Basketball Coaching - Pre-game

Preparation
By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net

I am referring to the immediate pre-game time... not the week of practice before the
game. This is an important time for the players and coaches to get comfortable with the
situation at hand, and focus on the job to be done. Being organized, and having
everyone under you organized, I think is very important... so that everything is
"routine", no surprises. But every coach has his/her own way to get his team ready.

It's a "routine"...
This is what seems to work for us (high school level). Your approach could be different
and if you coach a youth or AAU team most likely will be more simple. But the key is
to have a standard routine. We follow this routine, and do these same things for every
game, whether we are on the road or at home, have won ten games in a row or lost three
in a row, whether our opponent is 0-10, or if we are playing in the state championship
game (yes, we've been fortunate to be there a few times).

Look and act "professional".

Looking and feeling good, and acting appropriately, are important. Our high school
varsity boys and coaches all wear a long-sleeved white shirt and tie, with a team vest
that has our colors and logo, along with khaki pants. Our girls wear attractive team
shirts again with our colors and logo, with khaki slacks or skirts (that are not too short).

We expect everyone to act with class as gentlemen and ladies before, during and after
the game. Parents, teachers and fans are proud to see their kids looking good and in
"team" attire. I felt highly complimented when an opposing fan commented to me after
a game that when we walk into a gym, we look very "professional", and that our kids
act that way too.

Allow enough time

Allow enough time to arrive at the gym. Rushing around at the last minute creates a
disorganized, frantic mood entering the game. You want players and coaches to be
relaxed, calm and "in control" starting the game. Arrive at least 45 minutes before the
game (or sooner if you have a home game and want to watch game film, or the JV
game).

Players need time to get dressed, get ankles taped, stretch, perform warm-up drills, and
practice shooting and free throws. We allow about 5-10 minutes for the players to get
dressed, while we organize the bench, get clipboards and stats sheets ready, make sure
we have enough chairs/seats for our players, etc.

Then the coaches enter the locker room (all players should be dressed and taped) and we
have our pre-game meeting (about 10 minutes). Make sure you have a clipboard, marker
pen and eraser. Then we take the floor. If there is a preceding game, our players will go
to the locker room a few minutes into the second half, and the coaches will enter at the
end of the third quarter.

Things to do before the game

There are routine things to be done before each game. Have this organized in advance
so there is no last minute confusion. You can designate much of this to your assistants,
or managers, giving you time to visit with the refs and opposing coaches.

 Review with your assistant coaches the starting lineup and defensive match-ups,
substitution patterns, and any special strategies for this game.

 Have an assistant get the opponent's starting line-up from the scorer's table.
Assign the defensive player match-ups (if man-to-man defense). The assistant
 can then write the names of the starters on the clipboard along with the number
of the player they will be defending, and can then inform the starters (while they
are doing their warm-up drills), who they will be guarding.

We prefer to have our starters know ahead of time who they will be guarding,
rather that just "matching-up" around the center-jump circle. And we don't like
to waste time in our last huddle going over match-ups.

 Assistants should know their roles and where you like them to sit. For example,
we have one assistant keep track of player fouls, our number of time-outs left,
opponent's individual fouls and try to get a sense of who are their best scorers
and worst free-throw shooters. Another assistant may help in looking at X's and
O's, offenses and defenses, press offense and press defense, etc.

 Have your official score book roster entered in advance. You can have an
assistant do this, but you make sure the entries are correct, or a technical foul
could result. For away games, you can do this on the bus.

 Have an assistant responsible for having enough chairs/seats for everyone. If you
have 15 players and have a couple assistant coaches, managers and a trainer, you
may need to request additional chairs.

 Have your clipboard(s) ready, with extra marker pens and a cloth/eraser to wipe
it. Don't waste half of your first time-out looking for the clipboard or a pen that
works.

 Make sure your medical kit is available.

 An assistant can recruit statisticians, assign who's keeping which stats, and have
the stats forms ready on clipboards with sharpened pencils (unless you do your
stats with a computer).

 Have your manager(s) collect, fold and stack the warm-ups. They should make
sure each player and coach has a water bottle with his number or name on it (if
no water cooler is available). A quick trip to the concession stand for water
bottles may be required.

 If you are in a strange gym, with ambiguous lines, walk your players around the
floor, even before they get dressed. Show them where the out-of-bounds lines
are, the 10 second line, etc. Sometimes these lines are not obvious if the gym is
used for volleyball and other sports, where multiple lines are painted on the
floor.

Show them where the bench and scorer's table will be for checking in the game.
I remember a game where the scorer's table was at the far end of the gym... not
between the two squads. Show them the location of the scoreboard/clock.

 If it is an AAU competition...have all your player's ID cards and birth

certificates ready ahead of time in an envelope.
  Know in advance or any special rules... such as running clock, number of time-
outs, etc.

Players on the floor

After the locker-room meeting (see below), players take the floor, and start stretching
and doing their warm-ups. We like the 3-line lay-up drill as a warm-up because it not
only gets the players moving and shooting lay-ups, but also because this is an excellent
passing drill.

We stress that the kids keep good spacing, zip their passes, and convert the lay-ups. We
do this from the right and left sides. But any drills that get them moving and sweating a
little are fine. We have even let the kids pick out their own favorite drills. The game is a
form of entertainment and we let them have some input in "designing the show".

We do make sure to get in enough free-shooting with players taking shots they are most
likely to get in the game. Finally, if time permits, shoot team free throws, everyone
around the lane.

The team meeting (before taking the floor

This meeting is used to focus our players on the job at hand, discuss our game plan, and
review the things that help make us successful. We might first start with a story,
something that happened to one of us, something that might make us laugh, or even
make us cry, but will bring us together for having shared it. Telling a private story can
strengthen our feeling of "togetherness", that we are sharing in something that only we
are privy to.

Set a calm tone for the meeting. I don't think you gain anything by trying to point out
the importance of this game... you are likely to make them more nervous. They already
know the significance of the game. Instead of trying to get them "fired-up", you need to
calmly reassure them that everything will be OK, and that we are here to have fun... and
that we will focus on doing the good things that have made us successful in the past.

We announce the starting line-up and then review our defenses, half-court and full-
court, and any special adjustments that we have worked on in practice specifically for
this opponent. We point out the opponent's best players and how we plan to contain
them.

We discuss our half-court offense vs man-to-man and zone defenses and any special
plays, out-of-bound plays, etc. We might remind the players about maintaining good
spacing, to move without the ball, set screens, and the importance of offensive
rebounding. We might mention keeping under control, and avoiding turnovers.
We will discuss how we want the game to "flow"... the tempo. We remind everyone to
box-out and rebound and play hard on defense. We want three attitudes on defense:
contest every shot, protect (deny) the paint area, and "one-shot only" mentality... no
opponent offensive rebounds, no second and third shots.

We remind the kids that if we just do our jobs and do the things that have made us
successful in the past, we will be OK.

Then hands together in the huddle, we yell a cheer and are ready to go (I hope).

A word about starting line-ups

At the high school level, it's often the same starters, but we might want to make a line-
up change here or there. When doing so, we point out that this is not a punishment
(unless it is) or something negative for the starter being "bumped", but that we just want
to try something new to get things started, or give someone else a chance to start a
game.

If you are coaching a youth team, I wouldn't make a big deal out of who is starting.
With youth teams, let all of your players take a turn at starting, as I think this creates
better team chemistry (although I certainly will have three of my best out there).

Often, the first few minutes of the game is a "feeling out" time anyway, when teams are
not yet in the groove. I like to bring in a couple of good players off the bench 3 or 4
minutes into the game.

My players know that "it's not who starts, but who can finish the game". With some
youth teams, I have had my assistant do most of the substituting (following our pre-
designed substitution pattern), so I can concentrate on the game. I will vary the
substitution pattern depending on the game situation, foul situation, and crucial times in
the game.

Motivation and the "big" game

Sometimes we coaches want to come up with a great, passionate "win one for the
Gipper" speech or inspirational quote to get the team "fired-up". In actuality, the kids
already know that it's a big game and may be over-hyped and nervous.

