THE SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF “WELL COACHED”
By Mike Neighbors, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Xavier University
GOOGLE search the phrase “well coached” and you get “about 2,650,000 results (in .025 seconds)”. Those results will vary from LeBron James talking about the Boston Celtics to the Idaho State Journal speaking about a local high school game team to a soccer match in Equatorial Guinea. The stories will mostly be one coach talking about another coach or team. They are either preparing to face them in a game or have just done so. Turn on ESPN GameDay and you’ll hear the phrase in every pre-game and
post-game interview of coaches. While the stories and accounts will vary, the one constant is that one particular coach is paying the other a tremendous compliment by stating they are WELL COACHED.
As a young coach at Bentonville High School, WELL COACHED was the ultimate compliment in my coach-speak vocabulary. Anytime I spoke of a Charlie Berry, Mary Frances Kretchmar, Sandy Wright, Merrill Mankin, Bobby Smith, Janet Wood, Rickey Smith, or Clay Reeves coached team, I would say how WELL COACHED they were. I would tell every reporter in my best coach-speak about how prepared and disciplined they would be. I would go on and on about how fundamentally sound their players were and how difficult they would be to defeat. I would say all those things meaning every single word about their coaching excellence. But to be really honest, I also said them hoping they would say the same about me and my team in return. But, it never happened. Not once. Not a single mention. Not a single “well coached” about my team. I kept thinking to myself, “here I am complimenting all these other coaches and not one single time do they say WE are well-coached.” And after a year or so I figured out why. We weren’t well coached. My players weren’t well coached. We weren’t even close.
That realization hurt at first. It stung to admit my team was not WELL COACHED. But I wanted that compliment. I wanted it for my players and I wanted it for me. After I got over myself, I realized my efforts though well intended were focused on the wrong things. I had to make some changes. So, the following summer we took our teams to the exact same team camps that those well-coached teams regularly attended. If Northside, Prairie Grove, Greenland, Mountain Home or Southside was camping there, so was Bentonville. While my players all thought we were there for the games, I was actually there watching the other WELL COACHED. Watching them get on and off the bus. Watching them in the cafeteria. Watching them in the dorms. Watching them interact with parents. Watching them in huddles. Watching them meet after games. Watching them watch other teams. Watching their coaches manage the game. Watching their coaches in between games. Watching their best players and the coaches every move.
That summer I was witness many qualities of those WELL COACHED players and teams. I jotted them down on the backs of game schedules, pizza napkins, and hot dog wrappers. I saw a coach that was disgusted with his teams play that day drive them to a local Wal-Mart and buy them plain white t-shirts to wear the next day at camp because he didn’t want anyone else to know where they were from. I saw a coach toss a 2nd place trophy out the door of the bus as they were loading up to go home because 2nd place trophies shouldn’t be celebrated. I saw a coach ask a camp director for a rubber ball and directions to an outdoor court because they needed extra practice before their next session. It was the best summer of my professional career. Our team played a ton of games and more importantly I learned what they really needed. They needed to be and they deserved to be well coached.
Since that summer over 20 years ago, I have matured and changed coaching offices at least a dozen times but I still find myself observing other WELL COACHED teams and have been taking notes to stuff in the very same file that I started back in Bentonville. This July I began trying to organize some of those thoughts to once and for all develop my own definition of WELL COACHED. I think I finally have. Rather than share it now, I want to share with you some of the things that led me to my definition and some things other coaches have shared with me. A year ago I asked the Xavier Women’s Basketball Newsletter group to share with me what they meant when they used the compliment WELL COACHED… Below are some who shared…
Sherry White is currently head coach at Fort Smith Southside. She has 6 State Titles on her resume and countless WELL COACHED compliments…
1) Disciplined on both ends of the floor
2) Patience on offense
3) Well developed fundamentals
4) Look like athletes with good stance, butts down, active hands, triple threat
5) Execute during crunch time
Nathan Morris is currently head coach at Lonoke High School. His teams are a perennial powerhouse and play into the last weekend of the season yearly…
1) Have players who can’t be screened
Mike Green a legendary coaching icon from Prairie Grove who has forgotten more about basketball than most of us will ever learn…
1) Players that have bought into the coach and the system
Landon Wilkes coaching in Michigan…
1) Disciplined regardless of situation
Bryant Turney coaches at Searcy HS…
1) Under control emotionally
2) Don’t react to officials
3) Stick to a game plan
4) Work on their own
5) Are disciplined during warm-ups and timeouts
William Rountree of Carlisle HS and almost as many other coaching offices as me…
1) Withstand early momentum swings
2) Don’t beat themselves with excessive turnovers or silly fouls
3) Win more than most in close games
4) Are sound defensively
Jason Smith currently winning at the highest levels at Nettleton HS…
1) Organized
2) Fundamentally sound
3) Knack for taking way strengths of opponents through scouting or preparation
Almost every coach who responded used the term DISCIPLINED in their definition. Leading to the natural question of “what is disciplined”… rather than turn that into another whole topic let’s just use the best source on coaching in, John Wooden, and his definition that discipline is “getting players to do what you want them to do and there are LOTS of ways to do it.”
Here are some other thoughts and observations that have been collected and contribute to the end result. These are in no particular order other than the way I pulled them out of the file. I was influenced by the Jay Bilas ESPN.COM article on TOUGHNESS in coming up with a way to present the years of hot dog wrappers and pizza napkin notes.
