Basketball Coaches' Club: The X's and O's of a Five-Star Coach

Princeton Offense Breakdown: Chin Series

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:08:00 +0000

This is the first in a basketball clinic series where we will break down the Princeton Offense and we begin with the popular Chin series. There are many variations of this play and it is ran at every level including the NBA. Buy the ebook with the entire offense including side out of bounds and press breaks here for $30 Princeton Offense Ebook or for more information about this ebook, read here

Frame 1: Chin begins with a dribble weave on the strongside between the 1 and the 3 takes the handoff and dribbles back to the guard position. On the weakside, the 2 and the 4 exchange. The post fills the strongside elbow.

•Frame 2: The 3 and the 4 pass across the top as the 4 passes the ball to the 2 on the wing.

COACHES POINT: 3 does not cut off 5 until ball leaves the 4. If the 2 is denied then 4 has the opportunity to dribble at 2 for the backdoor cut.

This is the start of the screening action that makes this play successful. 5 sets a backscreen for 3 cutting to the rim for a layup then immediately goes to set a flare screen for the 4. 2 looks for 3 for the layup or the 4 man off the flare screen

• Frame 3: If the 2 has no passing options then the ball is dribbled up back to the guard spot. The 1 fills the guard spot to receive the ball. The 4 after the flare cut, finishes the cut to the rim looking for the ball, then fills the wing position vacated by 1. The 3 fills up to the wing spot.

• Frame 4: The action continues to the other side as the ball is reversed from the 2 to the 1 to the 4. The 2 makes a weakside UCLA cut off the 5 to the rim looking to score.

The continuity continues until a shot is taken or a shift to another phase.

Building Positive Relationships with Your Players

noreply@blogger.com (CoachMMonroe) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:09:00 +0000

By Matt Monroe, Sophomore Boys’ Basketball Coach, St. Patrick High School (IL)

An essential part of coaching is building relationships. We, as coaches, spend a lot of time diagramming plays and developing new drills, but we don’t spend enough time trying to figure out how to better foster relationships with our players. The greatest compliment a coach can receive is “his/her players will run through a brick wall for him/her.” The question is: how do coaches develop strong enough relationships with their players that drive such a spirit?

1. Show them that you care.
Always remind your players that you care about them. You must show them that you understand their condition, that you always have their best interests in mind, and that they can trust you. Understand that developing relationships with your players transcends basketball. You must show interest in their lives off the court – ask them about their day, their families, or how their classes are going. If your players feel that you are invested in them as people, they will buy into you as a coach. Don’t just tell your players that you care, show them!

2. Be their friend, not their “buddy.”
Make sure that your players feel that you are approachable. Have fun with them, and at times joke around to show your lighter side. Develop a relationship with your players so that they feel that they can confide in you during times of crisis or so that they feel compelled to share with you when something good happens in their lives. Even with all of this, remember that you are not their “buddy.” There needs to be a figurative line in place that maintains the distinction between player and coach. If you become their “buddy,” you will lose their respect as a coach and authoritative figure.

3. Give them ownership.
It’s very important to give your players ownership in your team and your program. You and your staff will make all of the major decisions and will have the final say, but it is important to get as much player input as possible. You can create a sense of ownership by trying the following:
- Ask them to decide on a team shoe or other gear.
- Get their opinion on the summer tournaments your program is in.
- Find out what the “pulse” of the team is at various points throughout the year. Ask them how they feel about their team.
- Have your players construct some team rules.
- Have players fill out a program and/or team questionnaire.
- Ask players to share their “scouting report” of another team or player if they know pertinent information about your opponent.
- There are a wide variety of options that you can use. Be creative!
- If your players feel like they have stock in your program, the success of your team becomes more important to them.

4. Remember that it’s about them.
Don’t lose sight of your purpose as a coach. If you got into coaching to make money or gain professional notoriety, then you are in it for all of the wrong reasons. Your primary purpose as a coach is to help your players develop positively as players and as young men and women. It should be about THEM. If you make it as such, players won’t have to be reminded too often that you have their best interests in mind.

5. We and us, not me and I.
You must try to talk in the form of “we” and “us” and try to avoid always referencing “me” and “I.” It’s OUR team, OUR loss, OUR big win. WE need to get better. OUR man scored. WE need to take better shots. If you speak in terms of “we” and “us,” it will help bring everyone together to reach common goals.

6. Reinforce good habits and actions.
Don’t always comment on the negative. Make sure you always reinforce the positive. This can be very difficult to do at times, but make sure you make an attempt. Coaches who are too negative often times will “lose” their players.

Relationship building can be very difficult to accomplish successfully. It takes up a lot of time and effort and requires much patience. Sometimes the process won’t always go the way you think it should or want it to. Even with all of the work and struggle that it may be, you must always attempt to develop positive relationships with your players. Without the foundation of positive relationships with your athletes, even the best of coaching will fall on deaf ears.

HoopsRoundtable.com
@HoopsRoundtable on Twitter
@CoachMMonroe on Twitter

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE" by Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:31:00 +0000

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE"
BY GREGG POPOVICH OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Coaches you have got to try this drill. It is called "3 Ways" *You can run this drill for 30 minutes if you want to. (This is a controlled Scrimmage)

1. This is a five on five drill full court. Team A against Team B

2. You play to ten points. You get one point for scoring and one point for a stop. *Even if a kid makes a three point shot it counts one point. (You will need a score keeper)

3. Team A is on offense and Team B is on defense. You call a set and throw the ball to team A's point guard. They will run the play, now we are in regular basketball going full court. Team B will now try and score on the far end of the floor and then Team A will come back to the original end and try and score here (do you see 3 Ways?) (This is a great time to work on your secondary break)

4. After they go down and back (Team A would have been on offense twice) they will throw the ball to you the coach and you will start over again, but this time Team B will be on offense first?

5. If the ball goes out of bounds under a goal you can run an out of bounds play.

6. Coach Popovich likes this drill because he is controlling the scrimmage and they are not just ripping and running while scrimmaging out of control. You can teach after they go down and back.