Instead, I think a calming, business-like approach is better. It's how you prepare in
practice, and how you work on fundamentals, team skills, etc that really counts. We try
to maintain a very business-like attitude with our high school players... everyone has to
go out and do his/her job every afternoon in practice and during every game.

Kids get nervous about playing in big, over-hyped games... you don't usually have to
pump them up, but rather calm them down and reassure them and have them focus on
what your game is and what you want to do. I have told players who tell me that they
are nervous (before a big game), not to worry about playing good or playing bad,
winning or losing... just go out and do your job like you always do. This seems to help.
I reassure them that being nervous is normal and can be a good thing if they channel
that extra energy into playing great defense, rebounding and hustling for loose balls.
Playing hard on defense and scrapping under the boards are good ways to "settle-down".

We use this job-like mentality in helping counteract "outside" influences too... like
breaking up with your boyfriend (or girlfriend) on the day of the big game. Just like all
of us... we may have some personal problems, but we still have to go to work that day
and do our job, regardless of what happened at home.

Same way with our players... no matter how bad your day went in school, when you
step on the court... "do your job"... and enjoy the moment and have fun. In the overall
scheme of life, for most players their basketball career is really short, so they should try
to enjoy every game and every moment with their teammates as much as they can.

Basketball Coaching ... Game Strategy

By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net
First of all, realize that most games are won and lost by your players executing the
fundamentals and plays that you have taught them in practice. But courtside coaching can
greatly influence the outcome of a game, especially a close game. If you get blown out by 30
points, let's face it... the other team was probably a lot better than you.

Game plan
First, prepare for the game through scouting, or reviewing game films of your upcoming
opponent. Find out who their best offensive players are, what their style of play is, what they like
to do, and what their weaknesses are. If you have played this opponent previously, review your
old game stats, notes and films.

Here is a good habit to get into: soon after playing a game, make notes of the game, your
observations and impressions of the opponent and save them. Refer to these the next time you
play them. Then you can develop a game plan that hopefully will favor your strengths and attack
their weaknesses, and deny their strengths.

But I would not change my game plan from what we usually do successfully to something else
solely designed to stop our opponent. Let them change their style of play to try to stop you!
Discuss in your practices and in your pre-game meeting your strategy for playing this team.
Discuss the defensive assignments so each player knows his role exactly, and who he will be
responsible for guarding.

If you have never played this team before and have no prior information, try to learn
early who their best players are and what style of game, what tempo, they like. Once
you know this, you can make quick adjustments in a time-out, or at the end of the first
quarter.

Game tempo
Try to set the game tempo to the style that best suits your team. If you are a running, pressing
team, and your opponent is a slow-down team, push the ball up the floor on offense, press on
defense, and create havoc!
If you are better in a half-court slower paced game (less team quickness and only average ball
handlers), then bring the ball up the court more deliberately, and get back on defense to prevent
the fast break. If your opponent is a great fast-breaking team, prepare your team to stop the
break by having one, or maybe even two, guards back, and have your big guys jam the
rebounder with hands up so they can't get off the quick outlet pass.

Type of defense
What does your team do best? -- man-to-man, or zone? Are they quick, good defenders (go
man-to-man), or do you have a couple slow defenders (maybe go zone)? Most teams may try
both at various times of the game. Only you can decide what is best for your team. Here are a
few things that I look at.

If the opponent has good outside shooters, use man-to-man to keep pressure on their
shooters.

If their strength is inside post play, you can play man-to-man and double team the post
with your weak-side guard. In this situation, whenever the ball goes into the low post,
have your low post defender deny him the drop step to the baseline, and have your
weak-side guard slide down quickly to prevent the move to the lane.

Or you can go into a 2-1-2, or 2-3 zone to "pack the paint" with your defense. This
leaves the outside more vulnerable. During the course of a game, if I realize that the
opponent is getting most of their baskets inside, I may switch to a 2-1-2 zone to jam the
paint and see if they can shoot from outside. If they can't hit the outside shot
consistently, this may be the best way to stop them.

If they are playing with a point guard and two wing players ("3-out, 2-in"), we may try a
1-2-2 trapping zone.

Some coaches play only man-to-man and refuse to use zones. Others use only zones. As
a coach, I believe I should use every possible tool or trick that I can to win a game. I
personally favor pressure man-to-man, but will not hesitate to go zone if I feel it will
give us an advantage, or a better chance of winning.

One exception, teach kids in the lower levels to play good man-to-man, before getting
into zones. So in practice, we will work on man-to-man defense, but also have the 2-3
and 1-2-2 in our arsenal, and periodically review our zone coverage patterns.

So when do you switch from man-to-man to zone, or vice versa? There are different
ways of doing this. Some coaches will change defenses frequently, in order to confuse
the opponent... as long as your own team doesn't get confused too! I personally like
riding success until the opponent shows me that they can beat it. If we are doing a great
job with our current defense, I will stay with it until it begins to fail.

You might also change from man-to-man to a zone if one or two of your better players
are in foul trouble, and you are trying to protect them from additional foul exposure.
When to press, or stop pressing
Again, the decision to press depends on whether your team has quickness, stamina, and bench
support, and whether the faster pace favors your team. Some teams will press the entire game
because it favors their quickness, and they have a deep bench.

Some will press at the start of the game to get off to a quick start. Some will press the last few
minutes before the end of a period, realizing they can rest at the break. Some teams will press
after each made basket. Some teams only press when they are behind late in the game, but it's
usually too late by then.

My personal plan often is to start the game pressing. Once the opponent starts breaking down
the press, or gets a couple lay-ups, I'll drop it. I'll put it back on later as a "surprise" tactic, or if I
sense a critical time in the game where a couple quick steals and lay-ups could make a big
difference.

If I have a 10 point lead with a just couple minutes left in the game, I would drop the press, slow
the game down, get back on defense and make the opponent work hard in the half-court for
their shots, working the clock down.

Using time-outs
Coaches should use their time-outs wisely. In close games, if possible, I try to save two or three
time-outs for the last few minutes of the game, when you may need to stop the clock, set up a
play, discuss your team's strategy, etc.

Sometimes it doesn't work this way. You get behind early, and must use your time-outs to
hopefully break the opponent's momentum, and reset your own strategy. If you are trying to
slow the game down, you might also use some time-outs early. If you are getting beat early,
there is no point in saving your time-outs for the end of the game, when you are down 20!

Sometimes I will look over at the opposing coach and notice that he is going to call time-out,
and this may save one for me. Sometimes I see a coach call a time-out 30 seconds before the
end of a quarter and wonder to myself, "Why?" Why waste a time-out then, when you can use
the time at the end of the period as your time-out? Remember, that at the end of each quarter,
you have a free time-out.

Keep it simple in your time-out huddle. The kids will often only remember one thing
you tell them in a time-out... usually the last thing. So use your time-out to make one
important team point... don't waste a time-out to instruct just one player... you can
substitute for him and explain things to him on the bench quickly, and then send him
back in.

An example of an important "team" pointer might be stressing getting back quickly on

defense and keeping one or two guards back if the opponent is fast breaking. Another
example might be to change your defense, or your offensive plan, and another might be
to simply prod the kids into increasing their defensive and rebounding intensity and
overall hustle. But keep it simple.

Substitutions
If you are coaching youth basketball, where everyone is supposed to play, or if you have a team
with a deep bench and can do a lot of substituting, then I would advise relying on your assistant
coach to help with the substituting. If you only play six or seven players, you can handle it.

In the former situation, I have found that it's really hard to keep track of everyone's playing time,
and still try to coach the game, set the strategy, etc. Before the game, I will discuss with my
assistant who the starters will be for that game. We will then also talk about which substitutions
to bring in for certain players and at what intervals... that is, our "substitution pattern".