Well Coached teams are motivated: These teams play with an energy and a visible passion that proves they are engaged in the process that their team and coaches have established. These teams display fight and toughness and you usually cannot tell the score of the game by simply watching the actions and reactions of their players and coaches.
Well Coached teams have good shot selection: These teams have the most shot attempts by their best scorers. Those best players know when to take a shot and what shots should be taken based on time and score. Rarely do you see well coached teams without their best scorers having the ball when it counts.
Well Coached teams have little or no game slippage from practice: These teams are able to execute and they are able to play at a high intensity level. They seem to make things look easy in their execution. Their timing and spacing are usually impeccable and their movements appear rehearsed because they are in practice every single day at game speed. Few missed lay-ups, few mishandled passes, limited turnovers
when dribbling all a result of having practiced at game speed.
Well Coached teams players hold the ball when their coach speaks: In viewing a practice when a coach speaks the gym is silent and all eyes are on the speaker. (I personally played for a coach that would glare down a dribbled ball across the gym even if that person were not part of our squad). It’s not the actual act of the players holding the balls as much as it is that coach commanding that respect.
Well Coached teams have genuine enthusiasm because the are invested and bought in: We can all tell the difference between genuine and manufactured enthusiasm. Have the person that films your games dedicate an extra camera to your bench one game to see if you really have your team INVESTED…Be prepared for what you might see on the video…
Well Coached teams don’t have to be coached on effort: Very rarely do you see the coach of a well coached team spending valuable game (or practice) time convincing their players to play hard, to give effort, to give extra effort. They just do it. Obviously those desires have been instilled at some point and time in the past but there is not one second wasted during a timeout for a well coached team with a coach using time to talk about effort, energy, or enthusiasm.
Well Coached teams players display proper techniques in fundamental areas of the game: Inside pivot foot on the catch, triple threat position, butt down on defense, chin on shoulder in post defense, take a charge, dribble with their eyes up, pivot from pressure rather than dribble, make two handed passes, post with a purpose, cut hard off of screens, hold their box out on the FT line, dribble with left hand up left side, use shot fakes, make back door cuts, etc. They LOOK like players.
Well Coached teams have great spacing and timing on offense: Regardless of what style of offense a well coached team incorporates they utilize tremendous floor spacing among their players and execute with precision timing. Shot selection is also a component of this attribute.
Well Coached teams don’t leave trash in visiting locker rooms, benches, or on the bus: One of the most well coached teams I ever saw was at a team camp in Neosho, MO. After each game, their players (without instruction by the way) walked the length of their bench AND their opponent’s bench picking up every piece of trash they could find. That stuck with me and two good things came from it in the near future. On that trip home from camp when I got the bus back to the bus shop, I picked up every single piece of trash and put it into a box. At our next team workout, I emptied the box onto the floor of their clean locker room and told them where it came from. I then told them I was going to walk out of the room for 30 seconds and every piece of trash that was still on the floor when I got back would equal one set of dribble pull backs before practice started. (Dribble pull backs were our form of punishment rather than straight
running. Start on end line. They get two dribbles forward then one dribble backward until they complete a down and back. Great conditioner/reminder/ball handling all at once) Needless to say they about killed each other picking up the trash in 30 seconds. The 2nd thing is something we still do at our Summer Camps to this very day. During the first break I walk around and drop a piece of trash on the floor near the concession area. I watch until some camper picks it up and throws it away. Before the next session
begins, that camper is called up and receives a $10 gift certificate to the concession stand. The rest of the week campers are fighting with each other to pick up trash around our counselors!!
Well Coached teams execute set actions coming out of timeouts/quarter changes/halftimes: We all have faced those teams who were lethal coming out of situations in which their coach had time to diagram an action that their players could then come out and execute for a timely basket. This might also be changing a defense to off-set a play that you have expertly drawn up to use. Regardless of the situation, these teams always seem to be able to take what they had practiced and/or talked about onto the floor at a crucial time.
Well Coached teams don’t lose their poise/composure others might become distracted: Time/score, home/away, loud gym/silent gym, good refs/bad refs, slick basketball/flat basketball, slick floor/sticky floor, fan shaped backboards/wooden backboards, chain nets/colored nets… didn’t matter...well coached teams PLAY
Well Coached teams don’t react to calls that go against them or their teams: Even in the most crucial of times, well coached players and teams hand the ball to the official and play the next play. There is no wasted time/energy on something that can’t be changed anyway. Not to say they play without emotion. It just isn’t wasted on a official and a call that didn’t go their way.
Well Coached teams utilize drills in practice that emphasize many facets of the game: When you observe a practice of a well coached team their standards of play become obvious through their drills. Drills are either game situation, game speed, or game technique… Sometimes the drill is all three, sometimes just two, but never less than one. There is ZERO wasted time in a well coached team practice or game preparation.
Nothing to “fill in” there to reach a desired length. My all time favorite was watching a boys team at a school I coached do ten minutes of 2-line lay-ups before workouts every single day of the season. I then kept count of how many lay-ups their defense created and their offense created on the year… FIVE… So, for over 1000 minutes of practice time, they got FIVE lay-ups… They didn’t press, they didn’t deny passes in half-court… Does that seem like time well invested? Did I mention they actually missed one of the
FIVE?
Well Coached teams move on the air time of passes on defense: It seems like well coached defensive teams have an extra player on the court. They are moving as a unit in constant harmony with effective communication. When the basketball is in the air, all players are on the move and talking about it!!
Well Coached teams use different things in practice to condition than they do to punish/remind: As a result the players understand the importance of being in condition and being reminded. Running does NOT motivate or remind every player. Well coached teams have a coach who takes the time to recognize these areas and remind/punish accordingly.
