Simplifying Screening

Screening has many advantages - obtaining separation, generating mismatches, hard to defend, multiple options for both players involved. The principal downsides are poor technique (leaving gaps, challenging reads for young players, offensive fouls) and compromising spacing.  

With many iterations of decisions, we shouldn't confuse players. Splitting defenders, setting up corner 3s, rescreening, etc. belong to another discussion as does defending screens.  


What essences can we embrace?


1. Sprint to the screen (whether directly or angled, your choice). 
2. Protect yourself when screening. Have knees bent to absorb the contact.
3. Better to be late than early coming off screens. "Wait, wait, wait." - Don Meyer
4. Set up your cut. 
5. Know SOME READ options, you don't need to know them all to start (videos above). 
6. More commonly, ball side screen the ball, help side screen your buddy. Away from the ball, "the screener is the second cutter." 
7. Ballhandler first PERSONAL option - think drive for layup, second is shot if defender goes under. 

When the defender goes under, she "invites" you to shoot. That's always discretionary for younger players without range (or accuracy). It's good defense for non-shooters, too. 
8. Screener options - EARLIEST is slipping the screen if the screener defender cheats past you looking to hard show (fake trap) or trap (blitz). Commonest is roll (open to the ball to the basket, presenting a target.) Occasional is pop (looking for perimeter shot). 
9. Key point: Screening isn't "grunt work." Screening is opportunity to get open to score.

10.Tight defense favors back screens. Looser coverage favors down screens. 

Contrary Agendas

I've discussed the UNC women's soccer slogan, "We have one agenda: excellence." What other agendas plague teams? 

Ryan Holiday wrote Ego Is the Enemy. "The ability to deliberately keep yourself out of the conversation and subsist without its validation. Silence is the respite of the confident and the strong.” Ego and validation go hand in glove. Pat Riley called it "The Disease of Me." 

Other agendas can include playing time, publicity (notoriety), role (shots, touches), and money (scholarships). 

Playing time. Everyone wants to play. "User fees" (participation fees) complicate 'minutes' as some coaches feel obligated to play everyone because parents have paid to participate. At the varsity level, fees are for participation not a guarantee to play. 

Publicity and credit. Nick Saban remarked, "the players who suffer from the “disease of me” syndrome constantly feel that they are overlooked in praise." Dean Smith carefully credited players who got less publicity for scoring but helped the team in other ways. I remind younger players that if they are asked about their performance, to deflect credit to teammates and the team itself. An outstanding area coach was fired and ultimately rehired after parental pressure. Part of their criticism was lack of publicity about their daughters. 

Role. It's natural to want a bigger role. But having a greater role demands greater commitment, effort, and sacrifice. Are you prepared to change yourself, to differentiate yourself physically and mentally to assume that responsibility? "Do more to become more; do more to become more." Ask your coach not for more minutes but how you can contribute more to team success. 

Money. Scholarships can become the 'golden ticket' for athletes. They may permit the assiduous student to get an education otherwise impossible. But they demand long hours, distracting from studies and changing the entire educational dynamic. And as hard as getting scholarships is, leveraging that into professional careers remains a long shot. 

Fast Five: Drills to Apply Pressure

Effective teams excel by applying and defeating pressure. "But it's hard." Get past hard. 

Advantage-Disadvantage. "Make practice hard so games are easier." 5 on 7 no dribble against the full court press. 

1 on 2 fullcourt pressure (timed). The coach (out of bounds) enters the ball to the offensive player who must beat two players to advance the ball to halfcourt within ten seconds. This demands hard cutting, then a good handle to include backdribble crossovers. 

Carolina...from Sylvia Hatchell. Halfcourt trap drill. The coach hands the ball off to 1, who initially has three feet of space from trappers. 1 must avoid a five-second call or a turnover. x1 and x2 keep her in the 'glass box.' 

Circle trap from Shaka Smart. Trappers (T) and interceptors (I). 

Manmaker. 1 dribble per player each touch. Must advance ball to half court but each player must stay in her lane. Players must work hard to get open. 

Gauntlet. Two players must traverse four pairs of defenders who must stay in their areas. Two dribbles allowed per player per area. Ten second count to halfcourt. Rotation is defense moves up and offense goes to back defensive area. 

Fast Five: Unimportant Minutes

"There are no unimportant minutes." - Brad Stevens

- Tim Ferriss, "Tools of Titans"

Great stories stick; make them stickier. Hoosiers wasn't about Hickory, Indiana but Milan. In real life, the coach was married with two young children. But the movie used poetic license to illustrate "David beats Goliath." 