Source: Basketball Coaches' Club: The X's and O's of a Five-Star Coach

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE" by Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:32:00 +0000

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE"
BY GREGG POPOVICH OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Coaches you have got to try this drill. It is called "3 Ways" *You can run this drill for 30 minutes if you want to. (This is a controlled Scrimmage)

1. This is a five on five drill full court. Team A against Team B

2. You play to ten points. You get one point for scoring and one point for a stop. *Even if a kid makes a three point shot it counts one point. (You will need a score keeper)

4. After they go down and back (Team A would have been on offense twice) they will throw the ball to you the coach and you will start over again, but this time Team B will be on offense first?

5. If the ball goes out of bounds under a goal you can run an out of bounds play.

6. Coach Popovich likes this drill because he is controlling the scrimmage and they are not just ripping and running while scrimmaging out of control. You can teach after they go down and back.

Source: Basketball Coaches' Club: The X's and O's of a Five-Star Coach

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE" by Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:47:00 +0000

"HOW TO SCRIMMAGE"
BY GREGG POPOVICH OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Coaches you have got to try this drill. It is called "3 Ways" *You can run this drill for 30 minutes if you want to. (This is a controlled Scrimmage)

1. This is a five on five drill full court. Team A against Team B

2. You play to ten points. You get one point for scoring and one point for a stop. *Even if a kid makes a three point shot it counts one point. (You will need a score keeper)

4. After they go down and back (Team A would have been on offense twice) they will throw the ball to you the coach and you will start over again, but this time Team B will be on offense first?

5. If the ball goes out of bounds under a goal you can run an out of bounds play.

6. Coach Popovich likes this drill because he is controlling the scrimmage and they are not just ripping and running while scrimmaging out of control. You can teach after they go down and back.

Strange Championship Game

noreply@blogger.com (Hoopjunkies) — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:59:00 +0000

www.bestbasketballnotes.blogspot.com www.scoutinghoops.com

Connecticut versus Butler.
Dogs versus dogs.
Correct season(#9 in Big East standings) versus correct season(13-5 in conference play)
A #3 seed versus a #8 seed.

What can we expect from that game?

Well, for a lot of people, that was one of the most horrible National Championship Game of all time. For coaches, maybe you did not see the execution you would’ve like to. For Kemba fans, you were happy he won MOP Trophy, but he didn’t have an incredible night. But for an analyst, a hardcore hoop-junkie or a defense militant, you had a real good time watching that game, and you watched it over and over again.

Shot were definitely not falling for both of these teams, but they had the shot they wanted most of the time. From a Butler standpoint, the execution was just awesome… Now it’s too easy to say: `` Why did they feed their bigs first on most possessions? That big white guy couldn’t make a single lay-up``.

Well, I will leave that up to Coach Stevens.
However, Butler got a lot of quality looks to the rack, against a ridiculously superior team in terms of size, strength and athleticism. UConn also had way more pure talent.
When you look at the Bulldogs defense, words that come to mind are solid, physical, communication and collective effort. Every defender is on the same page. If you still don’t know what I am talking about, just look at their out-of-bounds defense. It’s perfect. They didn’t get scored of the Huskies’ first out-of-bounds (under the basket) option a single time ; UConn are known for having great stack baseline out-of-bounds plays, and scoring right away.

We thought Kemba and Lamb couldn’t be matched up: wrong.
We thought UConn would destroy Butler from the inside: wrong.

If we look at Calhoun’ squad, they had a remarkable run to the Championship, and congratulations to them. They had great defensive possessions, they ran their sets the way they wanted (except for the fact that Butler were too physical at times). They just couldn’t execute most of their out-of-bounds plays.

The offensive end:
• Butler used a lot of last year’ sets. In addition to post their big guys up, Coach S tried to get Shelvin Mack involved a lot on the perimeter. One sad thing is that Matt Howard never really got started. His refreshing perimeter pop-game could’ve made the difference, but the lack of post-ups did not help the Bulldogs. However, both thumbs up to Butler’s rebounding, winning the offensive battle 20 to 17 !
• Connecticut’s plays were versatile: at one time, they will try to give their big post-ups; at other times, they will spend all 24 seconds trying to get Kemba Walker a shot. Coming out of screens, the Huskies struggled to match Butler’s physical play, plus(+) Butler’ switching defense didn’t help them with the number of screens the Huskies set.

Finally, that game was fun to watch, and analyze. The next 26 plays are the ones both teams ran during the Final Game. They did not score on every one of them, but like I said, both Butler and UConn had good looks to the basket. Even if the defensive end was incredible, we cannot ignore the fact that the offensive performance was very poor. At times, Butler/UConn looked like they only relied on their pick-and-roll isolation game to score.

http://www.hoopjunkies.net/ for the whole analysis. www.twitter.com/hoopjunkies follow us!

My own crunch-time.

noreply@blogger.com (Hoopjunkies) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:26:00 +0000

www.bestbasketballnotes.blogspot.comwww.scoutinghoops.com

Coaches,

Today's post is exciting. It's about my latest (last sunday's afternoon game) crunch-time situation, and how I managed it. I give you the two crunch-time plays I ran.

http://www.box.net/shared/qa0na7ljz2

Please read it carefully, and give us your comments/opinions / suggestions ! We will be posting the best ones !!!

hoopjunkies@hotmail.com

Coach M

Must Read for Coaches: Bill Belicheck Motivational Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:02:00 +0000

Bill Belicheck met with his team shortly before the playoffs. He showed them a video of the Breeders' Cup (horse race) and paused the tape halfway through the race with the outcome still up in the air.

He asked the team "Who will win?
The horse with the most experienced jockey?
The horse who has won the most money?
The horse with the best odds prior to the race?"

The team was puzzled, "No, it's the horse that runs the best race from here on out."

You can't focus on prior accomplishments/failures, you must only focus on the present and doing your best the next play.