Well Coached teams have a sharp, crisp pre-game warm-up: The time leading up to tip off is an extension of these teams practices and preparation. They are moving… there is energy… there is enthusiasm… I spoke with several WELL COACHED teams coaches who mentioned they believed a sharp warm up was worth 3-5 points come game time. Another coach said it was a team goal to have the opponents glance
down to their end more than once and “wish their warm-ups” were like theirs… I have seen intricate passing drills (many of which we have shared in our Newsletters). I have seen coaches physically out their putting them through a series of defensive slides… I have seen teams diving on the floor in unison to simulate going for loose balls.
Well Coached teams can run 5-on-0 offense with players going game speed: I was actually written up at one high school for calling this portion of our practice DUMMY OFFENSE, so to this day I try to call it something else… dry offense, 5on0, ghost defense, etc… Regardless of what you call it, most every team has this time dedicated to their practices to go over their SET actions or even their MOTION read/reacts…
Well coached teams can do it at GAME SPEED.
Well Coached teams players have positive body language: No poor reactions coming of the court after a substitution, no back talking a coach/teammate/official, no slumping of shoulders on the bench, no looking in stands during a time out, no throwing water bottles/towels/warm-ups at managers… With well coached teams it’s difficult to tell whether they are winning or losing games without looking at scoreboard.
Well Coached teams have a distinct “language” that they speak: Terminology is consistent from player to player and coach to coach. Areas of the floor are called the same thing. Screening actions have a vocabulary. Offensive actions are consistent. Consistent use of terminology breeds confidence and as a result performance levels are impacted.
Well Coached teams follow the game in general and respect it’s past, present, and future: We can all spot a basketball junkie a mile away by the way they speak about the game. Well Coached players know their opponents by name and/or number, they know the historical significance of their former teams, and they know the history of the game they love to play.
Well Coached teams have players who take care of academics equal to athletics: This isn’t saying that every player is straight A, Deans List student. Just that they manage their books as well as their ball.
Well Coached teams make adjustments to what other teams are doing against them: We’ve all faced those teams who come out of a timeout or halftime with a slight change in their tactics that completely change the momentum of the game and sometime the overall outcome.
Well coached teams display qualities of passion, discipline, selflessness, respect, perspective, courage, leadership, responsibility, resilience, imagination: These qualities come from Bill Bradley’s book on Values of the Game. They are all true and each comes with many different definitions and application.
Well coached teams have a consistent player rotation that always seems to place each player in a position to contribute effectively: This thought illustrates another favorite quote of “don’t take ducks to eagle school”… well coached teams have coaches who have their players in the right spot at the right time more than most. They don’t ask a non-shooter to hit a three to win the game. They don’t have a non-rebounder in the game on defense to win. They don’t have their EAGLES sitting beside them at crunch time
Well coached teams don’t foul when the ball is away from scoring area: Although this is not a NEVER instance, well coached teams don’t repeatedly do this putting teams in bonus earlier in half than necessary and creating foul troubles later on in game.
To me the hardest thing about coming up with a philosophy or a definition is that there are so many factors to consider and rarely can you point to one thing being an ABSOLUTE. Maybe it is the scientific thinking background I was born with or my love for court room movie drama’s, but I have always been a “prove it to me” type coach. Show me some evidence. Present a case with the evidence.
So, I began taking the examples of WELL COACHED one by one to find a well coached team. Teams that DID NOT have that particular quality but was still WELL COACHED. For example, our current team has four seniors who have won 4 consecutive A10 titles and I am almost embarrassed sometimes at the lack of intensity it seems we have in pre-game warm-ups. Yet they bring it every single night come tip-off.
The UCONN Huskies who recently just ended a record 90 game winning streak that included back-to-back NCAA Championships and are obviously WELL COACHED, came out of a timeout in a recent game with a short shot clock and didn’t recognize in time to get a shot off.
Watching an SEC men’s game last night with a coaching screaming to foul on the floor with a three point lead before a player could shoot, I see the team NOT do what he was yelling and the opposing player hits a three to send into overtime at the buzzer. They end up losing by double digits in double OT.
I believe you can find examples of teams everyone would agree are WELL COACHED that rarely, if ever, exhibit certain qualities that we all would agree are indicators of actually being WELL COACHED. So is this a question that has no answer???
Maybe so. Maybe the answer is like Coach Wooden says… A lot of answers.
Who knows, but I can tell you that through the years of thinking about this and observing it, I have been able to find two characteristics that all WELL COACHED teams do have. They may be displayed in different ways. They may be held accountable in different ways. They may be perceived in different ways. But in my eyes all WELL COACHED teams have these two.
1) WELL COACHED teams have players who have surrendered to the culture of their program.
2) WELL COACHED teams have identifiable standards of excellence on the court.
To me most the things we have already mentioned can be reworded to fit into one of these two categories in some shape form or fashion… but these two things sum it all up the best in my mind.
Players who have surrendered to their culture have let go of the things that make them uncoachable. They have surrendered their personal feelings to put their trust in their teams and their coaches. They have surrendered their defense mechanisms for the betterment of the team. They have surrendered their fear of being uncool in teammates eyes for being cool in their coaches eyes. They have surrendered their inadequacies to be part of team that has each other’s back. They have surrendered the personal time for
team time. They have surrendered distracting relationships for healthy relationships. They have surrendered negative thoughts for positive outlooks. They have surrendered the input of family/friends for constructive criticism of coaches/teammates.
