"Get After It!” has been a battle cry for my teams for many years, so it seemed fitting to title this column “Gett’in After It.” “It” is something personal for everyone, simply, it’s doing one’s best during on the court but actually it’s more than one’s best, “It” is finding what it takes to succeed – giving more than you thought you ever could give. This concept can be applied to anything . . . so I’ll try to apply it here each month. Feel free to send any questions or topics to the website for discussion. In most cases I’ll try to keep this targeted towards coaching any age group. Regardless of the age group or setting (recreation, AAU, or school), coaching be rewarding and very challenging. What exactly a coach is and the role they play differs in many opinions, so I thought sharing my idea of what a coach is would be an appropriate start, and I’ll start with one word – Leader.
Leadership is sometimes difficult to define, but I’ll draw on my military background and define it as an art of influencing and directing people to accomplish a goal. I like this definition because it leaves room to be flexible. As a coach we must be flexible because we deal with different personalities of players and parents, who together must achieve our goal of . . .? Well, that differs too doesn’t it? As a coach, my overall goal is to be a positive influence on players. My objective is to help them see and reach their potential as a player and more importantly as a person. To achieve this, a coach must recognize different needs of different players (and actually different parents too, but that can be a topic in itself). Coaches must be teachers, dictators, and mentors, all depending on the situation.
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#1 First Practices - Teach Plays 1st, or the team won't be ready for the 1st game?
True or False?Well it depends.If you are coaching an experienced team go ahead and start with the plays, but if you are coaching a younger team I would have to say that you have to teach the fundamentals first… This is a mistake that most rookie coaches make that can actually hurt their team. Coaches can’t understand why a play is not working in a game, or why the players can’t set a screen, or even box out. Think about this - when you watch a movie do you start at the end of the movie or at the beginning of the movie? It wouldn’t make much sense to start at the end… Then why would a coach start teaching younger players, who do not know the fundamentals of the game, a bunch of plays first?
When I coach a group of inexperienced players I follow this strategy:
a) I start with the fundamental skills of passing, catching, cutting, triple threat, boxing out, setting screens, fakes, ball handling, etc.
b) Then, when I feel its time to demonstrate the plays (I start with a basic zone defense, and then a basic zone offense) I always show the players how these fundamental skills “apply” to making the plays work properly in the game.
c) Lastly, I scrimmage each and every practice.Nothing can replace live game situations when teaching the younger players (scrimmaging also keeps the younger players excited about coming to practice – they look forward to this part of the practice). Good luck!
There could be many reasons why your inbounds plays are not working, but coaches must make sure that this is not one of them…
Ever notice how the younger players tend to play “softer” if the ball is not coming their way? Especially on inbounds plays, most players tend to think that if they are not getting the ball, then they are not part of the play. For an inbounds play to be executed effectively, each and every player must do their part to “Sell” the play! Coaches must take the time to teach all of their players that each part of the play is just as important as the player getting the ball. All 5 players on the court must do their part (exaggerate a move or V-cut, put their hands up as if they were expecting the ball, call out loud for the ball, set a good screen, etc) to ensure a play is properly executed. One example would be that on a typical inbounds play defenders will usually cheat towards the basket if the player they are guarding is just standing there (with that I am not getting the ball look on their face). Break these players of these very bad habits - when players are on the court, they need to do their part. Many inbounds plays (offensive plays, quick hitters) do not work because all five players aren’t selling their part of the play!
Coaches must ensure that every player understands their role, and how each role is critical to the success of the play.
#3 Making players run after a mistake - Good or Bad?
Good: When used as a disciplinary technique, making players run is probably a good idea. For example I have my younger players run a shooting drill starting from the block. They are to make 10 shots within 25 seconds or they have to run two laps. Why? It’s just a matter of getting the players to focus. When it doesn’t really matter if a shot is made or not, the players can get lazy (and it will take forever to make the 10 shots). So by giving the players 25 seconds to make 10 shots, they will now focus and hustle to ensure that they all make their shots. If the players still do not make the 10 shots - the extra running will help with the teams conditioning!