Once the game starts, I have my assistant make most of the substitutions based on that pattern.
He can see when certain players are getting tired and need a break. If we have a "hot" player on
offense, we will ride that horse for awhile and not substitute until things "cool off". I will over-ride
the assistant at any time, if I see a certain situation where I feel we need to have a certain
player or two on the floor at that time.

I also like to be aware of our players' fouls. I have a formula that I try to teach my
players in regard to staying out of foul trouble: "your number of fouls should be less
than the number of the quarter you are playing in." So you never get your 2nd foul in
the first quarter, or your 3rd foul in the second quarter, or your 4th foul in the 3rd
quarter.

If any of these situations occurs with any of my key players, I may sit him/her down for
awhile. If we are down 10, I may need to keep him/her in there, and have to take my
chances with the fouls, and maybe try to protect him/her, using a zone on defense.

On the other hand, I have seen coaches essentially foul-out their own players with four
fouls, sitting them down for a quarter or more because of four fouls... essentially the
coach has fouled his own player out with only four fouls, and taken him physically and
mentally out of the game. You might be better off letting him play carefully, than not at
all!

Another point on substitutions... if you have eight or nine fairly good players, it will
probably be to your advantage over the course of the season to play all these kids, with
lots of substituting. If you are willing to risk a couple losses early in the season, you
may be a much stronger team late in the season if you develop that eight or nine-man
rotation into a good team, with lots of bench support. This also creates more team
harmony and team spirit.

Yelling at players
Sometimes I see coaches screaming at kids. I don't think this helps the player, and is usually
born out of frustration on the coach's part. It doesn't mean the coach is a mean person, and
often the coach feels bad about it after the game. Personally, I think coaches should be vocal in
encouraging their players, and yelling plays, strategy, etc.

I think it is counter-productive to yell negative stuff at kids in front of their parents, friends and
the fans. I think it is OK to get on them in practice, in the privacy of your gym. But games are for
the players and should be fun for them, and they shouldn't have to dread the coach yelling at
them.
Talking to Officials
Try to be on good terms with the refs and introduce yourself and shake hands with them before
the game. Most referees are good people who like and take an interest in kids just like you. And
just like you, they want a fair game for both sides.

Rarely, you may find a truly one-sided official. But expect them to make some calls that you do
not agree with. In these cases, you may actually be wrong, or the ref may have made the wrong
call, since no-one is perfect. Players and coaches make mistakes, and so do the refs.
Basketball is not a perfect game. Learn to live with it and teach your players to adjust to the
officiating and "play over" bad calls.

Most refs will talk and respond to you if you treat them with respect and sometimes you can
even throw in a little humor. But you may be in for a really long night if you have a ref who
believes you are trying to "show him up". Then instead of focusing on calling a fair game, he
changes his focus to "show you who’s the boss". Also, be patient with young, new referees.

End of quarter strategy

If you have the lead, and there is only 20 seconds left in the quarter, you may want to hold the
ball for the last shot, so that you may increase your lead, and at worse, maintain your present
lead without allowing the opponent a last second chance.

In high school or under, I would want the shot to go up with about 5 or 6 seconds left. This
allows time for an offensive rebound and a second shot, but not much time for the opponent to
get the ball up the floor off the rebound. Also, it takes some of the pressure off the shooter when
there are 6 seconds left, as he/she knows there is a chance for a rebound and put back. If you
wait until the buzzer, there is more pressure on the shooter to make the shot.

Late game strategy...

With a 6 to 12 point lead
With only a couple minutes left in the game, I try to "shorten" the game by holding for a good
shot, preferably a lay-up, and keep the clock running. As the late Al McGuire used to say, "you
don't need any more points... the clock is now your enemy!" This may be a good time for a time-
out and explain to the kids, "nothing but lay-ups".

Even better, make the call from the bench so that the clock doesn't stop for a time-out. Chances
are, the opposing coach will use one of his time-outs anyway to instruct his players to foul and
press... so you can probably save your time-out.

In "running the clock", I would always take the lay-up because it is a higher percentage
thing than just trying to hold the ball, and you can put the nail in the coffin with one last
score. You must still work your offense, but looking only for the lay-up.

If you try to just "stall" without looking for the lay-up, the chances are greater that you
may turn the ball over, or that you will get fouled, and a lay-up is easier than two
pressure packed free throws. Also, if you entirely lose your focus on scoring, you may
also lose your aggressiveness and momentum, and you become easier to defend. But if
you have a two possession lead (4 points) with less than 30 seconds, hold the ball.
On defense, get back and play good half court defense. Avoid stupid fouls that stop the
clock and allow the opponent to score when the clock is actually stopped (free throws).
Contest (but don't foul) the three-pointer, and prevent the fast break and easy lay-up. If
you only have 3 or 4 team fouls, you can play aggressively and pressure the ball… a
non-shooting foul just results in their inbounding the ball (which you could steal). See
"Defense for the Few Seconds of the Game"

If you are behind...

Have your players push the ball up the court on offense, and full court press on defense. Use
your time-outs to stop the clock and remind your players that the key to winning is tough
defense and rebounding... you must prevent the opponent from scoring to allow your offense a
chance to catch up.

Think in terms of the number of possessions you are down. If you score, you might call a time-
out immediately before they can in-bounds the ball. This not only stops the clock, but also
allows you to get your full-court press set, where you can try to deny and steal the ball.

Be aware of your number of team fouls. If you only have 4 or 5, you may have to foul
quickly so that you are over the limit (7) and can send the opponent to the free-throw
line. If the difference in the score is only one possession, I would just play very
aggressively… if the ref calls the foul, that’s fine. If not, we may come up with a steal
or force a turnover with our aggressive play.

If you are inside a minute and are down two or three possessions, try to get the quick
steal, but if you don't get it, then immediately foul to stop the clock. Too often, teams
will let 20 seconds run off the clock before someone finally fouls, wasting too much
precious time. Remember that a lot of things can happen in just 20 seconds. After being
down by two, our high school varsity scored 4 points in just 7 seconds to win it's
regional final game this year!

If you are down 4 points, you don't have to go to the three-pointer, since it's two
possessions anyway. Take it to the hoop and get to the free-throw line and stop the
clock. Then after scoring, or making the two free throws, put maximum, deny pressure
on the in-bounds pass, going for the steal, or quick foul.

Even if you are down 3 with only 20 seconds to go, it might be a higher percentage
move to go for the quick two-pointer and then pressure the inbounds pass than putting
the whole game on the shoulders of your three-pointer shooter, who probably has tired
legs. If you take the "3" and miss, and the opponent gets the rebound, you are usually
history, because you will have to foul, and they only have to convert one free throw to
"ice" the game. If there are only 8 seconds or less, take the three-point shot.

If the game is tied and you have the ball...

Hold for the last shot and try to get that shot with 4 or 5 seconds left, so you have time for an
offensive rebound and a second shot. But warn your players to be careful not to get the "over-
the-back" foul on the rebound. Again, it takes some of the pressure off the shooter if he doesn't
wait until the buzzer.

Try to get the ball inside for the high percentage shot... you may either get the shot, or get
fouled and win it on the free-throw line. If you have an outstanding outside shooter, you can go
"inside-out", passing the ball into the low-post, sucking the defense inside, and then kicking the
pass out to your perimeter hotshot for the game-winner.

If you need to, call a time-out to instruct your players on this strategy... but realize that when you
call time-out, you risk having your in-bounds pass stolen. Even better... work on this game
situation in practice and be able to call it from the bench without using a time-out (unless you
need to stop the clock).

Less than 4 seconds and you have the ball going the full-length of the court... see
"Offense for the Last Few Seconds of the Game" and "Desperation, Last Second Play".

A fews seconds remaining and you have the ball at half-court... see ""Buzzer-Beater
from Half-Court"" and "Half-Court Sideline Play".

If the game is tied and you are on defense...

Make sure your players all know their defensive assignments. Be sure to get "help-side"
defense on their star players. Contest the shot with hands up, but do not foul, unless it looks like
an easy lay-up... then you must make them win it on the free-throw line, which is not always
easy late in the game with the pressure on and fatigue a factor.