Teams who have an immediate identifiable standard of play… it may be toughness, execution, enthusiasm, speed, power, athleticism, tenacity. Teams you know are going to either guard you from the time you get off the bus or have a hand in your face every time you shoot. Teams that are going to share the ball so well that you can’t key on one player. Teams who have players that are listening to their coach even if their eyes or body language might suggest they aren’t. Teams with players who are consistent in their “swagger”. Teams that are going to get the ball into their star’s hands so often you can’t defend them. Teams who are going to be so prepared that they are calling out actions in your offense the second a coach signals a play call. Teams who can be summed up in a few words on a scouting report but be impossible to defeat come game time. Teams who’s standard of play is synonymous with the name on the front of their jersey regardless of who’s name is on the back of their jersey. Teams who are who they are every single night.
Those players are WELL COACHED. Those teams are WELL COACHED.
Dear Coach: My Basketball Season Has Ended and I’m Overwhelmed with Disappointment
Credit: Nick Krug | kusports.com
Below you will find an actual correspondence between PGC owner Dena Evans and a long-time PGC grad. I was so moved by Dena’s response to this player, which the player’s father shared with me, I decided to request Dena’s permission, and the athlete’s permission, to share this correspondence publicly. If you’re a serious player who has wrestled with the heart-ache and disappointment of not reaching your team or individual goals, this is a must-read.
– Mano Watsa, PGC President
Dear Coach Dena,
I’m writing to share with you some feelings I’ve been having since my season came to an end. I am hoping that you will have some insights or thoughts to pass along to me.
First, let me just give you some facts about my season so you get a general overview. We finished 18-6 in the regular season. We won our first game and lost in the semi-finals to the team who won comfortably in the finals. Our game against them was a close game.
What I’m basically feeling is just a strong sense of disappointment and sadness.
Last year, I was upset that we had lost (in the first round of the playoffs), but I was able to look back on the season and I was happy about it. But this year it’s a different story. I’ve been left with that feeling of wanting more, thinking about what could have happened, or how it could have been different had we won that game.
Perhaps part of it is knowing that I’ll never get the chance to play competitive basketball with some of my teammates ever again. Perhaps part of it is just missing spending time with the guys in the locker room, or out at team dinner. Either way, it’s been a tough pill to swallow for me. This year it just felt as if the dream and the goal of winning the State Championship had kind of slipped through our hands, and it was really just two games away…and the fact that I think this was our best shot, is maybe irrational, but something that makes it harder.
It’s tough to really get it all out there on the page, but that’s about the best I can do as far as explaining my thoughts for now. Any words would be greatly appreciated.
–Josh
Hey Josh,
First off, congrats on a GREAT season. I say “great” not because of your record or how far you got (or didn’t get) in the playoffs. The ‘congrats’ is because (based on your email and on what I know about who you are) you gave this basketball season, your team, your coaches, your school, and yourself the very best you had to give. I realize that may sound hollow to you in this moment, but one day, when your career is over, I promise you that this will be the one thing you will be most proud of, and it’s what will give you the most peace about your career, no matter how many championships you win or don’t win.
But for now, I can totally understand and relate to everything you have said. I’ve been there. More than once…
· - My senior year of high school, we lost in the game to go to “State” (a big deal in Texas because only 4 teams go). My goal since 6th grade was to win a state championship. I was devastated.
· - One of the main reasons I went to the University of Virginia was to win a national championship. My sophomore year of college, after being ranked #1 most of the season, we lost to Tennessee in overtime of the national championship game. Devastated again.
· - My junior year, again after being ranked #1 all season, we lost in DOUBLE OT of the national semi-finals to Stanford. Once again…devastated.
· - My senior year, after all the best players on our team had graduated and I had become the unquestioned team leader, we played as the underdog all year. We made it all the way to the Elite 8 and lost to Ohio State in the game to go back to the Final Four when my coach called time out just as I was releasing the game-winning 3-pointer. I hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, but it was waived off because the ref said my coach called the time out with .7 seconds on the clock. That was the way my college career ended. Devastated times a thousand.
Unless you’re the team that wins the last game of the season, I have never been able to figure out how to feel anything *but* sadness and disappointment at the end of a season, at least for a while.
I think you just need to allow yourself time to grieve. The word “grieve” may sound crazy because I know it’s not like anybody died or there was any great “tragedy.” But you *have* suffered a profound loss. Your season (which you cared deeply about) is over; you will never play on this particular team (which you gave so much of yourself to for so many months) again; and you will never be high school teammates with some of those guys again (and those kinds of bonds are rare and special and hard to replicate in the “real world”).
People who have never experienced those kinds of losses can never understand just how much all of that hurts. You gave yourself completely to something, and it didn’t turn out like you wanted. And to make it even worse, now it’s gone. Over. Done. That’s hard and it hurts.
But (and this is the part you probably don’t want to hear, but it’s true so I’ll say it anyway…) that’s how life works. Everything passes. You’ll eventually lose everything—your parents, your friends, your health, your pets, your youth, and, inevitably, your life. It’s all gonna pass away, just like this season, and this team.
Which, to me, is all the more reason to give those things you love and care about everything you’ve got. It all goes by so fast, and the ONLY thing you’re guaranteed is that it WILL, in fact, go by.
This can all be pretty depressing UNLESS you just accept it as reality (because it is), and THEN you can be freed up to focus all your energy and attention on giving every single moment of the rest of your career the very best you’ve got….which brings me back to my very first point in this email.
