I have five stages in a shooting progression that I like to use in practices at every level , workouts, youth clinics, pre-game warmups, and to evaluate at which stage our players are as shooters.

1. The first stage is learning the correct fundamentals of holding the ball, and then delivering the shot with no pressure and no movement.  The main drills that we use in this stage are are shooting on the line and rim flips.
2. Stage Number 2 is repetition shots off a catch, again–no pressure and no movement. Concentrate on the fundamentals from stage one. We shoot these shots from 12-15 feet.  We work on combining proper mechanics from stage #1 with catching the ball with a shooting hands ready set. The point of emphasis we make is catching ready.  It is possible to catch ready to shoot and then turn the shot down, but I don’t believe that you can be a team that shoots the ball well if players have to adjust their hands frequently to shoot after catching a pass or picking up a dribble.  So, I want to work on catching ready to shoot and picking up the dribble ready to shoot every day without any pressure.   We work on catch and shoot in a rhythm with one shooter and one passer for 10 shots, then changing roles.  Then, repeat with players picking up off the dribble 10 times in a row going both left and right.
3. Stage #3 inovles moving at a game pace in ways that occur in a 5/5 game to get a shot without defense and without any other type of pressure.   We want to work on game cuts at game speeds for game shots.  I want 10 gamelike cuts and shots for each cut that the shooter makes in our offense.  Out cuts off flare screens, curls, fades, popup, whatever terms or cuts you use in your program, and I want them to mix up shooting off the catch and shooting off the dribble.  What I stive constantly to get a handle on and communicat to our playes is where each one is in terms of the shots he can hit in games and which shots he needs to be working on to expand his game.  In the summer we are more concerned with expanding into the shots we are going to need for next season, and in the season our focus is practicing the games he will shoot in games.
4. Stage #4 is shooting with pressure produced by time, performance goals, one defender, or a combination of two or more of those things.  I think that this stage is important to track because I want our players to know what percentage they shoot in these types of drills so that they understand which shots they can shoot in games based on their execution in practice.  For the summer, keeping statistics for workouts provides motivation and helps prevent the monotony of just going through drills.
5. Being able to apply the fundamentals and game speeds to make shots in a 5/5 scrimmage. Players must shoot with the fundamentals and the types of shots that they have been practicing in the  development stages and in workouts.  After all, stages 1 to 4 mean nothing if there is no carryover to games.

We basically run through stages 1-4 for each individual workout whether it is in the off-season or in the individual development stage of practice.  Stage #5 takes place in our summer scrimmages or in the 5/5 stage of practice.  I do want our players to understand how this progression goes, what its purpose is and which stages they are where they should be and which ones they must improve on.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

This is a great book for all coaches to read!  It’s filled with tons of information on “What the best do better than everyone else.”…I  highly recommend it!

Phil Beckner
Weber State Assistant Coach

From the book “Training Camp”

By: Jon Gordon

1. When you face a setback, think of it as a defining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.
2. When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.
3. When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it.  After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.
4. When you face the naysayers, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.
5. When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.
6. When you wake up in the morning, take a morning walk of gratitude and prayer.  It will create a fertile mind ready for success.
7. When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.
8. When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time you have succeeded.
9. When you head into battle, visualize success.
10. When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment.  The now is where your power is the greatest.
11. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.
12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.
13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into the The Zone.  The Zone is not a random event.  It can be created.
14. When you feel all is impossible, know that with God, all things are possible.
15. When you feel alone, think of all the people who have helped you along the way and who love and support you now.
16. When you feel lost, pray for guidance.
17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up.  Finish strong in everything you do.
18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.
19. When you feel like your situation is beyond your control, pray and surrender.  Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
20. When you’re in a high pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it.  Life is short; you only live once.  You have nothing to lose.  Seize the moment.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

This spring I was able to meet w/one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the entire country Tim McClellan. Tim trains over 660 athletes a year at Rehab Plus in Phoenix, AZ.  He has trained athletes such as Donovan Mcnabb (NFL), Channing Frye (NBA), Gary Hall jr(Olympic Gold Medalist), and many others in every sport you could imagine.