Preparation. After he 'retired', my high school coach prepared scouting reports with a picture of a key and three "keys to victory." Our local girls' team lost the sectional final by a point (multiple bad decisions in the final minute), but really lost because they doubled the post and failed to rotate THREE times allowing baskets. That was a KEY to victory, undiscovered in the scouting report.  




Study. Study only helps when we're open to seeing the world differently. Watch the video. Flexibility and openness are skills. 

Practice. "What does my team need now?" Practice time is precious. 

• Speed up the tempo. 
• Translate everything to game play. 
• Pass on time and on target. 
• Dribble purposefully. 
• Be fully engaged.

 Be here now. Today is the most important day of our life. Practice should be fun but mentally and physically challenging. "Make practice hard so games are easier." 

Time. Games are lost surrendering a score on the opening tap. Early baskets yielded in transition, poorly defending backdoor cuts, or failed blockouts in the first minute count just the same as missed final minute opportunity. I watched our star player (now playing overseas) wait at the table for 90 seconds to come in as a ten-point lead evaporated. Timeouts don't go under the tree at Christmas. 

Persistence. "Get past hard." Excellent basketball is hard. Success demands sacrifice. 

Find a way. 

Believe. 





"There are no unimportant minutes."

Shell Drill for Young Defenders

Teaching team defense efficiently to young players can frustrate even experienced coaches. We can use shell drill and modifications to illustrate the basics. 

The most basic shell emphasizes positioning and communication. "Shell" provides latticework for us to build more complexity. It demonstrates defense on the ball, one and two passes away. 

We increase the degree of difficulty by adding individual passing and cutting (to deny the give-and-go) or passing and screening (on or off the ball). 

Shell principles teach help and rotation. 

Coaches increase the degree of difficulty by adding 'advantage-disadvantage' elements. 

As players become more experienced, they learn to "tag" cutters going through the defense.



Sixers' coach Brett Brown walks us through shell drill and principles:

1) Position
2) Pass and defend pindown
3) Pass and cut through
4) Corner drive with help 
5) Top drive with help from away to protect corner 3
6) Live offense/defense 
"no post, no pick-and-roll" during the drill

Fast Five: Do We Care Enough About Culture?

Great culture isn't a blessing, it's a necessity. My high school coach, Sonny Lane, created a tough, 'conditional love' environment for his teams. The Navy has a consistent culture based on "what is good for the mission?" Failing cultures devalue important employees and mismatch priorities and talent. 

John Miller's QBQ defines culture: "People speak often about organizational "culture." A working definition of this well-worn term might be: Shared values and acceptable norms of behavior. It's the way we as individuals—collectively comprising the organization—think, feel, and act. Culture is about how we treat each other, respond to each other, and support each other—or how we don't. It's characterized by behaviors that are allowed and considered normal and those that aren't."

 1. Define and communicate your intended organizational culture. For our (yet to be finalized) team, that informs TEAMWORK, IMPROVEMENT, and ACCOUNTABILITY. 

Teamwork - work intended to develop individual excellence for the betterment of self-less play together. Serve your teammates. 

Improvement - focus continuously on becoming your better version - as a person, student, and teammate. 

Accountability - hold yourself and the team to high standards of character and work. Control what you can control, your attitude, choices, and effort. 

2. Expect a "performance-focused, feedback-rich" environment. We can be demanding without being demeaning. Coaching is not personal criticism, it's education to change behavior. "Don't play in the traffic" is both for your good and the team's benefit.  

3. Build servant leadership as a priority. Value your team, whether it's your family, your team, your class, or the broader community. Act with purpose, unity, service, thankfulness, and humility. 

4. Culture begins with the individual. The expectation (norm) begins with making the people around you better - at home, in the classroom, and on the court. That includes having energy, sharing energy, executing, and the 'edge' of making a difference. 

5. Simple is better. Our process and culture don't matter if players don't understand and buy in. We need clarity and simplicity to implement a plan. I favor limiting rules, the most important of which is, "don't embarrass yourself or the team through your actions." 

Transition Drills Explained

"Basketball is a game meant to be played fast." - John Wooden

When our girls high school program was dominant, an opposing coach told me, "it's hard to defend when you've got five girls running at all times." 

What elements belong to transition philosophy? 

1. Mindset: How do we play? Fast. 
2. Conditioning. Condition within drills. 
3. Prioritize passing over dribbling. 
4. "Run wide." Spacing starts early. 
5. Offense starts with controlling the defensive boards. 
6. "Two passes to halfcourt." 
7. The best zone offense is transition. 
8. Take care of the basketball.
9. The goal is layups. 