As the seasons go by, and as you experience the feelings of sadness and disappointment that you’re experiencing now, and as you begin to get a clearer and clearer sense of the finite-ness (not sure if that’s a word) of your career, your sense of urgency will grow exponentially. That’s why seniors often play with such care and passion. It’s why aging superstars are willing to take less money and less playing time to get on a team that has a chance to win a championship. You begin to realize what matters and what doesn’t, and you begin to sense how precious an opportunity it is to get to be an athlete who’s playing for something that matters with people who matter to you.
So my point is…everything you’re feeling right now is appropriate and even good. Don’t resist it. Be sad. Be disappointed…Until you’re not anymore (and it will go away, I promise). And then, you will do what every great athlete and every great hero does…you will pick yourself up, dust yourself off, dream your next dream, and you’ll go at it again…even though you know the risk and how much it will hurt when it’s over. But really, that’s the only way to fly in my opinion. Way more fun, exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling than living a life where you play small and never put your heart on the line for anything that matters to you.
And one last thing…while winning a championship *would* feel really sweet and could be incredibly rewarding, the truth is that even THAT feeling will pass after a few weeks or even days. And then you would STILL have to feel the sadness and disappointment of not playing with some of your teammates again and of not ever having this particular team together again. So don’t fall into the trap of believing that winning a championship will make you not have to feel the pain of the ending of something you love. Granted, it would make it a lot easier and is the preferable way to end a season. But what’s *more* important is always that you gave your best in every moment, regardless of whether or not you were fortunate enough to be on the team that won the last game of the season.
Those are my quick thoughts. I’m really glad you decided to write me. You’re doing big things, even though you may be feeling like you came up short this season. These are important conversations and important life moments, and it’s an honor to get to share them with you.
Stay in touch,
–Dena
3 Defensive Essentials
By Greg Brown, Assistant Women's Coach at Central Florida
1. Eliminate Easy Baskets As Much As Possible--to do this we must do the following things every game:
a. Control the fastbreak. Have great transition defense.
b. Control individual breakdowns. Prevent scores created by dribble and cutter penetration.
c. Control the second shot baskets. Attack the rebound and loose ball.
d. Control the open shots. Rotate to cover/ prevent open men.
e. Force the opponent to make an extra pass or play.
2. Essential Component of the Defensive Mindset Is To:
a. Control the immediate threat, to do this requires knowledge of how to defend all the basic 2 & 3 man offensive exercises.
3. Other Essentials:
a. Talk on defense. Never been a great silent defense.
b. Help on defense. Willing to give yourself up for teammates.
c. Attack all penetration.
d. Have the courage to be physical. Put bodies on people. Make the first hit on blockouts and challenge cutters.
50 LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS”
By Duane Silver
1. Most coaches (most people) are not leaders. You see a leader about as often as you see and eagle. You need to read books on leadership to get better at it. There are born leaders and made leaders, you will need to figure out which one you are.
2. Your voice has to have POWER in it to show the kids you mean business.
3. You can't be a nice guy and do this job.” (Joe Paterno)
4. Great leaders really care about their players, but they do not tell them that they do. The players just know they love them.
5. You have to lead like a “MEAN MOMMA”.... Tell them the truth like your Mom did you. Clean up your room, don't go out with her she is not good for you, get home early tonight. (Etc)
6. You can't trust many people. Be careful what you say.
7. Go to the Administration and ask them what they want from your program. Attitude on the floor, shirt tails pulled out coming off of the floor. Tell them to be honest with you.
8. Check to see if you kids come from a one parent home. Boys that live with just a mom a not used to man pushing them hard.
9. Kids hurt for five years or more after a divorce as much as they did when their parents went though it. If you are coaching kids from divorce be patient!!!
10. Great coaches are very DEMANDING in practice. Most high school coaches do not push their players hard enough.
11. You will talk to the parents tell them you will talk to them about anything about their son or daughter except PLAYING TIME. Don't even let them bring it up. Have a parents meeting and tell them about your thoughts on playing time. (If they bring it up the meeting is OVER!)
12. You don't have to win every game. Sometimes you have to take two steps back before you can take one step forward.
13. Are you willing to lose a game to make a point? (Most high school coaches are not willing to sit down a star player and lose a game to make a point.)
14. Organize everything: Seating chart for the bus, what you do on time outs, etc.
15. The Head Coach can never have a BAD PRACTICE. You have to be up for every practice and end practice on a good note.
16. Coaching is as much about being Negative as being Positive. The car battery principle...A car battery will not work unless it has positive and negative charges in it. John Wooden was negative to positive almost 50 percent of the time.
17. You need to read the Toughness article by Jay Bilas that was on ESPN. I have it.
18. Loyalty from Assistant Coaches. They are either for you or against you. Keep your eye on them.
19. You must be a SELF STARTER everyday to get things done.
20. “Do you see the BIG PICTURE? This is more than a game. Basketball is to help players all their lives not just win games.
21. The players are going to talk about you for either being too HARD on them or too SOFT on them, so you might as well go ahead and be too HARD!
22. Your first year will set the tone on how the players/parents will perceive you for the future. Every day your first year is huge! (Remember this!)
23. 10% of the players and parents are not going to like you no matter what you do so don’t worry about it.
24. “Do what you do.”Don't change offenses and defenses every week.
25. Run your “System”, Running your system is the key to having a program.
26. Dealing with mistakes on the floor. Don't take a player out on his first turnover. Give him a chance to redeem himself.
