Basketball - If We’re Not Moving Forward, We’re Sliding Backward

Learn across domains. General McChrystal understands hard problems. 

In Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal writes that adaptation begins with brutal honesty. Not self-criticism for its own sake, but the courage to ask:

• What assumptions are we making that may no longer be true?

• Is our current approach still working?

• And if either answer is unfavorable, what must we change?

Teams become stagnant not through laziness, but through complacency. Yesterday’s winning habits can become today’s liabilities when the game changes, the league changes, or the roster changes.

Great programs update themselves. Stale programs defend the past.

Why Good Programs Stop Winning

Every coach wants a simple answer; the truth is seldom simple. When a program stops climbing, the root causes usually fall into three domains: people, strategy, and operations.

1. People (Players, Coaches, Culture)

• Talent pipeline shifts: graduation hits harder, or recruitment/retention dries up.

• Player development stalls: athletes plateau because their habits and coaching aren’t compounding.

• Culture erodes: accountability frays, complacency creeps in, roles blur.

• Coaches stop evolving: the game changes while the staff stays in place.

At its core, programs are built - or broken - by people.

2. Strategy (Play Style, Development Plan, Scheduling)

• The league gets better. You don’t schedule tougher; your opponents do.

• Your play style no longer fits your personnel.
  What worked for four seniors doesn’t fit two sophomores and a 6'1" forward.

• Player development isn’t aligned with actual needs.
  Teams train what they like, not what the game demands. 

3. Operations (How We Do What We Do)

Programs often fail not because of philosophy, but because of execution:

• Practices aren’t efficient.

• Film sessions don't address needs. 

• Standards soften.

• Communication gets fuzzy.

• Staff collaboration weakens.

The machine gets a little squeaky - and then suddenly it’s slow.

How Do We Ask the Hard Questions?

Every program hits this crossroads eventually. The good ones diagnose without ego.

Internal Review (Trusted Peer, Staff Member, Former Player)

Advantages:

• Knows your system and your blind spots

• Understands context (kids, town, league)

• Invested in your success

Disadvantages:

• Too close to the problem

• May tell you what you want to hear

• Shared assumptions go unchallenged

This works best when the relationship has radical candor and mutual trust.

External Review (Consultant, Outside Coach, Mentor)

Advantages:

• No emotional attachment

• Doesn’t care how you “used to do it”

• Can compare you to other programs

• Challenges sacred cows

Disadvantages:

• Lacks the full context

• May miss nuance about your roster or school

• Harder to implement suggestions without buy-in

A good outside evaluator asks questions you stopped asking years ago.

The Courage to Change

Adaptation demands humility. General McChrystal often said:

“The enemy gets a vote.”
In basketball, the game itself gets a vote. So do:

• Budget/fundraising

• Enrollment

• Graduation cycles

• Technology (are we staying current?)

• The rising strength of your league

• Player expectations

• Modern skill demands

Standing still is not an option. Every season is either renewal or erosion. The teams that thrive aren’t the smartest - they’re the most honest.

Great programs don’t fear hard questions; they rely on them. When assumptions shift, great coaches shift with them. If we’re not getting better, someone else is. And that gap grows quietly until it’s obvious.

Underrated Basketball Actions Not Always Apparent in the Scorebook

Analytics, love them or hate them, do not reveal everything. There are "undiscovered countries" on the basketball map that separate success and failure.

If you ask players, they may or may not be aware, so share these as complementary to success. 

1. Live-ball turnovers. Live-ball turnovers more often translate to baskets, as in "high points per possession" chances. 

For example, in almost every youth or high school game, you'll see a "wing to top" live ball stolen pass become a layup. I call it the "Steal Me Pass."

2. 75-25 balls. "50-50 balls" are misnomers. The more alert, focused, and aggressive team captures more loose balls, forces held balls, or saves balls earning extra possessions. 

3. Dumb and Dumber actions. A player makes one bad play, often a turnover, and then immediately 'doubles down' with another, most often a frustration foul. "Two wrongs don't make a right" plays out in almost every game. 

4. Ball movement. "The ball has energy." In Mazzulla's world, he wants to "draw 2" to create edges. Pritchard's pass doesn't show up in the scorebook, but that initiates the sequence leading to an open trey. 

