Video is the truth machine. It reveals who players are. Within the actions of sport (spacing, player and ball movement, scoring execution), video shows the how, when, and where advantage arises. NBA coaches like Erik Spoelstra cut their teeth in the video room. Video is the DNA of basketball evolution. Film informs aspiration, inspiration, and desperation.
Great coaches film practice, games, and bench behavior.
First, let's examine clips of a perennial power, Minneapolis North:
1. Ball movement. Spurs 0.5 second decisions
2. Active hands, rapid conversion, no-hesitation attack.
3. Versatile finishing. Crab dribble, reverse left-handed layup off two feet for power and stability.
4. Opportunistic defense with a primary trap zone double, steal, and finish.
5. Another brilliant conversion, outlet pass to half court, and score within 7 seconds.
6. More versatile finishing with extended 'off-footed' layup on opposite side.
7. "Fall in love with easy." Offensive rebounding and unselfish play nets another layup.
Offensive 'micro' actions start with spacing. Chuck Daly's quote belongs: "Offense is spacing and spacing is offense." No team exists with bad spacing and great offense. Examine spacing "at a glance." Great players "win in space."
2. Defenses shrink space.
Pressure and contain the ball
Load to the ball
Drop to the level of the ball
Deny penetration that leads to inside-outside openings
Contested shots yield lower percentage shots
3. Win in conversion. The "golden moment" arises to create edge at exchange of possession. The defense may be celebrating, disorganized, or unaware of the counterattack. Practice this moment with Coach Knight's "change" drill where on the whistle the offense must drop the ball and each player must find a new player to cover.
4. Advantage comes via movement. "The ball is a camera" and if you want it, it has to see you. "Movement kills defenses."
5. The ultimate advantage comes with versatile finishing (see the clips above). The Mikan and reverse Mikan drills help reinforce neural pathways that end with hoops. Remember Kevin Eastman's adage, "eyes make layups."
Lagniappe. "Basketball is a game of separation."
You know the steps - explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition x 5
Coaches share common themes, like player and family dissatisfaction. Minutes, role, and recognition are the basketball love triad. Imagine giving each returning player an index card with a single question on it:
Why do I deserve more playing time?
Unhappiness often follows an imbalance between expectations and reality. Players may expect minutes and role because of seniority or time invested. But neither guarantees that a player deserves more than a chance to compete for time. Younger players may have more size, athleticism, and skill than older. Highly 'gifted' players often have invested time and received strong coaching because others saw their potential.
If you're that "displaced" player, what is your recourse?
Know your job. Ask the coach what specifically you can do to contribute.
Ask yourself what are your strengths and weaknesses. Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses. Be detailed in your self-analysis. "I need to improve my free throw shooting" or "I need more lateral quickness to stay in front of players."
Find a mentor.
Improve your preparation. If the coach says you need to improve your handle or your shooting, ask for help and become your own coach.
Leverage improvement. Work with a teammate. Drag yourself and your teammate up the ladder.
Ask "how can I impact winning?" Whining is never a winning answer.
Film yourself and your workout partner. Everyone doesn't have cellphone video but a lot of players do.
Keep records in your notebook. Document your workouts and the results. Track your progress. "Winners are trackers." You don't need a spreadsheet to monitor results...but your notebook is a low-cost investment.
Study video. Study elite player separation and execution.
Finish at the rim better. You could start with "box drills" or "wing moves" and practice different finishes. Have the goal to finish with either hand off either foot from either side. When you've improved, add defense and track results.
Some of you are thinking, "that's a lot of work." Yes, it is. But you're the one saying why you deserve more minutes, more shots, and more recognition. When your coach asks, "why do you deserve more?," show her. Show that you took 300 shots a day, 6 days a week and improved range and shooting percentage from 50 to 65 percent. Show that your practice free throw percentage went from 70 to 86. Demonstrate more proficiency in basketball moves, strength, vertical jump, and conditioning.
Summary:
Know your job.
Find a mentor.
Become your own coach.
Work with a teammate.
Understand how to impact winning.
Keep records. "Winners are trackers."
Study video.
Lagniappe. We should play more 2 on 2.
2v2 Paint Drill for posts to work together on passing, finishing, spacing and rebounding. pic.twitter.com/v57qZ3HtWX
Video is the truth machine. Princeton (11) faces Indiana (3) in a second round matchup. "Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." Indiana was highly skilled and Charlotte had defensive breakdowns.
