High Horns – Flare to Diagonal Back Screen

In this set, the point guard enters to O5, cuts off O4’s flare screen and receives a pass on the
other side of the court. At the same time O2 cuts into the lane and O3 moves slightly inside the
3 pt. arc.
O2 sets a back screen for O5, looking for a pass from O1 for a lay-up. O5 could go over top of
the screen or under the screen. If O5 does not receive the pass in the lane he/she steps
outside the key. O1 will then reverse the ball to O4 who has stepped out high. O3 begins to
move towards the lane.
O2 breaks out hard to the wing and receives a pass from O4. O3 sets a cross screen for O5
and O4 sets a down screen for O3.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stack - Zone Play vs. 2-3 Zone

Stack is a set play to run against 2-3 or 1-2-2 zone defense. O3 and O5 stack above the left
block and O4 begins on the foul line. O1 dribbles right and attempts to force X1 to stay with the
dribble. As O1 dribbles to the wing O2 cuts to the ball-side block. O4 steps out and replaces
O1 at the top.

O1 passes to O4 at the top which forces X2 to guard O4. At the same time O2 begins through
the lane. O4 passes to O3, which forces X3 to come to the wing and opens the corner area for
O2. At the same time O5 steps into the lane and attempts to seal X5. O3 may have a pass to
O2 in the corner or O5 inside.

_______________________________________________________________________________
 Baseline Out of Bounds
Screen the Screener to Cross Screen:
Many teams run screen the screener action in their out of bounds sets. After the screen the
screener action the play effectively continued into a little-big cross screen.
O1 starts in the middle of the lane and sets a diagonal back screen for O3. O5 steps off the
lane and sets a screen for the screener, O1. O1 receives the ball from O2 at the wing.
O1 then passes out top to O4. O4 reverses the ball to O3 who has cut to the wing. O2 moves
across the lane, preparing to set the cross screen.
As O3 catches the ball, O2 sets a little-big cross screen for O5. O4 then sets a down screen for
O2 in another screen the screener action.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Practice Strategies for Play-off Time

It is approaching play-off time for high school basketball. The time of the year when excitement
and anxiety increase but fatigue, injuries and mental focus may also play key roles. Your
objectives for your training sessions should be to maintain fitness, allow recovery, keep interest
high and intensity up.

Do’s:
1. Shorten the length of your practices. Many teams will shorten their practices to 45-60
minutes.
2. Do little formal conditioning – do your conditioning through drill use and scrimmaging.
3. Add a new quick hitter, end out of bounds vs man to man and/or zone, this helps keep the
interest high and adds strategy that will not have been scouted.
4. Use situational (time and score) scrimmages – one team is up 3 points with 45 seconds left in
the game. These keep interest and intensity high.
5. Do lots of shooting – between each drill or scrimmage put in a shooting drill. As the play-offs
near coaches may tend to focus on strategy and forget the most important skill of shooting.
6. Use lots of competitive drills to keep the interest up.
7. When a drill or scrimmage is going well – let it go for a short time and then end it on a positive
note. This will show the players they are sharp.
8. When a drill or scrimmage is not going well – get out of it. February is not the time to grind
things out.
9. If you have an outstanding player or two be prepared for a box and one or triangle and two.
This is how opponents with try to pull off the upset.
10. As you write your practice plan, start to prepare for your first opponent as well as your next
anticipated opponent. Never discuss the second opponent but, as an example, if the first
opponent is strictly a man to man team and the second opponent is mostly zone you must
spend some time on your zone offence strategy.
11. Keep your focus on the process and not the outcome. This will allow the players to continue
to concentrate on getting better and not worry about the results.

Don’ts:
1. Be careful not to add too much to your arsenal of plays. Don’t get caught up in the
excitement of the play-offs and think that more strategy is better.
2. Your demeanor must not change. Though you may also be excited as you enter the play-offs
you must be the same coach your players have come to know.
3. Keep your practice routines; the routines help give confidence and sense of familiarity to the
players.
4. Don’t spend all your time on strategy – basketball always has been and always will be a
game of fundamentals. You must spend time in every practice running, passing, and shooting.
5. Don’t add an elaborate set. It will force you to spend too much time on it and take away from
the things that have already brought you to the play-offs.
6. Don’t try to get your team in condition now. If they are not in shape now, they won’t be during
the play-offs.