I wanted to meet with Tim about…what makes the great ones tick…What separates the good from the great…what characteristics set these athletes apart from the mediocre athletes at their level.

Tim has also written a book that is absolutely amazing!  It has tons of stories and examples from the many athletes he has worked with.  If you are a coach this is a MUST read!  You can find it on Amazon Inner Strength Inner Peace: Life-Changing Lessons From The World’s Greatest

What do you constantly find in the great athletes?

1. Gifted Genetics-talent

2. They keep success simple… “can you make success simple as a coach”

3. They have a warrior mentality in every workout (more on his definition of a warrior in his book…great stuff!)

As a coach what are some ways you find to motivate athletes to be great vs. good?

1.  COACH HEART… “They do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care”  “Change a heart, change them forever” Tim thoroughly expressed being able to capture your player’s heart by showing and telling them that you believe in them and their goals/vision.  ***This is one of the best things I heard from him, because I could feel his passion, and knew that he truly believed in this.  At times I have not made this a priority in coaching athletes, and I left inspired to coach their heart first, before their skills.

2.   Be Prepared: “All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.” Gain as much knowledge as possible in your sport.  Everything you read, everyone you meet, everything you do will have an effect on this.  Look for every opportunity to better yourself, and in turn you can better your players.

3.   Find a Way: Help your players buy into the vision of what they can be and where they want to be!  Show them that you believe in them and you are willing to do whatever you can to “find a way” to give them every tool they need to get there.  Tim once opened up his garage at 10:30pm for a 2 hour workout when he had to be up at 5am the next day because an Olympic gold medalist missed his workout and could not go to sleep knowing he had not put in his work that day!  As a coach, if you want to take your players from good to great you have to be willing to do everything possible to get them there, and that may mean you sacrificing sleep, fun, or free time as a coach.

4.  Be Willing to Battle: they must be challenged and reminded that they need to do whatever it takes in order for them to become the best they possibly can.  They must be willing to pursue the goal/vision they have w/out fear and with confidence!  They must battle whatever obstacles and adversity that may present itself.  As a coach you must be willing to battle with them and for them! Battle to push them to be their best, battle to motivate and inspire daily, and battle to give them every opportunity possible to succeed.

Referring to Bill Parcells quote “If they don’t bite when they are pups, they won’t bite when they are grown.”  If an athlete is missing an edge, or the toughness/competitiveness to be great, to put thierself on the next level can you that be developed it?  Can you coach it?  Can you bring it out in them, or will they just always be missing something?

1. YES! You can help bring this out in them! Heart CAN BE coached and it’s the first thing you should coach!

2. Hold them accountable to how good they can become and get them to battle for it every day!

3. Face to face ask them what they want…make them look you in the eye.  Use open probed and closed probed questions to make them look within themselves and have to answer specifically yes or no.

4. Evaluate their MENTALITY and bring it to their attention.  Do let them give in to anything less than what they have answered to you w/your questions.  Bring this to their attention, and tell them how much you believe in them and know they are capable of so much more.

5. Great example of a question to ask yourself as a coach in finding ways to motivate your best players…”How do I get someone like Shaq unhappy w/himself until he surpasses all of kareem’s numbers?”

What is your formula for success in bringing out an athlete’s best?

1. Make them buy into the best that their capable of being

2. Measure them vs. their potential

3. Have them doing everything they are capable of doing—then what???

4. Work to optimize vs. enhance their performance

5. Look them in the eye and tell them “I can’t accept 94% from you…94% isn’t good enough.  If I do that, I’M FAILING YOU”   When you tell a player this there is a sense of responsibility and accountability they will accept for you giving them everything you have.

How much do the elite athletes take ownership for their individual workouts, film sessions, etc?

1. Almost all of them want to do EXTRA!  They finish the workout and ask ‘What else do you have for me”

2. They are PROACTIVE in finding ways to get an edge or improve.  If they aren’t proactive, then use brutal honesty and tell them what’s not good enough, so they become more proactive.

3. There coaches have told them exactly “here’s how to win, or here’s how to get where you want to be”  they accept the answer and pursue it.

