Basketball: What Connects Us?

"Just admit it. Everybody's dark secret...they're selfish...or if they're not selfish they need to tell you how unselfish they are...that means they're as selfish as everyone else." - David Sedaris

Everyone agrees that we need connection - coach to player, player to player, coach to coach. What ingredients cook that special stew? 

1. Make communication and connection top priorities. In What Drives Winning, Brett Ledbetter emphasizes:

Person > Player

Have an authentic interest in players, their families, and their goals. We should remember there is a backstory to every player. A player at practice sacrifices family or study time. Here's a repost of a Sherri Coale story:

The Stoics say to listen neither to praise nor criticism. Parents can inflict withering disapproval. Sherri Coale discussed the player whom the team thought was selfish. "You're not happy unless you're scoring." In a team meeting, the young woman cried, "my father won't talk to me if I'm not scoring." Comparison with other players exacts a price. We've all overheard conversations we wish we hadn't. When we praise Pietra, realize that Paula or her family may feel slighted. 

2. Praise the praiseworthy. Correct and be demanding without being demeaning. As Pat Riley says, "catch people in the act of doing something well." 

3. Share gratitude. Everyone values appreciation. Thank everyone for their effort and sacrifice to make the team successful. 

4. Be consistent. Bring energy. Keep advancing our team's story of improved offense, defense, and conversion. The coach is the keeper of the story.

5. Be accountable. Recognize my errors and commit to reduce not repeat them. Work on respect and fairness. I spend a lot of time making up lineups to distribute playing time with balance of ballhandling, scoring, rebounding, defense, and toughness.That doesn't mean equal time. I avoid playing certain players together with less toughness...for both their well-being and the team's. I'm far from perfect. 

Lagniappe: 



The video illustrates various ways players communicate to get more from each other. 

Lagniappe 2: practice imperfect. Last night's practice schedule outline - in a developmental program (middle school), add value to skills and game understanding. 

I always enjoy seeing other coaches' process. 

SLOB, "Zipper Away" plus option

Basketball: Fast Five, NO TURNOVERS

Turnovers kill coaches. After failed transition defense and missed layups, turnovers age coaches the most. We need "possession and possessions"...having the ball and doing something good with it. 

How can we stop turnovers? 

1. Stop the fear. "Winners want the ball." Against pressure, some players don't. They avoid getting open and play hot potato basketball. "Fear is the mindkiller." Pass away from defenders doesn't mean don't pass to teammates. 

2. "Shorten the pass." Come to the ball. Waiting for a pass allows defensive range and hands to come into play. 

3. "Fall in love with easy." The worst shot is better than any turnover. Don't try to thread the needle.

4. "Be great in space." Great players find space. Don't play in the traffic. Poor spacing or passing or driving in traffic turns productive players into destructive players. 

5. Avoid shot turnovers and ankle biters. Shot turnovers are Doc Rivers' terms for forced or bad shots. Ankle biters are passes thrown at players' ankles. It's not soccer. 

Additional pro tips:

• Good offenses work from the middle
• Good offenses get both paint touches and ball reversals during possessions
• Break the press with passing not excessive dribbling
• "Hand down, man down." If the defender hands are up, don't throw into them. 

Lagniappe: 

One of the enemies of truly great defense are turnovers and poor shot selection on offense

— Chris Oliver (@Chris__Oliver) February 17, 2013

Sandbagged. I played middle school basketball over fifty years ago. I remember the coach and my teammates. I don't remember wins and losses. "Without self-awareness, how do we ever make good decisions." 

Fast Five: Cognitive Bias and Basketball

Cognitive biases distort our thinking and decision-making. 

What is cognitive bias? 

Who is susceptible? Everyone is susceptible because we are wired for survival. A noise in the brush might be nothing or a predator. Fear causes us to miss opportunities and arrogance exposes us to risk. 




Awareness of leading cognitive biases helps our decision-making. 

Recency bias (what have you done for me lately?). We remember fresh events more vividly. A bad performance could reflect skill, luck, or mean reversion. Fighter pilots in training are more likely to have a mediocre session after an excellent one. When a reserve player has a big game, she (and her family) may expect a bigger role or more minutes. 