Coaching Wisdom from Doc Rivers, Hubie Brown, Nick Saban, and more

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:44:00 +0000

-Doc Rivers: "With our ball pressure, we know we're going to get beat off the dribble at times. The only guy that can't get beat is the helper."

-Jay Wright: "Drive like a scorer not a passer."

- "The job of a leader is to rally people to a better future." –Marcus Buckingham, author

-Mike Brown: versus a coach that is a staunch believer in his defensive matchups (doesn't like his matchups to get switched), create a problem for him with your own defensive matchups. Against the Celtics, Brown will put Lebron on Rondo because he knows that the Celtics want Pierce guarding Lebron on the other end and that Paul Pierce 7 times out of 10 won't be able to get to Lebron in transition of a miss.

- "I don't micromanage, but I have micro-interest. I let my people work, but I do care about the details. I want intimate knowledge of what's going on." –Tachii Yamada, president of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

-Jeff Bzdelik: "Before you get into the workings of any defensive system, your team must know how to closeout."

-Bill Self: "When defending a ball screen, the screener's defender should hedge at the same angle in which the screen is set (the defender's feet should be parallel with the screener's—"on the same board"). Hedge defender is trying to get the ball handler coming off the ball screen doing 1 of 3 things: pick the ball up, change direction, or be called for a charge."

-Tom Crean: "Never go beyond the next game ("1 Game Winning Streak"). Look at your next game as the most important game on your schedule."

-Stan Van Gundy spent his year off after getting let go by Miami studying the league and asking himself the question, "What will I do when I come back?"

-Nick Saban: Alabama players were charged with the task of putting together a team affirmation (defined as a "positive assertion repeated by players to keep them focused on all the same things needed to achieve the long term goal of a national title.") For offense the team affirmation was to "strive to be capable of an explosive play on any given snap." The defense's affirmation was to "never give up an inch."

-Hubie Brown: "Don't be turned off from aggressive play by high foul calls in your first year(s) of your tenure. As you start to establish that (aggressive defense) as your style, they (the refs) will respect you and foul numbers will decrease.

National Championship Coach UNC Roy Williams on Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 01:09:00 +0000

National Championship Coach UNC Roy Williams on Leadership
----------------------------------------------------------
As part of the cutting edge Carolina Leadership Academy, UNC national champion men's basketball coach Roy Williams recently shared his insights on leadership and team building as well as some behind the scenes stories during Carolina's run to the 2005 National Championship.

Here are some of the highlights from Coach Williams talk with the Tar Heels captains and coaches:

1. Trust is the foundation of leadership.
Coach William's first goal when he made the transition from Kansas to Carolina was to establish a sense of trust with the UNC players. "You've got to get your players to believe in you." Coach Williams immediately scheduled individual meetings with each of the players to begin the trust-building process. Because first impressions are so important, especially when taking over a different program, Coach Williams wanted to start off on the right foot with each of the players.

2. We'll have a chance to win it all next year...
Coach Williams told the UNC players that if they did exactly what he and his staff asked them to do, they would make the NCAA tournament in the first year and have a chance to win it all in the second year. This inspiring vision gave the players an exciting goal to shoot for as well as a realistic timeline to accomplish it. It set the program's expectations from the onset and gave them a motivating reason for the daily work they would need to do.

3. Coaching is about adjustments. Your game plan is only good for the first six minutes - the rest is all about adjustments. According to Coach Williams, coaching (and playing for that matter) is all about adjustments. You can and should formulate a game plan going in, but much of your team's success depends on your ability to make efficient and effective adjustments. As a coach you must be able make the strategically adjustments, but just as important, you must help your team make the mental adjustments that need to be made to manage the momentum of competition.

4. You can push them but you can't go personal.
Many thought former North Carolina coach Matt Doherty was excused because the Tar Heel players thought he was too tough on them. Interestingly, most Carolina insiders note that Coach Williams is much more demanding of his players than was Coach Doherty. The primary difference lies in how Coach Williams is tough on them. Coach Williams insists that you can and must push your players - but you can't make it personal. Much like effective parenting, coaches should criticize the behavior, not the person.

5. Regardless of how hard you work, I will be working harder. It all starts at the top. Coach Williams talked about how his passion, commitment, and work ethic must set the tone for everyone in the program. He has to continually demonstrate in his actions the standard necessary to achieve success. The players see how much he invests in them and the program and are naturally inspired to give a high level of commitment back to him.

6. I'll take a person who is a little short on ability and academics, but I will not take anyone who is short on character. For Coach Williams, character in recruiting is a non-negotiable factor. He flat out refuses to sign anyone who is not a person of character. "You can't consistently win that way, and it certainly is not as much fun." This bedrock principle was especially satisfying to hear in light of today's Terrell Owens-type athletes.

7. Be on the lookout for the little things in recruiting.
While he is a very personable guy, Coach Williams directly tells people not to chit-chat with him over the summer when he is recruiting. From the time he walks into the gym before games start to the end of the day, he is on a mission. Coach Williams meticulously watches EVERYTHING a potential Carolina recruit does. He especially watches how kids act before and after games, how they interact with coaches, teammates, parents, and officials. He even watches water breaks closely.

He related a story about current Atlanta Hawk and last season's ACC Freshman of the Year Marvin Williams: Marvin fouled out near the end of a close AAU game. His coach called a time out to talk with the rest of the players. Marvin ran to the end of the bench and filled cups of water for each of his teammates who were still in the game as a way to contribute even though he was on the bench with five fouls. "I don't want the kids who are too cool. I want guys who are focused on how they can help the team. I absolutely love it when the best player on the team is also the best leader."

8. Winning TEAMS get the individual awards and rewards.
Coach Williams continuously stressed to his players that the end of the year individual awards and rewards go to the teams that win the most games. Player of the Year and All-Conference Awards almost always go to players on the teams that win the most. Thus, Coach Williams team approach would yield the collective rewards of a championship season as well as the individuals awards.