Bad: When used to punish without good reason. For example, a taller player was told to run 5 laps because they did not box out (they were told 5 times, so they had to run 5 laps). I had later found out that the player had no idea how to box out (they were just starting out, and had never been shown the technique of boxing out). The coach explained to me that this player should already know how to box out, and that it’s an easy skill to do. So my point is this - a coach should make sure that a player fully understands a certain skill before you punish them for not executing the skill properly. It could be that they just need a little coaching.
No Question that a player must run: When a player talks back to a coach, disrespects their team-mates or coaches, cussing, fighting, or shows any form of unsportsmanlike conduct detrimental to the team. Coaches should never allow this type of behavior to go on without discipline.
#4 Why do my players make most of their free throws in practice, but hardly make any in the game?
In practice, most coaches will have their players shoot 25-30 free throws in a row (which is great for increasing free throw shooting memorization), but some coaches neglect having their players shoot free throws using game like conditions. Have you ever seen a player shoot 25 free throws in a row in any game? Players mostly shoot free throws after running up and down the court a bunch of times (players are always a little fatigued when they attempt a free throw in a game). So it makes sense to incorporate some "game like" free throw shooting drills during your practices.
Try these suggestions at practice...
1. Have your players run 2 laps then shoot 5 free throws each.
2. Have your players run a suicide then shoot 5 free throws each.
3. Shoot free throws immediately after any intense drills during your practices.
Having your players experience free throw shooting while being fatigued will certainly help raise your teams free throw percentage in the games.
#5 Have you ever seen a player walk in the gym and start practicing defense?
Most coaches spend the majority of their practices on drills, skill work, and offense – But what about Defense?The old cliché “Defense Wins Ball Games” is pretty much a proven one.When I watch other teams practice and see them run over offensive plays, inbounds plays, run a few drills, and then scrimmage the rest of the practice – it makes me wonder why there wasn’t any time spent on defense.Maybe it’s because the common belief is that it’s so easy to play defense, or it’s just a matter of the players hustling – so the team doesn’t really need to practice, etc.I don’t know?What I do know is that these same coaches will come back after losing games in a tournament and jump right back on learning more offenses, etc. I am here to tell you that if you don’t make defense a major part of your practices, you won’t be as successful as you could be. For younger age groups, coaches have to teach players to be aggressive, to hustle, and most of all that every player must move each time there is a pass). Coaches must ensure that their players understand that defense is more important (or just as important) as offense.Have you ever seen a player walk in the gym and start practicing defense?I can answer that question for you – “NO” – this is mainly because it’s just not fun for them to practice defense.So if you want your players to perform well on defense (which can help your team be more successful) you will need to find a way to make Defense a priority in your practices.
#6 Are you getting the most out of your practices?Go Hard, or Go Home!
Coaches should have a practice plan ready for every practice, but even a well thought out practice will not guarantee success. I always have my practice all planned out, and I really want to stick to the plan (complete everything on the list). Sometimes some things take longer than others – some drills or plays may need additional time for the players to learn, etc. So there will be things on a practice plan / practice list that you won’t be able to get to. Is this good or bad?The answer to this question is “It depends.”Did every player work extremely hard during the practice, or did only a handful of players give the effort?
Go Hard or Go Home!What do I mean by this?If your team is practicing ball handling drills – then every player should be giving 110% - their arms should be tired, and they should be sweating. Players must give everything they have to every drill, play, exercise, etc. If not, why bother?The players are there to learn, to improve, to increase their basketball skills – and not to socialize.It’s the coach’s job to ensure that each practice is about going hard (each and every minute).Players should never be allowed to go below full speed during any drills, conditioning, plays, or any running.Go Hard, or Go Home!
#7 Referee’s – The 6th Man? (an unfair perception by coaches?)
Referees (formally called basketball officials) are sometimes thought of as the sixth man playing for the other team (Ex: making calls against your team but not against your opponent).Coaches usually feel that the referee has done a “great” job when their team wins, but when they lose the game – that’s when the complaints start surfacing.It is true that along with the “good” calls there are plenty of “bad” or “no calls” made by referees, but it’s the way a coach handles these calls that effects the team as a whole.In reality, the best way to handle these so called “bad calls” is to move on (without making negative comments) and focus on the remainder of the game.
The Ref has a split second to either make a call or not make a call (they are human and should be allowed to make mistakes, just as coaches make mistakes at coaching).
