Program Blueprint

Building a substantive, lasting culture in your program begins with team leaders and creating common experiences.

Author Quin McDowell, founder of AreteHoops.com

Players naturally gravitate into smaller groups within your program — your job is to make them want to spend time as one unit.

“Culture” is a buzzword in basketball circles today. As coaches, we need to go beyond buzzwords though and dig deeper at how to forge a winning identity.

Put simply, your team lives and dies by the culture it creates. The benefits of culture are obvious: togetherness, selflessness, chemistry and continuity are the intangibles you want to foster.

It’s not easy at the high-school level due to yearly turnover and players spread across three teams (freshman, junior varsity, and varsity), but you can do it by following these three steps.

1 Create Collective ‘Buy-In’

When embarking on a team-culture mission, begin with a list of core-identity values, which remain consistent from year to year (i.e. hard work, toughness, excellence). Then, you need 100 percent “buy-in” from your team leaders so they take an ownership of these values and pass them along to their teammates.

To create “buy-in,” sit down with your leaders before or early in the season and have them develop a list of standards reflecting the core values. An example is if a value is “toughness,” then a corresponding standard is “do not allow offensive rebounds.” Encourage the team leaders to come up with a visual reminder of the standards, such as a poster to hang in the locker room — and have all team members sign it so they take some ownership as well.

At this point, the leaders enforce this standard. If a player at practice misses a boxout and allows an offensive board, the player completes 10 pushups. While you are the team’s rule maker, it’s the team leaders who are most effective in upholding standards.

2 Create Mentor Relationships

Culture only grows when the team comes together as one. Sure, it’s natural for players to segment into their own groups (age, ability) but work hard to encourage cross-pollination among all team members.

Start with the older players. Assign your more experienced players a “little buddy” within the program. While mentoring is important, make this relationship competitive as well as the younger player attempts to earn respect. Have a shooting competition pitting veterans against their little buddies.

Have older players show they care about the next generation by forming a tunnel and banging fists with JV players as they exit the locker room just before a game.

3 Create Memories

Shared experiences bring teams closer and begin to build a tradition in your program as stories are passed from one
generation to the next.

Take a camping trip. Plan an “amazing race” around campus. Go bowling. Have a pie-eating contest after practice. Study your team’s personality and go with experiences not seen as corny or forced.

Creating memories (particularly ones off the court) allow for nuanced relationships to develop, which makes for a stronger team and more dynamic culture.

This player evaluation system was sent to me by Jeff Daddio, assistant coach at Farmington High School in Farmington, Connecticut.

I have included a link to download a pdf of the evaluation rubric at the bottom of this page.

You can contact him at [email protected] or via twitter is @CoachDaddio.

A SMASH player is a complete basketball player. A SMASH player encompasses all of the tangible and intangible characteristics necessary for success.

SMASH stands for Skills, Mind, Athleticism, Spirit and Heart. The SMASH rubric is a method of player evaluation that looks at all 5 major component of a SMASH player.

Skills make up one half of the rubric and are broken up into shooting, passing, ball-handling, rebound & defense.

Mind is what is sometimes referred to as “basketball I.Q.” It is a player’s ability to think the game both as a whole and within their individual matchup.

Athleticism contains the measurables- speed, strength, height and more with an even split of movement and body.

Spirit refers to emotional characteristics with a focus on attitude. It is broken up into leadership, selflessness and commitment.

Heart is a player’s drive, determination and motivation level.

All 5 components of a SMASH player can be improved and the evaluation rubric helps each player do just that. It is all part of the journey to build the best, most complete basketball players- the SMASH players.

Click here to download the document as a pdf.

Bob Starkey’s blog is one of my favorite coaching blogs. He has several year’s experience in both men’s and women’s Division I programs. y is an assistant coach for the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team. He served as an assistant under head coach Gary Blair at Texas A&M from 2012 to 2021. You can see all of his post here: Hoop Thoughts

There was a leadership quote from Vince Lombardi on one of his leadership posts.

