Category: Features »
Don’t let zone defenses get you down — beat them
Coaches typically go to a zone defense for one of three reasons: The opponent doesn't have good outside shooters. The opponent's man offense could not be stopped. They live and die by the zone and play it quite well. Many coaches are satisfie...
Try These 3 Inbounds Plays To Score In Any Situation
Keeping a defense on its heels is one of the keys to having a potent offense. There are a variety of ways to be aggressive with a defense and one that we have found to be effective is to look to score on our in-bound plays. Some coaches simply want ...
Ready for anything: A full-court play with 1 second on the clock
Coaches, especially young ones, often don't spend enough time game planning for specific situations. You need to be ready for anything when you're on the basketball court, which is an important lesson I learned from studying the likes of Morgan Woote...
Statistical Analysis: To Hack Or Not To Hack-A-Shaq
IN MY 31 YEARS of coaching basketball I repeatedly heard the phrase "Never foul the jump shooter." At first glance the statement seems reasonable. If a jump shooter with a 50-percent field-goal percentage takes 10 shots he or she would accumul...
Developing consistency throughout all levels of your program
It's a must for varsity coaches to take an active part in developing players during their early years of competitive play. This gives all players a head start when they reach the high-school level. It's almost impossible to have high school players w...
Reversing the ball makes half-court offenses tough to defend
One of the most dramatic things a coach can do to improve his or her team's half-court offense is to teach and reinforce effective reversal of the ball. Failure to consistently reverse the ball results in "defensive loading." Your offense becomes st...
S.O.S. — Save our sportsmanship
The state of sportsmanship in today's athletic culture is at an all-time low. Headlines regarding embarrassing or unethical behavior and shameful violence have become commonplace. The National Alliance for Youth Sports estimates that 15 percent of pa...
Properly developing player leadership
Vince Lombardi once said, "Leaders are made, not born." In our program, we believe this statement and work hard to put it into action. The most important part of a basketball program is the kids. Peer pressure, whether positive or negative, is a gre...
