Coaching Basketball End of Game Checklist

These 3 end of game checklists were sent to me by Steve Smiley.

They were assembled by former long time NBA Assistant Gordon Chiesa.

He spent 16 seasons with the Jazz and also had a tenure with the Grizzlies.

He also served as a college assistant at Dartmouth and Providence. He was the head coach at both Manhattan and Providence.

He was an assistant with team that reached both the NBA Finals (1997 and 98 with the Jazz) and the NCAA Final Four (1987 with Providence)

OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS/CONCEPTS

• Best offensive team when our team is losing.
• Best foul shooting team when our team is winning.
• Best ball handling team when protecting a lead.
• Best three point shooting team when our team needs a “Three.”
• Best individual match-up to score a basket/create a foul.
• Which opposing player is in deep foul trouble, and our offense can go directly at him?
• Who is our best inbound passer? Who is our 2nd best inbound passer?
• What side of the floor, when inbounding from the sideline do we prefer?
• Know/Understand with how much time left on the game clock, and the score is tied, when should the offensive player take the shot?
• Know/Understand  that the defense is going to switch-out of any screening action regardless of size The sceener should look for a slip move as he starts setting the screen. The passer has to be ready to “Read and Pass.”
• Know/Understand that when the opponent has a foul to give and our team has used our last time out, the Head Coach, during that time out, has to give our team two offensive plays to execute.

DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS/CONCEPTS

• Best defensive team when our team needs one defensive stop (under 7 seconds on game clock)?
• Best defensive team to contain dribble penetration
• Best rebounding team when the opponent goes big?
• Best “Comeback” Defensive Team by trapping/presses creating havoc defensively?
• Best zone defensive team to take away the opposition set offensive plays?
• Be ready to match-up small to defend the opponent’s 4 or 5 man who can make three point shots,
• Know and understand the concept of staying home on 3-point shooters on dribble penetration.
• Know and understand how to foul on the catch before the shooter goes into his shooting motion
• Be ready to sub out a key offensive scoring player who has four fouls and ‘sub In” a “designated fouler.” Teach the designated fouler that he is making a positive contribution towards winning. We are not trying to embarrass him.
• Know/Understand that when the score is even or our team Is up one or two, we will early double team or create a running trap situation against the “star perimeter player” in the scoring area. Philosophically we are not going to let the star perimeter player beat us with a basket or create a foul. We are going to make him pass the bail to a lesser offensive threat. Also,as an alternative, we could play a zone defense on the last possession against the star player.
  

END OF GAME CHECKLIST

• Know the score of the game and the time left on the shot clock and game clock.
• Know the timeout situation for both teams
• The Head Coach will tell the players the team foul penalty situation from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. The players will always know if we have a foul to give.
• Know/Understand when to call timeout by a Player who is not involved with the ball when his teammate is in a bad disadvantage.
• Who are the worst foul shooters in the game?
• Who are the worst foul shooters not in the game in case of an injury situation. and the opposing team can choose the new shooter?

You can also download 13 of my 130 Situations eBook. Click this link to read a sample of the ebook.