Basketball Creative Tuesday

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” - Zen Buddhism


Step from our comfort zone and welcome Creative Tuesday.  Understand that Aerosmith's weekly Dare to Suck meetings are always a possibility (ninety percent bad ideas but an occasional megahit like Dude Looks Like a Lady).

When Bob Iger campaigned to be Disney CEO, he prioritized three goals:

1) Leverage the Disney creative platform. 
2) Use technology well for the business and people. 
3) Expand the global reach of Disney products. 

Let’s grow our creative base (add value) using all available tools. Teach and entertain. Find new ways to send clear messages to players. (Click to listen.) Sometimes they tire of hearing OUR voice. 

List many possibilities and then focus on our top priorities (the Buffett 25-5 approach). 

Sometimes our communication needs improvement. It's not a game show. But it could be. But half the battle is getting people focused. 

Make flashcards. For example, Pick-and-roll Defense. On the front, show a generic pick-and-roll setup. On the back, list how you want your team to defend the high pick-and-roll (e.g. hedge/fake trap-trap-switch). Design twelve questions for essentials (one for each player) and assign each player to present a two-minute talk on one (e.g. on a Zoom meeting). Force "deeper learning" and teaching.

Analyze a screenshot, Xs and Os frames, whatever you want. Ask players what they see or what they think will happen next. Use their imagination. It's similar to asking someone to describe a penny. There's looking and there's seeing. 

Show a brief video. What do they see? Why does the action work or not? Was it good offense, bad defense, or some of both? We have lots of video from prior seasons, good and bad. 

Assign Homework. Ask each player to find a brief teaching video (less than four minutes) to share with the group. Have them share the video, why they chose it, and what they learned. 

Teach the process of learning. If basketball is a mental game, should we not teach players to learn? 
- Socratic Method (during medical 'rounds' this was affectionately known as pimp the chimps). Medical students are "wedges" (man's simplest tools). 
- EDIR5 (explain, demonstrate, imitate, repeat x 5
- Feynman Technique (name, define, research, simplify)
- Pomodoro technique - some pro teams use it and give cellphone breaks
- Self-testing - read and study material, then self-test. Rote memory is not the best way. 

Mental models. Mental models apply filters to information and decision-making. What could possibly go wrong (premortem examination)?

The Triple Lindy. https://t.co/fb0RvgGqr9

— MikeFarb (@mikefarb1) July 6, 2020

Analogies. Great thinkers often use analogies. Johannes Kepler was a master of analogy. "Life is like a box of chocolates." This is not a personal strength.  

We could explain persistence as a river cutting a canyon through rock. Coach Bob Knight was The General. What are we? 

Lagniappe: Here's a preview of a future piece, with the AI RIP (Iverson).

Basketball: Fast Five - Sharpen Our Essential Coaching Tools

One brain isn't enough. As medical students and interns, most of us carried a "peripheral brain." 

It was a simpler time. We recorded "clinical pearls," medical formulas, and cheats in a 5" x 7" notebook that fit in our white coat pocket. PDAs and smartphones made them obsolete. 

If smartphones disappeared or power lapsed what belongs in our basketball peripheral brain? What GO TO tools and tactics do you want at your fingertips? Transform players from know that to know how. 

Have immediate storage ready to deploy. Call it experience, horse sense, savoir-faire, or something else. "Savoir-faire in French, however, means skills acquired by experience in various practical problems when doing one’s work." 

Essential Tools

Skill Development
Timeouts

Special Situations

Habit Stacking

Software Upgrades

1. Skill development (from Amazon Prime video)

 

Nothing replaces skill. Every day is a development day. We perform to the level of our training. Study and steal from the many great skill development coaches. Standard sequences like the Villanova Get 50, Box drills, Wing attack series, and combination shooting-conditioning drills like Pitino "Quarters" build offensive players. Small-sided games help teach game play. 

At lower levels, become skill development coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, sport psychologists, film study teachers, and more. Use all the resources at our disposal, from experience, to mentors, and to the Internet. 