These are just a few ideas to help keep your team sharp going into this exciting part of the
season. Remember, it is better to be under-trained than over-trained. Good luck!
-- From Basketball BC

_____________________________________________________________________________________
 Seven Keys to Coaching in Crunch Time
From Jeff Janssen, Championship Coaches Network
Does your team have a tendency to self-destruct during late-game situations?
Do you have athletes who mentally short-circuit under pressure?
Does your game plan and the things you worked on all week in practice go out the window
when your players are under stress?

This article focuses on seven keys to help you create more confident and composed
athletes in crunch-time.

As humans, stress and pressure can cause us to do some strange and unusual things. Just
about everyone remembers former Michigan basketball player Chris Webber's infamous timeout
call in the closing seconds of the 1993 national championship game. Even though Coach Steve
Fisher had just reminded the team that they were out of timeouts, Webber got caught in a trap
and signaled timeout. The ill-timed timeout helped seal a national championship for North
Carolina.

Not only does too much stress hurt your athletes physically with tight muscles, a loss of
coordination, shallow breathing, rapid heart rates, and excessive sweating, but it also scrambles
your players' brains. Athletes under stress have a hard time tuning into your coaching,
processing what you ask them to do, and executing their roles and responsibilities. They have
trouble focusing on the task at hand, making smart decisions, and feel overwhelmed, confused,
and harried. It's no wonder that the breakdowns that occur in crunch-time are often the result of
mental breakdowns.

As a coach, you play a huge role in helping your athletes manage stressful situations. Many of
your athletes will take their cues from you so it is critical that you learn how to manage stressful
situations as well.

Here are seven tips to keep in mind when you are coaching your team in late game, crunch-time
situations:

SEVEN KEYS TO COACHING IN CRUNCH TIME

1. Show the Face Your Team Needs to See

One of the best lines from Coach Krzyzewski's book, “Leading with the Heart” is, "A leader
must show the face his team’s needs to see."
 As one of the top Maestros of March Madness, Coach K reminds you to manage your own
emotions under pressure if you expect your players to do the same. Regardless of how you
actually feel internally, externally you must show your players confidence when they are
doubtful, composure when they are panicked, and optimism when they have given up.

2. Reframe Pressure as a Fun Challenge

You might have noticed that former North Carolina men's basketball coach Dean Smith has a
book out called The Carolina Way. One of the interesting points in the book was that Coach
Smith's former players were always amazed by how calm he was in late game situations. Even
though Carolina was down in several situations, the players remembered that Coach Smith
always conveyed that the team was right where they wanted to be. He often remarked in the
pressure-packed situation, "Isn't this fun?" or "Wouldn't it be great to come back and win
this one?" Take the pressure off your players and reframe the situation as a fun challenge.

3. The Eyes Have It

Pay particular attention to your athletes' eyes in pressure situations. Checking their eyes is one
of the best ways to tell if a player is focused and hearing what you are saying. A player's eyes
will give you a good indication of what is going on in his/her head. If you see the dreaded "deer
in headlights" look, do your best to refocus them quickly or consider getting a sub in the game if
possible.

4. Know Who Thrives in Pressure Situations

Know which of your players wants to step up in pressure situations and which ones are afraid.
As Tennessee women's basketball Coach Pat Summitt says, "When we are trying to decide
who should take our last-second shot, we need to know who wants the ball." Be sure that
you put those players who want to step up in pressure situations in a position to make the plays
as much as possible.

5. Go with What They Know

Take the advice of legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach on this one. Red says, "With
my teams when we'd be down to the end of a game and we'd have a timeout, I wouldn't
make my players nervous. I wouldn't pull out a clipboard and give them a new play. To
me that makes them nervous. Why can't you come down with 20 seconds to go and say,
'Hey, run the four play. Execute it right.'"
 Red understood that players need to go with what they know in pressure-packed situations.
Avoid the temptation of throwing something new at your players because odds are it will only
confuse them and not your opponents. Simulate late game situations regularly in practice so
your players can develop the confidence necessary to trust themselves and each other in the
clutch.

6. Focus Your Players on What You Want Them To Do

I can't count the number of times I've heard a coach unwittingly say, "Whatever you do, don't
foul," or "Don't fumble," or "No wild pitches or passed balls," or "No service errors," etc.
Mentioning and focusing your players solely on the negative things you want them to avoid only
plants the seed of doubt in their mind. Instead, talk more in terms of what you want your
players to do - "We need to play smart defense," or "Take care of the ball" or "Trust
yourself." Focusing on the positive skills you want them to execute plants seeds of
success in their minds.