Some coaches will have their defense try to "take the charge" on dribble-penetration. My
experience is that unless it is a really obvious charge, you won't get the call from the ref when
the game is on the line.

If your number of team fouls is 5 or less, play very aggressive defense. If the opponent
waits until the last few seconds to make the move to the hoop, you could foul
(unintentionally) the ball-handler. Since they are not yet in the bonus, they must reset
and inbounds the ball with just a second or two left. If you still have 5 or less team
fouls, you can be very aggressive in defending the inbounds pass… each foul will
harass them and cost them time on the clock.

If you get the quick steal in transition, attack the basket immediately without calling a
time-out to set up a play. Chances are, in transition, you will get a good shot, or get
fouled. If you get the defensive rebound with 5-6 seconds left, get a quick time out to
stop the clock and set up your last play.

Another "gutsy" strategy is: assuming they have a poor free-throw shooter, you may
immediately foul him, if it is a "one and one" situation. If he misses the first free throw,
you can gain possession and now you have the advantage. I would not attempt this if the
opponent is in the double bonus, or if there is less than 10 seconds left... you may not
have time to score after the free throws, should he make them.

There is a lot of basketball strategy that can be used in the final two minutes! I'm sure I
have omitted some things and other coaches could add even more pointers. Watch TV
and see the great college coaches work the clock late in the game. You can learn a lot
from the TV commentators as well.

Basketball Coaching – Seven Major

Reasons Why Games Are Lost
By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net

In this article, I'm talking about what actually happens during a game... so let's dismiss
lack of preparation and other outside factors, even though these may be very important
in winning or losing the game at hand. And let's also put aside the obvious here... your
opponent is simply much better than you.

A young coach asked an expert coach, "Our next opponent is better, bigger, taller,
quick, plays great defense, with great shooters and ball-handlers, and they pass the ball
well. What should I do?" The answer... "Lose". We're not talking about that here. Here
we are discussing two fairly evenly matched teams, either of which could win the game.

In a nutshell, here are seven main reasons why games

are lost:
 Turnovers - Bad Decisions
 Bad Shots
  Lack of Defensive Pressure, Lack of Hustle
 Not Blocking Out, Not Rebounding
 Not Getting Back Defensively
 Stupid Fouls
 Failure to Play as a Team

Turnovers - Bad Decisions

On offense, every possession must be valued. The goal of every possession is to get at
least one good shot (and maybe more if we attack the offensive boards)... but at least
one good shot (or two free-throws) each trip up the court. Notice that I did not say that
we will score each time, because that is unrealistic. But we must value each possession,
protect the ball, and get a good shot... each trip.

Various violations (traveling, 3-seconds, illegal screen, etc.) and bad passing get in the
way of achieving our goal of getting a good shot. Making bad decisions with the ball
leads to turnovers and bad passes... e.g. dribble-penetration into two or three defenders,
forcing a bad pass into the defense, etc.

Have you ever watched an NBA or college game where a team fails to score for a long
time? Usually it's not because of just poor shooting... it's turnovers, poor offensive
execution, and poor shot selection. So... get a good shot each possession! Also see
"Reducing Turnovers".

Bad Shot Selection

If you take a lot of contested shots, forced shots, off-balance shots, etc, your shooting
percentage will plummet. Good defense can force you into bad shots as players become
impatient and try to force the issue. And then there is the occasional player who is only
concerned about his point total that game... but let's forget him for now. Throughout the
season, in practice, define for your players what is a good shot and what is a bad shot.

What is a Good shot?

1. The shot must be expected by your teammates.
2. The shot must be able to be rebounded by two of your teammates.
3. The shot must be able to let our defense have a chance to get back in transition after it
is taken.
4. The shot must be a high percentage shot for the shooter taking the shot.
5. The shot is dictated by time, score, and situation.

Let's look at the last one, #5 above. Jacking up a 3-point shot early in a possession, late
in the game, when you have the lead... is a poor shot, even if it luckily goes in. It would
be better to run some time off the clock, get a high-percentage shot or get to the free-
throw line. In this situation, most successful teams will either get the ball inside to their
best post player, or have their star perimeter player attack his defender off the dribble.
Get inside or get to the line!

The 3-point shot is an important part of the game. But shooting a 3 every trip is not high
percentage basketball. A 3-point shot taken with a defender flying out at the shooter is
not a good shot (a shot fake and drive would be better here). So when is a 3-point shot a
good shot?

It's a good shot when your best shooter gets a wide-open look... or when a guard
dribble-drives and then kicks the ball outside for a wide-open shot... or on a skip-pass
where the shooter is wide-open. A 3-point shot in transition can be a good shot as well,
unless we have a slim lead late in the game (as discussed above).

Forced shots inside are not good shots either. How often I see younger post players get
an offensive rebound, only to throw it back up, contested, or off-balance and not
squared up to the hoop... it's like the player thinks, "I got the rebound so I get to shoot it
again." A much better play would be, if the put-back shot is not open, kick it outside to
a perimeter player, who may be wide-open for a 3-point shot, or at least re-start the
offense and, if you are leading, run some more time off the clock.

Dribble-drive and dish or kick-out is great offense and difficult to defend. But dribble-
driving into a crowd and forcing up a bad shot is bad basketball.

Passing up a good, open shot is not desirable either, unless you are trying to run time off
the clock. Sometimes a player will pass up a good shot, and then a bad pass or turnover
occurs, and we get no shot at all.

Lack of Defensive Pressure, Lack of Hustle

Tough defense and rebounding will win most close games for you. I saw a high school
team win a state championship a few years ago mainly by their great rebounding and
defense... they could score too, but were only a little above average on offense.

As we said above, on offense we want a good shot every possession. On defense, we

want to contest every shot and pressure the ball. Keep the ball out of the paint. Force a
bad shot, bad pass or a turnover... and then get the rebound. It's one shot (contested) and
OUT!

Great defense will win those games when your offense is struggling... and you can play
great defense every game. No player should ever rest on defense... not even for one
possession. If you need to rest, rest on offense... or on the bench. Poor defense, giving
up easy shots, failing to hustle after loose balls are major causes of losing games.
Not Blocking Out, Not Rebounding
To reiterate... tough defense and rebounding will win most close games for you. It's one
contested shot (contested) and OUT! No second and third shots... if you fail to block out
and rebound and give up extra shots, your chances of winning are greatly diminished.

When you are on defense, you must have that mentality of wanting to get the ball back.
As soon as the shot goes up, everyone blocks out and rebounds. Failure to block out
also results in more fouls... the offense gets the rebound and we foul on the put-back
attempt. In my experience, if you lose the rebounding war, you will probably lose the
game.

Can little guys out-rebound a bigger team? It's hard, but if everyone is aggressive in
boxing-out their man away from the hoop, it can frustrate the opponent, and instead of
working to get around your box-out, they may start pushing in the back or going over
the top... which may get their "bigs" in foul trouble. Boxing-out is a foot war...
quickness counts.

Not Getting Back Defensively

Failure to sprint back on defense, i.e. poor defensive transition, results in easy shots and
lay-ups for the opponent. Sometimes players don't sprint back because they are tired...
take a time-out, or rest the player(s) on the bench for a couple minutes. It's an amazing
thing, but sometimes players think they are sprinting back, and then we show the game
film the next day, and they realize that they could be quicker.

A key here is the first two or three steps... often a player will see that the opponent has
gotten the rebound, will hesitate for a second or two, and then decide to run back... often
too late. Players must learn to immediately recognize the change of possession and
make those first few steps quickly. Many coaches teach players to run back to the paint,
with one player stopping the ball, and the other four players getting one foot in the
paint, and then fanning out to pick up the ball or their man from there.

We have a rule on sprinting back... whenever the ball is even or ahead of you going up
the floor, you had better be in an all-out sprint to catch up, or we'll assume that you are
tired and need a rest on the bench! But what if my best player is not getting back? Well,
he may not really be your best player, or he's tired and needs a rest. Great players want
to win and compete on both ends of the court.