27. If a player cusses you out he is through. No second chances!
28. Be a great Listener! People migrate toward great listeners.
29. Most coaches are not as good as they think they are at coaching. The great coaches are always learning.
30. Pray for Wisdom: James 1:5...It takes lots of wisdom to coach today's athletes.
31. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation....Johnnie Cochran's three rules for success in his law practice. This is true in basketball too!
32. Dealing with Narcissism is not easy. Some people do not ever see anyone's point of view, but their own.
33. Don't worry about players playing more than one sport. High school is NOT the time to specialize in one sport
34. You don't need a rules sheet to give out to the parents. Here is the only rule you need. "We have only one rule here: Don't do anything that's detrimental to yourself. Because if it's detrimental to you, it'll be detrimental to our program.” (Coach K)
35. Have all the players lay down on the floor on their stomach and look up at you when you make announcements about future events or what we are doing wrong as a team. They will have assigned spots to lay down at, this is a great way to take roll. By making the players look up at you while laying
on the floor will make you look powerful in their eyes.
36. If you are really hard on your two best players you won't have many problems. (Kim Mulkey...Baylor University)
37. “All men love Discipline”...They may not act like it, but they do. (Vince Lombardi...Green Bay Packers)
38. “Remember you can't run off a good player by being too hard on him.”(Bear Bryant) *The players that really love the game will not quit.
39. Question: Which motivates you more, a Positive word or a Negative word? (Example: You are over rated as a coach, or You are one great coach?) Which will make you try harder?
40. “Less is More in Coaching”...Meaning you don't have to do a ton of things to be successful. Just play man to man defense and one zone...Don't play six different zones.
41. “Don't be afraid of the kids.”
42. Young people need structure and they love it. They like to see everything organized.
43. You can never let up on your discipline.
44. You get a different team every Tuesday and Friday night. If a players girl friend breaks up with him he won't play well. Be ready for this to happen to you.
45. Always shake hands with the opposing coach after the game. (Win or Lose)
46. Set a goal of not getting a technical foul this season.
47. Make Lists of things you need to do. Great coaches make lists.
48. You must learn how to coach kids with learning disabilities. Like kids with ADHD, these players want to learn the game, but yelling at them does not work. You must coach them slowly and they need lots of walk throughs to understand the plays.
49. It is okay to get fired if you are standing up for what you really believe in. (There are lots of coaching jobs out there today if you lose this one)
50. Date your wife or husband during the season. They are more important than any of your players.
Bill Walsh on Traits of Being a Successful Coach
Courtesy of Bob Starkey, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Louisiana State University
Thoughts from Bill Walsh on being the best coaching you can become as outlined in his book, "Finding The Winning Edge."
- Be yourself.
- Be committed to excellence. You must be willing to work extremely hard and make whatever reasonable sacrifices are necessary to achieve the organizational goals that have been established for the team. At all times, the focus must be on doing things properly. In reality, the talent level of most NFL teams is relatively even. As such, one of the critical keys to success is execution. Players making plays is what wins football games. More often than not, the primary catalyst for the occurrence of such plays is an unwavering commitment to excellence.
- Be positive. Your staff and your players will respond better to a positive environment than to a negative one.
- Be prepared. No aspect of coaching is more important than preparation. While coaches cannot actually control which team wins a game, they can determine how their teams prepare to win. Good fortune on the playing field (i.e., performing well, winning, etc.) is a product of design. Attention to detail is critical.
- Be organized. It is critical that you make the best possible use of the available time and resources. Being organized is the single best way to avoid wasting either.
- Be accountable. You must accept responsibility for those matters over which you are in charge.
- Be a leader. An effective leader is an expert in his field.
- Be focused. The key point is that at least three elements must be present to build a winning team: talent; strategies and tactics; and conditioning and execution.
- Be ethical. You must have a strong value system.
- Be flexible. While consistency is important, if the situation changes, you must change with it. Within the specific framework of your system, you must be bold, creative and willing to take risks when necessary. “There is only one way to do anything: The right way.” (Golda Meir)
- Believe in yourself. It is also important that you sell your program to your players. They must believe in you in order for them to be able to make the sacrifices that will be required of them. Everyone in the organization (e.g., your staff, the players, the athletic trainers, the team managers, etc.) must believe that your plan for success will be effective.
Six Key Components For Great Defensive Drills
By Coach Randy Brown, www.coachrb.com
Great defensive effort is the trademark of championship teams in all sports. In basketball, defense is the ingredient that allows teams to be in every game. Good defensive coaches have a set of fundamental ideas that appear in every drill. These 6 components are the glue that make teams tough and resilient on the defensive end.
1. Establish a defensive philosophy and commit to it.
Defensive success and consistency comes from a good philosophy that is followed each day. An important job of the coach is to build his defensive philosophy prior to coaching his team on the floor. An every day commitment is needed. Players need to know their defensive system, terminology and techniques for individual and team defense. This does not mean that a man to man coach cannot play zone or a junk defense at times. Having a good system and being committed to it with flexibility makes for success on the defensive end.
2. All defensive drills are competitive.
Basketball is a tough, competitive game. Some drills are useful for teaching technique or skills, and are a much needed part of building your system. All good defensive drills contain some type of competition. This can be man to man, small groups, or team competition. For example, a half court three-on-three drill should be set up competitively. One group of three is on defense until they get three straight stops. Offensive teams of three take turns trying to score. The defensive unit does not come out of the drill until they get three stops in a row. Competition is the key to using practice to prepare for the game.