7. Keep It Simple - Be Careful Not to Over Coach’

Be careful not to over coach in crunch time. Focus your players on the 2-3 key things you
want them to execute and leave it at that. Too much information only overwhelms and
confuses them. Remember that most of your coaching should be done in practice, not in the
closing seconds/late innings of the game.
Keep in mind the ‘primacy and recency effect’ - this means that players are most likely to
remember the first and last things you tell them in a huddle or timeout. All the other stuff in
between is more likely to be forgotten. Thus, make sure you sequence your most important
messages to be first and/or last in your communication with your players.

Keep these suggestions in mind as you prepare your team to thrive in pressure-packed, late
game situations. The plans and plays you draw up are important, but having players who are
confident and composed enough to execute them successfully is just as critical.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Better keep yourself clean and bright;

you are the window through which you
must see the world.
-George Bernard Shaw
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Baseline Drive-Baseline Drift
This is one example of the movement away from the ball on penetration. Any time the ball is
driven towards the baseline the weak side perimeter player nearest the baseline must slide to
the baseline.
Notice how the weak side player sprints to the baseline to open up the passing lane and the
player at the top slides to a 45 degree angle to open up a passing lane.
Penetration principles will not just occur because coaches talk about them; they must be
practiced. Here is an example of a simple drill to help develop the baseline drive-baseline drift
concept. The drivers, O2, O4, and O6 are on the right wing with basketballs and the ‘drifters’
are on the left wing. O2 drives to the basket and O3 slides to the baseline. O2 will pass to O3
in the corner; O3 shoots. After passing, O2 will sprint back to the perimeter and receive a pass
from O4 for a shot. After shooting both players recover their shots. O3 moves to the right wing
with the ball and O2 passes the ball back to the driving line and moves to the left wing. O4 will
be the next driver and O1 will be the next ‘drifter.’
During the drill have the driver step directly towards the baseline just prior to making the
pass. Often a rotating defender will get in the passing lane and by stepping towards the
baseline the passer opens up this lane.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Milton Berle, Actor

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of

consistently applying the basic fundamentals."
-- Jim Rohn
______________________________________________________________________
"We are what we repeatedly do."
-- Aristotle
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Tips from the Hoop
Storms make trees take deeper root.
He will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and
overcome...Zech.9:14b,15a
We all have storms in life, just don't get blown away
Coach Ray Wilkerson
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 Ways To Become A Better Listener

From the book, "Becoming A Person of Influence" by John Maxwell

1. Look at speaker
2. Don't interrupt
3. Focus on understanding
4. Determine the need at the moment
5. Check your emotions
6. Suspend your judgment
7. Sum up at major intervals
8. Ask questions for clarity
9. Make listening your priority
-- Shared by Shane Dreiling
______________________________________________________________________

Happiness is not in things, but in the relationships you

have with people and the ability to step away from who
you think you are to become all that you can be.
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
-- Darren Ventre
______________________________________________________________________
"Who has confidence in themselves will gain the confidence of others."
-~Leib Lazarow
______________________________________________________________________

The stupid neither forgive or forget.

The naïve forgive and forget.
The wise forgive but do not forget.
Thomas Szasz, M.D., psychiatrist and author
-- Shared by Dr. Rob Gilbert
______________________________________________________________________
 The Drill the Lakers Hate the Most
-- The practice drill the Lakers hate the most is called 82's, a full-court layup drill where
they have to make 82 total layups as a team in less than two minutes.
______________________________________________________________________

"I’m the head basketball coach and I make

the decisions. The players do what I ask them
to do, they play. If they don’t, they don’t. I
love the people in my life who have been hard
on me rather than the people who let me get
away with what I wanted to do. That’s who I am.
I don’t worry about that nonsense because I feel
comfortable with our locker room."
-- Frank Martin
-- Shared by Eric Musselman, from his Blog, The Basketball Notebook
______________________________________________________________________

Top Five lessons from the crash of flight #1549."

1. Don’t panic: Sullenberger told CBS’ Katie Couric that he immediately knew he was
in a life-or-death situation: “It was the worst sickening pit-of-your-stomach, falling-
through-the-floor feeling I’ve ever felt in my life,” he said.

But he didn’t let that fear keep him from acting calmly and effectively. On the cockpit
recording, Sullenberger’s tone of voice is even and controlled as disaster loomed.

Lesson: You can’t lead from the fetal position.

