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Thursday, November 17, 2022

Why Do Teams Win?

If our job is about winning, have strong beliefs about why teams win. What do we have to do to win?

1. Talent. If we can't acquire the talent, make more. "Every day is player development day." As Don Meyer said, "do you want two better players or two better plays?" 

1b.Ability to handle pressure. Strong teams share the ability to handle and apply pressure, both physical and mental. 

2. Coaching. Shared vision, shared sacrifice, shared results. 

  • Core - "Get more and better shots than opponents" - Pete Newell
  • Play the game possession by possession. "Win this possession."
  • Defense - "No easy baskets/one bad shot"
  • Offense - Share the ball, cut and pass, take good shots.
  • Conversion - O to D and D to O
  • Add value and get a buy-in to play "harder for longer."
  • Be "performance-focused and feedback-rich." 

3. Culture (including attitude). "Basketball is sharing." Follow your dreams. Develop of culture of hard work, improvement, and belief. It's impossible to have a positive life with a negative attitude. Winning is a culture of expectation. 

4. Unity (Teamwork/Trust). Put the team first. "It's the scoreboard over the scorebook." Be happy for the success of the team and the success of teammates. 

5. Sacrifice. Defense shows caring about the team more than you care about yourself. 

6. Conditioning. Pledge to be the best conditioned team in your league. Condition within drills and scrimmaging. Condition for excellence not punishment. Better conditioning adds resilience.   

7. Effort. Effort has to be the norm and rewarded. "I'm not here to coach effort." - Dean Smith

8. Game understanding. Pete Newell said a coach's primary job is "helping players see the game." It's a teaching profession but you don' have to be a school teacher to teach. 

9. Resilience. Winning is hard which makes it valuable. Playing hard is a skill. Confidence is a skill. 

10.Strategy. "Technique beats tactics." Playing fundamentally well defines success. 

Lagniappe. Believe.   


Lagniappe 2. Keep pounding. 

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Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Basketball: Fast Five - Prices Paid to Become a Star and a Trio of Extras (Lagniappe)

Legends build upon a scaffold of work. You may not buy into the '10,000 Hours' mantra, but achievers separate themselves with an equation:

ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME

'Performance' includes both practice and games. 

"Champions do extra." - James Kerr, Legacy

"The magic is in the work." 

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." 

"Repetitions make reputations." 

"Winners do the UNREQUIRED WORK." 

Failure is a staircase to success. Edison built his lightbulb learning "999 ways how not to make a lightbulb." An Olympic figure skating gold medal means "the ability to fall 20,000 times." 

How do we arrive at an elevated destination?  

1. The first price is paying attention. Pay attention longer and harder. What is the teacher saying? How can I apply it? Use critical thinking. How can I do this better? 

2. EDIRx5 Wooden taught via explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. On a late summer evening on the Horace Mann School asphalt, I demonstrated baseline driving reverse layups to the only player in attendance for a voluntary workout. She struggled to get the footwork and finish right that evening. The following Sunday, Cecilia did it better than I could. 

3. Study great players and coaches. Associate concepts and philosophies with each and engrave those in our consciousness. Examples:

  • Pete Newell - footwork, balance, maneuvering speed 
  • Dwayne Wade - opportunistic cutting 

Cutters see the game, their defender, and the passer and finish on either side of the hoop with either hand. 

4. Strength and Conditioning. There's no one way. Some condition by playing. Others invest in themselves in the training and weight room. 


5. The Truth Machine. Video is 'the truth machine'. What was a team's intention to execute and how did their opponent intend to stop them? What went well or poorly and why? Here are just a few selected highlights. For example, at 2:10, notice the handoff screen-and-roll action out of '5 out' spacing. At 3:21 a live-ball turnover translates into high points/possession transition. At 3:54 watch classic side-dribble separation for a Grant Williams three. At 5:58 great corner cutting for OKC. At 9:09 SGA with a great hesi into a goofy-foot extended layup. 


In every game, see team and individual actions of finding and denying separation. Highlight reels are efficient teachers. 

Lagniappe (something extra). Detroit Coach Larry Brown takes a timeout to allow the crowd to recognize Reggie Miller's final court moments after an eighteen year career. 

Lagniappe 2. Don't blame the coach for your minutes. 

