SELECT WISELY...

Don't look for a shot you think you can make... look for a shot you cannot miss.  Shot Selection is the #1 thing that usually determines whether a team wins or loses.  Sports Center type shots may look really cool, but they rarely go in, which is why they're shown on TV.  High-percentage shots are the shots that win games... and Championships.

JUMP STOPS CORRELATE WITH JUMP SHOTS

I don’t think there is much debate over the shooting ability of Ray Allen (Celtics) or Mike Miller (Heat).  Let’s take Ray.  If you will notice the he gives a little hop (Jump Stop) prior to receiving the ball.  “Ball is in the air and his feet are in the air.”  Catch and shoot (Its’ quick)! It is quicker than the other way.  I don’t believe you can change the method over night...it is going to take a true commitment but it is definitely worth the change.

Most coaches teach from the shoulder up etc.  I personally think it starts with the feet (Balance).  “Don’t sacrifice balance with the jump shot!!”

My best pupil was Nelson Franse at the University of New Mexico.  He was taught as a youngster the two step jump shot but it was too slow and he couldn’t get off quick enough.  So we changed his shot over the summer.  Nelson would go to the “Pit” everyday and spin the ball out in front of him and step into the ball with a jump stop and catch and shoot.  He MADE 100 everyday from the 3-point range and won several ball games for us with his outstanding shooting.  Note: When we did the R/F/S Rebounder/Feeder/Shooter drill daily Nelson would knock down 20+ shots in a 60 second turn.

Watch Ray Allen (Boston) or Mike Miller (Heat)...  It’s all about JUMP STOPS (hops) and being on balance squared to the basket.

(From Gary Colson on Fastmodelsports.com)

SPORTS SCIENCE - THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE

Great explanation of the Triangle Offense used by the Lakers and why it has been so successful.

UNDERSTANDING SHOT SELECTION

"When it comes to shot selection, you must differentiate between a bad shot and a missed shot.  A missed shot can still be a good shot."

- Sefu Bernard

SPORT SCIENCE AND FREE THROWS

An interesting Sport Science on the art of free throws.

AN EXTENSION OF THE COACH ON THE COURT

As a coach, I've always felt my most valuable player on the court was my point guard, and over the years I've had many PG's that were great ball handlers, but it was a rare thing to have one with a "true" PG mindset.  I came across an article in the Charlotte Observer that really summed up the kind of PG every coach wants.

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Since Kendall Marshall took over the starting point guard job on Jan. 18, the Tar Heels have picked up their pace and scoring average, winning nine of 10 games.  When former starter Larry Drew II abruptly opted to transfer in early February, Marshall was left as the team's only true ballhandler.  Since then, he has become an extension of Tar Heels coach Roy Williams on the floor.

"He understands time and score better than most people," Williams said.  "He understands who's hot and who's not; he understands who's in foul trouble on the other team.  He's a thinking man's point guard, with a lot of ability, too."

It's one thing to want to pass to teammates from seemingly impossible angles; it's another thing to actually be able to do it.

"Passing is something you have to think about, more than action," he said.  "You have the mechanics - thumbs down and things like that.  But at the end of the day, you just have to know where your teammates want the ball without the defender getting in the way."

(Thanks Charlotte Observer)

A POINT GUARD vs A "TRUE" POINT GUARD

At the middle & high school level, the best ball handler on a team usually ends up being the point guard by default. But being a great ball handler doesn’t necessarily mean that the player will be a great point guard. A “true” point guard is so much more than a great ball handler… they are in essence the coach on the court and the player that understands the game enough to be able to make their teammates better.

John Wall turned the Rookie Challenge at this weekend’s NBA All Star festivities into a personal playmaking clinic. Before the game, the Washington guard looked up the Rookie Challenge's assists record which was 17, by Chris Paul in 2007 and said he planned to beat it. Wall scored 12 points when he wasn't repeatedly setting up his fellow rookies for acrobatic dunks and wide-open jumpers. Wall racked up a record 22 assists to win the MVP award,

(Thanks John Hollinger)

IT'S "OUR" SHOT - NOT YOURS

It doesn’t matter how beautiful a swing a baseball player has; if they always swing at bad pitches, their batting average will be embarrassingly low. The same holds true for basketball players. You can have the sweetest looking jumper in the world; but if you take off-balance, contested or rushed shots... you have poor shot selection and those types of shots will likely result in a miss. 