2. There’s only one pilot at a time: The instant his engines cut out over New York
City, Sullenberger turned to his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, and said “my aircraft,” taking control
of the airplane. Stiles responded quickly and simply: “your aircraft.”

Notice what the two men did not do: They did not argue over who was in charge,
or whose theory of crash landing was better. They had only one chance to get it right,
and Sully was in the captain’s seat, so he made the call.

Lesson: Leaders have to be allowed to lead.

3. Improvise, Improvise, Improvise: Sully cranked through a list of options with his co-
pilot and with air traffic control. Return to La Guardia Airport? Couldn’t make it.
Bear right toward Teterboro? Still too far. Sully weighed the advice he was getting, and
made a unilateral decision, telling air traffic control simply: “We’ll be in the Hudson.”

Lesson: Weigh the options, and then move on. Sometimes, the worst choice on the
table is the only one available.

4. Experts matter: Sullenberger was perhaps the ideal pilot to handle the Hudson
landing: He’d flown for more than 19,000 hours, ran his own transportation safety
consultancy, and had participated in several National Transportation Safety Board
accident investigations.

Lesson: Some people are better qualified than others – sometimes you’re the pilot, and
sometimes you’re the flight attendant.

5. Don’t worry about public opinion – success makes for great numbers: Couric
asked Sullenberger whether he thought about the passengers while he was struggling
to land the plane. Sully said, in essence, no. Instead, Sully was focused on the task
immediately in front of him. “I knew I had to solve this problem,” he said.

Lesson: Hesitation can mean disaster. Imagine Sully conducting an opinion poll – if
asked, surely some of the passengers would have wanted him to try for
Teterboro, some for La Guardia, and some for the water landing. By the time he’d
decided what to do, it would be too late to do it. What’s more, it’s sometimes better to
make a bad decision than none at all. After all, maybe Sully could have landed at
Teterboro and saved a $60 million aircraft as well as the lives of the passengers and
crew. We’ll never know. But debating the option any longer would surely have cost the
lives and the plane.

What’s scary about the Sully model is that you only know if it works after the fact.
Until the moment of impact, everyone – co-pilot, crew, passengers – is operating
on faith. If Sully had been the wrong guy for the job, or if a sudden gust of wind had
tipped a wing into the river too early, we’d be learning the opposite lessons now: Sully
should have consulted more, delegated more, or listened to the air traffic controller. It is
exactly the same with the stimulus.
-- Shared by Eric Musselman, From his Blog
______________________________________________________________________
"People with humility don't think less of themselves...
they just think about themselves less."
-- Kenneth Blanchard
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"When the archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself.
Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target.
To improve your aim -- improve yourself."
--- Gilbert Arland
____________________________________________________________________________________
 "The Ladder"
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar instituted the drill at the beginning of the
season at the urging of assistant coach Jim Shaw.

According to this article, "The ladder," that's the name of a free-throw

drill that has concluded every Huskies practice this season, and as the
season has progressed, players and coaches have credited it with aiding in
Washington's improvement at the free-throw line.
At the end of every practice, all 13 players gather in a circle around the free-
throw line, then take turns shooting free throws, each getting two at a time,
either shooting a one-and-one, or a two-shot foul depending on the day.

The drill isn't complete until the players combine to make 19 of 26

on days when the situation is a one-and-one, or 20 out of 26 on days
when it's a two-shot situation. The totals are kept on a scoreboard, and
it's referred to as "climbing the ladder". Players who miss their free
throws head to the sideline, for extra conditioning.

-- From Pro Skills

____________________________________________________________________________

Mary Kay Ash was loved by her people. She was the Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics,
and passed away recently at 83 years old. I heard her speak about 20 years ago, and at
the end of her speech she was asked, “What is the key to success in business?” She
didn’t hesitate when she said, “Make your people feel important.” She truly understood
that recognition is a need we all crave; and that there are no exceptions.

Marcy Blochowiak understands this powerful principle as much as any leader I’ve ever
met. And, most importantly...it comes from her heart. She has built a team of thousands
by using a secret weapon: “Hire more women, and love them like family.”
-- Shared by Mac Anderson

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Play the cards you have been dealt. Don't try to change what you
have been given up to this point; focus on using what you have now,
where you are now, right now. You can change your future, but you
can't change your past. You can learn from you past, and put this
knowledge to good use in your future actions. Learn to live with
what you have been given and maximize the results you get from
what you have, instead of using that time and energy feeling sorry
for yourself.
-- Edward W. Smith
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Quick Hitters
1 - Zipper
#3 looks for #5 inside.