Lagniappe 3. Shooting drill. If you're younger, start closer. Drill adds a time constraint as you seek your PB (Personal best). 

 


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Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Pre-Mortem Examination

What could possibly go wrong? With basketball season upon many, it's worth thinking about. 

The pre-mortem examination presumes that our chosen plan of action fails and asks us why and how? We use the results to immunize our plan. 

Execution integrates:

  • People
  • Strategy
  • Operations
We're told that our plan failed. 

People. "Get the right people in the right seats on the bus." 
  • Acquire better players (keep them in our program)
  • Work relentlessly on player development. 
  • Develop a 'sixth man' and other depth. 
  • Were injuries or illness factors? 
Edge. Keep the talent home. Develop relationships with youth coaches, young players, and their families. Some will leave but more will stay.

Strategy. Know 'technique beats tactics'. 

  • Match our people to our strategy. What's our combination of power/inside game, perimeter, and speed/transition? 
  • Simplify. Be willing to do fewer things to get more. 
  • Analyze what works for our team - e.g. play types, defense
Edge. Superior player development. Have a drill book. Edit and revise.

Operations
  • "Do well what we do a lot."
  • Better shot selection.
  • Strive not to beat ourselves. 
  • "Reduce turnovers - better decisions, execution, or both
Edge. Reduce mistakes - turnovers, shot selection, fouls, missed defensive assignments. 

Checklist
  • Do we have a clear plan with an edge? 
  • Get everyone on the same page.
  • Verify (in writing).
  • Mentoring (be one, have one).
Lagniappe (something extra). Player development. 

Lagniappe 2. Be grateful; give back.  

Lagniappe 3. 

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Monday, November 14, 2022

Basketball: Random Thoughts


Here's a passage from an email advertisement from "Coach Mac." It shares many truths.

1 "To really improve passing, you need drills that involve decision-making.

These drills teach your players how to:

a) Read the defense

b) Understand the movements of their teammates

c) Figure out which type of pass to use in different situations

d) Lead their teammates to open space

e) And plenty more

All of which "technique-based" passing drills don't do.

The takeaway:

If you want your team to cut down on turnovers, make the transition from 'technique' drills to 'decision making' drills."

2 Hat tip to Brett Vroman for suggesting Basketball (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano

In his "Frankenplayer" chapter he raises, "Shooter" divided among:

  • Catch-and-shoot (Klay Thompson)
  • Shooting off screens (Reggie Miller)
  • Shooting off the dribble (Steph Curry)
This reminds coaches and players that we need a skill set not just a skill. And raises the question of what drills/activities develop these skills. And it suggests the value of defense and fatigue that degrade shooting percentage. 

Some of the elements in the chapter are "out there" including hair (he didn't even mention Artis Gilmore) and some "unmentionables." 

3 Quotable Quote. "If you get a job in the industry running errands or making coffee, you better make the best coffee they've ever had." - Shonda Rhimes, writer

I remind players, "it's always showtime." You have to be on time, prepared, and show up. Great players deliver consistency over time with: 

ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME 

Most of us won't get Wally Pipped but mediocrity begs the question of whether an organization can do without us. 

Lagniappe. 
It's more than a rhetorical question. Most of us probably think our way fosters a good culture whether it does or doesn't. Could we even agree on the most important few? Some that I'd keep near the top:
  • Communication in all things
  • Distributed leadership (the team owns the culture)
  • Prioritize player development for all



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Sunday, November 13, 2022

Keeping Score, More Complicated Than We Think

"Did you win?" the parent asked. Maybe you've been there. 

'Winning' isn't one-dimensional. For example, "Unified Basketball" blends players with challenges with those challenged in other ways. Everybody wins - players, families, spectators. 

"The score" in our lives might include inclusivity, growing a customer base, improved product quality, customer loyalty, and more. 

Winning could improve habits, focus, or self-discipline. Winning appears as improved competitiveness, being a worthy opponent, fun, relationships, sportsmanship. 

We've all coached games where 'gallant losses' left a better feeling than 'bad wins'. And had games where the level of our coaching didn't match the result on the scoreboard. 

"Experience is the best teacher but sometimes the tuition is high." We often learn more from losses than wins. That only matters if we apply those lessons to our preparation, teaching, and game management. 