Attribution bias (it didn't happen the way you saw it happen). When we are successful, we take more credit than we take responsibility for poor performance. We deflect blame to officials, personnel (not enough talent) conditions, and bad luck. It's hard to see the man in the mirror clearly. Coaches may lower expectations seeking job security. 

Framing (structuring the argument). We're faced with life-saving surgery. The surgeon can emphasize an eighty percent success rate or a twenty-percent death rate. She' saying the same thing, but our perception varies with the structure. The coach informs players that she wants fundamentally sound passing or tells them that behind-the-back, fancy Dan stuff lands you on the bench. 

Sample size. If nothing goes wrong, is everything all right? Swimming with sharks is dangerous. There's a statistical rule of thumb equalling 3/n. If you do something dangerous five times without a bad outcome, the "p value" is  about 3/5 = 0.6 (not significant). If you do it 100 times, then it's 3/100 = 0.03 (significant is < 0.05). Be wary of making quick judgments on limited data. 



Confirmation bias. We suffer confirmation bias when we only read or study information that we already believe. Regular watchers of MSNBC or Fox news are fed information that appeals to their preferences and get reinforcement of existing beliefs. When we consume nothing but information about analytics, that heightens our statistical awareness. If we rely solely on the 'eye test' we can miss valuable information that factors into our decisions. One baseball writer constantly praised Jacoby Ellsbury, lamenting his trade to the Yankees...even after the trade was proven disastrous. 

Warren Buffett sidekick Charlie Munger adopts German mathematician Carl Jacobi's advice, "Invert, always, invert." Think about what the opposite approach means. 

Lagniappe: Do we make decisions based on the odds or on something else? 

"When Red Auerbach, long time coach of the Boston Celtics, heard about Gilovich’s "hot hand" study he responded, "so he made a study… I couldn’t care less."The short answer is that coaches and managers are like all of us: they only look for what confirms their intuitions and ignore what contradictions their intuitions, what psychologists call confirmation bias...We automatically see the world as we want to, not how it is.

The odds are about 50-50 that you like licorice. But they're 100% that I won't waste time trying to convince you to like it. 

Lagniappe 2. Multiple actions from ballside and helpside on a BOB. 

A Basketball Exercise: Coach in the Style of Another

"It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is." - Paul Coehlo, The Alchemist

Great authors challenge young writers to write in the style of another author. Benjamin Franklin pursued the printing trade instead of the family candle-making business because he wanted to write. He dissected (literally cutting up) works of other authors and reassembled to improve his writing. 

What would coaching in the style of another coach look like? Coaches do that every day. If we were Wooden, Dean Smith, Newell, Knight, Carril, or VanDerveer for a day, what pearls belong in our program? What philosophy, concept, or drill fit in your repertoire? 

Wooden. "Make every day your masterpiece." That's a tall order. It teaches being present, living the now. Focus. It reminds me of Bill Walton's 21 of 22 National Championship performance against Memphis. And Wooden's comment that Walton never tired of working on the little things, like inside footwork. 

Smith. Choosing "one" lesson from any great challenges us. Solid teams have a strong delay offense and defense. Smith's "four corners" is simple, triggered by the genius of Phil Ford. 



"Basketball is a game of _________." Matchups. Find the edge. 

Newell. Begin with the triad of balance, footwork, and maneuvering speed. Separation and finishing start with footwork. Start with the wing series. 

Knight. I think Knight and "advantage-disadvantage." Make practice hard. Five on seven or five on eight no dribble press break. If you beat the disadvantage at practice every day, what's the big deal about five on five? 

Carril. "The smart take from the strong." Carril was about three-pointers and layups before analytics was a word. 




We lack the overall skill to run these actions. But that shouldn't stop you. 

VanDerveer. When I think Tara VanDerveer, I think triangle. "Movement kills defenses." 


The Stanford men have good actions, too.  

Lagniappe: Without the ball. Want exposure to different teaching? That doesn't prevent us from emphasizing "preferred" options.