Stupid Fouls
There are good fouls and bad fouls. Fouls in the back-court (i.e. in a press defense), or
80 feet from the basket (i.e. fouling the rebounder) are usually stupid fouls. The game
(and the clock) stops. If in the double-bonus, we walk down the floor and they shoot
two uncontested free-throws. You may have to do this late in a game if you are behind...
but otherwise, these are dumb fouls.

Fouling the jump shooter is usually a bad foul. Get a hand up, but don't foul... and
block-out. Reach-in fouls on the perimeter are not good fouls... instead players should
learn to move their feet and get help from teammates on dribble-penetration.

A good foul may be fouling a lay-up or an inside, high percentage shot... these shots
must be contested, and occasionally you'll get a foul... that's just the way it is. We don't
intentionally foul in this situation, and never want our player to take a "cheap shot" at an
opponent going in for a score, but we do want to contest that shot.

Bad fouls early in a game get your players in foul trouble, and then they have to sit. Late
in a close game, as your team's foul total builds up, the opponent gets to go the free-
throw line and score easy free-throws without taking any time off the clock.

Failure to Play as a Team

If one or two players are just playing for themselves and their own "glory", many of the
above-mentioned factors come into play. Bad, forced shots are taken. Attitudes develop
and players stop hustling and working hard on defense.

Your "star" players may not sprint back on defense, and may loaf of defense.
Selfishness results in poor passing and cutting. Players may get angry when taken out
the game by the coach. A negative attitude develops on the bench and players are not
pulling for and helping each other. Coaches start yelling at their players, and the refs.

A team with twelve or fifteen players playing hard together as one is a tough team to
beat.

Your "star" players must realize that when the all-conference honors and awards go out
at the end of the season, most of those awards go to players on winning teams... not just
good individual players... just another way of selling the "team" concept.

Coaching Basketball - Reducing

Turnovers
By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net
If you read the sports pages, almost every day during basketball season there is a
headline something to the effect that, "Tech Turnovers Cost Game" or "Turnovers
Costly in Raiders Loss". And when television analysts discuss key stats, they often
bring up not only turnovers, but "points off turnovers". And point guards are graded on
their "assists to turnover ratio". So turnovers are a bad thing... a killer if you have too
many.

First a definition... a turnover occurs whenever the team with the ball loses possession
of the ball to the opponent as the result of a steal, a bad pass, an offensive violation (e.g.
traveling and others), stepping out-of-bounds, or an offensive foul.

It should be the goal of your offense to get a good shot every possession... and then
rebound. A turnover results in a lost, or wasted possession, and you get no shot at all.
Additionally, if the turnover occurs near half-court or in the back-court, it may result in
an easy lay-up for the opponent ("points off turnovers")... in effect a four-point turn-
around.

Good teams value every possession and look for a good shot every trip up the court. We
had a 14-point lead last night in the 3rd quarter, and then six consecutive turnovers later,
it's a close game (which we managed somehow to win). Turnovers kill your momentum
and your offense.

But don't despair... it's a common problem. All coaches and many teams go through it.
Players just want to use their athleticism and "play the game", without worrying about
losing the ball. As a result, oftentimes a player is in too much of a hurry, gets out of
control and the turnover occurs. Coaches have to do what they can to reign them in and
teach them to value each possession. We want our players to be aggressive and attack
the defense, but there is a fine line between playing "on the edge" (under control) and
"out of control".

In studying the problem of turnovers, I have categorized them in two ways... based on
(1) an error in a fundamental skill, and (2) the game situation in which the turnover
occurs.

Errors in Fundamental Skills

 Ball-Handling Turnovers
 Passing Turnovers
 Catching-Receiving Turnovers
 Traveling Violation Turnovers
 Offensive Fouls
 Other Violations

Game Situations/Settings
 Turnovers when Confronted by a Press Defense
 Turnovers in Transition
 Turnovers in Your Half-Court Offense

Ball-Handling Turnovers
Your team must be skilled in handling the ball and dribbling... if not, go back to the
fundamentals and do ball-handling and dribbling drills every practice. All youth teams
should be spending some time with this every practice. The double-dribble violation is
quite common in youth basketball.

Point-guards and all perimeter players must learn not to "carry" the ball when
dribbling... they must avoid getting the hand under the ball. Again, these are
fundamental skills that must be drilled.
Point-guards must be tough and protect the ball. It's a bad turnover when your point
guard "gets stripped" and has the ball stolen at half-court, and the opponent dribbles
down for a lay-up.

When dribbling the ball into the forecourt, the point guard should protect the ball behind
him/her and "go somewhere" with the ball. Point-guards that just stand out front and
pound (dribble) the ball without going somewhere are a turnover waiting to happen,
especially if he/she makes cross-over dribbles right in front of a defender who has quick
hands.

If your point guard is having problems with a quick defender when bringing the ball
into the forecourt, instruct him/her to pass quickly to the off-guard, and then get the pass
back and run the offense. Why challenge the defender when you can simply pass to an
open teammate? Optionally, you could screen for the point guard to help relieve the
pressure.

Passing Turnovers - 10 Tips

Many turnovers are the result of poor passing.

1. What is a good pass?

A good pass is one that is caught in a spot on the court where something good
can happen. A pass might be "on target" but if it's too hard for the receiver to
catch, it's not a good pass. Or if the pass is caught by the receiver, but he/she is
surrounded by defenders, it's not a good pass. Another example is a pass to a
back-cutter... we want to deliver the pass early in the back-cut and not wait until
the cutter is already near the basket.

2. "On-target"
A good pass needs to be delivered precisely in the right place, "on target", where
the receiver can easily catch it and execute. If a pass is a little too high, too low,
or a little off to the side, it might be caught, but the brief second required for the
receiver to gather the ball allows the defender to adjust, and now the open shot is
not there. Teach your players to pass the ball precisely where the receiver can
use it to score... "on-target".

Most often the target is the "shooting pocket" where one would place the ball in
triple-threat position. However, when passing into the post, we want the target
up higher near the post player's face... he/she can usually catch this pass and
"chin the ball" with elbows up and out, or go right up with the shot.

Post players have a difficult time catching and using passes below their waist.
We always used to teach the bounce pass for feeding the post, and it's still a
good pass if it's not below the post player's waist. But you now see more and
more teams making the air pass to the post player's upper body or head area.
3. "See the defense"
Passers have to develop their court vision and "see the defense", and avoid
passing into traffic where there are two or three defenders waiting. We want
players to "pass away from the defense". How do you improve court vision?
Teach players on the perimeter to get in triple-threat position, and they will see
things better.

4. Make the "sure" pass

Players should make the "sure", easy pass... not a risky pass that might not be
caught, or might be deflected or intercepted, or has only a 50% chance of
success.

5. Keep it simple
Players should always keep things simple... make the easiest pass that will get
the job done... usually a two-handed, sure pass. So many players nowadays are
throwing one-handed passes and these are often simply not caught, either
because the pass is errant, or perhaps because the ball has a sideways spin
making it difficult to catch.

Having said that, one-handed passes are good to use for a curl-bounce into the
low-post, or when attacking on the fast-break. The behind the back pass is fun
and sometimes is the correct pass to make, but most often the best pass is the
simple two-handed pass.

6. Use pass-fakes
Players must learn how to make a good pass-fake. This is an often overlooked,
important fundamental skill that needs to be taught. A passer can get the defense
to move or shift simply by faking a pass in another direction, and this will often
open up the intended passing lane. Teaching pass-faking also teaches players not
to "telegraph" their passes.

7. Don't hurry - patience!

Much bad-passing comes from players being in a hurry, and this is often a
problem with young, inexperienced teams. Your offense must learn to be
patient. We want our players to sprint up the court for easy fast-break lay-ups as
much as possible.

But when the good shot off the break is not there, they have to recognize this,
bring the ball back out on top and run the offense patiently and get a good shot.
Teach players to catch the ball in triple-threat position and look into the post,
look at cutters and see the floor before dribbling or passing.