“Leadership is not just one quality, but rather a blend of many qualities; and while no one individual possesses all of the needed talents that go into leadership, each person can develop a combination to make him or her a leader.”

With that thought in mind, here is a list of some of the takeaways that I have collected from Coach Starkey’s posts on leadership that have resonated with me. I hope you find a few that have value to you as well!

Coach K

“They say, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’ Coach K is breaking that cliché. He’s an old dog for sure, but he looks young on the sideline. He has a lot of passion and intensity, but he’s not so rigid that he doesn’t evolve and change with the way kids are today and the way the game is played today.” He’s coaching differently today than he did 20 years ago.

“I’m sure he’s still stubborn about some deep-rooted, hard-core philosophies that he has,” Christian Laettner said. “I’m sure he delivers those messages to the kids very strictly and very stubbornly. In other ways, he has to be willing to change, be willing to give in and relent, and relate with these young players today.”

Dean Smith

All great leaders know you can’t just talk about good character; you have to live it. To become an extraordinary leader, you must build your own personality skills. This comes first. You must be what you want your followers to become.

Effective leaders build themselves fundamentally. They develop healthy personality characteristics. They love people, care about them, are interested in them, and enjoy interacting with them.

They learn to work well with all kinds of people.

The greatest leaders I’ve known are absolutely devoted to their people. There’s no way to fake it. They put their people in the center of their thinking. They treat their employees with dignity and respect, and they don’t embarrass them or berate them.

A leader won’t accomplish much, or even be happy, unless he or she is willing to compete. Leaders should love competition and not be stifled by it. They must give everything they have to achieve their personal and companies’ goals, as long as it’s done with honesty and integrity and within the rules. Good leaders enjoy putting themselves on the line.

Modesty is also a trait of good leaders. They accept criticism and understand their limitations.

It’s the people who bring the same great effort to work effort to work every day who don’t burn out.

Self-discipline: Managers must work until they finish a project. That means having the patience to repeat things until they are done correctly. Usually it’s the dreary 5 percent of the wrap-up that’s the hardest.

Concentration: You must stay in the present and focus on each task, one at a time. Don’t jump ahead to another problem before you finish with the one at hand.

Good leaders love sharing credit for success and understand why it’s important.

John Maxwell Self Evaluation Questions for Leaders

Am I Investing in Myself? This question probes your commitment to personal growth.

Am I Genuinely Interested In Others? It’s essential to regularly question your motives. There’s a fine line between manipulation and motivation. The former moves people for personal benefit, while the latter moves people for mutual gain.

Am I Taking Others to a Higher Level? This question has to do with mission. As a leader, you’re in the people development business. Fulfilling your mission depends upon lifting the performance of those you lead. By adding value to those you lead, you’re investing in men and women with the potential to multiply your influence exponentially.

Am I Taking Care of Today? How you treat today speaks volumes about your likelihood of success. In fact, if I spent one day observing your priorities, behaviors, and interactions with people, then, with about 90% accuracy, I could let you know your leadership potential. Why would I be so certain in my judgment? Because I’ve learned that the secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

Various

Have a thoughts and notes journal that you keep just for you. -Dick Bennett

Don’t wrestle in the mud with a pig because you both get muddy and the pic likes it. Don Meyer

Successful people leave clues for us to study. Don Meyer

Without question, one of the main things a leader must do if forge a set of principles and goals that excite and inspire those that he/she leads. I also believe that big part of that is allowing the followers to be a part of that process in deciding why they are doing what they are doing. Bob Starkey

“I’m not remotely interested in being just good.” Vince Lombardi to Green Bay Packers during his first meeting with the team after being named the new Packer Coach. And, in just a few words, he simply yet eloquently set the standard for his team and organization.

“Our veteran players, have been very consistent in how they prepare and go about the games. Then, it’s an easy model for the younger players to follow.” Mike Matheny

Being a true leader means thinking long term and committing to your people even after they’re no longer part of your effort. That means offering mentorship and opportunities for them to grow. As a coach, I would tell our student-athletes that I was going to be their coach for four years but for the rest of their lives. I take great pride in my relationships with my players after college and I think it makes our relationships better during. From Leadership Lessons from the US Army.