Let's examine some highlights:
1. Not exactly paint touch and ball reversal, but close enough for a Hoosier 3.
2. Charlotte responds with a zipper cut and paint penetration.
3. Charlotte rejects the high ball screen and gets into the paint with good individual play.
4. IU gets separation with a brush screen for a long two.
5. Indiana flattens the defense with the filled corner and Charlotte doesn't get enough 'contest'.
6. A recurrent theme as IU gets superior post position and scores. Denying the post requires both ball pressure and hard work to get defensive post position and/or front the post.
7. Live ball turnovers result in high points/possession. Excellent offensive conversion, quick ball movement and the defense neither stops the ball nor helps.
8. Another example of great post position biting the defense.
9. The tectonic shift in the women's game has been the evolution of shot creation.
10. Yes, it's redundant. The post game is not obsolete with great position.
11. Bad things happen when you don't keep the ball in front of you.
12. Jim Rohn's words echo, "you suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret." Respect the 3.
It's better to read a great book twice than to read ten bad books. It's the same with Masterclass. Geno Auriemma talks leadership. Coach Auriemma's autobiography (Geno) shares that his early years were spent poor in Northern Italy. The children slept around a fire of coals. He rolled into the fire at age 2 and sustained burns that left scars. Life and basketball leave scars. Here are some excerpts/quotes:
"When you can become a great teammate, you can become successful at anything you do."
"Someone will always want you as a teammate." (If you are a great teammate)
"You know...your peers...want you on their team."
"If it were just skill and you were a horrible teammate, they wouldn't want you on their team."
Our family is our first team.
"I don't like the decision...but it benefits the family."
"You start to respect...the number one decision that has to be made is what's best for the team (family)."
"Mastering a skill is difficult...learning how to master being part of that group and blending your skill with others...that's what's going to make you happy."
"Do you realize that you don't do anything when you don't have the ball in your hands?"
"How many rebounds did you get? How many assists? How many steals?" Player answers, "None" (she didn't play in the half). "Good, that's exactly how many you got at practice yesterday." And the light goes on in her head. "She got a triple double in the second half." (And became MVP of the Final Four)
"Become more concerned with helping your teammates."
"The best players....get a sense...of what this team is about...and figure out...how do I fit in? Do I want to fit in?"
"What you bring to that team, you have to bring to the team every day."
"When you do something by yourself...who are you having a reunion with in twenty years?"
Lagniappe. What do you think makes a great teammate?
A great teammate excels in her role, even though she works to expand her role. The most successful givers ("otherish") are also among the most ambitious. Selflessness and ambition are not mutually exclusive.
Lagniappe 2. A well-designed play may still fail because of execution. (BC High plays in the Massachusetts Division I state championship tonight).
Lagniappe 3. Attleboro "Double Cross"
Lagniappe 4. On networking and adding value... from "Slappin' Glass" listen to the last 10 minutes of the Ryan Pannone podcast (Coach Pannone adds value and has risen to the level of a G-League Coach). "Everyone needs help in their career but most people forget they needed help..."
"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso
On "rounds" in the hospital, senior attending share clinical pearls. "We can measure micrograms but we can't measure kilograms." Daily weights are a big thing with heart and kidney failure fluid balances.
People denigrate "pearl clutching." Big mistake.
A medical student said I told him, "learn five things a day and soon it adds up." Keep working at it. Clinical pearls for a Saturday; they're yours? I steal from everyone.
"After your parents, the backboard is your best friend." Too many youngsters leave points on the table by not using the glass and the square. It's scientifically proven.
"What is your (NBA) skill?" - Charles Barkley Find a skill to get you on the floor and keep you on the floor. Few players excel at everything but some are so exceptional at a few things that they carve out careers. The Celtics' Grant Williams is one of those '3 and D' guys.
"Have a system that works for you. Don't work for the system." - Don Meyer Coach Meyer kept multiple notebooks - basketball, general information, an appreciation notebook for his wife. Steve Kerr collected knowledge during his broadcasting career that was "game ready" when transitioning to coaching.
"Develop keystone habits." - James Clear Keystone habits help us build other habits and consistency. Kevin Eastman reads at least two hours a day. That gives him a leg up. Whether it's yoga, exercise, mindfulness, video study...build strong habits. "We make our habits and our habits make us."
"Losers cut corners." - Don Meyer Gregg Popovich says it another way, "pound the rock." Keep pounding until it breaks. We do what we don't want to do now so that someday we can do what we want. The best player I've coached lives by "don't cheat the drill."
"Be a problem solver." How can we reduce turnovers, get better shots, cut down fouls? Coach Lane pounded into us, "the ball is gold." Take care of the basketball.
