Category: From the Bench »
Lessons learned from the MJ doc, ‘The Last Dance’
The spring of 2020 was a challenging one for basketball fans, players, and coaches. Both the men and women's NCAA tournaments were canceled. The NBA season was halted and it is unclear whether it will resume. The WNBA draft was held virtually, but th...
Using statistics in planning ahead
At the end of each season, coaches find themselves in a reflective mode. They look back at the season and can recall various events. While they have these memories fresh in their minds and videotape to refer to, statistics can be valuable as an asses...
Transformational over transactional coaching
Recently I heard the phrase “be a transformational coach” as opposed to being a “transactional coach.” What is the difference between the two? Transformational coaches try to impact the lives of the individual student-athlete in all areas...
9 effective teaching methods for coaches
Productive coaches spend 75% of their time teaching the sport to their players and the other 25% of the time coaching. With younger athletes, this gap increases with teaching becoming more important. [caption id="attachment_12463" align="alignright...
8 winning concepts programs must adopt
Field goal percentage, rebound margin, points off turnovers — these are all critical areas basketball teams must address to improve their chances of winning. Media outlets are notorious for sensationalizing game-winning shots, but I want to shed so...
Better blueprints for running a successful basketball program
One facet of coaching that must be addressed more often is the process of establishing a successful program. The product of all your hard work, of course, is the team and how it performs in any given season. The process of coaching encompasses more ...
12 qualities of great basketball teams
Last season was very gratifying for me, as I was able to return to basketball as a scout. While my focus was to gather the necessary information for my scouting reports, I enjoyed watching what successful programs do in various situations. I once rea...
Preparation strategies for the game’s final minutes
As a young coach, I had the pleasure of hearing Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown speak at a clinic. During his talk, he stressed the importance of the game’s closing minutes, identifying your closer, and recognizing the closer from the opposing team....