8. Keep grounded - avoid the jump-pass

How often do you see a player attacking with the dribble and ending the dribble
with a leap into the air, and then deciding to make a pass while in mid-air? -- the
"jump-pass". I think kids see this on television and think it's a sign of athleticism
to make the jump-pass.

More often than not, the jump-pass results in a turnover. Teach passers to stay
grounded and make good, controlled two-handed passes. We don't want our
 players making decisions in mid-air. The jump-pass also is often the result of a
player being in too much of a hurry.

9. Receivers use a hand signal or hand target

Teach the receiver to use a hand signal, holding a hand up as a target for the
pass. This helps avoid the problem of the passer passing the ball out-of-bounds
just as the intended receiver starts to a cut in another direction. When the cutter
starts the cut, he/she drops target hand down, and puts it back up when ready to
receive the pass. Players do not pass to another player unless he/she is showing a
hand target.

10. Use the dribble to create a passing lane

For example, a player in triple-threat position on the wing can sometimes open
up a passing lane into the low-post by making one dribble either left or right
before making the pass inside.

Try the "Bennett drill" to improve your half-court passing and help reduce turnovers.

Catching - Receiving Turnovers

If you don't catch the pass, it's almost always a turnover.

1. Catch the ball with two-hands!

So often players try to catch the ball with one-hand, and then simply don't catch
the ball at all. Whenever possible, catch the ball with two-hands.

2. Catch the ball in triple-threat position

Perimeter players must get in the habit of catching the ball and getting right into
triple-threat position, rather than immediately starting the dribble. In triple-threat
position, the player can "gather" himself and see the court, look into the post, see
cutters and see the defense. Triple-threat position helps reign-in a player that
tends to rush and hurry things.

3. "Ball in the air, feet in the air"

We like to have receivers catch the ball with a jump-stop and establish a pivot
foot. (show video)...

4. Use a hand target

As discussed above under passing, receivers should give a hand target to the
passer, and drop the target when they start a cut and are not yet ready to receive
the pass.

5. Get to the ball

Receivers should be moving toward the ball, with hands ready to receive. A post
player also has to get to the pass, even if it means giving up the seal or position
that he/she has worked so hard to get. All that work is wasted if the pass goes
out-of-bounds. It's somewhat like a first baseman in baseball having to come off
the bag to catch errant throw.
Traveling Violation Turnovers

1. Perimeter players - triple-threat position

Again, perimeter players must get in the habit of catching the ball in triple-threat
position, and establishing a pivot foot. Players must be drilled on not picking up
the pivot foot until the dribble has started. Teach a good shot-fake followed by a
quick dribble move, but make sure the pivot foot doesn't come up too soon! See
Outside, Guard Moves

2. Post players
Post play is all about footwork, using the pivot foot without traveling or
shuffling the feet. Post players must be adept in post-moves, but also must
recognize when it's best not to force things, and pass back out to the perimeter.
A forced, bad shot or a blocked shot, although technically not a turnover, really
is just like a turnover. See Inside, Post-Moves

3. Use the jump-stop

Teach players to use the jump-stop not only when catching the ball, but also at
the end of a dribble. This allows the player to maintain control and avoids the
jump-pass and making a decision while in mid-air. (show video)...

Offensive Fouls
Offensive fouls are turnovers too, as they result in the loss of possession.

1. Avoid the charging foul

Avoiding the charging foul involves having good court vision and seeing that
the defense is already set... and playing under control. Here again, the jump-stop
is very helpful at the end of a dribble-drive inside.

2. Post player offensive foul

Again, good post play involves good footwork and using post-moves and shot-
fakes to beat the defender. If you lower your shoulder and bump the defender,
you will probably get the charging foul. Or, if you "hook" the defender with
your off arm, it's usually an offensive foul.

3. Illegal screen
The screener must have his/her feet set and keep the arms in - no pushing!
Other Violations
Without going into details, here is a list of additional offensive violations that result in
turnovers.

1. 3-seconds violation (in the lane too long)

2. Shot-clock violation (if a shot-clock is being used)
3. Free-throw lane violation (in the lane too soon on a free-throw)
4. 10-seconds back-court violation (delay in getting across the half-court line)
5. 5-seconds closely-guarded violation (guards who like to dribble too much)
6. Over-and-back violation (ball in forecourt lost into the back-court)
7. Stepping out-of-bounds (player with the ball)
8. Passing inbounds violations (5-second call, stepping across the line, illegal
moving)

Game Situations/Settings
Turnovers when Confronted by a Press Defense
You must have a good press offense(s) to help your players handle full-court, 3/4-court
or 1/2-court press defenses. See Press Offenses. When preparing for an opponent,
practice your press offense and how you will adjust based on the type of press defense
your opponent uses. This helps prepare your players so that there are no surprises and
they can calmly execute your press offense. Often you will have to make game-time
adjustments against pressing teams.

Teach your players (1) to be calm, (2) attack the defense, and (3) the three "looks" -
look and see the floor, look before passing, and look before dribbling. To calm your
players (especially kids), you must be calm in your coaching and instruction.

Turnovers in Transition
Turnovers can occur when transitioning quickly from defense to offense.

Off the defensive rebound.

When the defensive rebound is secured, the point guard must get to an outlet spot or
come back to the rebounder for an open passing lane. Rebounders must be strong with
the ball, get triple-threat and pivot to find a receiver, or make a one-bounce power
dribble just to get clear of the defenders and create a passing lane.

After a steal or interception.

How often do you see a player come up with a steal, a loose ball or an interception only
to have his next pass intercepted right back by the opponent? It happens a lot... I call it
the "steal->turnover".

Here's a tip... we teach our players that whenever they get a steal or interception, to
never pass back into the middle of the court, because that's where the defense is
sprinting back - down the middle of the court. Instead, after securing a steal or
interception, get under control, get triple-threat and see the court, and advance the ball
up the sideline. The exception of course is an obvious break-away lay-up situation.

Recognize when to abort the break.

Score off the fast break or secondary break whenever you can, but when the defense is
in good position and there is no numbers advantage, pull the ball back out and run your
offense. Do not force bad passes and bad shots in transition. Run your offense!

Turnovers in Your Half-Court Offense

Much of what has already been discussed above under passing and catching, ball-
handling, etc applies to turnovers in the half-court. But to add some important points
about half-court offense... maintain good spacing, use back-cuts (especially against
pressure defenses), pass and cut, rotate on the perimeter, players must not stand
around... keep moving! It's easy to defend a team that doesn't move.

Avoid the sideline and baseline... many turnovers occur within three feet of either the
baseline or the sideline. Teach players never to pick up the dribble along the baseline...
if stopped on the baseline, keep the dribble going and dribble (or pass) back out. Wing
players should learn to attack the top seam, which affords more options than the
baseline dribble.

Dribbling along the sideline can result in the player stepping out-of-bounds, or getting
caught in a trap, or simply losing control of the dribble under the defensive pressure.

If wing players are being trapped, make sure you have a player in the high-post (free-
throw line area) and one at ball-side corner for passing options, as well as the point
guard helping out on top. Once the ball is passed out of the trap, immediately reverse
the ball to the opposite side and you should have an advantage.

A savvy point guard will pass-fake to one wing, getting the defenders to jump, and then
pass instead to the opposite wing or high-post... this disrupts the timing of the defenders
wanting to immediately rush out and trap the wing.

Against the 2-3 zone, teach your perimeter players to drive the seams, but pull-up for a
jump-shot near or just inside the elbow... don't get too deep inside where the three tall
inside defenders are waiting.
Bad shots... forced, off-balance, "crappy" shots, while technically not a turnover, are
just as bad, resulting in a poor shot for your team on that possession. Ingrain your
players to value each possession. Be patient and don't hurry. Execute. Get a good shot.
Rebound.

Finally, remember that in basketball there is no such thing as a perfect game, and you
can never completely eliminate turnovers. As coaches, we ourselves must remain
patient and encouraging, and teach our players how to play hard, but under control. As
Coach John Wooden once said, "A good garden may have some weeds." - just not too
many!