What makes great coaches special?  What are some of the characteristics of great coaches you have came across?

***Great coaches always have their players HEART! “Change a heart, change them forever”

1. The best coaches have the ability to teach, they are long hard workers, express care to their athletes, won’t accept mediocrity in sport and life, and will never accept anything less than the player’s best effort.

2. They are never satisfied w/their own personal development, knowledge of the game, or  network of people they now.  They are always striving for more, striving for better!

3. Be an “outlier”, do things different, don’t always sit in the crowd.  Know who you are and what you are about as a coach and person…stick with it.  Believe in yourself and be confident in every situation.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

12 SIMPLE YET SIGNIFICANT DAILY TO DO’S FOR LEADERS

1. Be the hardest worker at practice today. Without fail, one of the quickest ways to impact a team is with your own work ethic. Choose to be one of the hardest workers on your team today. Not only does it set the tone for the work ethic of your program, it is also one of the best and quickest ways to enhance your leadership credibility with your teammates and coaches.

2. Be a spark of energy and enthusiasm today. Let your passion for the sport shine through today. Spread a contagious energy and enthusiasm amongst your teammates. Think about how lucky you are to be able to play and compete. Remember back to when you were a young child and reconnect with the joy you played with back then. Make your sport fun again for yourself and your teammates.

3. Model mental toughness today. Because your teammates will look to you under pressure, adversity, and stress, be sure to model mental toughness today. Bounce back quickly after errors to show your teammates how to respond to negative situations. Maintain your poise and optimism despite any mistakes you might make so that your teammates can trust and rely on you to get them through the tough times.

4. Connect with a teammate today. Leadership is all about relationships. Invest the time to build and strengthen the relationships you have with each of your teammates. Inquire about their day, challenges, and goals. Make a special and ongoing effort to get to know every athlete on your team, not just your friends and classmates. The relationship building you do each day will pay off immeasurably down the road.

5. Compliment a teammate today. Be on the lookout for teammates who are contributing to your team. Call out a teammate for making a hustle play, pushing through a weight workout, recovering quickly from a mistake, getting an A on an exam, etc. Praise the actions and attitudes you want to see repeated. As Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.”

6. Challenge a teammate today. Challenge at least one of your teammates today. Positively push them and yourself to make the most of your workout. Make a friendly wager to see if they can be successful at least 4 out of 5 times in a drill. See if you both can improve your times in conditioning. Offer to stay after to help if there is anything they want to work on. Good leaders consistently invite, inspire, and sometimes implore others to greatness.

7. Support a teammate today. Odds are, at least one of your teammates is struggling with something today – it could be a performance slump, a rocky romantic relationship, a disagreement with a coach, an unglamorous role, struggling with a class, or a sick family member. Good leaders are consistently on the lookout for teammates who might be struggling and are ready to offer an ear to listen, an encouraging word, a pat on the back, or a shoulder to cry on.

8. Constructively confront negativity, pessimism, and laziness today. As a leader, have the courage to constructively confront the negativity, pessimism, and laziness that will crop up on your team from time to time. Instead of fueling the fire by joining in or silently standing by, be sure to refocus your teammates on solutions rather than dwelling on and complaining about the problems. Left unchecked, these problems can quickly grow to distract, divide, and destroy your team.

9. Build and bond your team today. Team chemistry naturally ebbs and flows throughout the course of the season. Take the time to monitor and maintain your team’s chemistry. Let your reserves and support staff know how much you appreciate them. Stay connected and current with each of the natural sub-groups on your team. Douse any brush fires that might be occurring and continually remind team members about your common goal and common bond.

10. Check in with your coach today. Invest the time to check in with your coach today. Ask what you can do to best help the team this week. Find out what your coach wants to accomplish with today’s practice. Also discuss if there is anything your coach is concerned about regarding your team. Discuss your collective insights on your team’s chemistry, focus, and mindset. Work together to effectively co-lead your team.

11. Remind your team how today’s work leads to tomorrow’s dreams. It’s easy to get bogged down during your season with monotonous drills, tiring conditioning, and demanding workouts. Remind your teammates how all the quality work you do today gives you a distinct advantage over your opponents. Help them see and even get excited about how today’s hard work is a long-term investment in your team’s goals, rather than just a short-term hardship or sacrifice.

