Fast Five: Spacing Mandates

Preaching sometimes falls on deaf ears, "spacing, cutting, screening, and passing." How can we reinforce SPACING? 

1. Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly distilled the concept, "Spacing is offense and offense is spacing." 

2. What does that mean to players? During one segment of practice, I like to coach 3 on 3 to the split. 

3. Great spacing opens driving and passing lanes and limits doubling and 'digging' at the post. Spacing forces defenders to cover more territory. Offense has more room to operate and focus. "You don't sit three to a desk" in school...it's too distracting. 

4. "Spacing line." I teach the 3 point line as the "spacing line".

If you're the 1, do you want X2 near the lane line or closer to the corner? 

5. The biggest downside to 'screen based' offense is the changes in spacing demanded. 

Part of spacing includes knowing both what to do and what NOT to do. 

• "Don't cut to an occupied post." 
• "Little guards, don't cut to the treeline." (where the bigs are)
• "If a driver gets the ball, vacate her path to the basket." (Cut to move defenders)

Bonus bite: "The basketball is like a magnet." Defensively, the ball should draw you, but offensively, staying too close to the ballhandler will hurt your team. 

The Warrior's Code

“I begin with humility, I act with humility, I end with humility. Humility leads to clarity. Humility leads to an open mind and a forgiving heart. With an open mind and a forgiving heart, I see every person as superior to me in some way; with every person as my teacher, I grow in wisdom." - Eric Greitens, Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life


"The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country."

What is your code, your combination of philosophy and practice, beliefs and actions? 

- Tao Te Ching, Lao Tze

1. Excellence arises from self-regulation. Self-regulation includes accurate self-examination and finding balance. 

2. "To lead is to serve."  Self-promotion at the expense of team goals produces inferior results. "Are we building a statue or a program?"

3. Teammates matter. No great player is a bad teammate. "Not everyone can be a great player, but everyone can be a great teammate." 



4. The basketball warrior does not quit. She brings single-mindedness, a relentless presence to the court. She is unafraid, excitement replaces fear. 

5. The warrior is loyal. Communication breeds trust. Trust earns loyalty. If you want loyalty, you start with communication. The conversation that you don't want to have is the one you need to have. 

Celtics BOB Triple Stagger Slip

Celtics with the 'small' lineup in with Bradley (2), Rozier (1), Crowder (4), Smart (3), and Horford (5). 

Bradley gets the triple staggered screen, but Horford releases to the basket for a dunk. 

Here Endeth the Lesson

Basketball continually dispenses lessons and "industrial justice". We played a competitive game and despite trailing by double digits in the second half, lost by two. We turned the ball over late with a chance to tie, but that really wasn't the point. 

What went well? The team overcame adversity but incompletely so. Every coach preaches playing hard for 32 (or whatever) minutes. 

Ball movement works. 5 cut from behind the zone to the foul line and 3 relocated. 5 made the quick recognition and passed low for an easy shot from the short corner. 

Bad teams follow the lit fuse. 

What went badly? Transition defense failed on about four possessions. On several occasions players had failed awareness but worse, some players had low effort. Our first rule is "no easy baskets" and transition hoops lead the list. Bad fouls (poor hand discipline) followed closely behind.

Passing to nowhere. We threw perhaps ten passes...to nowhere...or even worse, to the opposition. A missed shot is a missed opportunity. Turnovers mean no opportunity. Sulking. We had several players who allowed offensive struggles to affect their whole game...despite repeated counseling. 

What can we do differently? I don't know whether the effort reflected conditioning or mental toughness. When players play faster on offense than defense, I believe it's attitude. We'll be running more at practice tomorrow. Play with purpose. Too much dribbling. We will play more 'no dribble' offense. 

What enduring lessons exist? 
1) When one part of your game struggles (e.g. shooting), then you have to compensate with effort-dependent play - ball pressure, defense, block outs, setting great screens, taking charges. 
2) Effort is non-negotiable. 
3) Attitude is everything. You can't feel sorry for yourself when things don't go your way. Control your destiny. 

Fast Five: Shot Fakes

Deception and basketball go hand and hand. The best players deceive players both offensively and defensively, with hands, feet, and eyes. Shot fakes move defenses. 

1. The best shot fake is a "shot not taken." Fakes must "sell" the move. The most common 'failed sale' is the move where the player does not look at the rim and alters her shot (usually moving the arms and hands too quickly). 