  

5. "Screen assists." Want more minutes? Princeton Coach Pete Carril said, "Help others to help yourself." Off-ball screens can lead to an opening for you as the second cutter or free a shooter. Not in the box score, Queda's screen creates the scoring chance. As Mike Vrabel says, "guys who make the most of opportunities get more of them." 

Lagniappe. Basic math. 

Offense: take the highest percentage shot.
Defense: force the lowest percentage shot.
Repeat that every possession…
and you win. Consistently.

🎥 Watch — simplicity wins games and life. pic.twitter.com/fCiYOCX43A

— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) November 15, 2025

"How We Can Win This Game?"

Study great players, coaches, and teams. Julian Edelman interviews Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla (language, situations). "Make this about how we can win this game." 

Mazzulla is a different guy. He focuses on the duality of light and dark, life and death, and competition. "I think about that thirty times a day."

"If you're going after a goal, there's probably just as much if not more dark side..."

Mazzulla wanted to discuss the opening of the 2022-2023 season, "the beginning of a journey...you can never stop learning."

Happily Miserable - the state of the Celtics. "We have a responsibility to the city...and to ourselves."

He says that ignoring Wooden, Auerbach, and Phil Jackson, the ratio of success (championships) to failure weighs heavily on failure. 

"You sign up for the journey...every chapter has a different theme."

"You have to understand everything that came before you..."

Mazzulla thinks that it's a healthy exercise to review the mistakes that both great players and great coaches made. See both the successes and the failures.

Mazzulla believes that he never had a bad coach...and that the teaching was always about more than basketball. 

What makes a great coach? 

• Teaching fundamentals.
• Puts players in a position to win.
• Honesty...
• Encouragement within perspective...

Mazzulla asks himself, "Who am I going to be?" at a moment in time. 

He said of his father's techniques (a coach), "he was always trying to win the moment" and "he was relentless." 

"The other side of responsibility is the weight that it carries." 

"Nothing is ever going to be good enough when you have a responsibility to greatness." 

Mazzulla described Huggins as "great to play for" and "**** you" and "I love you" were inextricably linked...to get the best out of you. "Success was hardship." Mazzulla's WVU club went to the Final Four. 

"The Dark Side and the Hero" are not so far apart...like winning and losing.  

Another Mazzulla-ism, on his "playlist" he asks himself whether he can come out to this music for a UFC Championship fight. 

He's a different guy. 

Lagniappe. We can't say this enough. "Control what you can control." Many say effort and attitude. Include choices - on and off the court. 

Bill Bradley, an American Icon

Bill Bradley has enjoyed a spectacular life, shared in his books. His best and most well-known was Life on the Run. Bradley was one of my earliest sports heroes and McPhee's book (below) was the first basketball book I read. 

First, an introduction:

• Son of a banker, he grew up well-off, atypical for a basketball star.
• Princeton grad, All-American, Final Four star, scored 58 points in a consolation game in 1965, still the record. 
• Profiled in John McPhee's book, A Sense of Where You Are
• Rhodes Scholar
• NBA star, won two championships with the NY Knicks
• U.S. Senator from New Jersey

Overarching message: 

“Life on the Run” taught that greatness is not glamour but discipline - not ego but teamwork - not fame but awareness. Real victory builds a life of depth, integrity, and connection.

Top quotes:

“You cannot be average and expect to win in this league.”

“You owe the game your best because the game owes you nothing.”

“The greatest measure of any player is how he makes his teammates feel.”

You discover who you are by what you do when no one is watching.”

“Leaders set standards by the consistency of their example.”

Additional key points (from ChatGPT Plus) that apply to MVB:

Humility Is the Foundation of Growth

Unlike many athlete memoirs, Bradley constantly questions himself:

• Am I good enough?

• Am I working hard enough?

• Am I contributing to the team?

• Am I understanding what matters?

His humility is the most enduring feature of the book.

Greatness Comes From Obsession, Repetition, and Attention to Detail

Bradley was never the most athletic player, but he built an NBA career through:

• meticulous practice

• almost fanatical footwork drills

• hours of shooting alone

• studying angles, passing lanes, spacing

He reinforces a powerful message:

Talent is nice. Craft is everything.

Team Success Requires Sacrifice and Unselfishness

The New York Knicks of the early 1970s were known for beautiful, selfless basketball.
Bradley explains why that mattered:

• The ball moved.

• The players trusted each other.

• Everyone accepted roles.

• Ego never overwhelmed the system.

