This will be the second consecutive year where we will not be competing during the postseason. It is not where we want to be, however, it provides polarizing experiences from a coaching standpoint to learn from comparing the first two seasons as a head coach competing on a higher level. The best teams have one … Continue reading Post-Season Preparation
"The best defense is to be on offense. The opponent cannot score when our team has the ball, unless we're called for a technical foul. Therefore the team that goes after every rebound and loose ball is a better defensive team because they do the best denial defense of all - they get the ball … Continue reading Winning Defense: Rebound
I consider the playing season to be broken up into three segments: preseason/out-of-conference, conference, and postseason. Progressively there is a narrowing focus to incrementally grow as a team in preparation for the next. The early part of the season is the installation and integration phase. Depending on the level, each basketball calendar works differently; here … Continue reading Season Part Two
Connecting with the alumni of a basketball program should be one of the top priorities of the athletic administration and head coach. Naturally, over the years, there are athletes that come and go through a program, that in one era or another, has captured the true essence of that school's culture. With this culture sometimes … Continue reading Alumni Connections
"A good defense will not allow the ball to be reversed easily, since reversal breaks down the weakside defense and puts a lot of pressure on the inside defenders to change their body positions to prevent an inside pass. Any number of bad things can happen to the defense when the ball is reversed easily … Continue reading Winning Defense: Defending the Swing Spot & Switching
When I was competing as a student-athlete (Division III), Christmas Break was pretty much the commitment period. We would have a mandatory week off over the holidays being able to go back home to see our families and friends. This was a time to retain that brief sense of zero responsibility and limitless leisure that … Continue reading Player Burnout
When you find yourself in the middle of a winning streak, one of the best things that you can do is keep doing what you have been doing. One of the mistakes that can be made when on a winning streak is to change what has been working, to something that you have not been … Continue reading Winning Streak
"Players other than the man defending the ballhandler must slow the advance of the ball, of course. And it's not enough for the rest of the team merely to run back quickly on defense, though that is the second-best strategy. The best strategy is for the teammates to make a quick transition with purpose. That … Continue reading Winning Defense: Transition & Early Halfcourt
It can be two or twenty-two games, losing streaks all create a similar effect - questions. Where are we playing poorly? What can we adjust? How have we been practicing? How are our rotations? Who has played well for us, who needs a shorter leash on the floor? Why doesn't practice transfer to the games? … Continue reading Losing Streak
We just finished with #BalancingTheHolidays. Each program handles winter break differently, some coaches make philosophical decisions, while others are at the mercy of their actual game schedule. Either way, it is a unique time during the season where coaches have to consider sports-life balance and the re-activation upon return. https://twitter.com/CoachsClimb/status/1210343084988534787 In our season, there is … Continue reading After. Time. Off