• Off the V-cut, we like the inside foot as pivot foot, closer to the basket. That still allows the "Newell teaching" reverse turn and deep step with a close defender.
• If you get the "leg over" the front cut/face cut is often available.
• When you get a foot between the defender's feet, the spin and seal gets separation. 

Basketball: Character

”Your character is based upon how you treat people you’re allowed to mistreat.” - David Sedaris 

Never feel entitled to mistreat people. That includes all sorts of subordinates and strangers, to waitstaff, officials, and players. Do you really want to be dismissive? Officials deserve respect as important parts of the game. Most of the time they’re neither friend nor foe and have no agenda. 

Consider Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “I don’t like that man. I need to get to know him better.” Opinions change according to our familiarity and openness with the facts. 

Parts of character include curiosity and flexibility. As Churchill said, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Madam?” 

We model character for everyone we meet, but especially for our players. They learn verbal and non-verbal communication, and develop emotional intelligence and empathy as they are taught. 

Be careful about verbal and written commitment and consistency. We are reluctant to violate our stated beliefs. J.D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA famously was a racist. Only when he genome was sequenced, revealing 16 percent Africa DNA did he disavow that position.

Ideas become part of who we are. People get invested in their ideas, especially if they get invested publicly and identify with their ideas. So there are many forces against changing your mind. Flip-flopping is a bad word to people. It shouldn’t be. Within sciences, people who give up on an idea and change their mind get good points. It’s a rare quality of a good scientist, but it’s an esteemed one.”

-Daniel Kahneman

“Seek understanding not validation.” We can’t change one thing. When Gordon Hayward returns, that changes minutes for temporary starters like Marcus Smart and especially for reserves. Will “losing” a few shots/game change the dynamic for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? If they pout or become selfish, then criticism of Brad Stevens escalates. It all returns to Chuck Daly’s - money (love), minutes, and shots mantra. 

The same principles apply at every level, from the pumpkins to the professionals. When character and nature conflict, nature usually wins.

Basketball: Packaging

Sara Blakely, MasterClass on Entrepreneurism

How do people view our program? What packaging does our program come in? 

Packaging is part of our brand. In high school, we wore a sport coat and tie on game days. It reminded us and schoolmates that something extraordinary was going on. 

Eyecatching. Even better, finances permitting, would be uniformity, like black pants, white shirt, school blazer and ties. 

Attractive. I’m old school. Have you been to a restaurant and the server has piercings through their face? That doesn’t help my appetite. It doesn’t make them less of a person in character or intelligence. It’s my problem. 

Transparent. Do you want your customer to see the product or want mystery. Thomas Keller’s “French Laundry Cookbook” is cloaked in plastic. The buyer has to believe that Keller’s product is worthy. You buy it or not without a preview. Every vendor decides what’s right for her product.

Clear. Our people and our followers must know who we are and what we stand for. “This is who we are and that is who we are not.” If we sell a message of character and class and play gorilla ball, then we should lose fans. If we prioritize academics and players underachieve, we should lose followers. If a blind person came to practice, they should hear the enthusiasm. If a deaf person comes, they should see it.

Value. Team members should get value from participate, add value to each other, and feel valued by coaches/leadership. Investment, communication, and feedback demand mutual participation. Followers deserve our best focus, energy, and effort...every day.

Set high standards and live them.

Lagniappe: from Basketball Immersion, SLOBs that clean up. 

Super Six: Basketball and Aesop

Modernism seduces us to believe in originality and convention. But we know, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

The beloved storyteller Aesop spun simple stories with profound meaning.

“The Fox and the Grapes” tells us how a hungry fox cannot reach grapes on a vine. He walks away muttering how the the grapes were sour anyway. As coaches or players, when we can’t achieve the desired end, will we dismiss the prize as unworthy anyway?

The Tortoise and the Hare. Everyone knows that “slow and steady wins the race.” Warren Buffett told Jeff Bezos that Buffett’s approach goes neglected because nobody wants to get rich slowly. Excellence takes time. The players who invest their focus and time earn the fruits of their labor.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. We know that what you see is not what you always get. Aesop gets credited for biblical wisdom. Time reveals A baser nature... also seen in the tale of the Scorpion and the Frog. You’ve all known situations of peers undermining another to their benefit.