He elevates the idea that basketball is a civic act — a collective effort to make something better than any individual could alone.

Lagniappe. Parcells themes. 

Bill Parcells with one of the best quotes on teamwork, mindset, and culture.

3 actions.

Simple, powerful, and impossible to argue with - but most people can't follow them.

Here's the quote and why it's so great: pic.twitter.com/z0LvhTV6Cm

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) November 17, 2025

 

Basketball- Cognitive Dissonance - Clarifying Value and Role Conflicts

Cognitive dissonance is the tension of holding two opposing ideas in our heads at the same time. Every team feels it. Players feel it. Coaches feel it. The best coaches manage it; the best teams grow through it.

Gregg Popovich said it bluntly:

“Get over yourself.”

Bobby Knight put it differently with the same intent:

“Just because I want you on the floor doesn’t mean I want you to shoot.”

Those two lines summarize the conflict every team faces: players want more, coaches want better.

The Player Perspective: The Golden Triad

Most players (and, often, their supporters - family, friends, fans) want the Golden Triad:

1. More minutes

2. A bigger role — more touches, more shots

3. Recognition — praise, stats, headlines (now NIL)

It’s human. Players work hard, sacrifice, and want something to show for it.

This shapes conflict. One player getting more usually means someone else gets less.

That’s where the dissonance begins.

The Coach’s Perspective: Impact Over Image

Coaches see the game differently. They value players who:

1. Impact winning

2. Make teammates better

3. Embrace their roles while working to grow them

A player can move the scoreboard without dominating the scorebook.
Winning plays often go unnoticed by outsiders:

• Rotations that erase open threes

• Box-outs that let someone else grab the rebound

• Screening angles that free scorers

• "One more" and “hockey” passes that lead to assists

• Charges, deflections, floor burns

• Communication that organizes the defense

Coaches see these. Film captures these. Teammates appreciate these. But the public and the media don’t always understand these. That gap can create frustration and conflict.

Star vs. Starring in Your Role

Every athlete confronts a private tug-of-war:

• “I want to be the star.”

• “But the team needs me to star in my role.”

Some players live inside that tension for years. Great teams build harmony there. Weak teams languish there.

The truth is simple:

Roles are earned, not imagined. And roles evolve when players dominate the one they already have.

How Great Coaches Resolve the Conflict

1. They Celebrate the Invisible

Dean Smith made a habit of praising players who didn’t fill the stat sheet but filled the win column. He turned gratitude into culture.

2. They “Wear the Credit Cap”

Coaches take time - quietly, intentionally - to acknowledge the glue players: the screeners, defenders, communicators, rebounders, energy bringers.

Those conversations matter. They keep players connected to meaning, not just minutes.

3. They Use Transparency, Not Guesswork

When coaches clearly explain why a player’s minutes are what they are, dissonance decreases.

4. They Enlist Mental Skills Experts When Needed

Sports psychologists help players:

• manage ego

• separate identity from role

• understand team ecology

• build resilience

• embrace contribution, not comparison

For some athletes, hearing the message through a different voice is transformative.

Summary: 

Cognitive dissonance isn’t a flaw - it’s the cost of caring. Players care about their future. Coaches care about people, process, and results. 

Teams succeed when they reconcile "psychological imbalances" through honesty, clarity, and shared purpose.

Lagniappe. Work on athleticism. 

Been experimenting with a new drill; simple but sneaky hard.

It’s not about jumping then sliding in games — it’s about training the mechanics behind force redirection and reactive balance. It builds stability, hip control, and direction-change speed. pic.twitter.com/AKwGqPs4wi

— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) November 9, 2025

What’s the Best Teaching Offense?

Everyone has "pet peeves." Every day online I see youth coaches asking what's the "best offense" for their ten or twelve year-olds. They're not asking about player development. They prioritize competing to win youth games. 

Winning counts. But individual and team skill development matters more than winning in developmental programs. 

Think back to your youth basketball experience. There wasn't enough quality instruction. If you're old, Internet video didn't exist. It wasn't anybody's 'fault'. I remember few games or our record. That doesn't matter. 

What matters? 