12. Represent yourself and team with class and pride today. Leaders have the awesome privilege and responsibility of representing their teams. Take advantage of this opportunity by representing your team with class and pride today. Hold a door open for someone, sit in the front rows of class and actively engage in the discussion, say please and thank you, dress in respectful attire, etc. These tiny pushes represent you and your team with class and distinction. And they ultimately set you up for a lifetime of respect and success.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

MCHALE DRILL

Have the player stand underneath and to the right of the basket. Begin by tossing the ball off the backboard. As the ball comes down, jump up and tip the ball back off the glass with your right hand.   At the same time, use your left hand and try to grab the rim (or as high as you can go). After ten tips/grabs score the basket, and then proceed to the other side of the hoop and repeat, using the opposite hands.

NBA DRILL

You have 8 guys in the paint. 4 on offense, 4 on defense. The defensive guys are on the inside and the offensive guys are on the outside. You have two guys outside the three-point line waiting to get the ball. The drill starts by one of the guys outside three point line shoots a three. The guys on defense yell shot and box out the guys on offense and to get the ball.  After you get the rebound if you are on offense you try to score. If you are on defense you pass it to one of the outlet guys. If the offense scores they get 2 points. If the defense gets the ball to one of the outlet guys they get 1 point.  We usually play to 1o- the losing team runs a jay hawk.

PRESSURE OUTLET PASS

Have four rebounders under one basket. Have two other players positioned on either side of the basket ready for an outlet pass. Coach will take shot and create rebound, four players under basket will box-out and rebound.  Player who gets rebound should immediately get out of pressure from other three rebounders by either smart dribbling–then  passing, pivoting–and then passing, or a straight pass to one of the outlet players. The other three players who do not get the rebound should swarm the successful rebounder and make it difficult with out fouling.

SUPERMAN DRILL

Start at the low block. The player tosses the ball towards the left side of the paint, bouncing off the backboard. Throw it high off the glass and in an angle for best results. When he throws it off the backboard he sprints and leaps in the air catching the ball in the air but also lands on the other side of the paint but both feet must land outside the paint. Repeat going back the other direction. Keep doing it without stopping going back and fourth.

Click here to:  Download the April Arizona Men’s Basketball Coaching Newsletter

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

A leader…

1. has to have ABSOLUTE INTEGRITY, or it does not matter what else he or she has.

2. has to be WILLING AND ABLE TO DO WORK, or it does not matter what else he or she has.

3. has to be OBJECTIVE.  If an executive could be described in one word, this would be it.

4. has to have LEADERSHIP, which is hard to define, but may be described as that quality in a person which makes others want to do what the leader wants them to do.

5. has COURAGE . I don’t want to get courage and bravery mixed up.  If a neighbor has a mean dog and you are not afraid to go in his yard, this is bravery.  If you are afraid but go in the yard anyway, this is courage.  Courage is what makes someon buy natural resources for the company’s use in poor times when acreage,or leases are cheap.

6. has IMAGINATION.  Most of the good things civilization has achieved are the result of somebody’s seeing, in his mind’s eye, how to do something better, or make something better.  Without imagination an executive cannot foresee the good things the future may hold.  Without imagination he is not able to put himself in another man’s place, which he must do.

7. MUST DELEGATE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY if he does not do this, there is not enough time to accomplish a great deal.

8. MUST CHECK, AFTER THIS DELEGATION, TO SEE THAT RESULTS ARE OBTAINED.   The leader must have progress reports not only for his own information but also to gauge personnel in preparation for his next delegation of authority.

9.  MUST EVALUATE HIS TIME.  A busy person does not have time to explain carefully a directive to a subordinate, and in most cases tell him the reason why he wants it done.  Otherwise, it is likely to get all snarled up and have to be handled twice which a busy person does not have time to do.

10.  DOES THE IMPORTANT IN MOST CASES, INSTEAD OF THE URGENT. It is so easy to decide and handle the easy ones.  So often the temptation is to put aside a difficult decision until the easy ones are finished, in the hope that some additional easy ones come up to further postpone the important.

