LATEST STORIES FROM THE X'S & O'S OF BASKETBALL
Bill Belichick's Situational Practices
The Super Bowl is coming up this coming Sunday and one of the coaches roaming the sidelines will be Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. I've long looked up to Belichick and have done a lot of research as to what makes him so good at what he does. And one of the aspects of coaching he is most known for is situational practices. The idea that clutch situations are won and...
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14 days ago
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14 days ago
Discuss
Mental Focus Ideas to Start Practices
One of the things I haven't talked that much about overall on this blog has been how to prepare and plan practices. As an assistant the past 6 years or so, I haven't had to really think too much about it, as the head coach was the one responsible for putting it all together, I just did whatever the head coach wanted me to do.Probably the most important part of being a head...
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January 10, 2012
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January 10, 2012
Having the time of my life, Happy New Year to All
We all have so much to be thankful for as we look back at another year's past. I am thankful for being given the opportunity to teach and coach at what I consider the best place on earth. I hope you are all having as much fun coaching basketball as I am having this season. For me, just having the chance to call the shots has been exhilarating enough. After an early stint as a head...
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December 29, 2011
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December 29, 2011
To Leak or To Rebound Down on Wing Jumpers
I was watching the Lakers vs Bulls last night and one of the key plays at the end of the game came on an offensive rebound by Luol Deng who got an and1 play to bring the Bulls to within 1 with less than a minute to go in the game.It was a weird bounce as Deng shot a 3ptr and the ball came right back at him. I went back and looked at the highlights and replay of the play and I could...
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December 26, 2011
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December 26, 2011
Winning the Mental Match
I know this is a blog that is supposed to talk about the X's and O's, but I don't think as a coach you can ever dismiss the fact that games are won and lost mentally just as much as they are physically.The team that I coach is 3-1 so far and this past weekend we went up against the #3 ranked team. We were inconsistent most of the first half but managed to even up the...
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December 11, 2011
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December 11, 2011
2-on-1 Fast Break Dribble with Inside Hand
Getting more into basketball mode as our first official game of the year is coming up on Monday Nov 28. Here is a great coaching tip on the fast break. In a 2-on-1 situation, the player with the ball should dribble with the ball with the inside hand (right if on the left side, left if on the right side). The reasoning being that it is easier to push bounce pass if the defender comes...
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November 27, 2011
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November 27, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving to All
I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the American readers and contributors out there. It's easy to think about all the "things" that you don't have, the "things" that you want, and the "things" that you wish you had. Like all of people out there, I also fret a lot about "things", but all I know is that when I get out there in...
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November 23, 2011
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November 23, 2011
Authentic Transition Offense Drills
One teaching term that I've been thinking about alot lately as it pertains to coaching is "authenticity". Specifically, I've been reflecting about the drills that I use and how effective they are at in teaching skills in game-like situations.Take for example, transition offense. We all have our favorite drills that we use, 3-on-2 to 2-on-1, or 3-on-2 continuous...
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November 06, 2011
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November 06, 2011
3 Great Ideas to Speed up Practices
Most of you are probably getting ready or have already started your practices/tryouts for the upcoming season like we are here as well.It's one of those things that no matter how well you seem to plan your practices, there are always times where practice seems to get bogged down, or the the tempo grinds to a halt. Players are doggin' it, and it just isn't moving as quickly...
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October 23, 2011
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October 23, 2011
How Bad Do You Want It?
I've been teaching a pre-season strength and conditioning class every morning at 7am. All of the basketball players freshman to seniors are in the class and I've been progressively making the workouts harder and harder each week. I use motivational quotes every day and I'm always looking for ways to push them. There are some great quotes to use from the clips below.If...
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September 25, 2011
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September 25, 2011
Open Gym Ideas
I know that it has been forever since my last post. It's been crazy since I was officially hired several weeks ago. Our football season has been in full swing and so far we are undefeated, picked to finish dead last in the entire province/state and we just went toe to toe with the number 4 ranked team and we came from behind to win the game.Our basketball teams have been running...
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September 25, 2011
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September 25, 2011
Go Mauraders Go!!!
Coaches, just a quick update for you all. I haven't had a chance to put anything together this past week as I've been gearing up for my new teaching job at the school that I am coaching at. I just got the job earlier in the week and it has been quite the whirlwind of preparing our football team for our first game, helping organize open gyms with the basketball teams, and...
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September 04, 2011
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September 04, 2011
Most Important Part of the Scouting Report
Watched a few more videos the last day or so with coaches Bob Knight, Bo Ryan, and Sherri Coale. One of the things they said was the most important thing they look for in a scouting report was to identify the player on the opposing team that was the worst percentage outside shooter. That is the player that they want to cheat on for help defense.
Seems pretty obvious, but it'...