• Teach fundamentals. Basketball is a game of separation. Help players separate with  and without the ball via cutting and screening. 
• Movement kills defense. Teach players how to set up cuts, when to cut (the ball has to see you), and to face cut and back cut. 
• Teach how to set and use screens. The screener is the second cutter. 
• Teach "basketball moves" of separation footwork, like the jab series, wing series, box drills, and so forth. 
• Teach against defense - 1-on-1, 2-on-2, and 3-on-3 small sided games. 
• Share Kirby Schepp videos of fundamental movements in confined space.
• Teach Billy Donovan's "95" how to play without the ball, the 95 percent of the game that players (not point guards) don't have the ball. 

Teach players to play and they have a chance to succeed at higher levels when it matters more. 

Lagniappe. Finding competition is essential to development. Playing against "C League" competition won't prepare you to face "A" players. That often means taking a licking. 

“If you’re the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym.’” - Cooper Flagg

A lot of kids can benefit from this

(Via @BenGolliver 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/KdeWaxeK3r

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 10, 2025

A Basketball Code*

*Adapted from my Melrose Volleyball Blog

Your playing career flies by. Even the best players face setbacks - illness, injury, slumps, or personal challenges off the court.

Develop a code - your metaphorical armor. Find words that steady you when things get hard. Here are a dozen to consider:

Accountability
Answers
Branding
Competitive Character
Experience
Habits
Impact
Standards
Teamwork
Toughness
Urgency
Value

Accountability

Accountability means being responsible for your actions and their consequences. Raise your level of accountability to meet your personal and team standards. Growth starts with ownership.

Answers

Become an answer. Sport challenges everyone to perform - to earn playing time, roles, and sometimes recognition. Coaches, teachers, and employers all want answers, not excuses. Be the person who solves problems, not the one who creates them.

Branding

Branding is reputation. What do people see when they see you or when they see our program?

When I think of MacKenzie Scott (formerly Bezos), I think of philanthropy.

We want people to see winning, teamwork, and class. Guard that brand. Build it every day.

Competitive Character

When Brad Stevens recruits or signs players, he investigates their competitive character. What does that mean?

• Work relentlessly without needing external motivation.

• Stay poised under pressure; respond, don’t react.

• Embrace coaching and pursue constant improvement.

• Compete with integrity — hard, but never dirty.

• Prioritize team success over personal stats.

That’s competitive character - effort, discipline, humility, and heart.

Experience

Make our program experience about teamwork, competition, and improvement. Players who give the team the best chance to succeed earn minutes. Experience means valuing each other and the game itself.

Habits

We become the product of our habits. Train for skill, quickness, strength, and conditioning - you become more skilled and more athletic.

Eat better and sleep more - you upgrade your hardware.

“We make our habits, and our habits make us.”

Impact

Impact means changing what happens - on the court, with teammates, and in the community. The best players, through their process, impact winning and make others better. They leave fingerprints everywhere they go.

Standards

Set high standards.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

Take care of business at home, in school, in practice, and in games.

A Gentleman's C is unacceptable. Clint Hurdle wrote, “Lower the standards and you lose the winners; raise the standards and you lose the losers.”

Raise the bar - for yourself and for your team.

Teamwork

Team sports demand that we put the team first. That’s harder in an era of NIL and pro-sports celebrity, where attention and money can eclipse shared purpose.

Teamwork requires sacrifice - often of the Big Three: minutes, role, and recognition. The best teams understand this truth: when everyone gives up a little, the team gains a lot.

Toughness

Brad Stevens says, “The game honors toughness.”

Toughness is physical and mental. It’s playing hard, finishing plays, and responding to adversity without flinching.

True toughness travels with you long after the last match - it’s the character that endures when no one is watching.

Urgency

Urgency means now. Be here now. Take a breath, then earn this point. Build momentum for MVB and halt it for opponents. Skill, strategy, and strength matter - but urgency turns potential into performance.

Value

Add value to your team and teammates, and you add value to yourself. Coach Saban asks, “How do you have to edit your behavior to accomplish the goals you have?”

That’s value — aligning your daily actions with your biggest ambitions.

Final Thought

Your code becomes your compass. Follow it when you’re playing, leading, or struggling. The blueprint isn’t perfect. The path has bumps. But when you live your code, you’ll have direction.

 

 Lagniappe. Never leave the basics. 

Kobe Bryant said something that changed my life:

“The best never get bored with the basics.”

That’s how mastery is built — during the unseen hours.
🎥 Watch this legendary story. pic.twitter.com/gIjmsMqkYo

— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) November 11, 2025

NBA Teaching Clips and the Midrange Conundrum

Exceptional players and coaches study the game. Let's look for teaching points from a recent Celtics - Sixers matchup. 