"It's not your shot, it's our shot." - Jay Bilas Remind players to 'fall in love with easy shots'. ROB - range, open, balance. "Get 7s," those high quality shots everyone wants. No 'shot turnovers' or MY TURN shots.
"Scoreboard not scorebook." Lexington had won consecutive Division 1 State Championships. We hadn't beaten them in forever. We went into their gym and turned it to silence with an 18 point win. I got two points on two shots and held their All-State guard to ten points. Few things rival decisive road wins against top teams.
"Make positive plays." Every positive play won't show up in the scorebook. Deflections, great screens, forcing a turnover, blocking out, denying a cutter, and many more 'small plays' change games. Coach Wooden said this, "little things make big things happen."
"Defensive rebounding is a team skill." - Jerry Krause You know the drill. Coach shoots and five guys block out. ONE TIME in a game, an opponent took a shot that missed and bounced in the middle of the lane because everyone blocked out.
"Assists maximize happiness." Assists make the passer, scorer, and coaches happy. Pete Carril reminds us, "the quality of the pass leads to the quality of the shot." I started one of my daughters (who ended up over 5'11") as a point guard because I wanted her to become an IMPACT PASSER. She was the second best passer on her high school team after Shey Peddy, a future A-10 MVP and WNBA player.
Lagniappe. Becoming comfortable in games requires discomfort at practice. "Make practice hard so that games are easier."
Lagniappe 2. Earning the title of "Coach" is special. It's a term of endearment for me. I don't call someone "Coach" lightly.
2nd best Frank Martin press conference IMO.
Best (which has disappeared from the internet?) has to be the one following Jamar Samuels’ suspension. You could tell he cared so much about that kid. Delivered so much truth (“If this is the worst…”) https://t.co/smFiCH5HWC
Dad didn't share a lot of Chinese proverbs, especially having grown up in an Italian neighborhood in East Boston. But that won't stop me from unearthing some basketball wisdom from the 'old country'.
"Every battle is won before it is fought." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
There's a more contemporary off-color equivalent, "piss poor planning promotes piss poor performance." Anti-Iverson or not, "practice" matters.
The Iverson cut serves as a decoy with a backscreen behind the play.
"Talk doesn't cook rice."
There's a paradox here. Actions speak louder than words, but court communication is invaluable to defend, motivate, and energize teammates.
"A little impatience will spoil great plans."
Plays take time to develop. Passes must be 'on time and on target.'
The first option may not be the best one.
Shots need to be situationally appropriate, not just in end-of-quarter situations.
Better to cut late than early before a screen arrives. "Wait. Wait. Wait."
"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
Don't believe everything that you hear. Think for yourself. Some people talk just to hear their voice. Critically examine new information. Professor Kahneman distinguishes "respect experts" like political commentators and "performance experts" like Chess masters. A more negative version is, "an empty barrel makes the loudest noise."
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
We have the capacity to grow and learn into advanced age. Invest our time, don't just spend it. Use available resources to move ahead.
Mike Krzyzewski 75 years old
Roy Williams 71 years old
Geno Auriemma 67 years old
Tom Izzo 67 years old
John Calipari 63 years old
"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one."
Recognize skills in perspective. Nobody is perfect. We love to point out flaws amidst greatness, to watch giants fall. Michael Jordan had a career three point shooting percentage of .327. That didn't make him a bum. FYI, Marcus Smart has a career three point percentage of .321.
"A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood."
We're a lot like computers, comprised of hardware and software. Bad sectors and bad software don't make a computer useless. "That offense doesn't work." When players don't cut urgently, pass unselfishly, and take good shots no offense works.
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today."
"Better late than never." Have a "today plan."
"One beam, no matter how big, cannot support an entire house on its own."
Teamwork matters. It's like the African proverb, "we can go faster alone but farther together."
"Learning is a weightless treasure you can always carry easily."
Anything can be taken from us but our knowledge. The more we learn, the more we can learn. Invest the time to learn more and better.
"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow."
Widen the space between stimulus (attack) and response.
To prevent regret, have the discipline not to retaliate.
The last of The Four Agreements is "always do your best."
Remember Lincoln's Hot Letters, "never signed, never sent."
Set play: Quick hitter, Backscreen lob out of a 1-3-1 look
Concept: Beating switching defenses with long-range shooting. As a practical point, this video is an argument for switching against less proficient shooting teams (few high school teams will have anything approaching NBA range).
Lagniappe. Prem Watsa reminds coaches "don't major in the minors," meaning don't invest a lot of time in something rarely used. Here's a link to an article on the 4-1 zone defense, violating that premise.