9. Team vs. Talent - that's a welcomed insult.
The media billed the Illinois vs. Carolina national championship game as Team vs. Talent. Coach Williams took great offense to this characterization and bombarded his team with it in the 48 hours before the game. "Everyone thinks we're too selfish to win a championship. They think we are just a bunch of superstars who aren't willing to play together to win. Let's show them that they're wrong and we can win this thing as a team."

10. Illinois is too good of a team not to make a run - I've got to be the calmest person in the crowd when they do. Going into the championship game against the #1 ranked Illinois' high-octane offense, Coach Williams realized that there would be a point when Illinois would get on a roll. He knew that his composure during this run might be a critical factor in the game and prepared himself ahead of time to deal with it.

Sure enough, during a nine-minute span in the second half of the championship game, Illinois made 60% of their three-pointers to close within one of Carolina. As his panicked players came to the bench for the media time out, Coach Williams got their attention and calmly reminded them that everything was okay. "Hey guys, we're fine. Illinois is a great team; they've been ranked #1 most of the year. You have to expect them to hit some shots. But as the game goes on and the pressure mounts, they'll start to tighten up. And there's no way that they will make those jump shots." By preparing for and remaining calm in a potential crisis, Coach Williams effectively refocused his team and helped them weather the inevitable storm of adversity that too often spooks other teams.

11. You can coach someone and still see 30 years later the impact you had - whether good or bad. Not many outside of Asheville, NC have ever heard of high school basketball coach Buddy Baldwin. But without his example and influence decades ago on an impressionable high school hoopster named Roy Williams, Coach Williams would likely not be coaching today. "Coach Baldwin was the first person to give me confidence that I could do something. And I really enjoyed how good he made me feel. And I thought that coaching would allow me the opportunity to help other people feel as good as Coach Baldwin made me feel about myself." Although seemingly insignificant perhaps at the time, Coach Baldwin's leadership legacy lives on through Coach Williams - who has made thousands of Kansas and Carolina players and alums feel good about themselves.

Finally, all coaches will take some comfort in knowing that Coach Williams' first season as a high school coach his team went 2-19. Ouch! From an inauspicious start to the pinnacle of Division I men's college basketball, Coach Roy Williams has always stayed true to himself and his roots and is clearly one of the class acts in coaching today.

Mental Toughness: Are You a Baby?

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:16:00 +0000

For those that follow my blog, you know I am the proud father of 6 month old twin sons, Luke and Jack. While I am not 100% certain (haven’t had them actually tested), I am confident they are geniuses. I’m serious!

Why? Because they have already figured out the 6 keys to success:

1) Persistence: they never quit. Ever. When they want something… to be fed, to be changed, or hold a toy… they do not stop until they get what they want. Right now they are learning to crawl… and they spend hours and hours “practicing.”

How persistent are you in getting what you want? How relentless are you in your development?

2) Communication: they speak their minds. Granted, it’s in the form of crying, grunting, laughing, and Gibberish... but they do communicate. And they are attentive listeners. When Mr. Wiggles is talking, my boys are listening! They communicate with me (coach) and they communicate with each other (teammate).

Does everyone on your team know their role? Their strengths and weaknesses? The team’s goals? Is this being communicated among coaches and players?

Quick side note: My wife is the Head Coach of our family; I am a lowly assistant.

3) Enthusiasm: they have a passion for everything they do! When they are happy, they bounce around and their faces light up the room. When they aren’t, they flail their limbs and they cry like wild hyenas.

How much passion do you have for the game? Is your enthusiasm contagious? Do you raise the level of those around you?

4) Structure: they are on a schedule. They go to sleep at the same time every night, get up at the same time every day, and eat (and nap) at scheduled intervals. They have a consistent routine.

Do you have a daily routine? Do your workouts/practices have structure or are they haphazard?

5) Uninhibited: they don’t care about looking cool. They will (literally) crap their pants while staring at directly at you. They don’t care if they fall on their face or if they have vomit on their shirt. They are comfortable being themselves. And they aren’t afraid to make mistakes.

Are you worried what others will think if you make a mistake? Do you only practice the skills you are good at so you don’t look bad?

6) Imagination: they think outside of the box. They can spend an hour playing with a ball of tissue paper. They make the most of what they have.

How much imagination do you put in to your own workouts/practices? When you are doing drills, do you imagine there is a defender… or do you just do the drill?

So there you have it, Luke and Jack have figured out the 6 keys to success. Now, it’s my job as their father to make sure they maintain these traits as they get older.

If they go through life with persistence, can effectively communicate, have an unbridled enthusiasm, have a consistent daily schedule, aren’t afraid to make mistakes, and can think creatively… they will be successful in whatever they choose to do.

I have my fingers crossed its basketball.

Just kidding.

No I’m not.

I will leave you with this…

Your answer to the question I ask at the beginning of this video clip will determine how successful you will be: http://TinyUrl.com/WaitingVsPreparing

Please let me know if I can ever be of service to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

PS: I will be speaking about proper pre-season and in-season strength & conditioning at basketball coaching clinics in Columbus, OH (September 27), Orlando, FL (October 1), and Houston, TX (October 2). If you live in one of those areas, I hope to see you there!

The Equalizer: Effective Practice Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:46:00 +0000

Practice Planning: Why and How

We all have roughly the same amount of time and what we do with that time is what separates the best coaches from the average coaches. Time is an equalizer.

There are many considerations for how and why to plan practice. Each coach has generally the same amount of practice time whether you are in the professional ranks, college level, or high school. What separates the best coaches from the mediocre is what they do with those two hours of practice time. Organization and planning can make any practice more efficient and effective. Below are some considerations for coaches:

1. The most important – the length of practice – which should be determined by the time of season

2. Space available: one full court, 6 goals vs. 4 goals

3. Time available. How long do you have the facility?

4. Number of players to work with – 18-20 players requires different approaches than working
with a squad of 10-12

5. Number of returning players. Large number, you can allow less time for explaining drill procedures, rotation of drills, etc.