Modified "Zoom action" (downscreen DHO) is a NBA staple. Derrick White gets the Queda handoff and gets a "Mazzulla Ball" two on one into a floater. 

What you see may not be what you get. Watford turns the corner after starting toward the top. Not exactly "stampede" action and Jaylen Brown reacted as though expecting something else. 

Another two on one created with Brown laying it down to Queda.

 

"Numbers" and ball reversal. The Celtics have a three on two and Brown in the middle holds the defender. That creates an easy ball reversal and a Simons three.

 

A 'screen option' seldom seen at lower levels is a rescreen. White reads the screen and the Sixers subtly rescreen to open a three. 

Simons rejects the screen and finishes with shoulders parallel to the glass keeping the ball away from the big.

 

Defending the three (to reduce opponents' EFG%) is another Celtics priority. Brown gets caught 'tagging the cutter' as Edwards lifts for an open three. 

Jaylen Brown scores on the midrange. In the 23-24 season, Brown shot 48% from midrange.

From Brave AI: On a statistical level, mid-range shooting efficiency varies significantly. According to data from the 2021–2023 seasons, the 90th percentile for mid-range shooting percentage (4–14 feet) was 50.9%, while the 50th percentile was 43.55%. For longer mid-range shots (14–23 feet), the 90th percentile was 48.11%, and the 50th percentile was 42.14%. Players like Kevin Durant, who shoots around 55% from mid-range, are considered all-time elite in this category. However, the average mid-range shooting percentage across the NBA is around 38.4%, meaning that shooting above 45% is generally considered excellent or "great" by modern standards.

Thus, the layups, threes, and free throw imperative in the NBA. Apply those to other leagues and levels at your peril. 

Lagniappe. Dr. Fergus Connolly emphasizes that everything at practice, every lesson, every film session should impact results.

 

Letter to Players - Tested on a Gemini-Created Focus Group of Varsity Players

When we communicate with players, we don't know how information will land. 

Can we use AI to speculate and see what flies or dies?

Here's the process I've chosen. I've asked Google Gemini to create a mini "focus group" (FG) across the roster. Then, I'll deliver the message and seek feedback from the AI FG. 

First, here's the FG that Gemini created. 

Varsity Team Focus Group Roster

Role	Name	Year	Key Personality/Perspective
Senior Star Player	Marcus	Senior	Confident, expects excellence, needs a challenge and clear path to winning.
Skeptical Borderline Starter	Tariq	Senior	Practical, easily frustrated by "fluff," needs tangible evidence and a defined role to buy in.
Senior Reserve	Jake	Senior	Loyal team player, understands his role, seeks acknowledgment for effort and contribution regardless of minutes.
Sophomore Borderline Starter	Liam	Sophomore	Highly motivated, slightly anxious, needs structure and belief from the coach to overcome mistakes.
High Potential Freshman	Devon	Freshman	Observant, ambitious, hasn't earned a role yet but wants to know how to get there.

Let's write a letter...using light revision and input from another AI, ChatGPT Plus which has an extensive baseline (thousands of blog posts I've written) to apply. 

Gentlemen,

Our success this season depends on you. Your attitude, commitment, energy, and performance will shape our story.

Everyone wonders about minutes, roles, and recognition — that’s normal. But our foundation is simple: teamwork, improvement, and accountability.

“Professional behavior” means more than talent. It means respect - for teammates, coaches, opponents, and officials. Coaches coach, players play, and referees officiate.

Professional behavior also means being on time, stretched out, and ready - physically and mentally - for practice. Everyone can lead by showing up prepared, working hard, staying focused, and supporting others.

All positions are open. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success or a starting spot, but failing to work hard guarantees failure.

If you have questions, ask. There are no bad questions, only unasked ones. Clarity keeps us united.

When we’re on the same page — when we buy into teamwork, improvement, and accountability — we raise the odds of success for everyone.

Take care of your family obligations and your coursework. The same discipline that makes you a good student and son makes you a better teammate.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

Help write a great story — one built on effort, respect, and pride in how we play. Let’s make this a memorable season.

Coach

"Here's the Gemini AI FG feedback"

The following responses represent the individual, unfiltered reactions of five players after reading the coach's introductory letter.

1. Marcus (Senior Star Player)

Perspective: Confident, expects excellence and winning.