2. Timeouts. 

Timeouts are multitools. Timeouts stop the clock, interrupt momentum, allow substitution or rest, revise strategy, and help settle a team down. I knew one coach who took timeouts to "work the officials." Timeout management belongs in our peripheral brain. Train our teams to process information during timeouts (including injuries and disqualification). Practice using timeouts. Take a practice timeout and give a quick quiz. 

3. Special situations. 

Many games are decided by one or two possessions. Executing BOBs, SLOBs, ATOs, and "Game Winners" give us a decided advantage. As Adam Spinella shared in his lecture, we decide whether to have generic actions or targeted plays against specific opponents. During the pandemic, we have time to organize our lists and edit them into best practices. 

4. Habit stacking. 

Build better study habits and better people. We make our habits and our habits make us. The people players become are our legacy. Start by winning the morning. 

Make habit work for you. My morning routine includes:
- MasterClass (20-30 minutes)
- Writing (including this blog)
- Reading (20-30 minutes)
- Professional study (New England Journal of Medicine online review course)
- Mindfulness (5-10 minutes) 

Develop a morning kickstarter that works for you. 

5. Software upgrades. 

Communication defines us. It's not "Me Tarzan, you Jane." Trust takes time. Every player won't have the same buy-in, but our job is to raise everyone up. When players internalize our core lessons, they upgrade their software and their hardware. Their brains change. 

• "If basketball is important to you, you can become a terrific player." 
• "How you play the game reflects how you live your life." 
• "I believe in you." 

Lagniappe: Great video from Adam Spinella

Lagniappe 2: "In a weak culture we veer away from doing the right thing to doing the right thing for me." - Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last. 

In Turn the Ship Around, Captain David Marquet describes a performance turnaround on the nuclear submarine Santa Fe. It went from the worst in its class to the best in a year. His leadership transferred the culture from a leader-follower model to a leader-leader one. And the results were spectacular, with reenlistment rising ten fold and nine of fourteen officers eventually achieving command. "An organization is most effective when everyone thinks and acts like a leader." This is vital for knowledge workers in today's world, versus the heavily task-oriented workers in yesterday's. 

Instead of seizing power, he empowered the crew, improving training and communication. Excellence and improved satisfaction were the byproducts of better process. 

Basketball: "I Like It" - Second Helping

Today's message is a recap of pearls from the past couple of weeks. Observers say that Coach Nick Saban "picks on" a guy each practice for correction. Sometimes he gets a "second helping" and more. Here are second chance points. 

"She (the leader) shares credit. She is a giver in a world of Give and Take. In his Wharton class, Adam Grant challenged students to form RECIPROCITY RINGS, to help others achieve one desire, for themselves or others. Reciprocity rings force communication and actions to benefit others. Some students said that wouldn't happen because Wharton students are all takers." 

(From Doris Kearns Goodwin) 

From Matt Gordon, Cross Canada Coaches Clinic

Avoid attribution bias. We are vulnerable to attribution bias. Attribution bias is a cognitive bias which is a process where people evaluate their own and/or other people’s behaviors. When things go well, we credit our brains and skill. When we fail, we blame conditions beyond our control, bad luck, and sometimes others whom we feel conspire against us.   (From "Reasons Not Excuses")

From Updated GO TO Twitter Feeds 

FIVE THINGS GREAT COACHES DON'T DO IN PRACTICES

MISS OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPETE

HINDER THE LEARNING PROCESS

GO FROM DRILL TO DRILL

DON'T MAJOR IN THE MINORS

NEGLECT THE CULTURE

Killer rec: "Don't major in the minors." Don't overspend time on stuff that will rarely come into play. 

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” - James Clear

Cover 1.5 (one and a half). 

"The ball scores." Don't say, "my guy didn't score." Be in position to prevent the opponent from scoring, not just yours. Cover yours plus half of another player. 1.5 defense.  (From Two and Under) 

From "Performance Rating System" Friday 1-3-1

"Every day is a player development day...every player gets better." 