The Lion and the Mouse Don’t hesitate to offer small favors as you never know when a small kindness gets repaid. Similar phrases include, “bread cast upon the waters...” in Teammates Matter, Williams explains how as a walk on at Wake, he got no perks, not even a gym bag. But later, he found the star player’s bag in his locker. The star needed no trappings of success.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf inauthenticity will bite you in the backside. When we complain about everything, serious issues that we care about will likely go unaddressed. Sometimes you can fight City Hall or enlist their help to get the resources (including practice time) needed. 

The Old Man and His Sons What individually is easy to break can become insurmountable together. We also hear that “there is power in numbers.” The single finger is weak, but a fist offers strength. The country is founded with the motto E pluribus unum, one from many.

Basketball: Iger Tenets for Success and Triple Lagniappe

"I've tried to be generous with the lessons I've learned." - Bob Iger, Disney CEO, MasterClass

I am a huge MasterClass fan. I start every day with MasterClass, have taken over thirty classes, and gifted a subscription to a family member. The lessons from great teachers translate to sport and basketball and are seldom domain-specific. 

MasterClass categories

MasterClass Culinary Arts professors and  classes

I had the opportunity to preview and comment on the Iger class and the Disney CEO didn't disappoint. Here are excerpts: 

"When you're not curious, you never innovate."

"It's easy to encourage people to be curious." (It's hard to make them be curious.)

"It's a form of energy consumption to be curious." 

"Honest, straightforward, genuine real...never saying anything...that isn't rooted in the truth." (Iger on authenticity)

Be honest and candid about what you need to learn. (When he took over at ABC, he needed to learn a lot about the business...)

"It's vital that anyone in business operates with integrity." Stick to high standards. (An unaddressed lack of integrity in standards was the root of the Global Financial Crisis.) 

"The relentless pursuit of perfection means...never accepting mediocrity." (That may mean spending more time and money to overcome friction." 

"Treat people fairly...give people second chances for honest mistakes." But be aware that some unredeemable mistakes (he discusses the Roseanne Barr tweets and ABC). 

"Make decisions on a timely basis...be decisive." Indecisiveness costs time, money, energy, and motivation. Second-guessing doesn't accomplish anything. Leaders need instinct about "what decisions need to be made and when." 

Good news seldom requires meaningful action or change. 

"People don't want to follow pessimists...pessimism...does not create energy."

"Optimism can inspire people." 

"There is no place for humor in the Walt Disney Company (background laughter)."

Lagniappe: So much to teach and learn, so little time.

• No strips, no blocks, no deflections. 
• "Shooter has to stay shot ready."

Lagniappe 2: Last night at practice, players struggled in the pressure section. "If they're high, go low." Young players need to play at different speeds and different altitudes. Get the shoulders low and pass under the trap and teammates remember "the ball is a camera." If it can't see you, it can't find you. 

Lagniappe 3: Horns Backdoor Iso

We have a 13 year-old girl, highly skilled 5'11" "5" (a future college 3) that can play outside or inside and has a high basketball IQ. This action is ideal for her. She can read the pass or the attack...but the cutter must clear to open the side. 

On Interviews: Anna Wintour...Plus Two Favorite Hoop Books

Fashion maven Anna Wintour discusses approaching interviews in her MasterClass. 

She asks, "Should you be mainstream or disruptive?" That's personal; if you have an innovative product or service that's a game changer, be disruptive. But breaking eggs doesn't always make an omelet. 

"Your passion reveals itself." That doesn’t dismiss analytics, but speak from your heart and soul. What is your platform? 




“Always tell the truth...don’t go unprepared...be on time...be yourself." A few people can BS their way through life. It's rare. 

Wintour says, "I’m interested in what they’ve read and who they are." The people we meet and the books we read speak volumes. Nonreaders lack curiosity. That's fine if it's the image you want to project. 

"Be clear, honest, and authentic." If an interviewer asks you about success or failure and how you responded to each, are you clever enough not to tell the truth? 