11.  MUST PLAY NO FAVORITES.  Anyone can do what they want with their own money.  With the company’s money,  there is no right to play favorites.  The person who should be promoted is the person who is doing the job at the time better than others are doing theirs.  If the word gets around that the executive plays no favorites, the  personnel will naturally take pride in doing their jobs well, no matter how rarely they come in contact with the boss.

12.  RECOGNIZES HIS/HER OWN WEAKNESSES AND SEEKS OR EMPLOYS ASSISTANCE IN THESE RESPECTS.  The Great Creator has rarely produced a man without weaknesses.  What often make a strong corporation is people of different but special talents accomplishing together and with the assistance of each other, more than any individual could accomplish alone.

13.  TRIES TO HELP OTHERS OVERCOME THEIR WEAKNESSES AND COMPLIMENTS THEM ON THEIR GOOD TRAITS.  The success of an organization is based to a large extent on loyalty and cooperation.  A man might be the best coxswain in the world, but without the cooperation of the other men in his crew, the race could not be won.

14.  IF SOMETHING TURNS OUT ESPECIALLY GOOD, THE LEADER FINDS SOMEONE IN THE ORGANIZATION TO SHARE THE CREDIT, IF SOMETHING GOES ESPECIALLY BAD, THE LEADER FINDS SOME WAY TO SHARE THE BLAME, You tell me who takes the responsibility for the errors and I will tell you who IS the boss,

15.  MUST BE A GOOD LISTENER, I have a prayer “Oh Lord, let me know that I do not have to speak on every subject that is broached.”

16.  MUST NOT TAKE HIMSELF or HERSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.  I have never heard a leader criticized for taking  their business too seriously.  If the leader can do this, and not take himself or herself too seriously,  she and her associates have a happier life.

17.  MUST NOT ALLOW HERSELF TO BECOME DISCOURAGED.  Even the inevitable can change from day to day, and persistence often accomplishes the seemingly impossible.

18.  DOES WHAT HE SAYS HE IS GOING TO DO, EVEN IN A CASUAL STATEMENT.  I know people who, if they told me casually, “I will write you a letter about that tomorrow,” and I didn’t receive the letter, I would send flowers.  I would know they were dead.

19.  MUST NOT MAKE AN UNQUALIFIED STATEMENT UNLESS SHE IS SUFFICIENTLY INFORMED ON FACTS.  A statement may often be the basis of important action.  If based on incomplete information, results may be disastrous.

20.  MUST LET HIS STAFF KNOW THAT HE MEANS WHAT HE SAYS WHEN HE TELLS THEM THAT HE WANTS THEM TO DISAGREE WITH HIM WHEN THEY DO.  Nearly every executive tells his staff he wants them to speak out when they disagree.  He must convince them that he means what he says when he makes this statement for it is their duty to give him the benefit of their best judgment and experience.  At the same time, disagreement does not absolve a man from giving his best efforts once a course of action is decided upon.

21.  LIMITS HER NUMBER  OF REASONS.  One reason for a decision is better than several.  If  several reasons are given, and one of these, though not controlling, is disproved it can make awkward or tear down her whole presentation.

22.  MUST NOT GET MAD UNLESS HE DECIDES TO.  There are times, like a boxer working himself  up to a fighting pitch, when an executive has to show a flash of fire to carry or arouse people out of their apathy.  But this must be a deliberate, and not impulsive, action.

23.  RECOGNIZES THE UNUSUAL FROM THE ROUTINE, AND HANDLES THE UNUSUAL IN A SPECIAL MANNER.  Many leaders adequately handle the routine every day, and the business gets along all right.  Sometimes even a casual request, due to its source, merits uusual handling.

24.  MUST NOT BE OVERLY SUBJECT TO FLATTERY.  Star dust blinds more people than sand.

25.  MUST STEEP HERSELF IN THE FACTS, BUT MUST RECOGNIZE THAT A TIME COMES WHEN SHE MUST DEFER RESEARCH AND MAKE THE DECISION, So often voluminous research is acquired.  For what purpose?  To acquire additional voluminous research.  The difficult, the decision, is postponed.