"The message about Professional behavior is solid. That’s what separates champions from everyone else, and frankly, some guys on the team need to hear it—especially the punctuality stuff. I’m already there. But this letter felt... generalized. I didn't see anything about our goals. Are we aiming for the league title? State? If success 'depends on us,' I need to know what 'success' looks like on the scoreboard. It’s a good foundational letter, but I want to read the chapter about winning next."

2. Tariq (Skeptical Borderline Starter)

Perspective: Practical, easily frustrated by "fluff," needs tangible evidence and a defined role.

"I liked the clarity on 'Coaches coach, players play, and referees officiate'—that's a boundary that needs setting. But my biggest takeaway is how many buzzwords are in here: 'teamwork,' 'improvement,' 'accountability.' What does that actually mean for me? I’m fighting for a starting spot, and I need a clear definition of my role and the system. If 'all positions are open,' what is the quantifiable metric for me to earn that spot? The part about 'hard work doesn’t guarantee success' felt a little discouraging, almost like the coach is managing expectations for a losing season."

3. Jake (Senior Reserve)

Perspective: Loyal team player, seeks acknowledgment for effort regardless of minutes.

"I appreciate the focus on effort and respect. That’s what I bring every day, even when I know I’m not playing heavy minutes. It makes me feel like my contributions to practice—running the scout team, cheering from the bench—are recognized as being part of the 'great story.' That's important. My only hesitation is the line, 'All positions are open.' I'm a senior, and I know my role is reserve, and I'm fine with it. I hope the coach still sees the value in my effort within that defined role, rather than making me feel like I have to constantly battle for a spot I probably won't get."

4. Liam (Sophomore Borderline Starter)

Perspective: Motivated but anxious, needs structure and belief.

"I like the specific rules: be on time, stretched out, ready. That helps me stay focused because I know exactly what I need to do to meet the minimum standard. The connection between being a good student and a good teammate made sense. But I got nervous reading the middle section. If hard work doesn't guarantee success, and all positions are open, that means I have no margin for error. If I mess up my first start, will I immediately lose my chance? I need to know that the coach is willing to invest in me and help me through the mistakes."

5. Devon (High Potential Freshman)

Perspective: Observant, ambitious, wants a clear path to earning a role.

"I focused on two things: 'All positions are open' and 'If you have questions, ask.' That's exactly what I needed to hear as a freshman who wants to earn his way onto the court. I liked the connection between discipline in school and discipline in basketball. My question is: What does hard work look like for me right now? Is it extra shooting? Watching film? How do I translate my 'high potential' into the professional behavior and performance needed to actually get a role? I'll definitely take the coach up on the offer to ask questions, because I need clarity on the next steps."

Players "hear" what they want and as coaches, we need to know there's no "one size fits all." Seeing how an "imaginary" focus group might respond might help us communicate better and informs how important individual attention is. 

Mazzulla Ball

There's a tendency to overhype "your" team and coach. That won't happen much for a team with an injured Jayson Tatum, selloff-mode "New Ownership," and a "Guess Who's Coming to Play Center" frontcourt. 

That shines the spotlight on Coach Joe Mazzulla, who relishes a challenge. Some have called him "certifiable."   

He believes in his system. He has reasons, including an NBA Championship in 2024.

The video shares what he says. The emphases are advantage and reads. 

• Be impactful on both ends of the floor
• Make reads offensively and defensively
• Shoot threes based on analytics.
• Draw 2 and get 2 on 1s. 

1. Defense First

• Mazzulla-Ball demands defense. The Celtics have emphasized reducing opponent effective field goal percentage, as strategy drives defense. As of 11/11/25 the Celtics were 6th in NBA defensive EFG%.

• Teaching/Coaching angle: Prioritizing defense builds “winning habits” - effort, communication, accountability.

2. Versatility 

• Mazzulla designs schemes around the roster’s strengths and adapts roles (e.g., using Jrue Holiday in the short corner during the 2024 playoff run).

• Coaching angle: Encourage players to learn multiple positions/roles, embrace change, and see value.

3. Attention to Detail & Execution

• Example: practice championship stations. "Mazzulla's "championship stations" are specialized practice drills designed to focus on the small, often overlooked details that can impact winning or losing games."

• Teaching angle: Winning isn’t just big plays - it’s earning little plays consistently...fundamentals first. 