"Be direct about your life goals." Organizations find individuals that fit their culture. Investigate what the team is about. Do they match yours?

“There are so many ways to tap into creativity.” I have a niece in Durham, North Carolina who is an elite triathlete and runs a cake and baked goods business (Baker's Cakes). She blends artistic and baking skills. 

“You are driven by your heart, your talent, and your instinct.” Find something to be passionate about. 

"Make mistakes." The only people who never fail are those who do nothing. 

“You need someone who can push you.” Don’t take a position that you feel you won’t allow you to learn and grow. I've always told young people that employers don't need the smartest person; they want hard workers who will figure it out. 

MY TURN. Consider your interviews, what went well or poorly and why. I remember a medical school interview that was miserable. I was exhausted from academics and a part-time job, and it showed. 

Leave an impression through enthusiasm and authenticity. Be prepared for typical, reasonable questions:

• Why are you interested in this position?
• What are you hoping to contribute? 
• Discusses major successes.
• Tell me about your boss, coach, or teacher. (Don't go off on the boss.)
• Whom do you admire? 
• Where do you see yourself in ten years? What are you doing to get there? 
• Do you have a mentor who influenced your growth? 
• What books are you reading? 

Lagniappe: 

If you were stranded on a desert island with two basketball books, which two would you want? It's personal. 

Lagniappe 2: Nobody will like every action. 

Lagniappe 3: Lincoln has been in the news. Do we know him? He became great through ambition and will to serve.  

"While his mind was neither quick nor facile, young Lincoln possessed singular powers of reasoning and comprehension, unflagging curiosity, and fierce, almost irresistible compulsion to understand the meaning of what he heard, read, or was taught." - Doris Kearns Goodwin, in Leadership in Turbulent Times. 

Basketball: The "It" Girls and Makeover Artists

We do makeovers. But we have different foundation, tips, and tricks.  

Everything has a history, from Egyptians using makeup 6,000 years ago to the latest styles. 

Society always has an "It Girl" whether it's Twiggy above or the du jour look of the Kardashians or your favorite actress. 

Twiggy. Impossible?

Manute Bol. 

Who's the basketball version of the It Girl? "She" has it...skill, size, athleticism, toughness, resilience, competitiveness. She was Nancy Lieberman, Cheryl Miller, Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Cheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart, and others. 




Coaches are makeup artists. We change a player's look, how people view them. We help them add muscle, moves, the mental game, mental toughness, and mindset.  



Coaches make over bodies and shots...

• "A bad rep takes away more than a couple good rep adds..."
• "Once the reps aren't perfect...get out of the gym."
• Hanlen goes through a sequence of drills to get the ball into the shot pocket. In a snowstorm here, work in the basement without a basket (because they focus quickness and balance." 
• "When you jump, stabilize your core."

Hanlen range expansion. 

• Form shooting (elbow extension) in close
• Drop shooting to get more leg muscle input
• Drop and jump forward (surprising data on Steph Curry)

Become a makeover artist. 

Lagniappe: "Beauty comes from self-confidence." Basketball is no different. 

Basketball: The Meaning of Defensive Commitment

"The status quo is a losing strategy." - Bob Iger

Sure, parts of 'is' works, but ALWAYS see what doesn't work and revise, refine, or remove it. 

Ask key questions. 

• How do I want to play? Aggressive, extended defense.
• What are the pros and cons? Bad pressure = layups allowed. Practicing pressure means more work against pressure. Pressure forces engagement. 
• Do we have the personnel to play that way? It's easy to blame the talent. 
• Do we have the requisite skills/understanding to play that way? 

Balance strengths with limiting what opponents do well or want to do. The limitation in youth basketball is that we don't have scouting. Make opponents uncomfortable. 