"We seldom talk about team goals...we talk about individual development goals." 

"Is this the best stuff defensively and offensively for this group?" But he finds that more system-oriented play detracts from reads. 

High level development allows for more interchangeable players and accountability (you can sit a better player because the next guy will step up). 

(From Dave Smart Clinic Notes) 

A culture of excellence evolves in differing ways. UNC soccer coach Anson Dorrance posts Excellence Is Our Only Agenda  in the locker room. Aerosmith held weekly "Dare to Suck" meetings. "(Steven) Tyler said, ‘Each one of us brings an idea that we think is probably terrible, and that we are embarrassed that we even have the idea. But we present it. And nine times out of ten, the idea is actually terrible. But one time out of ten you get Dude Looks Like a Lady or Love in an Elevator.’" The State Department has operated the "Dissent Channel" since the Vietnam War to get opposition policy responses. Breadth of ideas asserts a better process. 

From "Monday Notes" 

Kevin Eastman reminds us to be a "learn-it-all" not a "know-it-all." We share information in a discipline of infinite knowledge and constant adaptation. 

Basketball: Become the Coach on the Floor

Cultivate players who are coaches on the floor? Who is she? 

She demonstrates unequaled work ethic. No plays off, mentally or physically. "The magic is in the work." 

She models excellence, unselfishness, and communication. She inspires and encourages teammates to play in the moment, fully engaged. She knows the value of "win this possession." It's a tough job because teammates have to follow her leading without being controlling. Lead without being bossy. 

She sacrifices by getting everyone involved. Sometimes that means passing instead of shooting, setting screens, taking a charge. It always means 'first to the floor.' She is authentic as she makes teammates feel valued. 

She knows the game and sees through coach's eyes. 

She brings energy and energizes teammates. She makes a difference every time she is on the court. She does the big things because she executes the little things. 

She shares toughness. She rises up when the moment comes.

She shares credit. She is a giver in a world of Give and Take. In his Wharton class, Adam Grant challenged students to form RECIPROCITY RINGS, to help others achieve one desire, for themselves or others. Reciprocity rings force communication and actions to benefit others. Some students said that wouldn't happen because Wharton students are all takers. 

But a funny thing happened; students collaborated, helping each other. Public exposure encourages takers to give. “Being altruistic is often seen as ‘good’ and being greedy or selfish is not,” according to Duke behavioral economist Dan Ariely.
Give leaders tools to help them. Look backward to move forward with advice from Doris Kearns Goodwin's Leadership in Turbulent Times. 

She is accountable via Extreme Ownership. "As a supervisor, it is my job to check he has understood what is expected." Willink and Babin share core values:

1. Extreme Ownership
2. There is no such thing as a bad team, just bad leaders
3. Believing is the first step
4. Beware of your ego
5. Cover and move (Coordinate)
6. Keep things simple

7. Setting up priorities and acting on them

8. Decentralising command

9. Plan

10. Leading downwards and upwards

11. Indecision and uncertainty

12. Discipline brings freedom

Every team needs coaching and leadership. The best teams have a coach on the floor. 

Lagniappe: Recognize original thinkers. 16 million people viewed this Adam Grant TED talk with ideas from Leonardo da Vinci to Martin Luther King. 
"You call it procrastinating; I call it thinking." - Adam Sorkin

Google wasn't first. They were best. Have idea doubt without self-doubt. If we take initiative and challenge ourselves to do better, we do! Bad ideas are the mother of great ideas. Grand says, "You need a lot of bad ideas to have a few good ones." 

Basketball Friday: 1-3-1 Drill, Concepts, Play - Finding Black Swans

The Friday 1-3-1 explores a drill, three concepts, and a play. Learn or fall behind. 

Discover black swans. Identifying black swans in Australia changed a mindset. "Like purple cows and flying pigs, the black swan was a symbol of what was impossible." Consider the quote, "I did not see that coming." Seeing what is right in front of us can be an insurmountable challenge (#MeToo and many others). 