Stay focused and most of all keep your players focused!Irate coaches, parents screaming from the bleachers, and players with attitude towards the referees do not help your team’s situation!Once your players lose focus and start concentrating on the refs, they usually do not perform as well. I have seen players make negative “gestures” and “comments” to the referee – only to get another quick call against them (now they have to come out of the game). Players should not make themselves a “target” for the referee (this is the ref’s way of saying, I have to hear it from the coaches and parents, but I don’t have to put up with it with the players).Another good point is that all the time that a coach spends yelling and focusing on the refs – takes away from their time coaching the team.Have you ever watched a coach on the sideline “screaming” at the refs – now take a look at the players – notice how their attitudes begin to pattern the attitude of the coach (now no ones focused on why they are there – to play basketball).
In all my years of experience, I have never seen a ref blow the whistle to stop the game and change a call because a coach pointed it out to them (if a ref calls a foul on a player, then it’s a foul on that player – and the call will not be changed no matter how loud a coach yells).I have seen a ref run by a coach and say “sorry coach, I missed that one” – but never change a call, or call a foul just because a coach was yelling…The thing that makes me laugh is when coaches or parents scream out “Over the Back, Over the Back” – Look it up in the rules book, there is no such foul listed, refs can call a pushing or holding foul, but they don’t call it “over the back.”
One of the worst mistakes any coach can make is to blame their team’s loss on the referees - instead coaches should take a hard look at the following:
1. A coach should examine their performance (play calling, substitutions, time outs, etc) and evaluate any mistakes that they may have made (yes, coaches can learn from their mistakes also).
2. Coaches should review their team’s performance – player’s stats to include turnovers, poor shooting, free throws missed, lack of hustle on defense, etc!A lot can be learned from stats.
Now, was it really the ref who lost you the game?Is it really worth teaching your players to blame the referees for the loss? Think about it!Coaches – stay focused on your team and the game – Do your job and let the refs do theirs!
#8Does Recreational Basketball “Help or Hinder” Competitive players?
Note: This article is not intended to lessen the importance of Recreational Basketball leagues – it is intended to make a point that competitive AAU / YBOA players should consider whether or not they should be involved in “non-competitive” Rec leagues while at the same time participating on a “competitive” team.It should be acknowledged that there are many very competitive recreational leagues (especially in the bigger cities) that do benefit competitive players (but this article is about the non-competitive leagues that are supposed to introduce the game of basketball to newcomers, and allow non-competitive players to enjoy basketball with other players of the same skill level).
On many occasions the Rec Basketball season is going on at the same time as the Competitive (AAU, YBOA leagues) season.Although this may appear to be a good thing (players are playing lots of basketball right), sometimes it can be a breeding ground for bad habits, and it appears to take “forever” to break players of these bad habits.Please keep in mind that this article is written from experience coaching in a smaller city where the Rec leagues are not very competitive. For example, in many non-competitive Rec basketball leagues there are many rules like – no defense outside the 3 point line, no pressing, using a 9 foot basket, players not being able to steal the ball at certain areas of the court, etc. These types of rules can affect competitive players having to switch gears to compete in AAU / YBOA games using high school rules (without all the restrictions). Players can form poor habits that are very hard to correct.Most smaller cities have non-competitive Rec basketball leagues geared toward having fun and allowing everyone to play equally. It is very common for competitive players to completely dominate the weaker Rec players and score all the points (there goes Johnny again, stealing the ball and dribbling coast to coast racking up his 30th point). How much fun can that be for the novice players out there just to have fun while learning a little basketball? Tell me how playing against weaker players is going to help Johnny become a better basketball player?I know the parents don’t mind seeing their child score 30 points, but will Johnny benefit from running up and down the court scoring easy baskets against weaker players orbenefit more from a structured, competitive AAU / YBOA practice that teaches players to become better skilled players?Competitive players that participate in the “weaker” recreational leagues during their AAU/YBOA seasons are in fact “playing down” in skill level (which is quite different from a 12yr old player playing on a 13yr old team – playing up against bigger and more skilled players).