2. Kelly Olynyk has a superb shot fake...eyes on the rim, arm movements not too quick, ball barely above the head, feet set. 

3. The shot fake can move your defender or distort zones (north and south reaction to shot fakes, east and west to pass fakes). 

4. The higher the ball is moved above the head, the more likely officials are to call traveling. Some say, "ball to the chin." Cause and effect uncertain, but that officiating quirk is described. Whatever your technique, you need to finish the fake balanced to proceed to the next move. 

5. The shot fake can lift the defender or closeout and can also be used to draw fouls from off balance defenders. 



Chandler Parsons violates the ball above the head rule, but he's the exception. 


Stephen Curry uses the shot fake off the dribble into a crossover. 

Teaching the Playground Game

Kids don't go to the playground. Lots of reasons, including safety and societal changes. Level 3 sex offenders aren't institutionalized; they're in our neighborhoods. 

We learned the game in the playground. Now "car athletes" get driven to practice and games. That's reality and it's not changing. Many players simply have little grounding in fundamental actions, despite years of instruction, camps, and parents spending a fortune. It's hard to be effective at the "whole" when you lack the "part" game. When we depart the fundamentals, we disservice our players. 

I've taken the focus away from plays (we're not ready) to playing. Recently, I showed some '3 on 3 actions'; here it's even simpler, 2 on 2. Doesn't matter how you play, you have to be able to get separation, pass, fake, and cut, and make shots. 

Screen action: pick and roll, pick and pop, and slip the screen. Yes, there are more iterations, like rescreening and whatnot, but we're simplifying. 

Passer options: give and go, pass and screen, dribble at (handoff or back cut)
 

Receiver options: front and back cuts and of course, clearing out for 1 on 1 (iso ball) actions

Combo actions: pass and relocate, trying to force defensive mistakes. 

Fast Five: The Kaizen Way "The Brain Loves Questions"

In Robert Maurer's The Kaizen Way: One Small Step Can Change Your Life, he points out "the brain loves questions."

First, let's get on the same page with an introduction to Kaizen. What we think we know is nonlinear with fact.

Kaizen – The Secret Weapon from Vu Duong

1. What is Kaizen? It combines root words for "change and good." 

2. What went well? Sometimes we dwell on the negative. I started practice the other night asking each player, "why are you special?" My goal was to build off a positive foundation. Some players struggled for an answer. 

Wealth, intelligence, and education are not on the list. Personal qualities matter. "Never confuse net worth with self worth." 

3. Within the basketball community, perhaps the biggest transformation advocate is Brian McCormick. What are we doing wrong? 

4. How can we catch players in the act of doing something right? Watch! Remember Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's Civil War mastery, "I know how to learn." We must prioritize learning for our players...that works on and off the court. Make corrections but reinforce the positive. 

5. How can I get better today? Read, listen, watch, draw from others' experiences. If we're not committed to improving today, then we spend our time instead of investing it.

Coaching Profile: Dale Brown, LSU

Coach, preacher, iconoclast. "I'll show you."

Every coach can be our mentor if we study their methods. Authoritarian, communicator, professor, or balanced. Let's examine Dale Brown, Shaq's coach at LSU. I'm no Dale Brown expert...the first three things I think of with Brown are "Shaq, the Freak, and Leadership."

Wikipedia provides an overview and highlights:

• Replaced Press Maravich in 1972
• 25 years at LSU, won 448 games, appeared in two Final Fours
• Great promoter of hoop in Louisiana
• Known as "The Master Motivator"
• Like Jerry Tarkanian, outspoken critic of the NCAA "The Gestapo"
• Developed "The Freak" defense
• SEC Coach of the Year or Runnerup nine times

3 Essential Elements.

Dale Brown quotes:

"Leadership is difficult. It is a lonely responsibility. The best leaders are servants. It is always about others." (Servant leadership)

"It’s not too late to become what you thought you should be or could be, you can do it." (Motivation and confidence)

"You must be determined to apply massive common sense in solving complex problems." (Leadership)

"The masters all have the ability to discipline themselves to eliminate everything except what they are trying to accomplish." (Focus)

"The player who comes to LSU should be someone who believes that team goals are more important than individual goals." (Teamwork)

"In life, adversity only visits the strong. It stays forever with the weak. We have to decide whether we're going to be strong or weak." (Adversity)

"No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it." (Leadership)

"I've never taken a blow and not within a 24-hour period gotten back up with a more determined and a more positive attitude than before." (Adversity)

"Getting rich and famous has replaced the true meaning of life."