Lagniappe 2. Principles translate across sports. "Dalbec once focused largely on his swing mechanics. Big-league experience taught him that pitch recognition and timing matter equally." The quickest path to improvement is better shot selection.
Lagniappe 3. Offense thrives on space and time. Defense corrupts them.
Against strong competition, pick your poison. Whom must we absolutely contain? What tempo gives us the best chance? And we must get defensive rebounds, avoid bad fouls, limit turnovers, and make free throws.
Ball containment is a must if we intend to extend the defense.
Free throws are the highest points/possession offense. We can't let opponents live at the line.
Win Coach George Raveling's "War on the Boards." Second shots score at 50% and third shots allegedly at 80%.
I loved Timothy Oliphant's series, Justified.
It's vital to know what can go wrong in a gunfight.
Coaches know a thousand things can go wrong in a run-and-gun fight.
If we're not going to get as many shots, then they better be higher quality shots than this.
"Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." When teams can't stay in front of the ball bad things happen.
"Penetrate to pass."
Against tight man-to-man defense, the playbook reads "back cuts and screens." But "it doesn't matter what we run if we can't run it."
Coached for a long time? What are the questions never asked that need asking?Kevin Durant allegedly asks every day, "how can I improve today?"
Not enough players ask, "how can I contribute more to the team?" On the athleticism-skill-game understanding-resilience continuum, have an answer ready for every player on our team. Rephrase the question for the player, "what specifically can you do to make your teammates better?"
No single best question is never asked.
What gives coaches the most satisfaction? That depends on the coach, the level coached, the time horizon. Watch the growth of our players. Short-term I'm excited to see player improvement. Intermediate-term I want to see players achieve success in high school. Long-term, players' family, educational, and career success inspires me.
What unexpected benefits accrue to coaches? Coaching is about relationships and teaching. Coaches meet players, family, and peers with different backgrounds and interests. Most are grateful for efforts to help their growth. Teaching invites coaches to learn more about both basketball and education itself. Without coaching, I would never study books like Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion.
What unexpected relationships occur? In addition to players and their families, coaches develop relationships with other coaches, networking with college coaches, and officials.
What does basketball teach you about life? Lessons from other disciplines cross over to basketball. Thomas Edison remarked that inventors need qualities of persistence, imagination, and analogical thinking. Persistence is at the core of basketball training success. Bill Russell remarked, "Imagination leads to innovation, leading to differentiation." Basketball has many analogies to other disciplines such as cooking.
Michelin 3-star chef Thomas Keller shared how he learned the essentials of craft working as a teen dishwasher at his mother's restaurant.
What is the most underrated lesson that basketball teaches? Amidst many lessons such as sacrifice, sportsmanship, teamwork, and more, basketball teaches the value of discipline. Discipline means developing better habits and sticking to them. Discipline means doing what we don't want to today so that we can do what we want tomorrow. Discipline translates to how we care for our families and communities. As Jim Rohn says, "we choose the pain of discipline or the pain of regret."
What can coaches do differently to help players? Be consistently specific. It's not enough to say you can play tougher, be in better condition, or shoot a higher percentage. If toughness means taking charges, fighting through screens, or finishing at the rim with a higher percentage, specify. If you want a player to run eight thirty-eight second 220s with 1:20 in-between, say it. If you want players to shoot 50 percent from three to have the green light in games, specify.
Excellence is the exception. By definition, most of us are inescapably average. And we can't magically declare that we exceeded escape velocity to a higher orbit. Do the work and see what happens.
What's your question never asked?
Lagniappe. Spurs Zipper Away, Pindown 3
2. "Deconstructing" your shot to achieve consistency ("form begets function")
Coach Popovich says, "get over yourself." But it's not a given. Examples:
Put ourselves ahead of our team
Put ourselves ahead of our staff
Put ourselves ahead of our families
How much self-indulgence is enough? It's not always straightforward. Teams have multiple 'alphas' for whom shared leadership may not work (e.g. Durant, Irving, Harden). The Cal Rugby team led by Jack Clark emphasizes the opposite, that everyone has leadership responsibilities.
Self-indulgent basketball actions:
"My turn" shots
Standing around (energy saving)
Low effort defense
No help defense
"Me basketball" such as players who won't pass on the pick-and-roll.
Model leadership. What kind of leader do I want to be?
Focus on sharing credit.
Derive lessons from failure.
Take more time to analyze outcomes.
Coaching is a sharing profession. Asking "what could I have done differently" or "what would my mentor have done" isn't weakness but maturity. Shifting blame protects our ego but doesn't help us improve.