Drill conditions, has offense, defense, decision-making, and finishing. Offense goes to defense and defense sprints back goes to back of line.
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Circle layups...a.k.a. RACEHORSE. Change passers at one minute intervals. 
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Continuous 4 on 4 (includes chaser). Simplify by using continuous 4 on 4 with group of 4 at midcourt (defense to offense, offense sprints to midcourt, midcourt group becomes D)
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3 Pass everyone shoots. The player shooting the layup returns with the two passers (2 and 3). Up and back with sprinting, passing, and shooting. Advanced programs can have team scoring. 
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Hoiberg Speed Drill (Better for older players in my opinion, advanced young players can struggle with this)...two pass scoring...

 

The "middle" passer (assister) sprints around the marker and becomes the finisher. Many young players have trouble making the long passes to score in two passes. 
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Shooting off the catch, sprinting, and pass and move quality. 
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4-on-0 timed drill. Starts with coach shooting. 30 seconds to score four. Everyone must score. No more than combined three dribbles and passes per trip. 
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UCONN two-pass transition. Again, not highly suitable for young players lacking the speed and strength to make long passes. 

We Have One Agenda: Excellence

The sign, posted by Anson Dorrance, in the UNC Women's soccer locker room reads, 

We Have One Agenda: Excellence 

Ego and agenda can derail success. Kevin Eastman says, "fight for your culture every day." Steve Kerr focuses on three areas - mindset, mentorship, and culture. And the foundation for some of his philosophy is a 1972 tennis book. Here is the best brief summary. Unsurprisingly, the Inner Game reflects Kerr's beliefs about mindfulness. 

1) There are two games that we all play, an Outer Game and an Inner Game.

2) Learning is easy and incredible when we tap into our natural learning state. We interfere with natural learning by commands, demands, judgments, and criticism.

3) The key to success and top-performance is to ACT (Awareness, Choice, Trust).

4) Trying fails; Awareness cures.

5) Permission to fail leads to success.

6) We learn best via experiential learning.

7) Awareness is fed and nourished on sensory specific feedback.

8) Our focus of attention is the secret to mastery.

9) Success involves getting the clearest possible picture of your outcomes.

10) Success depends on mobility and flexibility.

11) When we create ‘think space’ we can step back and make clear decisions. Gallwey describes this using the acronym STOP: Step back, Think, Organize your thinking, Proceed.

12) We coach best through getting into the head of our client. 

The Navy SEALs preach priorities and emphasis through "Commander's Intent" to achieve the intermediate stages en route to end state. Without a clear vision of a successful end state, victory is problematic. From HBR.org, "Commander’s Intent empowers initiative, improvisation, and adaptation by providing guidance of what a successful conclusion looks like. Commander’s Intent is vital in chaotic, demanding, and dynamic environments."

New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is one of the best in football. His absence corresponded to degraded performance; his return paralleled Super Bowl victory. About tackle Nate Solder (via Mike Reiss) he shares, "He’s done some things with his pass-protection stuff that has helped him improve -- on the punch, his hand use is much more violent, much more physical and less reactive/more proactive...I think this guy is really driven to be a good football player, and he’s worked at the things he can fix, and he’s working hard to improve." The obvious messages are control, toughness, and work. 

Gregg Popovich has one picture in his office. “That’s the only picture in my office...I don’t think he thinks a lot about what I think. He’s John Havlicek.” I remember watching a diminished warrior Havlicek from the cheap seats in Boston Garden during the 1973 series against the Knicks. 

Relationships define us. Popovich has a special relationship with fellow greybeard Manu Ginobili. They reached an understanding. Gary Washburn writes, "‘I am Manu, this is what I do.’ I said, ‘OK, you go ahead and try to save one or two of those passes per game and I’ll shut up one or two times when they happen during the game.’

We practice an "open domain." Popovich, Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens, or Dwane Casey could spend hours explaining their systems unconcerned that we could coopt their programs. They're simply better at doing what they do. But the magic is always in the work. Injured Gordon Hayward discussed the Celtics' early success, "I think we’re competing, we’re playing extremely hard. That’s the first step."

Basketball has no cabal. Washburn writes of Lonzo Ball, "An NBA scout said at summer league that Ball would struggle to shoot because he can only shoot off the lefthanded dribble. Teams are going to force Ball to the right, where he appears uncomfortable with his shot. The fact that he releases the ball from his midsection (and not above his head like most shooters) is hurting his ability to get his shot off."

"How do I get better today?" 

If excellence came easily, everyone would stake their claim. I see personal excellence as an asymptote, an intractable worthy goal. 