2 – Zipper to Pick and roll

3 – Zipper to Triple for #1

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Four down
1
To call the play, the ball handler raises his
hand and points all four fingers down. The
basic option is 1 on 1, the ball handler
kicks or dishes if a defender helps on
dribble penetration. #2 and #3 can pop out
of the corners to relieve pressure on #1.

Triple base screen option

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 West Virginia's Press Break vs. Villanova
I watched the first half of the Villanova vs. West Virginia game last night and was really
surprised when WVU had something like a 20 point lead heading into the half. WVU
was the home team, but still, Villanova had been scoring in triple digits most of the week
so I definitely thought they would be at least around 40 by half. When they got behind,
they tried to trap and press WVU and the WVU lead actually increased.

Reverse That Ball:

…But I do want to emphasize the seemingly trivial, yet crucial concept of ball reversal.

I don't like to scheme a specific press break, I prefer to teach basic rules and
principles:

1. Always have a safety

2. Reverse the ball
3. Have your tallest and most capable forward in the middle

Whenever possible you do want to attack and score especially while the press is
vulnerable after a ball reversal. But the priority is to get into half court.

In preparation against teams that use a lot of pressure. I like doing a walk through the
day before. Just so that the players get an idea what they will see and how our press
attack will work. But I do like the generic press break because it will work against any
pressure (even M2M) and doesn't require the players to remember any complicated
schemes.
-- X’s & O’s of Basketball
______________________________________________________________________

Push-ups
Without a gym membership, I started doing more and more push-ups to try and retain
some upper body strength. I have always wondered how effective push-ups really are in
terms of building muscle. According to research by the National Strength and
Conditioning Association published in the March 2009 Men’s Health, doing a push-up is
like lifting 75% of your body weight. Beyond your chest, “push-ups help you build
healthy, stable shoulders by training your scapular muscles as well as your rotator-cuff
muscles, says Indianapolis-based physical therapist Bill Hartman.”
-- Brian McCormick
______________________________________________________________________

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important

as what you become by achieving your goals.
-- Zig Ziglar
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 "In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But
winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the
fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice.
And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man.
Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?"
-- Jesse Owens
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twenty-Five Little Things to Remember

From Pete Carril's "The Smart take from the strong"

1. Every little thing counts. If not why do it?

2. When closely guarded, do not go towards the ball. Go back-door.

3. Whenever you cut, look for the return pass.

4. When you commit to a cut (or backdoor) do not stop, and do not come back to the
ball.

5. Bad shooters are always open.

6. On offense move the defense.

7. Putting defensive pressure on the ball makes it harder for the other team to run an
offence and gives your team a better chance to defend.

8. In a zone or any defense, when their five men guard your three men, look to throw
cross court passes.

9. Watch the man in front of you. he shows you what to do.

10. Keep your dribble. Use it when you are going to do something useful.

11. A pass is not a pass when it is made after you've tried to something else.

12. A good player knows what he is good at. He also knows what he is not good at and
only does the former.

13. You want to be good at those things that happen a lot.

14. When the legs go, the heart and the head follow quickly behind.

15. Defense involves three things: courage, energy, intelligence.

16. If your teammate does not pass you the ball when your open and does not say
anything, then he did not see you. If he says "Im sorry," he saw you and did not want to
throw you the ball

17. In trying to learn to do a specific thing, the specific thing is what you must practice.
There is little transfer of learning.

18. Whatever you are doing is the most important thing that your doing while your doing
it.

19. Anyone can be average.

20. Being punctual is good in itself. However, what is more important is that your
punctuality tells your teammates what you think of them.

21. Hardly any players play to lose. Only a few play to win.

22. I like passers. They can see everything.

23. The way you think affects what you see and do.

24. Rarely does a person who competes with his head as well as his body come out
second. That was said even before Coach Vince Lombardi by the Greeks and Romans
and probably by the Chinese.

25. The ability to rebound is in inverse proportion to the distance your house is from the
nearest railroad tracks. – Shared by Health Millar

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Learn young, learn fair; learn old, learn more.