6. The school year schedule: holidays, concerts, and other functions that will take the gym. Considering these things in your master plan or weekly plan will help ensure getting what you need in on other days, or planning a day off.

7. When we think of conditioning, we consider both physical and mental. Through the year, we plan for and extemporaneously use tapes, records, talks by our staff, selected articles, and poems etc. to facilitate making the players more coachable.

8. We always try to begin our practices with flexibility and warm-up drills, and close with competition and fun.

9. One of the laws of learning is repetition. We believe in giving small doses and repeating frequently. Maximum effort for short periods of time.

10. We believe in small group or station teaching.

11. The most important considerations we can give to devising our practice plan is the organization of a drill so that the players are not standing in line for long periods of time.

12. Plan water breaks.

13. We try to make sure that all of our drills are applicable to our offensive and defensive systems and simulate game conditions. Don’t drill just to drill.

14. We believe in using drills that incorporate all or most of the fundamentals every day. The players know this.

15. We try to introduce new drills, or plays in the early part of practice. Most players learn better when they are fresh and not tired.

16. When presenting a new team system, we present the whole on the floor first, then work on the breakdown next, and present the whole on the chalkboard, before implementing the whole again on the floor.

17. Most importantly, record and file every practice for later evaluation.

Cinderella Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Hoopjunkies) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 03:24:00 +0000

During March, every hoop fan hopes to witness at least one Cinderella game. In other words, an upset. From UNLV (1990) to Princeton (1996) to George Mason (2006), each low-seeded team had something special to come up with. This year, if you did not watch a lot of NCAA, you would say Butler was one Cinderella-team; I won’t agree, but I won’t argue either. If you watched the Northern Iowa VS. Kansas game, now we can talk. Actually, I think we can qualify the 9th seed-UNI the Cinderella team of the Tournament, upsetting no.1 Kansas 69-67.

That game was a big one, but I was anxious to watch the game after [the upset], to see if The Panthers were for real. When I saw that MSU was advancing, I thought: Wow, I can’t wait to watch that game over and over. Two of the most set-plays oriented teams of the Tournament were going head to head in the Sweet 16! Hoping for a close game, I got what I needed: great execution from both teams, solid man-to-man defense and, thanks to Tom Izzo, good rebounding!

Running a lot of box sets, The Panthers got a lot of quality looks to the basket. Often in that contest N.-Iowa tried to take advantage of their shooting bigs. Coming out of pick-and-pops or creating their own shots, Panthers’ forwards/centers found the bottom of the net from 15 or more many times. Contributing to almost half of their team points, the Purple-jersey guards ran the floor brightly (scoring 12 points off MSU’s turnovers), while being able to get to the line also. However, the rebounding battle was amazing. Winning the war 32 to 26, The Spartans scored 6 of their 59 points off 2nd chance opportunities. Surprisingly, Northern Iowa got the same score at 2nd chance points. You know what they say, there are a lot of bad first shots, but there aren’t a lot of bad second shots...

For the green and white jerseys, playing without Kalin Lucas could’ve been a hard task, but Spartans’ Korie Lucious and Durrell Summers managed to put 29 points on the score board, each of them grabbing over 6 rebounds. As I expected, Izzo came up with his sharply-executed set-plays, the same ones (or almost) he was running 10 years ago in the Championship Game against Florida.

Finally, I truly wish that the Northern Iowa program keeps progressing under Coach Jacobson.

Get MSU plays over here :

Play 1 : http://www.box.net/shared/ff5opvazxg

Play 2 :http://www.box.net/shared/pqm4k5tqcs
Play 3 :http://www.box.net/shared/hf3oh0xacg

Play 4 :http://www.box.net/shared/mdob1cultf

Tennessee VS MSU play : http://www.box.net/shared/zdmfogibq8

Butler VS MSU Final Four play : http://www.box.net/shared/sbk5vfszrz

UNI play : http://www.box.net/shared/4tcyji9mkv

Coach Morrow

Traits of Successful Coaches

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:29:00 +0000

“TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL COACHES”

This list was developed by Patrick Hunt, the coaching education director for the Australian Institute of Sport. I have read some of Coach Hunt's material in the past and thought it was excellent.

Great technical knowledge – understand the intricacies and dynamics of their sport which allows them to effectively train and teach players

Good communicators – like being around people, honest and open with their communication

Care for players – genuine care and investment in developing players to achieve their potential. The old saying “players don’t care what you know until they know that you care”

No Bad attitude policy – have clear criteria about the type of people they allow into their team. Value good culture too much to let “bad eggs” infiltrate their system

Recruit players who want to learn – successful coaches are always striving to improve, both themselves and their players. Players must be willing to learn and commit to improvement

Eye for detail – believe in the “power of small”. The smallest detail can sometimes have the biggest impact in the long run.

Seek opinions – secure enough to be challenged and seek opinions from others. Open-minded to innovation and change.

Understand the “why” of their game plan – good coaches don’t just copy another system or game plan. They understand the reason why they use a particular game plan and all the little things that go into executing it. This ties into traits 1 and 6.

Coach with enthusiasm and passion – this approach rubs off on players and makes them enthusiastic about the task of learning and improving

Life-long learners – always looking for better ways, new information. Seek out other coaches. Study other sports for training and playing methods

"One who gives less than what he has to give is telling you what he thinks about both you and him. " (Pete Carrill former Head Basketball Coach at Princeton University)

ACTIVE REST: MAXIMIZE YOUR DOWN TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:06:00 +0000

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVE REST

In order to be at my best this pre-season, I need to rest the month of August. My blog will be back, better than ever, after Labor Day.

With that said, I am not the only one who needs to rest. Most players have been going just as hard as I have with individual workouts, AAU tournaments, summer league games, and elite camps. I know of several players who haven't slept in their bed at home for more than a dozen times the entire summer!

