Sprint.
Communicate.
Cut.
Screen.
Make the extra pass.
There are a lot of ways to impact winning.