-- Scottish Proverb

Every adult needs a child to teach; it's the way adults learn.
-- Frank A. Clark
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Things That Will Destroy Us

Politics without principle;
Pleasure without conscience;
Wealth without work;
Knowledge without character;
Business without morality;
Science without humanity; and
Worship without sacrifice.
- Mahatma Gandhi
 Morgan Wooten:
My Favorite CoaChing ConCepts
From "Basketball Beyond the X's and O's; Lessons from the Legends"
by Jerry Krause and Ralph Pim

1. Never lose sight of the impact you are having on young people's lives.
2. Teach your players the importance of proper priorities that allow for maximum
personal, academic, and athletic development.
3. Evaluate wins and losses objectively, focusing more on effort and execution than on
the outcome of the game.
4. Instruct, don't dictate.
5. Never humiliate.
6. Communicate your approach in a style that is comfortable to you and fits your
personality and philosophy.
7. Learn to anticipate problems.
8. Never announce penalty for rule violations in advance.
9. Enthusiasm creates heroism.
10. If you make a mistake and fall down, you must get back up.
11. Always have a "Thought for the Day."
12. You are constantly being judged on what you are doing and not what you have
done.
13. Be yourself.
14. Be eager to learn.
15. Don't play players only because they have potential if they do not hustle, work hard,
and listen.
16. Never discipline to punish, discipline to teach.
17. We are what we continually do.
18. Do to your opponent what you do not like done to you.
19. Play defense with your feet, eyes, and heart.
20. If you want the attention of your players, use compliments.
21. I believe that repetition of fundamentals at any level will make your players winners.
22. Play hard, play smart, play together, and have fun.
23. You must have total control of your program.
24. I will never curse my players, and they will never curse me.
25. I will never embarrass my players, and they will never embarrass me.
26. Do not assume anything.
27. Listen and learn from your players.
28. Excellence becomes a habit.
29. Don't ever tell your players to win.
30. Never write a plan for practice that takes longer than two hours.
31. Make your players sprint over to you to begin practice on a hustling, enthusiastic
note.
32. Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, it's really hard.
33. Take time to talk individually with the players you are cutting.
34. Have your players write down their academic and athletic goals at the start of every
 year.
35. Building team chemistry is the most important thing you can do as a coach.

The Impact of Coaches

As coaches we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity and ability to work with
and positively influence young people.
That is why I suggest following this rule of thumb:
Be the kind of coach that you would want your sons and daughters to play for.
All of us should be determined to be that kind of coach. Never lose sight of the
tremendous impact you are having on young people's lives. We are with people at their
emotional heights and their emotional depths, the times when they are most
impressionable.
Teachers of other subjects would love to have the classroom situation that we do, for
we have a class that young people are pleading to get into and be a part of.
It is our moral responsibility to use this unique opportunity in a positive manner to help
prepare our young people for life. As a coach, you must always be aware of the
influence you have on your players. Because of their keen interest and emotional
involvement in sports, your athletes will be hanging on every word you say.
Many times, you may think you're not reaching them, but what you say to them in
practice can determine how good their dinner will taste an how well they will sleep that
night.
An incidental cutting remark, which you forgot about as soon as you said it, can stay
with that young person and be a source of pain for a longer time than you may ever
know.

-- Shared by Heath Millar

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Developing Defense
- 1st thing you must do is condition your players’ legs.
- When sliding you must point the toe of the lead foot in the direction you are sliding.
This opens the hip and makes the movement less awkward.
- Condition players to have hands and arms extended with arms parallel to the ground.
This encourages players to take contact in the middle of the chest
and shows the officials that they are not reaching.
- Defender aligns himself with the middle of his body on the ball.
- On change of direction by ball carrier, defense must turn and take two-
three sprint steps to get back in front of the ball. Sliding will not work.
- There are only three stances in defense, on the ball, deny a pass or help.
The hardest thing is to transfer from doing one to doing another. It must be drilled.

-- Shared by Health Millar

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Drill 1 - Three Line Layups
Every player (Age 11 & up) should master RH & LH regular & reverse layups.

#1 pass to #2, #2 will pass to #3.

#2 will make a hard cut to rim and receives pass back from #3 for a layup.
#2 will join the corner line, #3 will rebound, make two hard dribbles to the sideline and
execute a dribble move before passing to #4.

Key points:

Vertical lift
Use correct take off foot
Finger roll
Head position
Ensure passing is sharp, and that passer calls out player's name he is passing to:
(Start practice with energy).