We are always being judged. Recognize that there are a lot of scorekeepers in the gym, some with extreme precision. Some parents track minutes, shots, points, rebounds, and more. It's understandable as everyone wants a 'fair shake' for their child. Some come not to praise us but to bury us. 

Fifty years ago, a disgruntled parent and local politician in our hometown tracked minutes after his son was cut. He made it his mission to dismiss the coach. He kept score for that purpose. The coach won the only Division 1 sectional title in the school's history...and stayed. 

Bottom line, we have many ways and means to keep score. And not everyone agrees with our metrics. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. 

Lagniappe 3. Practice to create and exploit advantage.   




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"Help Your Teammates"

Coaches know what separates success from failure. Young players seldom do. "Help your teammates." What does that mean? Connection starts with "message discipline" every day. "This is how WE play." 

Elite players make teammates better. How? Help players understand the organization of play and the elegant symmetry of offensive and defensive goals. 


With the ball
  • Draw 2 and pass. 
  • Influence defenders to create partial separation (e.g. help)
  • Take quality shots (ROB - in range, open, balanced)
  • Pass to open players in places they operate well and limit passes to non-shooters or poor ball-handlers in areas where they will be exposed. "The ball has energy." 
Without the ball (offense and defense)...Billy Donovan calls it "the 95" because 95 percent of the game, an individual (except point guards) won't have the ball. 
  • Communication "silent teams lose"
  • Spacing "offense is spacing and spacing is offense" - Chuck Daly
  • Cutting "movement kills defense"
  • Screening (on ball, off ball, simple, and complex). Screening is underrated opportunity. "The screener is the second cutter." 
  • Containing the ball
  • Contesting shots without fouling (graph below)
  • Denying cutters
  • Defending screens (call, technique, everyone on same page)
  • Rebounding 
  • Team Spirit "The question teams have for those other veteran players is whether they would remain positive influences despite a lack of playing time."

When NBA shooters are at least eight feet away, defensive proximity has a big effect on shots. Would anyone think that would differ for high schoolers or below? 

Summary:
- "Connection starts with message discipline every day." 
- "the 95" without the ball
- "offense is spacing and spacing is offense" 
- "the ball has energy"
- "movement kills defense"
- "silent teams lose"
- "the screener is the second cutter"

Lagniappe. Competence and character under scrutiny... 
Lagniappe 2. Do the right thing. 
Lagniappe 3. Jayson Tatum after playing without Horford, Brown, Brogdon on a back-to-back. "Find a way to win." 

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Saturday, November 12, 2022

Basketball: Philosophy Drives the Process


 

How we coach begins with our philosophy. Everyone decides that meaning based on personality, influencers, and experience. 

There's no "right" philosophy although one might hope for common threads. Years ago in a Presidential debate, the moderator asked an obvious question, "why do you want to be President?" What's our why? 

All of us should have a clear, concise, and considered answer. Here are a few thoughts. 

Basketball is about relationships and collaboration. We forge relationships with teammates, coaches, and people in the game that last a lifetime. 

Help teams go where they cannot go alone. 

Help players become the best versions of themselves, in character and competence. Make it about the kids. "Are we building a program or a statue?"

Excel as a competitor and in sportsmanship. 

What are our absolutes? Teamwork, improvement, accountability. 

Teach resilience. We won't always win; we never quit. 

"Never be a child's last coach."

Basketball is a game of _________ . So many answers exist. "Individual excellence in a team concept..." "...cutting and passing..." "shared vision, shared sacrifice, shared success." 

"The game honors toughness." - Brad Stevens and others

Toughness is a skill. Hard work is a skill. Energy is a skill. 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson 

"Just because we're driving the bus doesn't give us the right to throw people under it." 

"Champions do extra." - James Kerr, Legacy

Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. 


Lagniappe (something extra). Process Tom Izzo's words. 

Lagniappe 2. Coaches train winners. Last night our Melrose high school girls went on the road in a sectional volleyball final to face an undefeated team. A girl I coached heard an opposing player say, "this should be an easy game." Maybe not. 