"Sooner or later the person who wins is the person who believes he can."

Readings on Leadership


"Always listen to your parents."



Motivational speaker:

The Freak Defense.

The "Freak Defense" is a concept of "shifting defenses" more than a specific defense. Depending on how the offense is started, the defense could be man-to-man, 2-3, or other defenses. I have never even considered playing that way...because I'm more likely to confuse my team than the opposition. But for a coach with a mature, intelligent team, mixing it into a defensive amalgam could work.

Celtics Stagger

The Celtics did something different with horns. 

The C's run the 3 (or the 2) off the double screen using the opposite corner and post. Good use of a different set into a common staggered screen action. 

Validation - Develop an Internal not External Focus

“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing” ~Aristotle

I had a pre-practice session with my team asking them about the meaning of 'validation'. After explaining that it meant the need for recognition of their value or worth, I suggested that our validation should come from within. 

When we have the right attitude, process (good choices), and effort (work ethic), validation from others is superfluous. 

I knew a young woman who was bright (Ivy League graduate), talented, and attractive, yet could never get enough attention. It lead her to bad choices, including 'cutting'. 

Devoting time to seeking validation interferes with your work. Is it more important to 'be' or 'to do'? Obviously, for some, especially those with narcissism, being carries a higher order. 

Narcissism in team sports can threaten team well-being. Narcissism creates conflict and is hard to remedy because the narcissistic player (or coach) doesn't see their attitude or behavior as a problem...when you look at the examples contained in the article, many had a fall from grace as a result of their violations of 'behavioral norms'. 

Dr. Sam Vaknin notes, "Narcissists are liars. They misrepresent their credentials, knowledge, talents, skills, and achievements." The need for validation and performance can lead to unethical and fraudulent behavior, for example, use of performance enhancing drugs. 

Finding balance in self-assessment leads to confidence, as opposed to extremes of fear or recklessness. Fear prevents players from functioning efficiently, while arrogance leads to selfish play and poor decision-making. 

Addressing validation and narcissism in youth sports creates challenges. There's a story of a player who wouldn't pass. During a scrimmage, his coach pulled off his teammates and gave him the ball out of bounds. He then said, "now, play." 

I think the proper message to send is, "the more you give, the more you get." Recognizing high effort, humble, unselfish players tends to produce more of the same. The 'star' players will always get their due, but giving recognition and getting contributions from all makes for the best player experience. 

Fast Five: Hearing Voices; Getting Inside Your Team's Head

Effective education changes behavior. Change occurs via the hippocampus, with repetition vital to change. What are the top five play-directed messages your players hear? 

1. Pass and cut. "Basketball is a game of cutting and passing." Movement kills defense. 

2. The ball is gold. Take care of the basketball. Value the ball. Turnovers kill. 

3. Play with purpose. Don't dribble aimlessly. Cut with intent. Do something positive. 

4. Move the ball. The ball sticks; you don't score. The two-second rule; decide and execute.

5. Spacing! Chuck Daly's mantra: "spacing is offense and offense is spacing." Don't cut to an occupied post. Little guards, don't cut to the block. 

Long after I'm gone, I hope these messages resonate with our players as they teach their children. 

Are You Someone People Want to Root for?

The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the 1988 Notre Dame versus Miami football game raises the question, "are you someone people want to root for?" Do you want to be? 

If people won't root for you, what would you do to change that?

Our high school team (1973) would run through a wall for our coach. There wasn't coddling; there was caring, but plenty of correction. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to play for Coach Lane or not wanting him to succeed. 

When REALITY meets PERCEPTION, which prevails? We have great industries (marketing) designed to define perception...flourishing because they understand human behavior and weakness. "You want the best for your child." 

Carl Pierson shares great information in "The Politics of Coaching." For example, he uses Ralph Nader's line, “If you don’t turn on to politics, politics will turn on you”. 

Coaching always results in 'uneven happiness'. There's no way to distribute 'minutes' that satisfy every constituency. Some families will be unhappy because their child didn't make the team, others because of role dissatisfaction. I've heard a parent tell her daughter that she 'deserved' more shots. 

Fairness ends up being relative, relative to perception. The senior displaced by an underclassman will often feel disenfranchised and unappreciated. Role assignment can worsen pre-existing judgments about your character, competence, or likability. 