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"As coaches we talk about two things:

offense and defense. There is a third
phase we neglect, which is more
important. It's conversion from offense
to defense and defense to offense."
- Bobby Knigh

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 Vs. Zone
The #2 man must split the top seam of a (2-3) zone.
#1 cuts off a single screen by #4 and #3 overloads to the corner.
#1 may also cut to ball side corner.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Teamwork
# Any, one fist can break any one finger. Therefore your goal as a leader should be to
create a dominant team where all five fingers fit together into a powerful fist.
# Adjust while you're on the run so you don’t miss any great scoring opportunities.
# A confidence shared is better than a confidence only in yourself.
# Don’t hire people solely on their technical merits. Consider whether they can work in a
team environment.
# Communication skills are just as important as technical skills.
# Always search for the communicator on the team.
# In leadership, no word is more important than trust.
# Confrontation is good. It simply means meeting the truth head-on
# Teach the principle that "Your fifth shot is your first shot."
# Great teams embrace responsibility.
# Win or lose together.
# Caring is a powerful motivational force on any team.
# Believe that the loose ball you're chasing has you're name on it.
# Two are better than one, if two act as one.

-- Coach K
______________________________________________________________________

Sun Tzu
Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will
follow you into the deepest valley
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Words of Wisdom
By Billy Donovan:

Teams that are hardest to press are the ones that just play by breaking the
press and scoring off of the press without having to take the ball out to half
court and set something up

At the end of the game I’m putting my 5 best scorers in the game

To play depth – you must have guys who can play offense

I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play
hard and aggressively to accomplish that objective

If you can score you have a much better chance to win

If you let guys play tired and coast it will cost you in the long run [unless
you have no depth]

Stunting is an important untrained defensive skill – drill it daily

In the 1st half we want the opponent to not reach the bonus

Giving up control to have freedom is one of the most difficult things to do as

a coach

Never can get away with fouls on the road like at home

3FG% is a very important defensive statistic

-- Shared by Heath Millar

______________________________________________________________________

Dick Bennett wants his players thinking about three things when closing out:
1. Do not let the dribbler turn the corner.
2. Do not give up the rhythm shot
3. disrupt the offense.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Baseline Out Of BOunds
“Pick the Picker”

Two “bigs” start ball side baseline.

#2 man sets up screen for #4 man.
#1 will leak out for safety and #5 man sets screen for screener, #2.

#5 shapes up for ball, giving in-bounder four options to pass to.

#2 will almost always be open for the shot as his man will need to help on up/back
screen.

-- Shared by Heath Millar

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Don Meyer coaches by the motto

"It doesn't matter where you

coach, it matters why you coach.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Sideline Out of Bounds
#3 inbounds to either #1 off of #5’s screen or #2 coming across lane or #5 stepping to
ball
#2 sets back screen for #3 while #1 passes to #4 for lob or reversal.

#4 can look for #3 down low or for #2 coming off staggered double screen set by #5 and
#1.

-- Shared by Heath Millar

______________________________________________________________________________

Hank Iba said,

“If you get 7 easy baskets, don't turn
it over a lot, and make free throws,
and defend, you will have a good
team.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Don Meyer: Know your team
- who is your best screener
- who is your best poster
- who is your best finisher
- who is your best post feeder
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Howyou respond to the challenge in the second half will determine

what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser."
-- Lou Holtz
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Pursuit of Happiness

One of the most widely recognized sentences in the United States Declaration of
Independence is the following: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I was doing some
research the other day when I ran across this sentence. As is often the case, this
sentence struck me differently as it has in the past and gave me pause for thought. It is
that thought, regarding the pursuit of happiness, which provides the platform for today’s
daily reflection.

The pursuit of happiness is guaranteed to each one of us in the Declaration of

Independence, but as I look around me daily, I’m sad to say we all don’t pursue this
precious guarantee. With that said, let me ask you the following question: What do you
actively do each day that contributes to the pursuit of happiness in your life? Are you
mindful and purposeful as you pursue happiness, or do you rarely give it a second
thought? Most people simply wander through their day hoping that happiness will
miraculously show up at the front door. In my dictionary, however, the word pursuit
indicates an active, dedicated and mindful search. If you don’t feel the warm and
wondrous comfort of happiness in your life, I suggest you begin an active pursuit today.
Just the thought of you doing so makes me very happy indeed!

-- Dr. John Sklare

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Harry Truman
"I have never seen pessimists make anything work, or contribute anything of
lasting value."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Dick Bennett –
Seven Things That Will Make You Lose

Reaching on defense,

Silence,

Low hands,

Over helping by the “Bigs,”

Help side stands - doesn't recover,

Late to Help/Trap,

Lack of Floor Burns.