It's not about YOUR shot... it's about OUR shot.  Make every offensive possession count.

(Thanks Tyler Coston)

SEEK CONTACT... DON'T AVOID IT

Although basketball is more of a finesse sport than football, basketball is still a contact sport.  Unlike football, there are no blitzing linebackers looking to separate your head from your body, but you, as an offensive player should have the attacking mentality.  Rather than working to avoid contact – you should actively seek to make contact with the defensive player guarding you.

As an offensive player with the basketball, you want to have an attack mindset and operate in straight lines, not loops and arcs.  Too often, players allow defensive contact to force their penetration off their line of attack.  This happens because the skill is not consolidated by athletes.  Basketball players aren't used to constant contact, nor having to play through the contact an entire game.

(Thanks Lyndsey Fennelly)

DEFINE "BAD SHOOTER"

A "Bad Shooter" is a player who takes ill-advised shots at ill-advised times... shots that are usually off-balance, rushed or out of range. Bad shots usually turn into defensive rebounds.

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DON'T HIDE FROM THE BALL

AVAILABILITY:  One of the chief assets of a good player is the ability to play the game constantly available to the ball.  A player who is constantly available defuses a lot of potentially troublesome situations, and prevents a lot of teammates' turnovers.

Good players ask themselves constantly, "Can the ball be thrown to me now WITH NO PROBLEM?"  Many players have a tendency to "hide" or not come hard to the ball, thereby making passes to them difficult to throw.  Or players have a tendency to wait until a teammate is double-teamed and in real trouble before it ever occurs to them to try to help out by running for the ball.  A good player will sense the trouble BEFORE it happens.

Good players always expect to facilitate things by being available for a pass-- an easy pass, not a great, needle-threading pass.

Don't wait for the ball to come to you.  Always be in a position where the ball can be thrown to you easily.  Never stand forty feet from the ball and watch the action.  Even when you are cleared out on the weakside, you should still be just a step or two away from the lane, about to break in anytime an opening or opportunity presents itself.

(Thanks Rick Allison, excerpt from Dick DeVenzio’s book “STUFF Good Players Should Know”)

POST: THE DROP STEP

PLAY SMARTER - NOT HARDER! PT. 2

In the same game yesterday, I watched a player attempt to drive baseline on two occasions. Both times resulted in a turnover. On the first drive, the player recognized she was about to be trapped and threw up a garbage shot that bounced off the bottom of the backboard and into the hands of the defense.   The second attempt resulted in a trap and a jump ball.  When players make mistakes like these (and yes they ARE mistakes), it makes them look like they do not know know to play the game.

Players need to recognize that driving the baseline against a decent defensive team often results in a trap, turnover or a missed shot.  Good coaches constantly preach to avoid the baseline unless you have an open lane.

Play smarter - not harder!

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DON'T BE BLINDED BY THE BASKET - SEE THE D

One of the many things I consistently preach to athletes is to always race the ball down the court and look for an "easy" basket....but if an easy basket is not there, don't force the ball inside, but instead set up the offense and run your plays.

I attended a boys varsity game on Friday (that went to OT) and watched a talented athlete succeed in racing the ball down the court trying to beat the defense... but for some reason, he was not able to recognize that the defense was often in position to contest penetration.  The athlete in question repeatedly forced the ball inside over and over again without ever making a pass, which resulted in numerous missed shots that were off-balance and rushed (which in-turn became defensive rebounds).  He also ended the game with six TO's, mostly from ball handling mistakes in traffic.

An athlete must be able to recognize the difference between an "easy" shot and a shot that will likely be contested...and that comes from reading the defense.  Athletes must also understand that a defense typically begins to breakdown after 3 or 4 passes.  Although the goal on offense is to score... it's sometimes necessary to force the defense into playing help and recover until it shows it's weak spots before actually attacking the basket.

Don't get so focused on attacking the basket that you blindly ignore the defense.

