LATEST STORIES FROM THE X'S & O'S OF BASKETBALL
A Variation of Kentucky Layups, The First Big Drill
August 09, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Any team that wants to run and play uptempo must utilize their forwards in their fast break and early offense. Roy Williams of UNC calls it going "key to key." Probably most of you coaches have heard of or run some variation of "Kentucky layups" -- not sure where...
Thoughts on Gregg Marshall's Containment Defensive Philosophy
August 07, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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It's August and no doubt many coaches out there are starting to think about next year. One of the big picture stuff to figure out is what kind of defensive team you will be. Depending on your personnel, you'll have to decide between either a pressing/attacking defensive style...
Why SFU Joining the NCAA Division II Will Not Change Collegiate Athletics in Canada
August 06, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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There's been a lot of talk the past couple of days regarding the formal announcement that the NCAA has allowed Simon Fraser University (SFU) to compete in Division II beginning this fall with all teams transitioning by 2012. I am an alumni of SFU and currently attend SFU as a post...
Dave Leitao's 32 Motion Offense Analyzed
August 04, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Reading the other day that Dave Leitao was being linked to a head coaching job in the NBADL, specifically with Rio Grande Valley, it had me thinking about his 32 motion offense and what went wrong there in Virginia. In my opinion, the offense is simply too complicated. But maybe I...
Interactive Shot Troubleshooting with Shot Science
August 03, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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It's amazing that every year you just keep seeing more and more great technologically innovative ways to help us improve both as players and coaches. The Internet has allowed us as coaches to connect, communicate, and collaborate with each other -- to share information like never...
Bo Ryan's X Zone Offense and Options
August 01, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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If you are looking for a good continuity zone offense, probably the best one that I've come across is Bo Ryan's "X" zone offense. The only drawback is that if you run Bo Ryan's Swing continuity offense against man defense like Wisconsin does, you'll need to...
Coach John Wooden is the Greatest Coach of All Time
July 30, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Video of ESPN talking to Coach John Wooden after being named the greatest coach of all sports of all time. The part I liked best was in the beginning when he talked about diversity,
Jim Larranaga's Full Court Scramble Defense
July 29, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Going over some more notes the other day and came across some breaking down Jim Larranaga's full court press defenses which he calls the full court scramble. I watched some old footage of George Mason from when they made their final four run and part of what made their pressure...
Ball Handling Workout with DreAllDay
July 28, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I was forwarded this website by a coaching friend one day, and since then it's been one of my favorite websites I visit. It is called DreAllDay, and it is run by a fellow named Dre Baldwin. One of the best parts of his website are his videos that he's uploaded to youtube, showing...
A Coaches Revolt and More Bad Press for AAU Basketball
July 28, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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From Yahoo!Sports, earlier in the week at an AAU tournament in Memphis, it was reported that Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings had a verbal confrontation with an AAU tournament official, then left altogether. The dispute? The AAU tournament official insisted that Stallings pay...
Coach K is Back as Team USA Head Coach
July 26, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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If you haven't heard, Coach K officially announced he is returning to lead Team USA in the 2012 Olympics in London. Here is a short clip of Coach K talking to a group of Team USA hopefuls about the kind of players they had in 2008 and the characteristics the coaches are looking...
Bruce Weber's Defensive Cut Throat Drills
July 26, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I think most coaches have used some variation of the cut throat drill -- a continuous game of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 with three or more sets of players. In most cut throat drills, when the offense scores they stay on offense, and a new defensive team rotates in.I went through some older...
Optimism-Pessimism, Competitiveness-Altruism, and Coaching Style
July 24, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I've been reading, listening, and watching a lot lately about the debate between the human qualities of optimism vs pessimism, altruism vs competitiveness, idealism vs realism. Indeed, these debates have been going on since the beginning of time. I watched the ABC Special a few...
A Look at The Gary Williams Maryland Flex Offense
July 22, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Like all offenses, there are many different versions and variations based on how coaches have tweaked it to fit their needs. The Maryland flex offense under Gary Williams is one such variation of the generic flex offense. I like the flex offense a lot and I've used it in a few...
How Much Does Tradition Really Matter??
July 21, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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If tradition means anything in sports, in basketball, then the comparison between Billy Gillispie and John Calipari so far has been a study in contrasts. I've been following Coach Calipari on Twitter the past couple of months and he is so immersed in everything UK that you can...
N.B.A. No Babies Allowed Toughness Drill
July 20, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I think a lot of you coaches out there run some kind of rebounding drill where the coach tosses it up and you let 2 or 3 players go at it. I was thinking lately of how to combine a bunch of things together into one single drill to achieve the following:1. Competitiveness.2. Minimize...
Don Meyer's Acceptance Speech at ESPYs
July 20, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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In case you missed it yesterday, the broadcast of ESPYs was highlighted by Don Meyer's acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Award (speech starts around 4:00). My favorite quotes: Don't whine. Don't complain. Don't make Excuses.Don Meyer's F words: Faith. Family. Friends
Roy Williams Philosophy on Transition Offense
July 18, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I posted on Roy Williams' secondary break they run at UNC a couple of years ago but I wanted to revisit it with some slight variations that they ran this past year but also with some newer notes from a Nike coaches clinic. First some tidbits on the Roy Williams philosophy on transition...
Why You Shouldn't Run a True Motion Offense
July 16, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Over the past several days, Coach Bob Starkey has posted a series of posts (Why Motion 1, Why Motion 2, Why Motion 3) outlining why he runs a true motion offense for his Lady Tigers @ LSU. I'm a big fan of motion myself, and so most of his arguments ring true for me, I especially...
Why You Shouldn't Run a True Motion Offense
July 16, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Over the past several days, Coach Bob Starkey has posted a series of posts (Why Motion 1, Why Motion 2, Why Motion 3) outlining why he runs a true motion offense for his Lady Tigers @ LSU. I'm a big fan of motion myself, and so most of his arguments ring true for me, I especially...
Why You Shouldn't Run a True Motion Offense
July 16, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Over the past several days, Coach Bob Starkey has posted a series of posts (Why Motion 1, Why Motion 2, Why Motion 3) outlining why he runs a true motion offense for his Lady Tigers @ LSU. I'm a big fan of motion myself, and so most of his arguments ring true for me, I especially...
The Lady Vols Host Iraqi Girls Basketball Camp
July 14, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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I'm sure this story got more publicity down in Tennessee and maybe across the U.S. but I didn't hear about it until a friend forwarded me the link. Just a great positive story about using basketball to empower young people and to help rebuild a nation. It all started last year...
Free Throw Shooting Practice Ideas from Mike Dunlap
July 14, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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Irregardless of whether or not recent research shows that free throw percentages have not increased over time, I still think that dedicating a certain amount of practice time to free-throw shooting is important. In so much as it has a negligible affect on your team's free-throw...
Is Team USA U19 Gold a Vindication of Amateur Basketball in the US?
July 12, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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First off, I do want to congratulate Coach Jamie Dixon and Team USA on their gold medal finish at the FIBA U19 World Championships this past weekend in New Zealand. I also have to mention Canada's very respectable 7th place finish as well. I often hear the argument, if there'...
To V-Cut or Not to V-Cut??
July 11, 2009 by
The X's & O's of Basketball
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A very interesting discussion thread on the X's and O's thread about whether or not you should teach the v-cut or not. A good description of the v-cut can be found on Hoop Thoughts, a blog run by LSU Women's coach Bob Starkey, which I've partially reproduced below:Once...
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