This is one of those “pay me now or pay me later” type scenarios – do you want to hold your son or daughter back from playing competitive basketball just so you can watch them score 20-30 a game in a “weaker” league?If they are going to compete at a higher level of play, then get them started “now” not “later”– It will make a big difference!
#9 "Practice Makes Perfect" or "Perfect Practice Makes Perfect" What's the difference?
Player #1 spends up to two hours outside on the basketball court every day during the summer, and Player #2 spends about one hour every day on the court. The bet would likely be that player #1 is going to develop faster because they spend more time practicing than player #2? Not necessarily a true assumption – Why? Let’s say that Player #1 is shooting around the court, practicing NBA moves, playing one on one, etc. with no structure to the practice and not really exerting much effort while practicing. Player #2 has a structured practice plan with running, conditioning, shooting 200 shots and taking 50 free throws daily, and works at game speed on their ball handling drills. Now who would you bet on?
Perfect practice makes perfect! Always working hard at game speed during practice will get faster results. Practicing softly, without any structure - and all that is accomplished is getting good at practicing the skills incorrectly! Work hard and take advantage of the time you spend practicing - Make it mean something!
#10 Selecting Starters - The 5 “Best” players or the 5 “Right” Players?
One of the common mistakes that coaches make is to pre-determine who their starters are going to be (especially before tryouts or the season has begun).In the off season I have had many discussions with High School coaches, and am always surprised to hear that they already know who their starters are going to be.Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad idea to plan or get a feel on who could be a starter – it’s just that some coaches don’t take certain things into account before making this very important decision.
Let me explain my logic:
1. Do you really know how many and exactly who will be trying out for the team?Are there any transfer students?Are any players hurt?
2.Do you know if your starters have worked hard in the off season?Or did one or two sit around and do nothing all summer?
3.Has another player come along that has improved?Has this player worked hard on their game all summer?
4.How do you know that these players can work together as a unit, and “gel” as a team?Have you seen this group play together?
The season has not begun yet, so why would a coach have players penciled in to their starting line up?What happened to awarding a starting position to players that have worked hard in the off season?Where’s the motivation for players to work hard if they already know they won’t be starting?Or, will your starters stay motivated and still work hard if they have been handed a starting job without really earning it?What kind of message is this sending to your players and the team?The main concern with selecting starters in the off season is that once the season begins, the coach will sometimes “force the issue” with these 5 players in the starting lineup and be reluctant to make a change (another common mistake is not recognizing that a change has to be made, and following through with it).A coach may have his 5 most athletic players on the court, but they don’t exhibit teamwork (too much selfish play)?Or a coach has a 6 foot player as center just because they are the tallest player on the team?
The fact is - that it’s not necessarily the “Best” 5 players that need to start, but rather the “Right” 5 players that need to start.The best possible combination of players that will exhibit team work, unselfishness, and follow the coaches philosophies are your best bet for a “winning” combination!As a coach, if you can figure out a winning combination of players, you will be more successful and win more games.
“They said you have to use your five best players but I found that you win with the five who fit together the best.” (Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics).
#11 Recruiting for High School Teams – A True Story…
I have coached in the AAU leagues for many years and I would like to see a high profile group like yours address the subject of private high schools "recruiting" high school players. I was on a private high school athletic department board of directors and I was amazed at the intense and wide range of opinions parents and players held. The topic potentially could have disrupted the multi generation basketball program and threatened to end it.
Many of the traditional teams that the school had played each season started having more and more extremely talented players start playing on their teams, and the new players began having a major impact on the competitive balance.
Our school, without input from the parent community decided in just one off season to suddenly provide major "student aid" to about ten players from a distant geographic area that had been playing together in AAU for an extended period of time. The next season the school went far up the ladder in the rankings, and the following season won the league championship.
Many problems resulted however. Few of the students at the school knew the players, and attendance at games was low. Many of the parents of the "local" talent were outraged by the fact that their"local" but deemed "less talented" children were not given an opportunity to play on the team. Some said that "professional programs" had no place at the high school level. Many lost interest because the players they had watched play for so many years growing up in the local competition were no longer playing. When the department budget was increased to pay for the significantly more expensive program -(uniforms, travel, PR, etc.) although the tickets sales plummeted - rigid factions became very vocal and the school environment was a haven of hostility.