There is a correct way to correct. It doesn’t need to be demeaning. You don’t want the corrective instruction lost in your tone. Bob Starkey

This article on game administration is the third article from the series,

“Practice On Intense Situations Everyday”

by Coach John Kimble
CoachJohnKimble.com

Retired high school and college coach

I posted the first two articles on offensive situations and defensive situations in February.

Administrative Situations

Originally published in School Coach and Athletic Journal

There are many different methods and philosophies that could be developed that are successful. The key is that there just has to be a set plan and philosophy in place, so that a team knows what to do in those pressure-packed situations. Having been prepared, there should be a confidence, a calmness and a poise for that team to be successful. There doesn’t have to be a “right or a wrong” method, as long as the method has been thought out, agreed upon (by the coaching staff), then thoroughly taught and sold to the players. Instead of giving a coaching staff specific answers to all the many scenarios that exist, I would like to challenge each reader to be prepared for those situations by simply asking them if they have a sound idea and philosophy to the many different situations that could easily come up before, after and during basketball games.

This article discusses some of the many different scenarios from the basketball administrative perspective, while the following articles deal with the specific offensive and defensive situations that can and will take place in games

ASSISTANT COACHES

Assistant coaches must be given responsibilities and assignments and utilized to have an efficient and productive coaching staff that also feels as if they are contributing to the team. Is there a plan of delegation for all assistant coaches during practices, during timeouts and half-times, during pre-games, games and post-games? Where do the coaches sit during games? Are they seated together or do they sit interspersed among the players at predetermined locations? Where? Why or why not?

PRACTICE PLANNING AND PRACTICE ADMINISTRATION

In addition to being a good example and showing the players the coaching staff’s commitment to organization, hard work and effort; detailed practice plans make the teaching and coaching of players more time-efficient and productive. Players want to know what is expected of them and why they are asked to do the things that a coaching staff wants them to do. They need to be led by example and to have faith and trust in the coaching staff. With a practice plan that is carefully laid out (and followed) that encompasses all of the details that are necessary to give a team the poise that it needs to be successful, it also shows a team that a coaching staff’s word is good. Every aspect of the game, including all fundamentals and techniques must not be assumed by the coaching staff that each player is proficient in. Certain fundamentals must not be omitted because they are boring to the coaching staff to teach and boring to the players to learn, improve on or practice. A coaching staff must preach and show by example the “5 P’s—Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!”

PRE-GAME ADMINISTRATION

Have those pre-game responsibilities been delegated to assistant coaches and managers? Do the players know what time they are to arrive? Does the coaching staff give the team any free time for players to prepare in their own individual manner? Are there any parameters set for those ways? Are the managers given a certain time to arrive to the locker room?   When they do arrive, are they given specific assignments to pass out uniforms, warm-ups and the preparation for Gatorade or water? What person is delegated to keep track of the time before the first half? Is there a designated time that the staff wants to make sure the players have to warm up for the first half? Is there a pre-game shoot-around? Is there a particular pre-game warm-up routine that is time and energy efficient that is to be used? Who is in charge of filling out the scorebook and naming the game’s starters?

“LAST SHOT” PHILOSOPHY

Preserving possession of the ball for the last shot of the time period and then scoring at the end of that specific time period could be as much as a 6 point swing in addition to the momentum and confidence builder that that one possession could produce. Having two or four end of time period possessions should then be looked upon as invaluable in the preparation time for that game. Does one of these teams have a decided edge in preparation of unique scenarios that can easily happen during the game? But unless this team is prepared and can achieve an edge in these situations that can easily take place in a game, all of the hard work and effort put forth by both players and coaches (during the actual game and in practices) will have gone for naught.

MULTIPLE DEFENSE AND OFFENSE PHILOSOPHY

A successful coaching staff must be able to not only accurately evaluate the physical skills and talents of their team but also the mental skill level of his/her team. Having more than one offense or more than one defense can be very instrumental in the overall success of a basketball team. But having too many can mentally hamper a team and decrease the overall effectiveness of all offenses or defenses. The multiplicity of offenses and defenses must be carefully evaluated as each team has different mental capacities.