  

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Thursday, November 10, 2022

Get More from Meetings - CEO Lessons*

*Partially adapted from Indra Nooyi, former CEO PepsiCo

Has a meeting changed your life? We had just lost a two point, overtime game to the two-time defending state champion. Coach slammed the team room door shut and reamed us out for forty-five minutes. No excuses, no coddling. "We lost because it said LEXINGTON on their jerseys. We lost because you didn't believe in yourselves. We are the better team. We won't lose to them again." We played them again at their place and crushed them by 18. We beat them by 1 in OT in the Boston Garden sectional final, our thirteenth consecutive win. 

What changed? We practiced 5 against 7 full-court pressure each practice with no dribbling. Pass and cut. Hard practice pressure made game pressure routine. 

Make better meetings. 

  • Take charge. To lead, show up as a leader. 
  • Have a clear purpose. 
  • Create a one page agenda.
  • Lead but listen. 

Who? 

  • Confirm key people are present. 
  • Make space for everyone to contribute. What do you think?

Accountability. 

  • Take accountability for the meeting. 
  • Ensure action from every meeting.
  • Don't accept mediocrity. 

Feedback. 

  • Followup on objectives after the meeting.
  • "We met with the Coach, these are the messages."

Inclusivity. 
  • Be attentive to behaviors.
  • Engage with the speaker (includes body language).
  • "Confront issues constructively." 
  • Avoid passive aggression.
  • Engage the hesitant - help others bring their best. 
Key phrase.

  • "Help me to understand you better." 
Lagniappe. It's how you work, not just working. 



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Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Player Development - A Handful of Actions to Add Extra Arrows to Your Quiver (Clip and Save Edition)

The podcast explained the NBA GM's favorite 'technology book', Empire of the Summer Moon. What?

The book describes the rise and fall of the Comanches from about 1700 through over half the 19th century. The technology of ascent was the horse and the change was the Colt revolver. Comanche warriors excelled at horsemanship, riding into battle supine on their horse, wheeling around and unleashing a dozen arrows in sixty seconds. Their opponent had a single shot at a moving target with a rifle. 

Coaches bring 'game changers' via player development. Steal great ideas from other coaches. The best Xs and Os don't work without talent. Never have, never will. 

Technology was part of Jim Collins' secret sauce in Good to Great. Technology doesn't have to be new to work. 

Excellent players and coaches have no offseason. They work assiduously at advantage creation and advantage exploitation (separating and finishing). 

"Every day is player development day." - Dave Smart

"Never tired of doing the little things..." - Wooden on Bill Walton

Get 50 from Jay Wright. Warmup with variety. 

Box drills. Master footwork with drive or shoot off the catch. 

Quarters (Pitino 168) Multilevel shooting, competition, and endurance with eighty-four shots. 

Championship 37. 

5 x 3p

t shots

5 x 2pt shots with left hand dribble pull up

5 x 2pt shots with right hand dribble pull up

2 x free throws maximum score of 37

Wing attack - Pierce series. 


Negative step. Drew Hanlen calls it a load step. 

Float dribble. Apply versus defense in a one-on-one setting. 


Summary (filling your players' toolboxes)

  • Get 50
  • Box drills 
  • Quarters (Pitino 168)
  • Championship 37
  • Pierce Wing Series
  • Negative Step
  • Float Dribble 
Lagniappe. "Body language screams."  

 

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Tuesday, November 8, 2022

What Do Coaches Sell?

"I'm a salesman." - Chuck Daly

We sell the ability to add value to others. What do the 'buyers' want? They want success. Yet Bill Parcells said, "Coaches are the most selfish people in the world. We put players on the field who make us look good."

Instead of looking at interactions as transactions, see them as opportunities to help others find their dreams - being winners, getting into a better college, earning a scholarship, becoming better people.

Learn to be genuinely interested in others, not in a fawning way, but authentically curious of how we can help them. I talk about the "Ration Sisters." 

Aspi Ration - whom do you want to be? 

Inspi Ration - bring energy to reach your goal.

Prepa Ration - what is your plan to achieve? 

Perspi Ration - own unrequired work and sacrifice. 

Aspiration and inspiration get us going; preparation and perspiration drive us forward.  

Ask players about setting and reaching their goals. Find out what SPECIFICS they are doing TODAY to reach them. I met a person who shared a goal to become the top airport architect in the world. That granularity was the springboard to a plan of personal development. 