4. Offense Built on Defensive Advantage

• Mazzulla says offense “depends on defense.” The offense hunts mismatches, chooses intentional shots, and capitalizes on what defense creates.

• Coaching angle: Teach offense as consequence of defense; reinforce that good defense generates better offense and that reads exploiting defense creates better offense. 

5. Collective Identity & Team First Culture

• Staff and players emphasize role acceptance and shared purpose, not ego. Popovich says, "Get over yourself."

• Coaching angle: Create an environment where the team’s identity is stronger than any single player’s brand. Encourage accountability, mutual trust, and elimination of distractions.

6. Adaptability & Situational Awareness

• Mazzulla emphasizes that basketball demands ability to change rather than sticking rigidly to one system.

• Coaching angle: Teach players to read the game, adjust, and not be locked into “what we run.” The “map” is dynamic; the territory changes. Coach K used to say, "Basketball is about making plays not running plays." 

Lagniappe. Growth demands struggle. Players and teams must learn to leave their comfort zone. 

Why is Notre Dame 21-4 in the last two seasons and aimed at another CFP berth?

Marcus Freeman is relentless.

“We can’t relax or you won’t truly elevate. Why do you have to struggle? Because you can’t grow if you don’t struggle.”

That applies to life, period. Not just football. pic.twitter.com/d5n4gV1fw2

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) November 9, 2025

Basketball - Learning How to Win

Gary Washburn's Boston Sunday Globe column addresses the difficulty in winning with young players.

He notes that many young players can score and put up numbers but don't win. Jazz coach Will Hardy explains, "I think when development is talked about like, ‘Hey I’m just here to get better every day.’ It’s very focused on me, I. We’re a team. This is team sports. You want to win. So think there’s development of my ability to contribute to winning."

Wizards' coach Brian Keefe said, "How do we build consistent habits? The things that are going to lead to sustainability. That’s what we focus on here."

What do other notable coaches say about learning to win? 

Pete Carroll's book, "Win Forever" is built around maximizing compete levels. 

John Wooden specifically talked about success more than winning. He said, "My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody and win when you’re outscored.”

Coach Bob Knight had answers. 

Knight preached that because many games are lost via errors, that teams have to stop doing losing things. The Power of Negative Thinking revolves around knowing and avoiding what not to do. He said, "Victory favors the team making the fewest mistakes."

Dean Smith had the temperature of his team decades ago. He believed that effort, IQ, and unselfishness decided outcomes. That meant, "Play hard, play smart, and play together." 

Brad Stevens emphasized breaking the game down into possessions. "My goal is to win the next game one possession at a time." Good offensive possessions mean high quality scoring chances with unselfishness showing up in player and ball movement and good decisions as shot selection and avoiding turnovers. When players can see more possessions as "Got to Have It," playing harder for longer, then better results ensue. 

Phil Jackson's approach reflected his Zen mindset, “The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome.”

Gregg Popovich stressed simplicity and teamwork. He said, “We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually.” Pop’s “learning to win” was boring excellence: consistency, competitiveness, and role acceptance.

What works against coaches? 

• The emphasis on individual achievement over team, starting at a young age. 
• Players can earn generational wealth early in their careers. Some may not have the same motivation after being set for life. 
• Agendas. Former UNC Women's Soccer coach Anson Dorrance had a sign in the locker room, "Excellence is our only agenda." 

What did we emphasize? 

1) Shot quality. Take better shots, unselfishly. 

2) Avoid zero percent possessions. Track and reduce turnovers.

3) Handle pressure defense. Advantage-disadvantage drills...

4) "Foul for profit" as "fouls negate hustle." Better technique and decisions help limit fouls. 

5) Recognize contributions not in the scorebook - hustle plays, forced turnovers, blocking out.

How did Coach Ellis Lane "teach winning" in high school? 

• Shot charts and film. Everyone was supposed to know what a good shot was for themselves and teammates. 
• Turnovers. We heard "the ball is gold" over and over. 
• Handling pressure. We played "5 against 7" full court each practice after we had lost by two in OT against the defending State Champ. 

Lagniappe. Serve our community. Serve our players. Serve our teammates. Adopt servant leadership as a theme. 

Most people think leadership is about control.

The best leaders know it’s about service.

Phil Jackson proved that leading with the heart wins every time. 👇 pic.twitter.com/29jIffOiAe

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) October 14, 2025