Reading, reflecting, thinking, seeking feedback, searching for solutions via better questions, mindfulness, and crafting our process offer progress along the asymptote. Why not have one agenda: excellence? 

Adventures in SLOB Design

Scoring off special situations can change momentum and games. Deploy your personnel to optimize your passes and shots. 

Having the 5 as the inbounder gives another option for throwing over defenders. Entering low also allows passing around the inbounds defender. 4 continues through to set up the backscreen (screen the screener) which creates a mismatch or maybe a layup (away and back action). 

Cross screen into elevator screen. Simple. Can we make a shot? 

Screening the middle of zones can be an effective strategy. Relocating the 2 draws x3 to the ball. It's about space and time to set the trap in the middle. 

Ten Tips on the Road to Mindfulness

According to Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans, eighty percent of highly successful people practice mindfulness. How do we get started? I found Meng Tan's bestseller Search Inside Yourself valuable as he discussed the science, benefits, and mechanics. Many readers don't want to invest the time required. Here's a summary.

Here's my extemporaneous take: 

1. Mindfulness offer anatomic (MORE BRAIN measurable on MRI), physiologic (e.g. lower blood pressure and circulating stress hormones), psychological (confidence), and emotional (less anxiety and depression) benefits. Aside from being fun, its value is proven and (buzzword alert) evidence-based. 

2. It improves attention, awareness ("perceptual resolution"), and habits. 

3. It requires limited time (15-20 minutes daily). 

4. It promotes non-judgmental thinking (there is no bad meditation session). 

5. Sit or lie comfortably. We don't have to adopt any 'rigid' or traditional posture. I do embrace sitting up straight "head pointed to heaven" or (sometimes) "pointy head to heaven." 

6. We can choose unstructured or guided meditation (link to free site). 

7. Our minds will wander. That's okay. That's part of the process of learning better attention to attention. 

8. Anchor on breathing...the air movement through the nose and upper airways or chest and abdomen movements. 

9. "Don't feed the monsters." Negative thoughts happen. Move on. 

10."Make it an indulgence, not a chore." Do less than you can. 

Let diamonds rain. 

Fast Draw Fidgeting: BLOB 14 Back

Anybody think this might work? I'm waiting for my team to be announced (selected players have to opt in) and am raring to go. 

Initial 1-4 low set. 
Primary design is to get a give-and-go to the 4. 
Options for driving (4 iso or 2) and perimeter shot (seldom a great idea for our young players). 

Fast Draw permits a convenient, savable way to sketch out ideas. 

Fast Five: Go Your Own Way

Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep.
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep.
---Kenny Rogers, The Gambler

We craft substance and style over a lifetime, constantly adding and subtracting. Seek a better way. But it still has to be our way. Pete Newell said something like, "trying to copy how you were coached usually ends up being a poor reproduction of the original." 

Do you have a terrific transition drill? I'm listening. Executing a better full court press? Show me. Have a better motivational technique? Share the wealth. One ingredient doesn't shape the secret sauce.  

Kevin Eastman preaches, "don't be a know it all, be a learn it all." I'd add, "share something great." 

We're all looking for solutions, ways to share the answers to the test. When we do that we add value, make players more valuable, and feel more valued. Feeling valuable isn't the same as feeling valued. 

We don't have to be jerks to make points. A calm spirit doesn't mean an empty vessel. "Never be a child's last coach." 

Players should leave with clarity about the process. 

• "The magic is in the work."
• "Everyone can be a great teammate."
• "This is who we are." 
• "You don't play for me; you play for each other." 
• "Your defender will always give you something. Read them." 
• "Success demands finding ways to wear down your opponent." 
• "Better process, better results." 
• "Toughness is a skill." 
• "Invest your time, don't spend it." 
• "How you play reflects how you live." 

Fast Five: Developmental Practice "Routine"

I still love practice. Parents and kids may love games, but I love practice. The practice court is our classroom, our atelier, our laboratory. Every practice is an opportunity to help transform an average life into an extraordinary one. When I stop believing that, then I'll stop coaching. 

When you play a game, you get maybe 60-80 shots for the whole team. I want every player to get well over 125 shots per practice. You can't win a game 0-0.  

Message Discipline. 

1. Make it fun. "Fight for your culture every day." 
2. Make it translate to games. I've never seen 3 man weave in games. 
3. Keep the tempo high. Time is our precious asset. 
4. Vary it to keep players interested.
5. Volume shooting. 
6. Condition within practice.
7. Bring energy and encouragement. The coach can't have an off day. 
8. Teach don't lecture. 
9. Avoid the L's - laps, lines, lectures. 
10.Stay on message. Teamwork, improvement, accountability. 
11.Give and get feedback. 
12.Don't forget the notebooks. 