With such a rigorous schedule, your body is banged up, fatigued, and broken down. You need to get in some quality active rest between now and when school starts. Honestly, scheduling an adequate period of active rest may be the most important thing you do all summer.

You need to get away from the game, mentally and physically, to re-charge your battery and be refreshed and ready to start the school year and your team’s pre-season workouts.

I recommend you take anywhere from a few days, to two full weeks, and do nothing physically active except for the 5 recovery exercises listed below. You need to evaluate your current state. If your summer wasn’t too exhausting, then take a few days off. If your summer was packed tighter than an airplane bathroom… then you should probably take an entire week or two off.

And when I say “off”… I mean off. That means no lifting, no conditioning, no shooting, no ball handling and no pick-up games. Trust me, it will do you good.

Perform the following exercises every day during your active rest period:

Lacrosse Ball Foot Massage

Why it’s important: Basketball players’ feet are constantly confined to rigid, stiff basketball shoes and ankle braces 20-25 hours a week. If your feet are constantly in basketball shoes, your ankles and feet get weaker and less mobile. Performing a “self massage” on a lacrosse ball helps loosen up the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of your feet.

How it’s done: In just your socks, balance on one foot and roll your other foot on top of the lacrosse ball. The more weight you put on the ball, the more pressure and the deeper the massage.

How many reps: Do two sets of 30 seconds for each foot.

Foam Roller

Why it’s important: It has a similar premise to the lacrosse ball. It’s a self-massage that helps elongate your muscles and rid your body of lactic acid and “knots.”

How it’s done: Start with your lower calf. Roll back and forth on top of the foam roller as if you were kneading dough. Follow the same protocol for your hamstrings, butt, outside of your hip, lower back, upper back, and your shoulder.

How many reps: Roll over each body part for 30 seconds.

Variation: You can substitute the foam roller with an over-inflated basketball.

Lunge and Reach Stretch

Why it’s important: Great stretch for the entire body!

How it’s done: Step out as far as you can into a forward lunge. Keep your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders facing forward. Put your palms on the floor in front of you (inside of your front leg). Straighten you back leg. If your left leg is forward, keep your right palm on the ground and raise your left palm toward the ceiling (by rotating your core). Look up as you reach up. Then perform the same movement with your other hand (left leg forward, raise your right hand). Then switch legs and repeat.

How many reps: Perform 5 reps for each hand on each leg.

Assisted Hamstring Stretch

Why it’s important: Tight hamstrings can cause numerous problems.

How it’s done: Lay on your back with both legs flat. Wrap a towel or elastic band or jump rope around the middle part of one foot. Keeping both legs straight (one stays on the ground), slowly pull your foot towards your nose. Make sure your ankle stays dorsi-flexed (“toes to your nose”). Hold for 15 seconds. Then, keeping your torso and hips flat on the ground, drop your leg laterally (if you are stretching your left leg, drop your leg down to the left). For a more intense stretch, continue to pull your foot towards the top of your head. This is a great groin stretch. Hold for 15 seconds. Lastly, cross over and drop your leg to the opposite side. For a more intense stretch, continue to pull your foot towards the top of your head. This will give a stretch to your low back and IT band. Hold for 15 seconds.

How many reps: Perform 3 rounds of all 3 phases (straight, lateral, crossover… each round takes 45 seconds).

Bodyweight Hangs

Why it’s important: Helps decompress your spine.

How it’s done: Find a sturdy pull-up bar that is high enough that you can hang from it without your feet touching the ground. Then simply grab the bar and hang. Let every muscle relax and let gravity decompress your spine.

How many reps: Hang for 3 sets of 15 seconds.

If you need additional info, or a visual on how to perform these exercises, please check out the initial episodes of the Can He Dunk? Project at www.CanHeDunk.com. We performed these movements with the participants before every workout.

We will post a new episode each week for the next 3 weeks… so make sure you stay tuned to see who ends up dunking!

In addition to the Can He Dunk? videos, I just posted the remaining two videos from the Nike Basketball Skills Academies. These will be my last two YouTube videos of the summer (videos will return after Labor Day, along with the blog).

Kevin Durant Nike Basketball Skills Academy: http://TinyUrl.com/DurantAcademy

Amar’e Stoudemire Nike Basketball Skills Academy: http://TinyUrl.com/AmareAcademy

Please enjoy your last few weeks of August and get the rest you deserve.

But then get back to work. Your pre-season workouts will lay the foundation for your season.

We will be offering a very comprehensive 8 Week Pre-Season Strength & Conditioning Program download at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com in early September. It will include everything you need to get stronger, more explosive, and in great basketball shape.

Remember… the best players and the best teams are in the best shape!

In the meantime, please let me know if I can be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Better luck next time, Hoosiers ...

noreply@blogger.com (Hoopjunkies) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:07:00 +0000

One of the ugliest first half in Final Four’s history would turn into a real championship game 20 minutes too late. When any of the two teams can’t find their rhythm, it’s hard to have a good basketball game… When Hubbie Brown says he has never seen a worst Final Four game, you know there’s something wrong. When the best passing point-guard of the country, Steve Blake, throws chest passes in opponents’ hands and alley-hoop pass to invisible Maryland’s ghosts… Well you got to bench him a little. So far, doesn’t look good huh …?

However, watching the second half was more than exciting. Indiana coach Mike Davis decided to put motion away and set up his players with plays, which worked perfectly. Even though they were cold from the foul-line, the Hoosiers drained 10 of their 23 3-point attempts. With guards lighting it up from 3, the Hoosiers still couldn’t get the lead, against a solid Maryland defense. With 6 blocks and 12 steals, the Terrapins did really good on the defensive end. With Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox in the paint, Indiana struggled to get to the line, which wasn’t Maryland’s case. In fact, Maryland scored 20 points from the line, while Indiana only shot 7 of them. Even though Blake didn’t have a good game (0.8 AST/TO ratio), his teammate Juan Dixon gave the Terrapins a solid rhythm, scoring 18 points in 38 minutes of play.