26.  MUST LIKE PEOPLE.  A man who does not like people multiplies his work and minimizes his effectiveness.

27. SHOULD HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR.  Without this I doubt if a leader can endure, with good grace, the rugged path that accompanies accomplishment.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

If you are interested in downloading the newsletter, here is a link to do so:  Arizona March Newsletter

Manager 1 on 1:

2 Managers/coaches (or chairs) stand 35 feet out from the baseline with one about 7 feet away from the sideline and the other  feet inside of that.

On coaches “Go”. the defensive player sprints to run around the chair/manager closest to the middle of the court while the offensive player runs dribbling the ball around the outside chair (closest to

the sideline).

Once around the chair, the offensive player attacks the rim and the two play 1 on 1.

Inside the Three 1 on 1:

Two players begin underneath the hoop. The defensive player begins with the ball and he dribbles to any spot inside the three point arc to place the ball down. Once the ball is placed down, the offense runs to pick it up and the two play 1 on 1 live.

You can control where you want this drill to happen if you make the defense put the bail only in the paint.

Turn and Run 1 on 1:

Drill starts like a zigzag bail handling defensive slide drill but the defense allows the offensive player to beat him off the dribble up the sideline. The defensive player works on his speed and recovery to get back in front and square up the offense. Once the defensive player gets in front of the offense, the ball handler throws the ball to a manager/coach at the top of the key. The defensive player jumps to the ball in Help side and  when the offensive player catches it again, the two play 1 on 1 live.

Baseball:

This is a 1 on 1 drill that uses two teams playing 1 on 1 vs members of the opposing team counting the score like a base ball game. Start from the top of the key with a member of team 1 guarding a member of team 2 – if the defense gets a stop. then that’s 1 Out. If the offense scores than they get 1 run and there are no outs. On the first foul, you re-check the ball.  On the second, the offense gets a point. When three outs are up. You switch offense defense. When each team has gone for 3 outs, then you have

just played one inning. You can do this drill from any spot on the court and can facilitate post players by allowing coaches to feed them w the post instead of playing 1 on 1 from the perimeter.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

phillipbeckner@weber.edu

This is the first part of three parts of this project.  I will be posting points 38-100 over the next few weeks.

Coaching:

1) NEVER-EVER forget who has been a positive influence on you, and helped you get to where you are today…continue to thank them, and then DO THE SAME FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

2) BE DETAILED!…with everything!

3) “Don’t coach for the name on your business card”-Larry Shyatt, coach for your team, players, and head coach

4) Great question to ask yourself everyday “What does my team need right now?”-Herb Sendek

5) Have an Edge, even when you win a few in a row

6) Treat wins like losses and losses like wins

7) It’s hard to be a young assistant, you have to earn players respect, be careful about putting yourself on their level

8. Keep practices short 2nd semester, make them want more, keep them hungry

9) One bad apple can spoil the bunch, chemistry is vital

10) It’s not a good feeling to have a quiet team, need energy and enthusiasm

11) “Never lose a chemistry guy” –Doc Rivers

12) Care about the players that aren’t playing a lot, it’s hard for them to stay motivated late in the year

13) Be careful what you tell your head coach-“don’t make somethin out of nothing”

14) Keep your players together, they can be mad at the staff, but they have to stay together

15) Tell players something positive or good job more than u already do

16) “If you wanna win the race, you gotta feed the horses”…feed them well and get them what they want on the road

17) Sometimes it is best to “flush” a game after a bad night and start new the next day, you can’t make a habit of it though, maybe 1 a year

18) Rebounding wins games, always have one assistant watching/coaching rebounding.