Some call them "commonplace" books. In medicine, we called other versions your "peripheral brain." We learn more when we write it down. 

Be transparent. Communication goes through the parents. Parents are welcome at practice, at pre and postgame discussions. 

You'll overhear it. 

• "Basketball is a game of mistakes."
• "Don't cheat the drill." 
• "The ball is gold."
• "Pass and cut." 
• "Movement kills defense." 
• "Basketball is sharing."
• "Pressure the ball."
• "Know your NOs."
• "The game honors toughness." 
• "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied."

"Plan your trade. Trade your plan."
Craft your menu, then choose what you're serving. 

"Purpose not passion."

We get more than we give. Make a difference. Get better at getting better. Find more and better tools...like mindfulness. Model excellence every day. 

Pumpkin and Spice: Understanding Offensive Principles Helps Defenders

It's pumpkin (basketball) and spice (defense) time. Time for a quick refresher for our players (or Defense 101 for middle schoolers). 

What do offenses want to accomplish? They seek easy baskets and want their best scorers in favored situations.

Effective defenders realize that "the ball scores" and know where the SCORERS and SHOOTERS have the edge. Five players must be back, aware, and alert. The best defenders understand offense. Brad Stevens has said that he never had a great defender in college who wasn't an excellent student. 

Efficient offenses build off spacing, passing, cutting, and screening to get separation, open driving and passing lanes attack the rim, create mismatches, and move help defenders. 

Minimize spacing. "Use offensive spacing to your advantage." Make offenses play 3-on-5 as much as possible. 

"Load to the ball." HELPSIDE "I" above. The better your quickness and closeouts, the closer helpside defenders can be to the "split" (line bisecting the baskets). Ball-you-man unless you favor inviting post entry to a poor offensive player. 

Defend the basket. This includes "no straight line drives" and "denying post entry."  

Expects Posts running to the rim. In "4" above, the posts screen away, then use 'screen-the-screener' (pick-the-picker) action to get a post back to the rim. 

In "Tiger" the screener (Tiger) screens to get a cutter to the basket. Beware the "Cub" option, where 3 slips the screen, becoming the basket cutter. 

See the spacing for dribble drivers and give-and-go. Young players (middle school) usually have few instinctive reads. Opposing coaches often call their versions of "read and react" or five out sets 5, 50, "Open" or something obvious. Defenders must take away "give-and-go" action ("jump to the ball") and wing defenders prepare to help on the driver and recover to their assignment. 

Know who is helping. Protecting the basket is a key. "Know the coverage and trust the protection." Communication is critical.The back line defenders have to make the calls. Most coaches do not want to allow the open "corner 3."

Disallow mismatches. Awareness, communication, and fighting around screens is critical learning for players. 

Prepared defenses take away what offense wants to do within the concepts of their defense. Effective defenses live "Poor shooters are always open." 

"Know your NOS." 

• No transition baskets.
• No middle. 
• No penetration (dribble or pass). 
• No easy baskets. (Hard 2s. "One bad shot.")
• No uncontested shots.  
• No blocks and elbows.
• No bad fouls to give free throws. 
• No second shots. 

Accomplished defense challenges a team's physical AND mental resource. Because great offense is multiple actions, great defense mandates multiple efforts. 

Elite Eight: You're Trying Out. What Matters?

Tryouts began yesterday. Over THIRTY girls showed for an hour first session. I only have two eyes. Here's some imperfect advice for players. If we give you the answers to the test, then you have to use them.  

1. "Pay attention." Attention is a prime determinant of learning. "Be here now." Make eye contact. 

2. Be eager. I sat the girls up on the baseline and said, "I need a volunteer." Nobody moved. Fear? Shyness? Does it matter? At camp, practice, tryouts...if the coach asks for a volunteer, you have got to be up like you were shot out of a cannon. "I got this." 

3. Differentiate yourself. You must find a way to stand out among your peers. A few years ago a girl wore "rainbow socks". She stood out. A luminescent yellow shirt isn't a substitution for elite size, athleticism, or skill. But if you're on the fringe, you stand out.

4. Play hard. Run hard. Be aggressive. Get the loose balls.

5. Be aware of your body language. The majority of our communication is non-verbal. If a play doesn't go your way, don't hang your head or drop your shoulders. Stay engaged and positive. 

6. KNOW that talent isn't everything. Intangibles count.

7. Make teammates better. Throw good passes, move without the ball, set good screens, talk on defense. 

8. Be strong. Toughness is a skill.