The board was asked to make a decision on how the athletic program should proceed in the future and our own internal board became suspicious of each other and splintered into subgroups with various agendas.
The local; and extremely high profile, newspaper and asked them to expose the issue. They were concerned and chose not to get involved because of the firestorm it would create. A nationally known high school coach was asked to address the board, knowing that he had voiced his opinion on the subject at a national coaches forum, and he said he did not wish to take a high profile position again so soon after his previous remarks.
Since you are involved with the subject of college recruiting, you might find that your constituents will be very interested if you address what I was surprised to learn was a very emotional issue.
Coaching in a small city where there may not be an overabundance of talented player’s can make a team selection process even more difficult than it already is.In smaller areas, a coach may get 2-3 quality players (or even less), and then the level of talent can fall dramatically from there.Larger cities can provide an abundance of talent, which can also make the team selection process a difficult one (but generally a better situation to be in). If you are coaching in a small city and the talent level of players trying out for your team is low, it wouldn’t hurt to take a minute to read the following information…One very common mistake that many coaches make during the selection process (high school, middle school, and competitive basketball tryouts) is not being realistic about the talent level of players, their attitudes, and what it will take to get these players ready for competitive basketball.Are you being realistic about the talent level of the players trying out for the team?Will you cut a hard working guard to make room for a tall player that is lazy?Will the negative attitude of a player you keep be disruptive to the team? Are you really doing your homework on these players?
Here’s what I mean by this:A player shows up to tryouts that is fast as lightning, but cannot dribble the ball, another player is a hustler but cannot make a lay up, or a very tall player shows up that cannot catch the ball and is not very athletic.Is there potential there?I would say “yes” - but what is it really going to take to get this player ready for “competitive” basketball? And most of all is the player willing to work hard to improve?
Consider these points:
1. Do you have the extra time to spend on these players and not neglect the needs of the rest of the team and their development?
2.Will a players negative attitude outweigh the effects of the possible disruption of the teams chemistry?Attitude adjustment can take up a good amount of time.
3.Does this player really want to play basketball?Why have they started so late?And what was their motivation to start now?
4.Are these players willing to work extra, stay after practices, work on their game on their own time?Do they have the attitude it takes to make improvements?
5.How long (realistically) will it take for this player to develop and start contributing to the teams success?
Coaches initially get excited (which is natural) and say “we can fix that” or “a little extra work and they’ll be fine.” But what happens when reality sets in – the player doesn’t show up for a practice or two, they aren’t doing those extra drills you asked them to do, or the player isn’t catching on as fast as anticipated?Unfortunately coaches cannot foresee these things at the tryout; all they see is “potential” to help make the team better – not the “potential” problems that can occur.Another very common mistake is “cutting” players that are willing to work hard on their game in order to make room for players that you know nothing about (only because the new player is athletic or very tall).If the tryout numbers are small – coaches won’t have the option of cutting many players, but if a large number of players show up, now a coach has some tough decisions to make.The point I am really trying to make here is that coaches should be excited about new players with potential, but they also need to be realistic about the player’s potential to develop.It’s very important to give new players the opportunity to participate, but it is also just as important to discuss any potential problems that can occur before making a final decision.Take a few minutes to think about what it’s going to take to get this player ready to help the team, and if this player has the right attitude about working hard.
Communication is the Key:Discuss the reality of the situation with the player and parents!A short discussion with the player and parents about how long it will take for this player to start getting some playing time, and how hard the player will need to work can go a long way.If there are going to be cuts, this player will take up a spot on the team (which means some other player was probably cut to make room), they have to be sure that this is something they really want to do…
A few items to include in your discussion:
1. Let the player know that you are willing to give them a chance, and are willing to work with them (start off with a positive comment).
2.Let the player know that they are the one that will have to put in the extra work, and you as the coach will help them (working extra needs to be the responsibility of the player, not the coach, this should be made clear that this is up to the player).
3.Let them know that “quitting” cannot be an option, make them promise that they will work hard and see this to the end of the season.This cannot be something that they just want to try, and then say it’s not for them, and quit.
The selection of players is still a judgment call on the coaches part – Will the players you select for this years squad work hard and eventually contribute to the success of the team?Making clear decisions based on reality will certainly help, but only time will tell…
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