 Continuity offense
#1 passes to either wing.
Once a pass is made, #1 will screen away for #5.
#4 the ball side post pops out.
#3 must time his cut so that he cuts directly off #1's tail.

#5 uses screen from #1 and flashes high.

As pass is made #4 should be coming off a flex screen set by #3.
#1 pops out to weak side wing.

#5 looks to pass to #4 or continues to reverse the ball.

--
 Once the ball has been reversed #5 sets a down screen for #3.
From here we are back into the same pattern.

-- Shared by Heath Millar

When I was an assistant coach at Lindsey Wilson College, in Columbia, KY, during the
1994-95 season we ran this offense, and it was very effective -- CB
______________________________________________________________________

Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form

of flattery.
-- Dr. Joyce Brothers
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Culture Shapes Conduct

3 words… just 3 words and yet they say so much.

Leaders need to be deliberately and purposefully engaged in positively influencing the

cultures of their teams, departments and organizations. There can and should be
strategic discussions and plans to accomplish this most worthy of tasks, because
CULTURE SHAPES CONDUCT.

At the same time every single individual in the organization needs to hold themselves
accountable to their own personal contribution to the culture which they contribute to
each day they show up for work. And sometimes even when they don’t show up.
(Because let’s be honest, sometimes we’re relieved when some of our more toxic
personalities are away for the day).

We might each ask ourselves this one of these questions.

How is my world at work (our culture) better today because of my contribution?

--
 How is our culture more positive, more nurturing, more inviting, more fulfilling, more
refreshing, or more productive because of my deliberate, thoughtful and genuine
contribution?

Culture shapes Conduct… and Conduct shapes Culture. The choices we make, the
things we are willing to say and do communicate “the norm” of what is acceptable.
What is acceptable could be exceptional if that is what your culture communicates.

Make Your Choices Wisely

Conduct yourself with care
Make your Culture Count
-- Kirk Weisler
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Don't work harder, work smarter. What can you do on your job,
right now, to work smarter? What you did yesterday to be smarter,
doesn't count. Things have changed since then and you have to
relook at things every day. You have new information; perhaps new
tools, and new challenges and opportunities, so look around you
right now and see what you can do better, faster, cheaper, and of
course smarter.
-- Edward W. Smith
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A teacher affects eternity he can never tell, where his influence stops.
by Henry Adams
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at
the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
-- Helen Keller
A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it's an undo-it-yourself project.
-- Abigail Van Buren
External signs of wealth and success are often cheap storefronts that hide
internal mediocrity or even incompetence.
-- Real Live Preacher
______________________________________________________________________
Unknown
Coming together, sharing together, working together, succeeding together.

Unknown
A successful team beats with one heart.
--
 Unknown
Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success
-- Shared by Ken Sartini
____________________________________________________________________________

Time and tide wait for no man.

-Geoffrey Chaucer

Time is a file that wears and makes no noise.

-English Proverb
____________________________________________________________________________________

"Read it slow: LIFEISNOWHERE. What did you read?

LIFE IS NO WHERE or LIFE IS NOW HERE?
Life is as you read it."
Author Unknown
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The 3 golden keys to success

 To know exactly what you want
 To want it as the one drowning wants the air
 To pay the price
Alberto Matallana
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We are as happy as we make up our minds to be.

-- Abraham Lincoln
__________________________________________________________________________

"One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot
make a team."
-- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
_____________________________________________________________

The only Important Statistic is the Final Score

Loved this quote from the great Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA titles, including two as
a player-coach with the Celtics, and was a five-time NBA MVP:

"I determined early in my career the only important statistic is the final
score. And so I dedicated my career to playing, to make sure that, as often
as possible, we were always on the positive side of the final score." – Eric
Musselman’s Blog

______________________________________________________________________________
 Larry Brown “Dive” Set Play vs. Man or Zone
1
Larry Brown
This is also a man attack.
#4 goes backdoor, #3 pops out for a pass,
#5 ball screens, #4 goes under the basket.

2
#4 ducks in as #3 uses the ball screen, #5
fades, #1 and #2, move to open areas
away from the penetration.

3
Variation
- #1 cuts to the weak side corner after
passing to #3
- #5 picks and rolls to the basket, #4 fades
to the short corner or corner (if a shooter)
- if #3 passes to #2, #1 sets a step-up ball
screen.

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