Koran Godwin shares wisdom he delivers to parents, "My number one goal was to show the parents that I love each and every one of the kids the same and that playing time has nothing to do with my personal views on a kid. I emphasize my will to develop them as young men and the lessons that they will learn over the next few months will prepare them for life."

If changing perception matters to us, then we must overcome mental hurdles about change, about fear. In The Kaizen Way: One Small Step Can Change Your Life, Robert Maurer discusses how to change via Kaizen, a Japanese term for continuous improvement. 

He describes small steps:

1. Ask small questions.
2. Make small thoughts. 
3. Take small actions.
4. Solve small problems. 
5. Give small rewards. 

Taking small, patient steps helps us to overcome psychological obstacles that prevent action. For example, instead of asking players to improve 'everything' we can ask, what one small area can I work on today? If we're teaching shooting...do we see players off balance, unprepared to shoot, without feet aligned, not following through, etc.? 

If you want people to root for you, what little thing can you do differently today? 

Struggling to Score?

Our brains love a challenge. We're struggling to score. We're not getting enough transition opportunities (key for us) and our shooting reminds me of Gene Wilder. 



These ideas derive from Del Harris. 

We're playing some exercises against different "zone looks" but setting up constraints like: 

1) only score on a layup
2) score in the paint
3) loss of possession for 'delusional dribbling'

My job is to get them to "play with purpose". Breaking bad habits has to proceed along with establishing new ones. 

Fast Five: Play Free

   

1. Control your Amygdala (start at 1:05). It's part of the midbrain that helps regulate temperature, emotion, and fear - the 'fight or flight' response. When fear takes over, decision-making suffers. Reaction beats reflection during self-preservation. Survival instincts don't equate with good basketball actions. 

2. We have to train ourselves via small steps to bypass the fear. Turn anxiety into excitement and excitement into positive plays. Negative thoughts are paralyzing. Start with 'small steps' like asking yourself small questions. What can I start doing to better myself right now?

Earlier this season, I prioritized a theme of facing your fears, playing with courage. That's not working for us on offense. 

3. Maybe we can embrace, "play free". What does that mean?

It means making your own decisions about when and where to cut and pass. Space. Read the defense and react. It still demands accountability to passing and cutting...but eliminates "I don't know the play" thinking and timidity. Be decisive to make the right next play. Manu Ginobili understood the concept of "no spoon" when he discussed his play with Coach Popovich. "That is how I play." 

4. The old-fashioned concept was "every man a king." Assume responsibility for your basketball decisions and control your game. 

5. Playing effectively means practicing outside of your comfort zone and be willing to make mistakes. 

Astonishing Ignorance: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

My ignorance astonishes me. We all know the importance of the battle of Gettysburg, but the details? I have the opportunity to share these stories with my players. 

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (above) joined the Union Army as a thirty-something professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. He became regiment commander of the Maine 20th regiment. His forces were cut to almost a third (less than 400) in late May 1863, when he was transferred mutineer troops from the Maine 2nd. He was given the task to guard them, integrate them, or shoot them according to their behavior. 

He dispersed them within the ranks, fed them well, and asked for their help for the "noble cause" of making men free. 

On July 2nd, with short notice, his unit was assigned to hold the hill at Little Round Top against the well-trained, superior forces of the Alabama 15th and Colonel William Oates. Chamberlain had no formal military training and his troops were undersupplied with ammunition. 

Literally, the 20th Maine had the 'tip of the spear' at the southern perimeter of Little Round Top (above). 

After a brutal assault with heroic defense, the Army of the Potomac held Little Round Top. Lacking additional ammunition, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge before Oates' forces could regroup, leading to a rout of the Alabama 15th and preventing a southern charge by Confederate forces...a precursor to the failed Pickett's charge. 

The 20th Maine, supplemented by mutineers of the 2nd Maine, helped win the battle that preserved the Union. 

How did a college professor with no military training help spearhead a pivotal victory? He answered, "I know how to learn." According to "The Leadership Moment", Chamberlain read, asked questions, watched, and listened. He read everything about warfare he could find after he received his commission. How he integrated mutinous troops gives us all lessons. 

Later, Chamberlain became a Brigadier General and oversaw the handing over of Confederate colors from the Army of Northern Virginia. Chamberlain received the Congressional Medal of Honor and became Governor of Maine. He was widely respected in both the north and south for his conduct during the war. 

The enduring lessons include the importance of purpose, the value of study, a willingness to improvise, and conducting oneself with honor on our 'battlefield'.