Impact winning. If a player said, "I want to be top ball handler in the world, another Kyrie Irving," ask do you want to be a great dribbler or are you committed to passing, penetrating, finishing, scoring at multiple levels, making clutch shots, defending, and leading? 

Brad Stevens said, "coaches get much more than we give." Few vocations allow practitioners to see and enjoy the success of others as much as coaching. If schadenfreude is taking pleasure in the misery of others, coaching affords the opposite, taking pleasure in the success of others. 

Sell holistic excellence. "I am a holistic professional coach. I guide professionals to become more effective and efficient. In my case, I take a holistic approach to coaching. I believe that all aspects of one’s life are interconnected. It is unrealistic to only focus on one’s professional life, because one’s personal life matters!" Help players learn professionalism, studying better, better habit formation, improved communication, sharing, motivation. These qualities help them in all avenues of life. 

Become a storyteller. We help others write better success narratives. Stories help us remember core values, much as Aesop's Fables like "The Tortoise and the Hare" teach principles. 

Be an anteambulo. An anteambulo clears the path for others. "An anteambulo was an artist slash writer with a patron. Ah, the glory days of Roma, when wealthy patrons took on artists and supported them - housed, fed, clothed them - so they could create. In return, the artist was expected to perform tasks for the patron. One of these was anteambulo, which means “one who clears the path.” The anteambulo walked in front of his patron, “making way, communicating messages, and generally making the patron’s life easier."

Summary:

  • Be transformational not transactional
  • Do you know the "Ration Sisters?"
  • Help players set and reach goals. 
  • Impact winning. 
  • Sell Holistic excellence.
  • Become a storyteller.
  • Be an anteambulo. 

Lagniappe (something extra). 

Lagniappe 2. Tips - changing shot, distance, adding movement, challenges 


Lagniappe 3. BLOB Box Set with "Flexish" actions from Chris Oliver's Basketball Immersion














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Basketball and Chess (Reposted to Remove Comments Violating Google Policies)

 

Basketball and Chess: Revised Thoughts on Material, Position, Forking (Draw 2) and More

"And one thing we know about Elizabeth Harmon is that she loves to win." - Queen's Gambit

Queen's Gambit brought chess into millions of living rooms and rekindled thoughts about basketball and chess. Both require flexibility. In both we find almost infinite ways to win or lose. Both have openings, middle game, and end games. Both are cerebral games. Don't beat yourself. 

Analogies are powerful. Analogies lie on a spectrum. As coaches, we may see a player or team similar to others (e.g. Larry Bird/Luka Doncic). We can be rudders or anchors. 

Control the center of the board. Many games favor control of center, strength up the middle - baseball, basketball, football, chess. Defenses live by "no middle" and "no penetration." Early game chess prioritizes a strong middle, developing pieces, and potentially attacking opponent pieces (e.g. knights and bishops). Disruptive technology (e.g. three point shooting) changes the game. 

Chunking. Elite chess players see groups of pieces. How do our players visualize the play (above)? The best players see a different game than others. 


Attack mentality. Both games are often won as one side is more aggressive.

Material advantage. Chess and basketball both rely on material advantage. During a game, we can't improve our players' abilities. But we can impact our opponents through strategies that disadvantage certain players (via size or speed) or imposing foul trouble that may take a queen off the board in exchange for a lesser piece. 

Know the difference between strategy and tactics. Basketball is different in that technique beats tactics. Don't force action when there is nothing strategic to do. 

"Draw 2." Fork multiple pieces. As in basketball, chess is a game of material (talent) and positional advantage. 


Strong players use one piece to attack multiple pieces, just as a player can "draw 2" driving into a gap or forcing help. Above, the white queen (f3) gains material by attacking the black rook (b4) and black king (g7) by moving to c3. 

The more we understand other domains, the more we understand our world. 

Lagniappe: Villanova Motion Concepts 

We don't have the skills to operate this, but maybe you do. 


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Monday, November 7, 2022

First Impressions

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

People constantly judge us...and we judge them. Our judgments aren't necessarily accurate. 

Israeli Defense Forces sought the best possible future military officers. Psychologist Danny Kahneman developed a questionnaire that outperformed interviews. Why? Because in a world of talkers, "confident extroverts" excel at interviews but not always at work. 

