5 quick hitters to shred zone defenses

Attacking zone defenses is nothing new to the world of basketball. Many coaches, myself included, have used continuity offenses, alternating fronts, attacking from the short corner, high-low attacks, screening and much more. During the last... more »

The ABCs of shot selection

One of a coach’s toughest jobs is teaching shot selection. To eliminate any confusion among our players, we clearly identify the four areas on the floor from where our shots should come. We define the... more »

Encouraging females to embrace strength training

Athletic opportunities for female student-athletes have exponentially increased since the passage of Title IX. In the face of these opportunities is still the stark reality that female student-athletes feel like intruders in the male-dominated athletics... more »

The role of sleep in athletic performance

Sleep is often the first thing that players and coaches sacrifice, but that turns out to be a poor choice. In his 2011 article in Harvard Business Review, titled “Sleep is More Important than Food,”... more »

Q&A: Old Man in the Gym, Bob Taylor

This winter, longtime basketball coach Bob Taylor published his new book, “The Old Man In The Gym.” The book explores the slow decline of basketball IQ among today’s players, and it identifies a cause: the... more »

Running for Punishment: Why coaches should give it up

At a high school baseball game, I watched as the batter took a called third strike and immediately began running toward the dugout. “Nice hustle,” I thought. That’s until he bypassed the dugout, ran to... more »

Using fake handoffs to boost your offense

With dribble handoff action becoming more popular, offenses must do what they can to stay ahead of defenses that are trying to stop it. Since deception is so important, using fake handoffs can make real... more »

How to develop positive relationships with referees

In a perfect world, every coach would have experience as an official, and every official would have experience as a coach. By understanding both points of view, they would avoid or mitigate many of the... more »

Using books, quotes inspires players

We all look for ways to motivate ourselves and our players. Each player and team is different from the rest, so we must figure out what works best for each given circumstance. One thing that... more »

4 half-court denial drills to clamp down on offenses

Denying the pass takes a tremendous amount of athleticism, focus and preparation on a defender’s part. Here are four half-court denial drills that prepare your players for game action. Cut the cutter This drill develops... more »