And Nassim Taleb's eponymous book added more. Black swans can appear in front of us, like the biggest losses in Las Vegas coming not from theft but from a tiger attack. Pandemics are black swans, periodically reminding us that they are real (14th century bubonic plague, 20th century influenza, 21st century coronavirus). 

Black swans appear in basketball, too. Bill Russell's defensive disruption was a black swan. I'll argue that Pete Maravich was a black swan. Spud Webb was a black swan. The evolution of the three-point shot and EFG% may not be a black swan, but it's in the neighborhood. 

1. Drill. Matt Gordon discussed Loyola's "shell to transition" approach. Loyola of Chicago led the nation in transition offense and allows transition out of shell drill. That's a game changer for both offense and defense. "Deflections cause doubt" AND requires the offense to be alert and convert. 

How many other drills can we alter through constraints or modifications? 

2. Concepts. The primary attribution bias of coaching is "we need better players." Excuses don't win games. 

-Our first response should be, "we need to execute better." Own it. 
-Our second answer has to be Dave Smart's, "every day is player development day." 
-Our third is simplify. 

A. Improve execution (fewer easy baskets allowed, more possessions through rebounding, better free throw shooting, reduce bad fouls).
B. Grow the individual - strength and conditioning, skill, knowledge, resilience. 
C. Simplify. "Do well what we do a lot." That can be addition by subtraction (time wasters).

Dave Smart has his musts (above). What are ours? 

3. Play. Postseason success and competing against good teams needs solid execution in the half-court, because the best teams limit transition and play consistent half-court defense. Good teams make opponents work for everything. 

This Celtics' "Diamond" action can be run as a SLOB or set play. It has multiple options from off-ball screens or to post up a powerful 2 like Marcus Smart. 

Lagniappe: Luka Doncic is a black swan. YouTube video breakdown from Coach Mason Waters. Enjoy. 

Make teammates better with vision, decision, execution excellence. 

Coach Waters shows a "did it wrong" but it worked out clip. Doncic draws 2 but gets hung up but knows Porzingis is trailing for the dunk. Look at the great NBA spacing of his teammates, corners filled plus high slot. "Don't leave your feet to find a pass; leave your feet to make a pass." 




Lagniappe 2: Coaches, teams, players. Entertain us. Great basketball thrills us. 




Beat the zone (Watch full screen in YouTube)

Basketball: Notes from Loyola Assistant Matt Gordon

The pandemic has wrought the "Golden Age of Enlightenment" of Internet basketball teaching. Loyola Chicago Assistant Matt Gordon shares terrific information. 

Here are my notes:

"Tied with Harvard for graduation success rate among student-athletes..."

"...number one in the country in transition offense..." (Mindset, excellence in transition is a counterweight to superior defenses in the halfcourt. Remember Dave Smart's musts on how they must take care of business.)

**During shell drills, they're allowed to transition into offense. Missouri Valley Conference is strong defensively, making transition critical. 

"Teams...in our league...take away what you want to do."

"Fouling negates hustle." - Coach Majerus

Among the leaders in turnover percentage without fouling. "Looking for deflections...pressure the picked up dribble."

"Deflections cause doubt." 

"Get downhill...defense is the admission ticket to the fast break." 

"Show your hands..." (this is something we emphasize to prevent fouls)

"Reach for the lights..." (verticality)

"First three steps..." into full speed transition (a sprinting game)

Among the national leaders in not fouling...

"Promote the little things from film"

Be aggressive without fouling. (They do it.)

Hard running creates good angles and attack against stationary defenders.

"Pressure the defense constantly." 

Team has unselfish guys who care about winning.

Use the Spurs "0.5 seconds" mentality to make decisions..."pass up a good shot for a better shot." 

Aggressiveness creates long closeouts. 

On the clips shown, Loyola has exemplary spacing. 

