A Coach's Diary

I was watching some of the Team USA Select basketball practice, and came upon three different non-contact drills that I will implement to our practices this next school year.   The first drill is where they are working on the habit pass.  The habit pass is when a ball-handler drives baseline, the guard on the backside needs to float to the corner to create a passing outlet for him.  Here they drive baseline, and the guard floats to the corner for the habit pass.  After the ball-handler makes the pass, he cuts to the three-point line and receives a pass from the coach for a catch and shoot opportunity. You can remix the drill several ways by allowing both ball-handlers to catch and drive for a lay-up, pull-up, floater, or whatever finishing move you would like. Below is a simple ball-screen drill that I saw.  One change I will make is that I will not have coaches setting the ball screen, but have other players setting the screen. Finally, her...

Kyrie is one of the best 1 on 1 players in the NBA, as shown by the recent championship run of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The couple of things that I noticed about his game out of the triple threat, was how effective his first step is and how he attacks the defenders body, initiating contact.  While other players' first step was often to the side, Kyrie's first step was always toward the basket.   His second dribble was into the defenders body, and each subsequent dribble was trying to get in front of the defender and cut him off.  He even uses his off hand to shield off the defender, allowing him to beat him to the basket. If the defender beat him to the spot, he has several counters which makes him even tougher to guard.  I tell my players all the time how important it is to have good counter moves, including the behind the back dribble and the spin move.

The best leaders are busy during their downtime, but not in the ways you might think. The habits of the best leaders  are well documented . They’re self-aware. They admit mistakes. They take care of, recognize, and communicate well with their teams. The following article was written by Gwen Moran at Fast Company and can be seen in its entirety  here . "I’ve definitely noticed some things that great leaders tend to do," says Danielle Harlan, founder and CEO of  The Center for Advancing Leadership and Human Potential , an organization that helps individuals and organizations maximize their impact. And the things they do behind the scenes make all the difference when it comes to their professional leadership ability, she says. Here are five such common habits. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT Every night before he goes to sleep, David Novak, founder, former CEO and outgoing chair of   Yum! Brands, Inc. , which is headquartered in Louisv...

The following article cites the chapter,  Business: Mindset and Leadership , from the Book ' Mindset ' by  Carol Dweck . What distinguished the thriving companies form other?  There were several important factors, as Collins reports in his book, Good to Great, but one that was absolutely key was the type of leader who in every case led the company into greatness.   These were not the larger-than-life, charismatic types who oozed ego and self-proclaimed talent.  They were self-effacing people who constantly asked questions and had the ability to confront the most brutal answers – that is, to look failures in the face, even their own, while maintaining faith that they would succeed in the end. Collins wonders why his effective leaders have these particular qualities.  And why these qualities go together the way they do.  And how these leaders came to acquire them.  But we know.  They have the growth mindset.  They believe in hu...

The following article cites the chapter, Sports: The Mindset of a Champion , from the Book ' Mindset ' by Carol Dweck . Character Grows Out Of Mindset In sports, everybody believes in talent.  Sports is where the idea of ‘a natural comes from – someone who looks like an athlete, moves like an athlete, and is an athlete, all without trying.  So great is the belief in natural talent that many scouts and coaches only search for naturals. But there are several examples of ‘natural’ talents who have not panned out when facing challenges because they didn’t have the character or mindset to deal with adversity. There is a mindset in which people are enmeshed in the idea of their own talent and specialness.  When things go wrong, they lose their focus and their ability, putting everything they want in jeopardy. There is also a mindset that helps people cope well with setbacks, points them to good strategies, and leads them to act in their best interest. ...

- Great article on Ernie Hobbie – ‘The Shot Doctor’ - After the article, there are two videos showing him teaching shooting. THIS GUY GIVES YOU A SHOT AT MAKING FREE THROWS PETER IACOBELLI, Associated Press Mar. 18, 1989  2:58 PM ET PLAINFIELD, N.J. (AP) Ernie Hobbie has brought the schoolroom to the schoolyard and has many of basketball's biggest names as willing students in the elusive art of free throw shooting. Hobbie, an elementary school principal currently helping the New Jersey Nets, has also worked with the New York Knicks and major college programs like Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Hobbie has tinkered with the shots of the Nets' Buck Williams and Roy Hinson; the Knicks' Gerald Wilkins and Sidney Green; Ralph Sampson of the Golden State Warriors; Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Rony Seikaly and Dwayne ''Pearl'' Washington of the Miami Heat. But, according to Hobbie, you don't have to be NBA caliber to have a shot ...

The following short article was borrowed from Ron Sen's basketball blog.  You can find the original article here . "They're not cattle." - Pete Newell Players need to know "why". Understanding "why" you do something obviates 'memorization'.  1   "Performance-focused" and "feedback-rich" environments create understanding.   2.   Establish symmetry goals. 372. Get three consecutive stops, seven times a half, both halves. Offensively, avoid three consecutive possessions without scoring.  3.   Players should start to understand the game through "coaches' eyes". They should identify mistakes real time.  4.   Punish opponents' mistakes. Don't break the press to advance the ball. Attack the press to score. Your defender "loses" you? Cut to score.   Don't block out? We get an offensive rebound and put-back.   Defensive transition without total concentration? Layups. ...