Basketball Defense - Defensive Intensity -

Charting Deflections
By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net
Defensive "deflections" are a largely unrecognized defensive statistic that coaches
should pay a lot more attention to. Why? Because deflections are an index of defensive
intensity... a measure of how hard your team, and individual players, are playing on
defense.

Deflections are not "official" stats and thus are not reported in box-scores, nor by the
media. You will rarely see it discussed on TV in the pre-game or post-game analyses.
We have good stats for offensive skills with shot charts, shooting percentages, free-
throws, 2-point and 3-point shooting, assists, offensive (and defensive) rebounding,
turnovers, etc. On defense, we chart blocks, steals, and rebounds but that's about it!

As coaches, we implore our players to play harder on defense, get scrappy, talk,
communicate, pressure the ball, help, hustle... a lot of intangible stuff. This is where
charting your team's deflections comes in. If you have an assistant chart deflections, you
now have an objective way of determining your defensive intensity. The harder you play
on defense, the more deflections, and vice-versa. Deflections are a "hustle and intensity"
stat.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino pays more attention to deflections than almost any
other stat, and has been charting deflections since he started way back in the 80's. He
wants to know going into a time-out or half-time, how many deflections they have. He
strives for 17 - 22 at half-time and over 35 per game, and claims that if you get 35 or
more, most of the time you win. He has an assistant devoted to nothing but charting
deflections, during games and in practices. Coach Pitino's teams are noted for their
defensive intensity.

Tom Crean at Indiana, and many other great coaches, are charting deflections too.
Successful coaches are charting deflections not only during games, but in practices.
They have assistants chart deflections during defensive drills and scrimmaging type
drills. Some coaches will keep a running total on the whiteboard in the locker-room. It
becomes obvious who's working hard on defense... and who's not. It sends a message to
players, and players start developing an attitude about playing tough, hard defense and
accumulating deflections... just like points and rebounds.
At halftime, you might write the number on the board... and you might ask, "Only 8
deflections... what do you think of our defensive intensity?!"

So what counts as a deflection?

A main reason why deflections are not an "official" stat is because it is subjective.
Coaches have their own individual rules on what counts as a deflection. This is also part
of the beauty of this stat... it's flexible. You can make it whatever you want.

Examples are tipping a pass (whether it is intercepted or not), tipping a dribble, making
a steal, getting a loose ball, blocking a shot, etc. You could have two deflections on one
play... a player tips a pass and a team-mate recovers the ball... both count as deflections.
It could also be taking a charge, or forcing a shot-clock violation.

It does not include a rebound. Some coaches might not count shot-blocks or taking a
charge, as these are often charted separately. But it really comes down to whatever you
as a coach want to monitor. So the stat is more than just a true "deflection" or tipping of
the ball. Maybe we should call it something like a "dig", a "nasty", a "scrappy", or...
whatever!

Whatever you call it... make up your own rules, designate an assistant, and start
charting. See if your defensive pressure intensifies.

Feel free to download and modify this "Deflections Chart" for your own use. You can
get five games (or five practices) on each sheet. PDF version

Basketball Late-Season Tune-Up -

Preparing for March Madness!
By James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @
http://www.coachesclipboard.net
It's late in the season and we're just about to enter our post-season tournament, aka "March
Madness". What adjustments do you make at this point in the season?

I'm talking mainly about high school varsity teams here. First, an observation and an opinion... a
lot of coaches and players would probably disagree with me here. Over the many years that I
have been involved with high school basketball, I have had the fun and opportunity to be
involved with excellent coaches and some very good teams.

But, to me, it almost seems like the high school season is a little too long (we play 20 regular
season games and then the tournament). Almost every season, even with our very best teams, I
see kids getting tired toward the end of the season. Practice energy is down. Kids get sick with
colds and the flu, they get worn down and tired, nagging injuries occur, and some frankly get
sick of basketball. I believe the season could be a little shorter... but that's just me. As I said,
many (maybe most) would disagree with me.

So what do you do late in the season with your practices and getting your team ready for post-
season play? Do you and your coaches beat your heads on the wall trying to get your players to
be more intense in practice... most would.

But another observation I have made is that each team has it's own "character"... and
characters! And of course, the old dictum is still true that "you play like you practice"... well, for
the most part anyway.

But some high school kids are frankly a little goofy and immature and just can't be 100% intense
every practice. You're going to have an occasional practice where energy and attention levels
are down and you want to just scream at them, or make them run.

We had an awful practice like that last week, the day before a big game. I was not optimistic
about the game. To my surprise, we came out with great energy for 32 minutes and won by 25-
30 points!

So I think you have to figure out your own team... maybe a "soft" practice is not always so bad,
if they come out and play hard on game-night. Really, it's about getting your team ready to play
as hard as they can during games. So a bad practice doesn't bother me as much as it used to,
so long as we play hard on game night, and so long as bad practices don't become a habit.

Late-Season Practices
Late in the season, we shorten practices. We try to get the kids to practice hard and reward their
energy and attention by shortening practice to 60-90 minutes. We will do shooting drills and
free-throws every practice. We will scrimmage and go 5-on-5 up and get down the floor for
some aerobic work-out.

By this time in the season, they should know your offenses and defenses, press offense and
press defenses. We will however, drill a certain aspect or detail of any of these that needs
attention. We might work on some late-game situations. We will quickly review some of our
plays.

We will target our practice somewhat to our next opponent... if they play zone, we spend some
time on zone offense. If they press, we practice our press-breakers. We will address what they
are trying to do on offense and how we intend to defend them.

But we don't want to be overly concerned about what our opponent might do... we want to focus
on what we want to do, and let them worry about us. Trying to make a big change, such as
changing your defense from man-to-man to zone, or vice-versa, at this point in the season will
usually cause more problems for you than your opponent. At this point, you have to usually go
with what you know you can do.

At the end of practice, we get a cheer and remind the kids to go home and get plenty of rest and
sleep, and not stay up all night playing video games. They need their sleep to maintain health
and energy, get over sicknesses, heal injuries, and to be good students.

We remind them to eat right, and avoid a lot of junk food. We will also remind them from time-to-
time (especially before a weekend) to stay out of trouble and avoid making stupid, bad decisions
that might get them benched, or kicked off the team.

Retired Coach Ken Sartini, also recommends that at the end of practice, do something fun... a
goofy contest where they could make fun of each other... or use some time to run game
"situations", which the kids also like doing.

Adding new plays

We play each of our conference opponents twice during the regular season. By the end of the
season, every coach in the conference pretty much knows what everyone else is doing on
offense and defense. So we will add a few new plays for the post-season tournament.

We will purposely "hold back" a couple favorites and put them in just for the tournament. We will
usually add a couple new out-of-bounds plays vs man-to-man and zone defenses, and a couple
new half-court plays designed to get good shots for our best players, and maybe a new sideline
out-of-bounds play.

The plays that we select again depend on our personnel. If we have a great outside shooter,
we'll put in a play for him. A great post player... we look at something that will help us get the
ball to him inside. A great point-guard... we'll try to stretch the defense and let him attack the
seams with the dribble.

Go through the web-site's various plays (see Selecting Plays) and you'll be sure to find
something for your team. Here are just a few favorites...

"Kentucky"
"Kentucky-2" gets an open 3-point shot for our shooting guard O2. "Kentucky-3" is the same
play and gets a shot for O3 instead. Kentucky-2 is run to the right side while Kentucky-3 goes to
the left. We run these out of either a 3-out, 2-in or a 4-out, 1-in set.

"Kentucky-2"
This play gives our O2 an excellent chance for a three-pointer. See diagram A. The play starts
with a weave screen with O1 dribbling toward O2, handing off and screening for O2. Meanwhile,
O5 cuts up to the weakside arc. O3 initially slides toward the corner (for spacing) but will
eventually move back outside.