19) If you stat it, chart it, or emphasize it, it will be important to your team (deflections, charges, turnovers)

20) Keep scouting reports specific and simple, players don’t remember half of it anyway

21) Make time to exercise, it keeps you sane

22) There are plenty of great coaches out there willing to help you if you just ask

23) Most people want to coach college because they want to do the big things (be on TV, recruit on the road, have input on game day) but the ones who are willing to do the little things(sweep the floor, check classes, open the gym late) are the ones who keep a job and move up

24) “Entitlement vs. Investment”-Kevin Eastman…be ready when you get the call! Prepare for your next position, you have to be ready to produce

25) “Let mad go” -Chuck Daly… it doesn’t bother the players as much as you

26) It is vital that you double check everything (especially for travel and video)

27) Good assistants take care of the minor stuff so the Head Coach does not have to worry about it (players on time, ankle braces, gear etc.) Allow him to worry about coaching the team and that’s it!

28) Find at least 20min a day to spend on yourself: personal development, phone calls to friends/family, networking, favorite reading websites

29) Don’t trust players when you ask them about academics, you will never get the whole truth

30) “Thoroughly study the game!”-Kevin Eastman…you will earn players respect by knowing the game and knowing your system, worst feeling in practice is when a player asks you something and you have to reply- “I don’t know”

31) Assistants do a better job when they are involved more, give them specific responsibilities.

32) Let assistants or strength coaches take care of “in-season” weight training.  Coaches need to be away from the players, and players need to be away from the coaches.

33) It’s better to make friends than enemies, everyone remembers the guys who screw them over, the guys who don’t return a call, or the guys who won’t help out…TRY TO HELP EVERYONE!

34) If you have extra game tickets to give away…GIVE THEM AWAY!  People love college athletics and players love fans at their games.

35) Find time to read during the season.  It’s a great way to find messages/stories/examples to give to your team…it keeps you thinking!

36) Appreciate your job and the opportunity you have.  Your head coach probably gets over 100 emails a year asking for an opportunity to be on his staff.  You are lucky to be called “coach”

37) “If you really like something another coach/team does—Steal It!…but give credit”-Tom Izzo  “If you  steal something, make sure you can TEACH it”-Hubie Brown

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War Drill (8 minute drill)

(1 basketball. 6. 8 or 10 players. Full Court)

Defense is in the paint and matches up. On the shot by the coach. their goal is to go meet the offense outside of the paint and keep them out of it.

The offensive players are set up behind the three point line and except for the point guard, (who gets back on defense), are going hard to the rim.  The defender on the point guard should look to help on boxing someone else out.

This is a highly competitive drill with a winner and loser. If the offense gets the rebound they get a point and can try to score a 2 or 3 pointer.  If they score we set the drill back up. If the defense gets the rebound or forces a turnover, there is no point scored but they push the basketball down court (transition offense) and try to score on the other end. On a score or turnover by them, play stops and we set the drill back up.

The ball will only go from one end to the other end one time and then the drill would be reset. If we don’t reset the drill it becomes a transition drill and not a contact drill.

There are no points on a made shot by the coach but it is still played like a rebound.

Knicks Drill

(1 or 2 basketballs. 6 or more players)

On the shot by the number 3 (could be a coach),  Xl and X4 come out and box out (they start with one foot on the baseline). Offensive players 1 and 5 are going hard to the rim. Numbers 2 and 4 are there for the outlet pass. If the defense gets the rebound they are going to pivot to the outside and outlet the ball. If it’s a made shot. they run out of bounds to outlet the basketball. The offense players try to stop the outlet pass. You could have one player deny the inbounder and the other denying the player receiving the pass.

If the offense gets the rebound they go 2 on 2 and try to score or the drill can be reset (coach’s option).

Offensive players switch between being offense or outlet players. The defense remains defense until you switch them out.

Try to match up the lines with perimeter players in one line and post players in the other.

This could be a competition drill with sprints for the losers. A defensive rebound is one point. a successful outlet pass is one point, an offensive rebound is two points and a made basket is one point.

The Defenders can cross and block out opposite line to vary the drill.
Get to the Basket Drill

(1 basketball, 3 or more players)

Place two defenders side by side facing the offense (if you have football pads, use them).  On the shot, the offense has to bust through to the basket.  This teaches them to never surrender going to the basket and being aggressive.

Only drill this from the wings.  If we have an offensive player at the top, we would normally want him to get back on defense.

Without the pads, the defense gives a little pressure, just enough to make them push through.

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The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!