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PASSING IS A RELATIONSHIP

According to renowned Italian and EuroLeague coach, Renato Pasquali, passing is a relationship formed with others. When you do not pass to an open teammate, you are sending them a message: "I did not trust you with our team's advantage."
Here's a look at the different types of passes and what message they send:

NO PASS = No relationship. I don't trust you to do the right thing with the ball.
FORCED PASS = A forced relationship. It is never completed or never whole.
DIRTY PASS = A pass made after holding onto the ball for a long time. It's an afterthought that says, "I've exhausted all other options and my time with the ball. Here... take what's left."
CLEAN PASS = A pass made on time and on target. This pass builds a relationship of trust. It says: "I'm thinking about you and what's needed for the team (in this moment).

It's important to develop an understanding in players that when you do make a pass to a teammate, a sense of trust develops.

(Thanks Sefu Bernard, the LLaBB)

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GAME IMMEDIATELY!!!

Take Higher Percentage Shots
All basketball coaches love having a good shooter on their team.  The way to instantly improve your shooting percentage is to eliminate any shots that are difficult to make.  If that seems simple, it is.  It’s amazing how an athlete can appear to be a good (or better) shooter when they stop taking shots that they don’t make very often.

I’ll give you three keys that you should use to evaluate each shot: Was your shot on balance?  Within range?  And, in rhythm?  If the answer is ‘no’ to any of these questions, it was an shot attempt that will not only make you a less efficient shooter, but also, in the eyes of your coach and teammates, make them lose confidence in you.  Earn your coach’s trust through your shot selection.

It’s been said that “it doesn’t matter how beautiful a swing a baseball player has; if they always swing at bad pitches, their batting average will be embarrassingly low.”  The same applies in basketball.  It doesn’t matter how sweet your stroke looks if you constantly shoot poor shots.  Eliminating poor shots a game can increase your shooting percentage significantly.  Good coaches love that.

(Thanks Tyler Coston, PGC)

LOOK FOR THE "EASY" POINTS

Most offensive players are only 75% committed when going to the basket.  That's because most of them try and avoid contact.  They start to dribble into the paint and uh oh... here comes a defender!!!  At this point, most offensive players end up adjusting their shot to shoot over or around a defender (which usually results in a miss).

If a player would decide to attack the rim and commit 100% to getting there, they would spend a lot more time at the FT line getting easy points.

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MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR

Why do so many defenses force you to the sideline/baseline? Ever notice that whenever you have the ball on the wing, good teams force you baseline?

Smart players know that the middle of the floor causes chaos for all defenses. By driving baseline, you make it easy for the defense to rotate normally on helpside.

Your ability to drive the ball to the middle will bring many easy scoring opportunities to your team. The defensive players will have no clue what their helpside assignments are which will lead to easy baskets and lots of free throws.

Next time the ball is reversed to you on the wing, be aggressive and think middle. Good defenses will try and take this away from you, good offensive players will recognize when an opportunity exists.

(Thanks iAthletes)

RETHINKING SCREENS

If you screen in your offense (man-to-man or zone) it is far more important to teach "how to use" a screen than it is to teach "how to set" a screen.  


A player who knows how to use a screen can use a bad screen.  But a great screen is useless if the player coming off the screen doesn’t know how to use it.

(Thanks Joe Haefner & Jerry Nicholson)

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE - THE ULTIMATE POINT GUARD GOAL

Get the best shot possible - PERIOD!

First, don't worry about being fancy.  You don’t need to dribble between your legs and around your back.  Just get the ball up the court and only use the between the legs or behind the back stuff if you have to.  If you are being pressured, then remember to use the court that you have. Don't just go in a straight line and at the same speed.  Be unpredictable to the defense.  Do the little things that unbalance your defender and don't shy away from the challenge.  

Second, identify and KNOW the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates.  Who are your best players or better yet, always ask yourself - which player has the best match up right now and how can I get them the ball?

A true point guard loves to get their teammates the ball in good position so they can score.  They love being in control and making sure each player feels involved and that they’re going to do everything in their power to help their team win.

Without someone on the floor accepting and embracing that responsibility (for running the offense), the team is at a distict disadvantage to an organized defense.  Embrace the nervousness.  Embrace the responsibility.  Embrace the challenge.

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