3. Drills include "conditions" that help players be accountable.
I've seen a lot of good coaches use conditions to improve the quality of different parts of their game. For example, a coach who wants to improve on ball defense could make penetration a condition in a half court defensive drill. All players know the focus is on penetration and will work harder and concentrate better because of it. A penalty of sprinting down the floor and back could be a result of a player not containing penetration. Other possible conditions are blocking out, contesting shots, not fouling, vision, being off on the weak side, avoiding screens, and help and recover. This is a great way to improve play in a specific area and improve the team's focus each possession.
4. Drills must be tougher than the game.
Many coaches believe that the hardest work has to come in practice, leaving the fun for game night. If the phrase, "You play like you practice" is true, than I would very much agree with those coaches. There is a natural tendency to let execution slip from practice to game. Add to this a practice setting that is not very demanding and intense, the results in the end are scary. Players must be accountable to the coach by proving that their practice habits prepare them for the game. There are no "gamers" in this game, only tough, enthusiastic practice players. Champions practice to win!
5. Incorporate game preparation into defensive drills.
An efficient way to improve your team and individual defense is to incorporate the next opponent's offensive tendencies into drills. The shell drill is a common drill that can be used to run the opponents plays or offense. You will be working on basic defensive concepts while preparing for your opponent at the same time.
6. Demand toughness, thinking, and communication.
We do our team a disservice by not demanding them to be tough both mentally and physically. Playing hard is only part of the equation when developing a defensive program. Playing hard AND thinking at the same time is what all players need to do. I've seen many hard playing guys run into screens, foul away from the basket, and allow penetration. This comes from not thinking while you are playing hard. Either one by itself is not sufficient. Lastly, communication in practice drills is a must. Good teams talk on defense as if it is the last possession of the game. Talking on the floor means you care about winning and care about your teammates.
Good coaches demand the best from their players in practice. By pushing your team in practice, you give them their best chance to win on game night.
The Mental Aspects of Rebounding
By Craig Johnson, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, North Lake College
Basketball is a game that has a lot of “little” games within its circle. There’s the shooting percentage game, the turnover game, the free throw game, and the rebounding game, just to name a few. We, as coaches, like to win all of the little games. Well, maybe not the turnover game. But winning the little games is very crucial because the more little victories you have, the better chance you have of getting the “W”, or the big victory.
There are some aspects of the game that are considered very crucial, or “must wins”. Rebounding is one such aspect. A team with the rebounding edge has a better chance of winning the game, because they are able to attempt more shots, while limiting the other team’s shot attempts.
Lets say UCLA and Duke have just played each other. Not knowing the actual score, but only a few statistical facts about the game lets figure out who won. I’ll make it easy. Every stat is the same, except rebounding, and shot attempts. Both shot 45% from the field, and had 10 turnovers. The difference is that UCLA had 5 more rebounds than Duke did. Who won? UCLA, of course, and with just 5 more rebounds. Why? They had the ball more, thus shooting more, thus limiting the number of shot attempts taken by Duke.
The best thing about rebounding is that everyone can be good at it. The mistake many coaches make is to designate one or two people on the team to focus on rebounding. We generally look at height, body type, and jumping ability to determine who will be a good rebounder. When we do that we deplete some of the strength of the team as a whole. The truth is that the foundation of rebounding has absolutely nothing to do with physical size. It has everything to do with a player’s mind. A player that is 5’5 can be just as good, or better at rebounding as a player that is 6’5.
The first step to being a good rebounder is the desire to want to be good at it. Rebounding takes effort. It takes a conscious choice to be a good rebounder. Players have to exert some energy to move from where they are standing, to where the ball is while trying to maneuver, and get around players blocking them out. What I noticed is that many players often become spectators when it comes to rebounding. I am constantly reminding my players to rebound. They look at me like, “Oh yea!.”
One thing that I tell my players is to assume that every shot is a missed shot, and they should go after the ball accordingly. They have to feel like the rebound should be theirs, and nothing is going to stop them from getting it. Rebounding is a mentality that says, “no matter how far I am away from the ball I can still get to it, if I hustle.” We have all seen players run from one side of the court to the other, and end up with the ball. Had they assumed that they would, or could not get the ball, they would not have ended up with it. That type of play stems from aggressive rebounding mental state. That could have been the difference in the game. (Every play counts!).
Basketball being what it is, big strong players are a plus. But size need not be used as a crutch for not being able to rebound. A player that may be smaller in physical stature, but has an understanding of the importance of rebounding, with the attitude that if he does not make it happen, it will not happen is can be more affective than someone who is just, big. Think about five players with a mind to crash the boards, and rebound!
Then they will be able to do what they like best. Play offense! Tell them rebounding leads to more offensive opportunities.
Written by Craig Johnson. Men’s Assistant Basketball Coach at North Lake College in Irving, Texas, and President of newly opened Johnson’s Sports Center. Johnson’s Sports Center is an online instructional sport video, and bookstore. We will also offer, in the near future, many other sport related products, and a medium for coaches to buy and sell used sports equipment. You can visit the site at www.johnsonsports.com
This Month's Product Reviews
If you have a particular request or question about any of the products listed on our site or newsletter, feel free to send us an email at TeamArete@aol.com.
Anchors Continuity Zone Offense
Lance Randall
$39.95
Lance Randall takes the anchor concept from his previous DVD and creates continuity zone attacks facing odd and even fronted zone defenses. The anchors continuity offenses allow for better passing angles for the perimeter players to the posts and better driving lanes. The offense centers on the interior players "anchoring" the defense and having the ball brought back to them instead of flashing to the ball. The offenses attempt to create odd-man situations attacking the basket and create inside scoring chances for the offense and allow for kick outs to the perimeters. Running Time: 68 Minutes. 2010.