Personally, I thought Maryland would come up with a much better offensive pattern; no, I do not doubt Terrapins’ talent. All I’m saying is that if TV didn’t show the score, any folk would’ve thought Indiana won the game (or almost won…). Expecting flex sets from everywhere and solid motion play, I saw a lost Maryland team, led by a point-guard that could barely make an inside pass. If Maryland didn’t have physical advantage, the rebounding game would’ve been a lot different (Thanks to Maryland’s bigs, grabbing 21 of 33 defensive rebounds.). Capitalizing on the fast-break, the Terrapins won with 2v1s, 3v2s and rebounding. The only easy shot out of a half-court set was seen early in the second half. Indiana opened every possible door for a blowout, but Maryland closed them all with terrible passing and bad shots.

From a Hoosiers stand point, they had an excellent second half, and fought until the end. Indiana players are always fueled with fundamentals, good footwork and toughness, which make them competitors for titles so often. With great set-plays execution and team defense, they succeeded to stay in the game, and tying the game a couple times. Here are some plays Indiana Hoosiers games:

INDIANA V MARYLAND : http://www.box.net/shared/xgu1hbmli1
PURDUE V INDIANA : http://www.box.net/shared/yugn4vb2nk
PURDUE V INDIANA [2] : http://www.box.net/shared/nvammjr9om
INDIANA V ILLINOIS : http://www.box.net/shared/1rp2d8n8qi

Hoping to see Hoosiers come back on top again,

Coach Morrow

http://www.bestbasketballnotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.hoopjunkiesonline.blogspot.com/
http://www.scoutinghoops.com/

Embrace Adversity

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:25:00 +0000

Embrace Adversity…

“All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”-Walt Disney

After making it to the Final Four the prior year, we entered last season ranked #2 in Class 4A. We returned a senior-laden team, with seven guys playing their last year of high school basketball. The previous year we lost by 2 after holding a double-digit half-time lead, ending a very trying season. I say to this day that the things we had to endure as a team that year bonded us together. One of our team leaders had to sit out the entire first half of the season for disciplinary issues. (We have two areas of discipline that we focus on with our team. One is the discipline of our standards and the other is the discipline of hard work. The discipline of our standards deal with how our players conduct themselves off the court, and the discipline of hard work deal with how our players practice and play on the court.) We had over ¾ of our games where someone was sitting out due to discipline issues. We new we had the talent, but was not sure we had the discipline to be a great team. It was the adversity that the team faced that made us stronger as we moved down the stretch. We were a team that had an under .500% record (15-17) entering into the final four. I think after a very long trying season, our guys were satisfied with just getting to the final four. We faced one last shot of adversity of holding off a determined team, but we lost the battle.

We gave the guys two weeks off and we were back in the weight room preparing, with one goal in mind. We had a better spring and summer preparation than we did the previous year, and I always shared with the coaching staff that I was waiting to see how we would handle adversity. Again coming into the season, we had players who had to sit out games due to disciplinary issues, which included our two Senior leaders. One Coach asked me, “Is this the adversity you keep talking about?” I told him no because we had overcome as a team that adversity last year. I was looking for something that was going to test the very character of our team. As was the team that made it to the final four the previous year, again, we had a very talented team. It was the same talent that catapulted us to a #2 ranking in the state, which was our biggest challenge. We had scheduled a very difficult schedule for our team, yet I knew that from the difficult schedule, the adversity that we needed would not come from that schedule. During the regular season we went undefeated in our Area Play and we went undefeated at home during the regular season. We lost several games on the road, with key players having to sit out, yes due to disciplinary issues, and we also suffered an embarrassing lost in an out of state Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Other coaches on the coaching staff kept asking is this the adversity that you were looking for, and I still told them, “NO.”

On Senior Night, we were faced with a situation where several of our seniors decided to get haircuts that were not according to the standards that we live by. This was a very big issue because what they did, called for them to miss the game, because a player was not allowed to play with the type haircuts they got for senior night. I can’t begin to tell you the rift that this caused on the coaching staff. The final decision was to let them play, and they practically won that game on their own, with very little coaching. The coaching staff met the next day and ironed out some details and needless to say practice was not pleasant the days following Senior Night. Coaches asked me is this the adversity that I was looking for, and I told them not for the players but it was good for us as coaches. After looking over the situation, had we not allowed those senior guys to play on senior night, we would have lost that team and lost our season. (Not to mention the uproar not dressing the seniors on Senior Night would have caused)

We finished the regular season ranked #4 after being dropped out of the top 10 for several weeks. Entering the season we had 9 goals, and those were to:

1. Go Undefeated At Home
2. Win All Area Games
3. Host The Area Tournament by accomplishing Goal #2
4. Win The Area Tournament
5. Host Sub-Region by accomplishing Goal #4
6. Win Sub-Region Game (If you lose this game, your season is over)
7. Win the Regional Championship
8. Make It To The Final Four by accomplishing Goal #7
9. Win 4A State Championship.
As Area Play began we easily made it pass the first round. In the Championship Game we played one of the worst defensive games we had ever played. The opposing team shot over 50 free throws that game and we lost by one point for the first time on our home court that season. We stood there in our gym forced to watch the opposing team hoist the Area Championship Trophy in our own gym. After that game, I spoke to the team during or post-game talk that we had just faced the adversity that we needed to face as a team. We were unable to check off goals 4 and 5 on the goals sheet. We had to go on the road and win to continue our season. Going on the road and trying to end another team’s season in their gym, was not something we looked forward to doing. I shared with them that all our dreams could come to an end, just like that, if we try to rely on our talent alone to win the State Championship. The adversity that I was looking for was the kind that would challenge their talent level. Something that would make them see that they could not rely solely on their talent, but they had to rely on the discipline of hard work to win. We eventually had to beat this same team in the Regional Championship game to advance to the Final Four.

From that day until the State Championship game the discipline of hard work, and the focus needed to be champions was present. We ultimately won the state championship last season. Had we not had the right type of adversity for this team, I do not think we would have won. We needed that kick in the teeth at that time.