OFFENSE—S.O.B./B.O.B. PHILOSOPHY

Before end-of-the-quarter (or half) or late-game decisions that could determine the outcome of the game are made, there are other ideas and philosophies that must to be developed. Does your offensive team have “baseline out-of-bounds plays” that will be successful against man-to-man defenses and/or against zone defenses? On offense, does your team have specific plays from the sideline that can be run against zone and/or man-to-man defenses?

SUBSTITUTIONS

During the game, there can be quite a few different substitutions. Does the coaching staff have a philosophy and a set plan on what all players do on the bench when a player comes out of the game? Do all players know what is expected of them when they come out of a game? Do the assistants know their responsibilities and assignments when a player comes out of the game? Is it allowed for the player taken out to sit anywhere on the bench or are they instructed to sit in a specific location on the bench to receive individualized instructions and corrections from a designated coach? Who is that designated coach?

FOUL-TROUBLE SUBSTITUTIONS

Does the coaching staff have a first half and second half philosophy on taking out a key player because of foul trouble? How many fouls does a player have to get in the first (or second) half before he/she is taken out? At what point in time is that player put back in the game? Is there a specific assistant coach that is assigned to keeping track of the ‘foul situation’ and then informing the head coach?

OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE SUBSTITUTIONS

Does the coaching staff have a predetermined plan of subbing offense for defense or vice versa at the end of the game? Do the players understand and are they sold on whom the defensive stand-out is and who the offensive stand-out is? Do they know the proper procedures for when and how they can report in at the dead ball situations? If a coaching staff and team strongly believes in this end-of-the-game procedure, why not use it at the end of the first half or at the end of the quarters? Does the coaching staff have a philosophy on how to sub players in and out during the free throw shooting by the opposition? Does the staff have a plan on how to interrupt that time in order to try to ‘freeze an opposing free throw shooter? Do the players understand the philosophy and the plan? Have they practiced that plan in order to maximize its effectiveness?

TIMEOUT ADMINISTRATION

Has the coaching staff practiced late game timeouts with just the coaching staff? Who has the freedom to talk in the huddle? Who is in charge of obtaining statistics for the timeout? Who is in charge of the diagram boards? Do the manager(s) have water or Gatorade and towels ready? What coach is in charge of making sure that substitutes get in for the resumption of play after the timeout? What coach is in charge of keeping track of the time remaining in the timeout? Does the coaching staff have a set procedure for the active players and for substitutes on where to assemble? Have all players been educated on the importance of the timeouts and do they all know what is expected of them during the timeouts? Has the staff practiced timeouts with the team, including assistants and managers? Are the short timeouts managed any differently than full timeouts? Do the players still go to the bench or do they remain on the court and huddle up?

TIMEOUT SELECTIONS

Does the coaching staff have a philosophy on whether they want players early in the game to call a timeout to protect the possession of the ball as they are about to fall out of bounds or about to get tied up after a loose ball on the floor? Or does the coaching staff want to save those timeouts for late game situations? If the coaching staff does not have a set philosophy and has not taught their players, those decisions will then be left up to the players. Does the coaching staff want to leave that decision up to the players?

STEALING A TIMEOUT

Does the coaching staff have a plan and procedure in place to use the designated time to replace a fouled out player (whether it is their player or an opponent) to gather their team together for an extra timeout? Have the players practiced that procedure? Do the players understand how to execute the planned out procedure?

HALF-TIME ADMINISTRATION

Have responsibilities been delegated to assistant coaches and managers? Who is in charge of the foul situation, the score book and other important statistics? What person is delegated to keep track of the time before the second half? Is there a designated time that the staff wants to make sure the players have to warm up for the second half? What kind of warm-up routine does the staff want the team to use for the second half? Is it the same as the first half warm-up routine? Why or why not? Who is in charge of naming the second half starters?

