A Coach's Diary

Offense Some notes on what we want to accomplish this off-season from an offensive standpoint.  I want our philosophy for the spring to be that nobody can guard you 1 on 1.  You have to be able to get to the paint off the catch or the dribble, or use screens to create and advantage to get to the basket. Beat Your Man 1 on 1 - You can’t let one person guard you - Beat your man to get in the paint to score - If you get in the paint and can’t get a clean shot, jump stop, pivot, and find cutters and shooters - If you can’t get in the paint, drive to make somebody have to help to get a teammate an open shot One on One Moves Triple Threat - Rip - Jab - Shot fake Off The Dribble - In and out - Hesitation - Stutter step - Counters Get Your Teammates Open - Help your teammates create an advantage - Set a screen for them to get them open - Drive at their man to make her help to get them open Use Your Teammates to Get Open -  Know how to turn the corner ...

Lawrence Frank gave a really good Pick ‘n’ Roll Offensive breakdown in the video below.   Frank says the objective of pick and roll is to create 4 on 3 advantages, so you want to be aggressive, attack, and make the defense pay for however they guard you. One of the key points that he makes is the importance of being able to counter-punch.   Each team you play will have a plan for how they want to guard, or attack your ball-screens.   This video identifies several different defensive options and how to exploit them. At the end of the day, no matter what offense you have, it is important to teach, grow, and develop your players so that they can make the right reads at the right speed and so that they have the skill set to beat their man when they make the read.   This breakdown outlines ‘what’ you need to do.   Every day in practice you must teach ‘how’ to do it. Frank also says that, as a coach, you want your players to know who you are and wha...

There are a couple of sets here that I really like from the Portland Trail Blazers that I will be using this next year.

This is a really neat article found on Grantland about a Division 2 basketball coach and program who has found success speeding up the game, not over-coaching, and letting their players 'play' and have some say in the decision making process. Jim Crutchfield took over the West Liberty University Men's Basketball program in 2004 following a 4-23 season, and they haven't looked back since.   The article is as much about the narrative of the decline in popularity of college basketball, in large part to the tempo of the game, as it is about Coach Crutchfield's basketball program.  They speak in-depth with several coaches, including former Sooner and TCU coach, Billy Tubbs about the slow down in pace of the game. The article is a very interesting read in general about college basketball, and it has several good 'nuggets' of information.  I have highlighted some notes from the article below.  You can read it in its entirety here . Being Able To...