Post guys, "Make and maintain contact." - Coach Majerus

Early offense actions

"You can always reject the ball screen..." (expanding concept IMO) 

Because defenses are going under ball screens, they practice guards coming off into 3s.

"Movement...is the hardest thing to guard." ("Movement kills defenses.") In their clips, they do a great job filling, sinking, or lifting as needed. 

Summary:

"Defense creates offense."
Don't foul. "Show your hands." ("Fouls negate hustle.")
Film reveals the little things. (Truth machine)
Hard running and ball movement = tough defensive angles, long closeouts.
Movement is the hardest thing to guard.

Novel concept to steal: Shell drill to initiate transition. 

@mattcgordon

mgordon1@luc.edu

Lagniappe: If you have the guy, then SLOB Celtics corner 1 v 1

Lagniappe 2: Celtics Diamond 

Off-ball screen for entry; off-ball screen to finish. 

Basketball: Separate Reasons from Excuses

"Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - John Wooden

Reasons are not excuses. You're not prepared for a test because you went to the beach and didn't study. That's an excuse. You caught influenza A and had days of fever, headache, and body aches. That's a reason. 

You're late to practice because you overslept. Excuse. You're late to practice because someone rear-ended you in a car accident. Reason. 

Don't traffic in excuses. Years ago we beat a superior team in a playoff game. The other coach said, "if we made shots, we would have won." Isn't that always true? Lose graciously and win humbly. 

We won 45-42 because we scored seven points in five possessions with "Down." That's a tribute to young kids. Fall in love with easy. 

Avoid attribution bias. We are vulnerable to attribution bias. Attribution bias is a cognitive bias which is a process where people evaluate their own and/or other people’s behaviors. When things go well, we credit our brains and skill. When we fail, we blame conditions beyond our control, bad luck, and sometimes others whom we feel conspire against us. 

During the past two seasons, I don't believe that we won or lost a game because of the officiating. Our wins and losses tracked our execution. On some occasions, mediocre coaching contributed to our defeats.  

Imagine the career of Bill Walton without injuries. Injuries are part of sports. 



Statistical variation and luck. Good shooters have bad days. I recommend Annie Duke's book Thinking in Bets. A WSOP champion, she says that poker is about 76 percent skill and 24 percent luck. Blaming luck corresponds to resulting. 

We win bets by striving to calibrate our beliefs and predictions about the future to more accurately represent the world.

Find better reasons upon which to build decisions. Use various tools to improve our reasons. Make numerical estimates about what is likely to work. Do "premortem evaluations" to project what can and is likely to go wrong. 

I recently saw a person with severe "polyarthritis" (multiple joint pains) with a remote history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). My "differential diagnosis" included recurrence of RA, post-infectious arthritis (e.g. parvovirus, Lyme two of the more likely candidates), crystal arthritis (e.g. gout...doubtful with the symmetry), and sarcoidosis. I empirically treated the patient and referred them to a joint specialist. There's always uncertainty initially as well as potential for adverse side effects (even if the patient had tolerated treatment before). Neither of us knows the diagnosis for sure on day one. 

And "coaching" implies a willingness to change when it goes wrong, even if the strategy was justified (reason). Sticking to failing strategies begs excuses. 

We develop reasons for team selection, training and practice, lineup selection, strategy, substitutions, and so forth. Others won't always agree with our reasons. Sometimes we prove them right. 

"Failure is not an option." "Houston, we've had a problem." Apollo 13 flight director Eugene Kranz oversaw a series of corrections during the disastrous lunar flight that somehow returned the crew home safely. 

Lagniappe: I need to post more defensive video. Defensive points from Loyola assistant Matt Gordon.

Missed this week's Hoops Hangouts session with @RamblersMBB Assistant Coach Matt Gordon❓

In the clip Coach Gordon talks creating offence through their defense & the Ramblers limiting fouls strategy.

"Fouling negates hustle"

For the full video
⬇️⬇️https://t.co/VM8k2RewQi pic.twitter.com/FltOyPtgjY

— Alberta Basketball (@BasketballAB) June 26, 2020