LAST SHOT ADMINISTRATION

If a team and staff spends so much time and effort preparing for and actually playing a game for the game to come down to one last play, shouldn’t a coach go with a well-thought out play that was designed before the pressure packed situation—a play that all of the players have seen and actually practiced beforehand?

POST-GAME ADMINISTRATION

Assistant coaches and managers need to have a pre-determined plan of action to make the end of game activities a learning and positive atmosphere. This will be the last impression that everyone involved in the program takes away from the game. This time can be a crucial time and everyone must carry out their scripted jobs and assignments to make it time efficient and productive. There will be many different activities and responsibilities that must be taken care of, such as with the press and the possible dispersal of players. Who is allowed in the locker-room after games? Has that been determined? Will there be a post-game instructional session by the Head Coach? Has that time been thought out so that it is after a slight cooling off period where emotions as well as thoughts and statistics have been organized? The media might be involved after the game? What assignments are delegated to people there? Uniforms and the various types of basketball and first aid equipment must be gathered up, inventoried and stored.   Scorebooks, statistics and video equipment must be collected.   All of these “behind the scenes” activities must not only be done but done in a timely and efficient manner. Without a well-planned routine, this will not happen. Final announcements about the next meeting must be given to the team before they are dismissed. Players want and must know the routine before and after games so they can perform them the way the coaching staff wants them to.

CONCLUSION

Creating a philosophy and specific plan for all of these scenarios takes a great deal of time and effort by a coaching staff, but its development can be much more productive and effective when it is done in the off-season and not in the “heat of battle,” during an actual game. During the season, the appropriate techniques can then be explained, taught, sold, and practiced with the players. This makes everyone more confident and prepared. Being prepared will give a team the necessary confidence, calmness and poise to be successful. Remember the saying “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Hard work in planning and organizing by a coaching staff can be an invaluable asset for a basketball program.

As a coach, focusing on the important aspects of leadership, improvement, and teaching the game can be overshadowed at times by urgent matters such as getting time-sensitive information out to your team. There are team management apps that allow you to have immediate access to player and parent contact information on your desktop workstation, tablet, or phone. However, there are other ways to make the job of managing the team easier as well. Team management tools, like TeamSnap, automate a lot of these processes for you. In addition to letting you create, update and store a team roster, tools like TeamSnap let you see players’ availability for games and practices, assign responsibilities such as post game food or snacks, and keep track of who has paid their equipment fees, and completed their paperwork.

About the Author

Coach Kimble was the Head Basketball Coaching position at Deland-Weldon (IL) High School for five years (91-43) that included 2 Regional Championships, 2 Regional Runner-Ups and 1 Sectional Tournament Runner-up. He then moved to Dunlap (IL) High School (90-45) with 2 Regional Runners-up, 1 Regional, 1 Sectional and 1 Super-Sectional Championship and a final 2nd Place Finish in the Illinois Class A State Tournament. He was an Assistant Basketball Coach at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, FL for 1 year before becoming Offensive Coordinator and then Associate Head Coach for 3 additional years He then was the Head Basketball Coach at Crestview (FL) High School for 10 years, averaging over 16 wins per season.

He has had articles published in the following publications such as: The Basketball Bulletin of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Scholastic Coach and Athletic Journal, Winning Hoops, Basketball Sense, and American Basketball Quarterly. He has also written and has had five books published along with over 25 different DVDs by Coaches Choice and Fever River Sports Production.

See him on Twitter @CoachJohnKimble and his Web Page “www.CoachJohnKimble.com”

Ten Point Basketball Coach’s Growth Plan

One of the maxims that has influenced my thinking as a head basketball coach is that “Champions have no off-season.” It led to my naming the spring and summer as our program’s “Improvement Season.” I expect our players to work at improving themselves using the program that we have developed for them. I believe that I must lead by example. I also believe that if I am not improving as a coach, then I am holding our players and program back.

I develop a specific, written improvement program for myself and for our assistant coaches at the end of each season. Here are some ideas for you to use to develop a coaching improvement plan for your staff.