Core rules: 

1. NO EASY BASKETS. That means transition, layups, putbacks, free throws. 
2. Ball pressure. "Crawl up into the ballhandler. Nose on the ball." 
3. Defense requires 5 engaged defenders. 
4. Communicate. Call screens, help, switches. 
5. In full court man, total denial (chest-to-chest) of inbounding.
6. Anticipate! 
7. Force opponents into primary trap zones. 
8. Trap opportunistically. 
9. When the press is 'broken' sprint back to base defense. 
10. No middle. To achieve "no middle" or "no paint" status, you have to force to edges (force to paint), deny cutters (face/front cuts, back cuts), and deny post entry. 
11. Be aggressive without stupid fouls. Challenge (bother) shots without fouling. 
12. "The ball scores." You cannot only defend your man and disregard the ball (unless you're in a special defense where that's your assignment). 
13. If we don't commit to the defensive boards, we have no chance. 

Primary Trap Zones

Load to the ball. Make opponents play at a disadvantage.

Force to tape to prevent middle penetration (drill).

When pressuring, at times you will get beat. Understand defensive angles and run to a spot to cutoff the attacking player. 

Well-designed actions force choices. Switches allow size mismatching. Better design forces big on small mismatches. 

Understanding offense helps defenders and understanding defense will make you a better offensive player. 

After four games this weekend, we'll limit running and focus on better understanding of core principles if weather permits practice. 

Lagniappe: when coaching young players, expecting consistency makes one crazy. Never get too high or too low. Be realistic. Control your emotions. Bring energy daily and commit to personal learning and teaching. 

Basketball: The Key Question, Standard of Performance, and an Acronym (PUSH-T)

What have you done to help your team win today? 

In Belichick, Ian O'Connor says that's a question asked of everyone in the Patriots' organization, from the secretary answering the phone to the star player. Bill Walsh taught similar lessons in his Standard of Performance. John Wooden said it as "never confuse activity with achievement." And Catholic author Matthew Kelly restates it as becoming our better version. 

Most players at every level are role players and contribute through excelling in their roles. 

Bill Walsh’s Standards of Performance:  

• Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed at continual improvement (see Japanese Kaizen)
• Demonstrate respect for each person in the organization
• Be deeply committed to learning and teaching
• Be fair
• Demonstrate character
• Honor the direct connection between details and improvement, relentlessly seek the latter
• Show self-control, especially under pressure
• Demonstrate and prize loyalty
• Use positive language and have a positive attitude
• Take pride in my effort as an entity separate from the result of that effort
• Be willing to go the extra distance for the organization
• Deal appropriately with victory and defeat, adulation and humiliation
• Promote internal communication that is both open and substantive
• Seek poise in myself and those I lead
• Put the team’s welfare and priorities ahead of my own
• Maintain an ongoing level of concentration and focus that is abnormally high
• Make sacrifice and commitment the organization’s trademark

Don Meyer distilled this laundry list of worth values to a shorter list. I use the acronym PUSH-T (push through).

PASSION - commitment, energy, and focus on the details
UNITY - Team First... balance individual excellence to pursue team achievement
SERVANT LEADERSHIP - how we lead the community of individuals forward
HUMILITY - "do not think less of yourself but think about yourself less."
THANKFULNESS - gratitude for our opportunities and situation

From Robert Greenleaf (1970) - "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first...The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons?"

Servant leadership is inclusive, bridging both secular and religious communities of all faiths. 

Gratitude has proven benefits both interpersonal and intra-personal.

Research reveals gratitude can have these seven benefits:

• Gratitude opens the door to more relationships. ...
• Gratitude improves physical health. ...
• Gratitude improves psychological health. ...
• Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. ...
• Grateful people sleep better. ...
• Gratitude improves self-esteem.
• Gratitude improves mental strength.

"Push Through" requires intent. It's a starting place that works for us every day.

Summary:

Be intentional.

PUSH Through.

Serve to lead.

Gratitude benefits us and others.

Doing good makes the team stronger.

Lagniappe: Frank Martin teaching defending cuts.

Lagniappe 2: Positive psychology and unicorns, the 21 day gratitude challenge



Don't coach to create average. "Move the entire average up." 12 minutes that can change your life...90 percent of happiness is determined by our processing the external world. "If you can raise somebody's level of positivity...then their brain experiences...the Happiness Advantage...intelligence rises, creativity rises, energy levels rise...every single business outcome improves."