I am not wishing on any team adversity late in the season, but there is no way we can control the winds of adversity. Late-season adversity tests the true inner strength of a coach and the bond of a team. I have seen many teams fail to recover from late-season adversity, but with the right focus and plan of action, recovery is possible, and I do mean recovering to still accomplish your goals.

For a coach that may be reading this blog, I challenge you to embrace adversity throughout your season. I say embrace it because whether you want to deal with it or not, you will face some type of adversity. Maybe it is an injury to a star player, a multi-game losing streak, or losing a player to academic suspension, you will face adversity.

The following are some focal points to assist you when you are faced with adversity. This is not the “gospel” on how to handle adversity, but it gives you a map to navigate through the adversity.

1. Embrace the Adversity (Rosemarie Rossetti once said, ““Adversity precedes growth.” If you embrace the adversity you will embrace the growth of your team)
2. Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of the adversity?” (Determine The Purpose of the adversity in scope to the total team. Knowing the purpose of something gives you strength to endure)
3. Don’t Let Them See You Sweat. (When adversity hits, all eyes will be on you, even if you are not ok, the team should never know. Have people in your life, maybe a mentor, or a peer coach, whom you can be vulnerable with)
4. Be Optimistic. (You must have the right attitude)
5. Re-Hash The Season Goals (Re-assure the team that the goals have not changed and the mission is still to complete the objective)
6. Limit-The Focus (Don’t let the problem overshadow the ultimate goals of the team)
7. Stay Consistent (Don’t drastically change how you relate to the team, stay consistent with them)
8. Don’t Quit (Give everything you have to your team to put them in a position to accomplish their goals and be successful)
I hope that this blog has helped you in some way. Every team faces adversity, and I hope that you have gained some kind of insight that will help you embrace the adversity of the up-coming season. Let’s Go!!!!!!

I would like to thank Coach DeForest for the opportunity to contribute to the blog. It is my prayer that I was able to help you on your journey.

Terry Drake is Assistant Coach of Ramsay High School in Birmingham AL. Lead Trainer of Pinnacle Basketball, a Basketball Skill Development Company.

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/CoachK4Life

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/tjdrake

You can contact me at:

pinnaclebasketball@gmail.com

Identity problems ? Not for the Orange !

noreply@blogger.com (Hoopjunkies) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:57:00 +0000

Having an identity… As a person, as a team and as a basketball coach. For some, having an identity, your own philosophy, is one of the most important thing in the game today. Basketball is a fast game, full of opportunities. At some point, during a basketball game, you will have to make a choice, to take decisions; as a player, and, certainly, as a coach… That is where your philosophy comes into play. Before practice, during the team meeting, those key words you repeat and repeat again, rely on your game philosophy. During the game, when you get pissed off, and you feel like your heart is going to explode... That often means somebody on the team didn’t stick to your plan that relies on your philosophy.

Every Championship-Winning College teams had a clean and clear identity… Every year. When everyone knows what the coach is clearly asking for, it is easier for the players to get together and work as a team. In clinics, every great coach tells other coaches to be their-selves, not anybody else. You can’t steal identities. Personally, I would rather pay to go watch two average clearly-defined IVY-League teams compete against each other, then any NBA game (Okay, let’s say regular season games…). Watching teams that seem lost on the court, getting yelled on by a coach that wants everything, but doesn’t want to give up anything, really pisses me off. Thank God, I got to see the 2003 NCAA Championship game. You remember now? I’ll give you a clue: Orange. Still didn’t find out? Here’s another one: 40 minutes zone defense. Well, if you are still searching, we forgive you anyways, but you got to watch the Syracuse Orangemen play defense! That’s right, the 2003 Championship was opposing two strongly defined teams, in Syracuse and Kansas. The game was not even started, that I hoped Syracuse would win, and I wasn’t even a big fan of the Orangemen.

The Boeheim’ squad played extremely well on the offensive end. Yes coaches, it was NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony first and last college year, but Syracuse did win with beautiful team play. With Gerry McNamara, one of nation’s best shooting-guard, Syracuse had a strong back-court. Evidently, the Orangemen played zone defense, according to Coach Jim Boeheim’s philosophy. However, I do think that Kansas got too many points in the paint. Even though the Jayhawks had good perimeter players and great bigs, Syracuse got lucky that Kansas didn’t shoot over 40% from the free-throw line, one of the worst championship-game foul-shooting percentages ever. Even though I blame the Orangemen defense, maybe I should look on the other side and admire Kansas’ zone offense. One of the better words to describe the way they got all these looks is: SIMPLE. The Jayhawks did put on a clinic on zone offense, against one of the best zone teams in the country. Now you tell me Kansas had two 6’11 big man, with greats hands and good feet, and taking example on them wouldn’t be fair. Wrong answer. You don’t need 7-footers to run simple and efficient Kansas zone offense, because you probably don’t have 7-footers defenders in your league. If so, please send me an e-mail and I would be glad to go watch your games! With a few quick-hitters, clever passing and player movement, Kansas was 4 points away from a Championship, falling to Syracuse in a 81-78 loss.

Here is one of Syracuse quick-hitting play : http://www.box.net/shared/0zz4t8u841

Coach Morrow

www.hoopjunkiesonline.blogspot.com

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:37:00 +0000

pe of adversity. Maybe it is an injury to a star player, a multi-ga

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:36:00 +0000

u to embrace adversity throughout your season. I say embrace it bec

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:36:00 +0000

very is possible, and I do mean recovering to still accomplish your

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:36:00 +0000

ason, but there is no way we can control the winds of adversity. La

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:36:00 +0000

do not think we would have won. We needed that kick in the teeth at

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:35:00 +0000

ip game the discipline of hard work, and the focus needed to be cha

noreply@blogger.com (Coach DeForest) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:34:00 +0000

State Championship. The adversity that I was looking for was the ki