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August 28, 2011
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August 28, 2011
Call for the ball with your outside hand
It's the calm before the storm, football training camp begins on Monday for us, and my girlfriend is going away to Europe for 2 weeks. So I decided with my last day of nothing really to do, I went downtown and caught some live 3-on-3 action at the annual NBA Jam Session 3-on-3 tourney. It is a cross country tournament held every year for players of all ages and skill. I was watching...
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August 22, 2011
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August 22, 2011
Fake Trap = Hedge and Recover
I think every coach has had the situation happen before where we use a lot of coachspeak and the players look at you with that puzzled look. And then you use a different word and then it instantly clicks.
For years, in teaching M2M defense, I've always used the term "hedge and recover". To me, it seems natural, I've been around coaching long enough and I always...
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August 17, 2011
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August 17, 2011
Using 2 Point Guards at the Same Time
After this past season where we started 2 point guards, the more I think about it, it is something that I would definitely go to again given the personnel. The game of basketball has evolved to more of a dribble drive attack and having 2 point guards allows you to take advantage of the extra speed off the dribble. There are also several added benefits:
- never get pressed. Teams...
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August 15, 2011
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August 15, 2011
Number One Mistake Coaches Make...
I often talk to coaches and they say that they plan on installing a new offense in the fall. They say they want to go to a dribble-drive motion, or a Princeton offense, or they want to use a new zone offense they picked up from watching another team run it last season. Fast-forward to the end of the season, and when I ask coaches how the new system worked, I get a lot of responses...
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August 14, 2011
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August 14, 2011
You don't tippy toe in — You carry a spear...
When you go in the lion's den, you don't tippy toe in — you carry a spear, you go in screaming like a banshee, you kick whatever doors in, and say, 'Where's the SOB?' -- Brian Billick, former Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens
I was reading something the other day from Brian Billick (who is now a FOX Sports football analyst) and I came across the quote above...
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August 10, 2011
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August 10, 2011
Sylvia Hatchell 2-Rule Motion Offense
Going through some more videos the other day and really enjoyed UNC women's head coach Sylvia Hatchell's Quick Break DVD. It's not a great DVD if you're new to coaching and looking for the encyclopedia on offense. But for more experienced coaches, she's got some great tidbits in it.One of the best parts is where she explains her 2-rule motion offense. Very simple...
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August 06, 2011
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August 06, 2011
Never Open up Your Gate on Defense
I saw some club teams play a game the other day and one of the big things that I'm seeing lately is really bad one-on-one defense. Now, I know that in these summer games, not a lot of players and teams play much defense anyways, but that's besides the point, I'm seeing the same phenomenon in high school games too.I think one of the major problems is that when we teach...
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July 29, 2011
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July 29, 2011
More Summer Reading, The Jerry Joseph Scandal
An excellent read from GQ Magazine about a 22-year old who posed as a 16-year old in Odessa Texas, playing for the football-famous Permian Panthers before he got busted and the whole thing blew up in his face.The story has a little of everything in it, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being made into a movie.
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July 29, 2011
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July 29, 2011
What Players are Looking for in Their Coaches
Going through the 2011 Nike Coach of the Year clinic manual and I want to quote coach Houston Nutt, head football coach for Ole Miss,Players are looking for the following characteristics in a coach:- They are looking for somebody they can trust.- They are looking for somebody the can depend on.- They want to have someone predictable and consistent.- They also want to have someone...
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July 27, 2011
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July 27, 2011
1-4 Across to Beat Matchup and Man Presses
A lot of you probably have this press breaker in your arsenal against aggressive full court matchup or man presses, but if not, something interesting to consider. I was re-watching Billy Donovan's DVD on his Full Court Matchup Press the other day and one of the press breakers he talked about that gave them the most problems was the 1-4 across set. The wing players can really...
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July 25, 2011
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July 25, 2011
A Closer Look at the Bill Green True Matchup Zone
The last couple of days I've been busy putting together a defensive manual for our football team in preparation for the upcoming season and one of the big areas I was researching was the idea of pattern reading. You see, in football most teams that use a zone defense have gone away from straight spot dropping and match receiver routes instead. So, they align in a set zone, say...
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July 22, 2011
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July 22, 2011
Here's Some Summer Inspiration
It's definitely the dog days of summer, and I'm trying to get in some reading and came across this great article about Coach Bobby Greco Jr. pursuing his dream to coach football. It's hard enough to coach with all of my faculties in working order, I can't even imagine how to do it from a wheelchair. But that is exactly what Coach Greco does everyday, as an assistant...
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July 18, 2011
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July 18, 2011
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The X's & O's of Basketball
To spread the knowledge that I have on coaching basketball. I feature college basketball plays and individual NBA players and their fundamentals.
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