Observation. We size up another's general appearance, eye contact, "engagement," speech content, and tone. 

Problem? None of the above measure competence, attention to detail, adaptability, or suitability for many types of work.  

Example. The Admin candidate was well-dressed, poised, and well-spoken. But in practice they lacked the experience and common sense to interact well with customers. 

Get noticed. Two minutes before tryouts began, the twelve year-old approached me, saying, "Coach, I am really excited to be here." Be 'seen' and perform well. Naomi earned a roster spot. 

Chuck Daly reminds coaches, "I am a salesman." What skill am I selling?Our product or service adds value to the purchaser or player. At higher levels, that impacts the player's livelihood and future.  

Understand the problem from the player's view. They may believe that "numbers" define their value. Reorient. Convincing them that winning is primary won't happen unless our behavior (minutes and role) matches our words. 

Make our primary objective the success of the player.

Lagniappe. Energizers. 

Lagniappe 2. Be great without the ball. 

 

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Sunday, November 6, 2022

Helping Young Players Reach Their Potential

On the cusp of a new season, share your absolutes with young players. 

Be specific. Explain why and how with granular detail. "Work harder" or "play smarter" doesn't give players 'actionable' information. 

Become a tracker. "Show your work." If you're progressing, your records will prove it.  

Become professional. A pre-teen can learn professional standards. Yes, we realize that some professionals are not. 

  • Be on time. 
  • Take care of your body - nutrition, sleep, conditioning.
  • Be aware of your interactions with everyone. That includes what you post on social media. "It's always showtime." 

Structure. Learn concepts of structure across sports. 

Share your philosophy. Match to your personality. But let players know that when they play for another coach, that coach defines their rules. 

Build skill. "Every day is player development day." Ask players to write out their needs and improvement plan. What are their 'four ways to score' and what actions will help? 

Self-assessment. Become your own coach. Reinforce your strengths (the Don Kelbick method) and find ways to lessen weaknesses (e.g. improving athleticism if an issue). 

Self-management. Discipline and decisions determine destiny. What is your commitment level? Basketball excellence isn't for everyone.  

Study the game. 

  • Read.
  • Watch video. 
  • Study the details of great players. 

Become more resilient. 

  • Mindfulness increases focus, lowers stress hormones and anxiety. 
  • Some people find affirmations and visualization improves performance. 
  • Practice 'situational basketball'. If you want to be a closer, you need the game of a closer. 
Lagniappe.
Lagniappe 2. 


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Basketball: What Would Douglas MacArthur Say? Plus a Drill and a Zone Set

Study leaders and their speeches, what they said and how they said it.  

"You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope as old as your despair." Every new season is about hope. 

"I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." Special teams have special culture. "Fight for our culture every day."

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul." We can handle losing. Many factors cause losing. Quitting is entirely about us. 

"Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be." We cannot control whether we become the best; control being our best.

"A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him." The game is about the players. "Every day is player development day." 

"I have known war as few men now living know it. It’s very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes." Our prosperity depends on our collaboration with others. Collaboration is communication. 

"In war, you win or lose, live or die – and the difference is just an eyelash." Sport isn't war, it isn't life or death. But focus and attention to detail on each possession separates winning and losing. 

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others." Hard decisions lead to hard conversations. If we won't have the latter, we won't make the former. Sometimes courage means walking away. 

"I had learned one of the bitter lessons of life: never try to regain the past, the fire will have become ashes." Always do our best today because we can't get back the last game or the last play. 

"Have a good plan, execute it violently, and do it today." Most sports reward aggressive play in the context of good decisions. Aggression that violates rules or probability are the exceptions. 

Lagniappe. Duncan Robinson drill. 

Lagniappe 2. Have plays to screen the middle of the zone.  

Teach players the mnemonic to break zones: DR. FlaPS

D - Drive into gaps to pass

R - Reverse the ball

Fla - Flash into open spaces

P - Post up

S - Screen 

Lagniappe 3. From "Spaced Out" by Mike Prada

Three phases exist on the path to scoring:
  • Setup 
  • Advantage creation (Individual or team)
  • Advantage exploitation (Execution) 


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