To order, please visit Sysko's by going to their website at Sysko's.
Bob Hurley Coaching High School Four-Pack
By Bob Hurley
$139.99
Bob Hurley: Motion and Zone Offenses
Legendary coach Bob Hurley presents an on-the-court clinic presentation that details both his highly successful Zone Offense and Motion Offense philosophies with various sets and quick hitters.
Zone Offense Philosophy
Force your opponent to guard you from sideline to sideline. Hurley reveals why it is important to dribble more against zone defense than it is to dribble against man-to-man defense. See how to effectively attack zones from behind to give your team easy lay-ups.
Defeating any Zone Defense
Hurley demonstrates five different offensive sets for attacking any zone defense you may face. He explains how to attack the weak side of a zone to create a simple 2-1 advantage with a ball reversal.
Motion Offense Philosophy
Hurley delivers 10 concepts that make his Motion Offense so successful, including: Fitting motion to your team, "tempo-ing" the game, and moving with a purpose while reading your teammates. He also provides you with an inbounds play he has used for 35 years that is so good he had to run it out of a regular set. Learn audibles and numbered cuts that you can use to keep your offense free-flowing.
Hurley shares two drills he uses to help build your own motion offense. The 11 Pass Drill and the Overplay Drill are based upon the offense making clean passes and using screens to get open as no dribbling is allowed
These are the same offenses that Bob Hurley has used to win three USA Today National Championships. Order now and use Coach Hurley's instruction to add a new wrinkle to your Zone and Motion Offenses.
77 Minutes. 2011.
Bob Hurley: Practice Planning & Program Development
BUILDING A HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM:
Coach Hurley takes you through his coaching philosophy and provides an outline into what you need to be thinking about when building your high school program. Everything from developing your style of play to building a feeder system to cultivating an identity for your team is covered. He describes what he calls the keys to a successful program. These eight keys include having an emphasis on fundamentals, physical fitness, playing hard, as well as his "WIN" stats. In the last section, Hurley takes you step-by-step through his team's basketball contract that his players and their parents have to sign. These 18 points cover various items both on and off the basketball court.
PRACTICE PLANNING AND DRILLS:
In this DVD presentation, Coach Hurley takes you through his thoughts and philosophy as it pertains to practice planning. The eight areas cover everything from practice set up, using the clock effectively, having a 30 second quick meets during practice just as a timeout in a game to making sure your practice special situations every day. On the court, Hurley shares more than 15 of his favorite practice drills that he uses with his teams. These drills include both half court and full court drills that work on the fundamentals of passing, catching, moving, shooting as well as individual and team defense drills, rebounding drills, and team shooting.
Coach Hurley is not only of the top coaches in the country but he is also one of the toughest. But his demanding style has helped his players accomplish many things both on and off the basketball court. Take these new ideas, concepts and drills to help you not only run a more effective practice but also help you build a successful basketball program.
150 minutes. 2011.
Bob Hurley: Building a Multiple Defensive System
System Philosophy
Hurley stresses the importance of never staying in the same system for too long and how to adapt to your players' strengths. He shares the three things that he works on every day to build his man-to-man defense.
Pick up the three essential rules that your team must follow in order to be successful against teams that like to push the ball in transition. Learn how to turn the table on a pattern team and make them play in an uncomfortable setting.
Building the Press
Hurley demonstrates four different styles of presses and traps that he utilizes to take the other team out of their comfort zone. He explains what he does in all late game situations, his philosophy behind it and why it has been so successful.
Gimmick Defenses
Within his system, Hurley explains that in every game he uses an "element of surprise" for at least one possession. Hurley tells stories of how he prepares for the opposition's leading scorer and what he does to keep that player from scoring.
72 Minutes. 2011.
Bob Hurley: Developing Perimeter Players
In this on-court basketball DVD presentation, Coach Hurley takes you through his philosophy on effectively developing perimeter players. His drills for perimeter players develop 3-point range, the ability to drive to the rim and finish with both hands, fine tune passing skills and create a solid mid-range shot.
Hurley takes demonstrators through 11 multi-faceted drills, most of which work on multiple skills in the same drill. These drills develop shooting, ball handling, passing, rebounding and defense. The drills include :
- 2-on-0 Full Court Warm-up (6 parts)
- 5-3-1 Shooting (includes shooting, ball handling, and individual defense)
- Curl-Pop-Fade (shooting while reading the defense while coming off a screen)
- 3 Man Shooting (three shot drill off a pick & roll situations)
- Passing Tag
- Half Court 3-on-3 (competitive games)
- Pitino 1-on-1 (conditioning and shooting)
- Drexel 1-on-1 (individual offense and defense)
- Dribbling Routine (7 part routine working on a variety of dribbling moves)
- Steve Nash Shooting Routine (Breaks down the 20-minute workout while adding a couple extra shot moves)
- Thirty and a half (shooting drill to finish the workout)
Coach Hurley's perimeter player drills emphasize teaching the fundamentals slowly and gradually, building them to game speed. Insert these new ideas, concepts, and drills into your program and start getting more from your perimeter.
85 minutes. 2011.
To order, please visit the Championship Books and Videos website by visiting their site at Championship Productions.
Sponsor News
A Gift to Coaches from PGC Basketball
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Contact Information
Coach Shane Dreiling
Director/Founder of TeamArete
TeamArete.com
316-644-7289