As teams advance or lose in the playoffs, observe the response of players and coaches. Some will exhibit sportsmanship, others sour grapes.
Lagniappe. "Player development 'moment' on faster shot release" - preparation, connection, sequence... worth the watch
Lagniappe 2. Multi-option SLOB with 2 chances at layups
Pay more attention to underrated. Seek and use the underrated. Be specific.
1. Good teams play harder for longer than their opponents. Their preparation, strength and conditioning, and mental focus create advantage.
2. "The game honors toughness." Toughness is a skill. Tough players set and fight through screens, block out, are first to the floor, take charges.
3. Make hard work your superpower. Do five more...five more reps, five more shots, five more sprints. Hard work is a skill, too.
4. Technique and tactics complement each other. "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." - Sun Tzu
5. Get a coach. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." If you can't get a coach, study great coaches.
"I want to be a better coach." Commit to a process.
Let's extrapolate from Superforecasting by Phil Tetlock. Training forecasting is an analog for training coaches.
Training (develop skill, reduce biases, get specific techniques)
Teaming (learn from others how to examine data and propose solutions)
Selection (score people on results, hold them accountable)
Training. Training includes game knowledge, player development (technique), strategy (tactics), teaching, and communication skills.
Read (books, blogs, coaching newsletters)
Watch and break down video (educational and game) many coaches start their training in the video room
Attend practices of skilled coaches
Doing. Repetition applies for coaches, too. Player development doesn't magically happen. Coaches explain and demonstrate (this is limiting for a senior citizen) while assessing the player imitation and repetitions.
Teaming.
Get a coach (mentor). Nobody knows everything.
Find coaching groups online. Facebook has many public and private coaching groups.
Develop online relationships with area coaches
Consider a 'Zoom' online group.
Selection.
Monitor progress. At some levels, that might mean winning, but for others it tracks growth and performance.
Get input from your mentor on strengths and need areas.
Get feedback from players. "What can I do better?"
No single measure defines coaching proficiency.
Great coaching development advice lightly modified from a Superforecasting summary:
Focus time and effort on advancing your growth
Unpack problems: what limits you? Knowledge, experience, resources?
Divide your time among differing areas of study.
Revise beliefs to calibrate your new learning.
See the other side of the argument.
Reject the 'sure thing' and think in terms of uncertainty.
Avoid boasting. Be humble.
Learn from positives and negatives.
Teach specifics to bring out the best in others.
Try, fail, analyze, revise. Keep going.
Lagniappe (something extra). Defense blends athleticism, technique, alertness, and basketball savvy. Coach Castellaw shares great points.
Analogy to 'cornerbacks' hip turn and run
"See both"
Be a learning machine.
Lagniappe 2.
Virginia Tech used the same set to score 11 points in yesterday's ACC Championship, including 9 of Cattoor's 31 points. The "Chicago Action," pin down into a DHO, gave Duke nightmares.#XsAndOs | #NCAA#ConnectLearnSharepic.twitter.com/MiZorYtE1b
Learn by studying and breaking down film. Here's a look at Burlington which is a Massachusetts Division 2 Final Four club. Strategies and needs are not unique and 'the truth machine" reveals that reality.
1. Zone offense. Good spacing, paucity of dribbling, good ball movement, penetrate to pass, and while Hubie Brown reminds us "only leave your feet to shoot", Burlington makes it work.
2. Defensive mistakes and errors translate into points. Pick-and-roll leads to a corner pass, baseline drive, and the erstwhile help defender gets lost allowing an easy cut.
3. Different alignment initially with a 1-4 high and still an economy of dribbling. Their post man seems more of a facilitator, triggering inside-outside action.
4. More penetrate to pass action with a three-ball.
5. More penetrate and pass and help off the corner 3 proves costly.
6. Defending the BOB. Man-to-man but no screening or basket cut to defend.
7. "Movement kills defenses." Not the Spurs' 0.5 seconds but the ball moves and players pass unselfishly.
8. The short roll to corner 3 is a conceptually good play but the defense draws a charge.
9. Under pressure? The camera loses the action but this looks as though it could be "run and jump" pressure. To help players understand this, I've also called it "trap and go."
10. 1-4 high. UCLA cut. Back screen and cross screen when the pass isn't there. "Good offense is multiple actions."
11. "See both." Defenders have a tendency not to see the ball. When they don't, they can't provide help. Then they get beaten on the closeout.
12. There's no substitute for talent. The guard turns the ball screen into a rescreen and nails the three.