See diagram B. O2 dribbles toward the point and passes to O5. To get good spacing, it is
important for O2 to dribble high to the top, even with the lane line. O4 screens for O1 who cuts
around the screen, eventually out to the opposite corner. O5 can pass to O1 inside as our first
"early" option. After screening for O1, O4 moves up and backscreens for O2. It's key that this
back-screen for O2 is set very high, in line with the right lane line, so that good spacing results
for the flare pass to O2.

See diagram C. O2 cuts around the back-screen and flares to the wing-corner area. O5
skips passes "over the top" to O2. After back-screening for O2, O4 rolls to the ball-side
low post. O2 has the option of shooting the three-pointer, or passing inside to O4 in the
low post. If the pass to O2 is denied, then O4 can post up inside and O5 can make the
"hi-lo" pass to O4. Notice the weakside rotation after O5 passes to O2... O5 drops to the
elbow, O3 rotates out to the point and O1 rotates to the left wing.

Another option is the "slip" (diagram C). After O2 hits a couple of "3's", the defense
may switch the O4-on-O2 screen. If the defense switches O4's screen on O2, O4 slips
the screen, and cuts hard through the lane to the hoop, for the pass (red arrow) from O5.

"Kentucky-3"
This is the same as "Kentucky-2" except to the left side. See the diagrams below. O1 dribbles
left, hands off to and screens for O3. O3 dribbles toward the top and passes to O4 who has
moved out on top. O5 screens for both O1 and O3. O4 looks for O1 cutting inside, or for the
over-the-top pass to O3. After screening for O3, O5 cuts to the ballside block. O5 could get the
pass from either O3, or directly from O4 ("slip" option) if the defense overplays the O5-on-O3
screen.

"Blitz" or "Big"
We like to use this "hi-lo" play when we have a good strong inside post player, and if we think
this player can beat his/her defender 1-on-1 with a post move. This is a great play also if the
post defender is in foul trouble as it exposes him/her to another fouling situation, or he/she may
simply play "soft" defense and allow us to score. We like the "hi-lo" feed to the low post coming
from the top, as there is usually no helpside defense when the ball is at the top.

See the diagram below. O1 dribbles off toward the right wing as O2 locates in the corner. O4
moves to the top of the key and O1 passes to O4. O5 makes an aggressive post-up in the paint
and O4 tries to make the "hi-lo" pass inside to O5 (oftentimes a "step-around" left-handed curl-
bounce pass). O5 scores or gets fouled. This is our first option. The pass from O4 to O5 must
happen quickly so as to avoid O5 getting a three-second violation. Timing is important.

After O1 passes to O4, O2 backscreens for O1, and O1 slides to the wing-corner area. If the
pass inside to O5 is denied, O4 could skip-pass over the top to O1. O1 could shoot the three-
pointer, or pass inside to O5 who posts up on the ballside as soon as the pass goes to O1.
Another option that we use when the pass from O4 to O5 is being denied is to have O4 fake a
pass to O5, and make a quick dribble move to the hoop around the right side of the defender.

"15"
After you run "Blitz" a couple times, the defense may be looking for this play and may
overplay and deny the pass from O1 to O4. In this case, O4 can simply backcut up the
right side of the lane and get the pass from O1 for the lay-up. Another option is, instead
of O1 passing to O4, O1 passes inside directly to O5 posting up. We call this option
"15".

"Blitz-Left" or "Big-Left"
We can also run "Blitz" to the left side, where O1 dribbles left and passes to O4. From here, the
play is the same with O5 now back-screening for O1. Another option is "Thumbs-Down" where
we run the basic "Blitz" play, but O4 down-screens for O3. O3 comes up to the arc and gets the
pass from O1 and now O4 posts up inside... it's the same as "Blitz", only here O4 is your inside
post player.

"15", "Blitz-Left" and "Thumbs-Down" are all just adjustments made to counter how the defense
plays us.

Out-of-Bounds Play "Box Wide-2" vs Man-to-Man

Defense
This play has a number of good options. We set-up in a box, with O5 wide. O2 cross down-
screens for O1 (diagram A), and O1 cuts to the ball-side 3-point arc, as O2 then moves to the
opposite corner. We want the inbounds pass to go to O1 (but it could go to O5 and then out to
O1).

As the pass goes to O1, O5 then screens for O3 and O3 cuts to the ball-side corner for a
possible pass and 3-point shot (diagram B). If the defense switches the O5-O3 screen, O5
should get open by sealing the X3 defender and receive the pass from O1 for the inside shot.
This could also be a size mis-match in your favor.
Now comes the fun part... meanwhile, after O1 receives the inbounds pass, O4 starts to cut up
high calling for the ball. If the X4 defender overplays and denies, O4 quickly back-cuts to the
hoop for the lob pass from O1 and possible dunk (O2 should have already cleared out to the
corner). This option may not be open vs zones, but the prior options could be.

Out-of-Bounds Play "Splitter" - vs 2-3 Zone Defense

Diagram A. Notice that the defense is aligned in a 2-3 zone. O3 is the inbounder. O1, O2, O4
and O5 "stack", or line-up, along the ball-side lane. O5 lines up near the elbow... it's important
that we start this "stack" high enough, in order to get good spacing. O4 stacks outside the X1
defender. O1 and O2 form a mini-stack above the X1 defender.
When O1 yells "go", O2 (your best shooter) cuts around O4's screen to the ball-side corner,
calling for the ball. This should influence the outside low defender to move out to the corner to
defend O2. O5 seals the middle, inside defender. If the X4 defender stays inside, O2 gets the
pass and the three-point shot (diagram A).

If the X4 defender to moves out toward the corner, O4 slides down the lane into the gap looking
for the pass and shot (diagram B).You should have a 2-on-1 situation with the X4 defender.
Either O2 or O4 should be open. O1 moves out of top as our safety.

Sideline Play, "Line-1"

This sideline play can be used as a standard sideline play or a half-court, last second play when
we only have a few seconds left on the clock. O4 starts low and sprints up to receive the pass
from O3. Meanwhile, O1 screens for O2 and after screening, cuts hard to the back-side wing for
a quick pass from O4 and the shot, or lay-up, depending on how much time is left. After in-
bounding the ball, O3 cuts to the left wing and could also get the pass and last-second shot. If
both wings are covered, O4 may have to take the shot. If time is not a factor, O2 is our safety
pass in the back-court.
Sideline Play, "Line-2"
This sideline play also uses a "line" set (see diagrams above), and tries to get a lob pass to O2
going to the hoop. Of course, you can change this to fit your own personnel. O1 cuts into the
back-court as our safety outlet. O2 cuts hard around O5 and O4. O3 looks to make the lob pass
over the top to O2 cutting to the hoop. After O2 cuts, O5 moves to the ball-side wing area and
O4 cuts straight toward the ball. If the pass goes to O1, O5 or O4, then just set up in your usual
half-court offense.

Winning Tournament Games

To make a tournament run, your team must be coming together, "gelling", at the right time. They
must play hard for 32 minutes each game, and play together. They have to "play to win", and
not "play not to lose", which means they can't worry about winning and losing, and making
mistakes and missing shots... they just play as hard as they can, with every player doing his job,
having the courage to try to score, and have fun. Key players must learn to avoid getting into
foul-trouble.

In tournament time, you must not rely night after night on winning with 3-point shooting, because
when you have an off-night shooting, you're done. You must attack the rim, get the ball inside
and get to the free-throw line.

Get players to get over pre-game jitters by telling them that to be nervous is a good thing, to be
expected... and they should use that nervous energy early in the game to play tough, hard
pressure defense, hustle and dive after loose balls, and be aggressive on the boards for
rebounds. As the saying goes, "it takes no talent to hustle." If you do the hustle things well, your
offense will usually fall into place too. On offense, make the easy pass and avoid turnovers.

Some coaching strategy... finish the quarter with the last shot if you get the chance, especially if
you have the possession arrow for the next quarter... this could result in back-to-back baskets
for you. Coach Bob Knight recently pointed out on television the importance of finishing the first
half... the last 4-5 minutes, and then the importance of starting the second half... the first 4 or 5
minutes.