1. Develop a specific written summer workout plan for each of your players. A coach is only as good as his or her players allow. List the drills they need to do and how they can measure those drills in made shots or shooting percentages, repetitions for ball handling drills, and times they need to meet in their workouts. Having a unique plan for each player will force you to think about how that player will be able to contribute in the coming season.

2. Choose a specific theme that is critical to the on court success of your team or a specific coach to study for the spring and summer. If your theme is improving your ball screen offense, make a list of every resource, books, DVDs, websites, coaches who are effective with that offense. Then schedule a specific time to read and watch those resources or meet with those coaches.

3 Hold your own mini-clinic by arranging a meeting with former players who are now coaching, coaches you have worked with, or any coach you feel you could learn from and who would also benefit from being included. Arrange a day, or two, or three where you can get together and share ideas with each other. Have a specific agenda for your clinic and assign each attendee a topic to present on.

4. List 10 ways that you can help your players to become better leaders. As John Maxwell says, leaders who grow followers add to their influence, leaders who grow leaders multiply their influence. If you are a head coach, also make a list of 10 ways that you can utilize your assistants more productively than you did last year. More important than just making the lists, make a commitment to take action on the ideas.

5. Find a successful coach who would be willing to spend a couple of hours talking to you in person. It might be a state champion coach, a college coach, a coach whose teams play like you want yours to play, or a coach that you heard at a clinic that you would like to have a chance to learn more from. If you are an assistant coach, it could be any head coach that you look up to and would like to learn from.

6. Take 30-60 minutes once a week to sit where you won’t be interrupted and think about improving your program. Things you want to improve on, goals you want to achieve, what steps you will take to achieve those goals, anything that will make your program better. Make sure that you record every idea, goal, and action step that comes to mind on paper or with a voice recorder. You might not use all of the ideas once you flush them out, but it is important to capture them because they might lead to other thoughts that you can use.

7. Spend as much time as you can putting your drills, offensive and defensive schemes, philosophies and everything else about your program in writing. Make sure to include the specific teaching points, purpose, and objectives for each. Having your system in writing allows you to share it with assistants and provides better clarity for you. I agree with the statement that unless your philosophy is in writing, then you really don’t have a philosophy.

8. Develop an off-season reading list of not only the best basketball books, but also have a reading plan that will help you become a better leader. Block out 30 minutes a day to do your reading.

9. Schedule time for watching some of your game films from last year. Look at what teams who successfully defended you did and what types of offensive movements you had trouble guarding. List the steps that you will take to improve in those areas and design the drills that you will use to make those improvements. Sometimes you can learn more when you are looking at the films without the emotion, stress, and fatigue that you watched them with during the season.

10. Set your statistical goals for the upcoming season and make a plan to achieve them. Make sure to have goals for both practices and games and for individual games as well as the entire season. Your improvement season skill workouts should reflect those goals and will be your first chance to measure your team’s progress toward those goals.

There are many, many other ways to improve as a coach. The program that you develop for yourself will be determined by the needs of your program and where you are in your professional development. I hope that my 10 points can serve as an inspiration and a guide as you put some sustained thinking toward developing your own coaching improvement plan.

P-O-I-S-E

This article on defensive situations is a follow up to the article that I posted last week on offensive situations.

“Practice On Intense Situations Everyday”

by Coach John Kimble

CoachJohnKimble.com

Retired high school and college coach

 

 

Defensive Situations

This article was originally written for Winning Hoops

The winner of many basketball games can many times be determined by just a matter of one or two isolated plays. A wide margin of talent-levels can dictate the winner and loser of games, but what helps define the winner of a game that has comparable talent and skill level?   The answer may very well be just one or two key possessions of the basketball. Sometimes a basketball team can have a wide variety of offensive performance levels.

Offenses can be fleeting, but defenses should be a “constant,” because defenses require effort, energy, heart, enthusiasm and a sound defensive plan of action. Does a team have a marked advantage because of outstanding defensive preparation of unique scenarios that can easily happen during the game? Can a basketball team that has inferior talent and is possibly out-played by the other team, still come out the victor of the game? This can sometimes take place if this team can achieve an edge in scenarios or situations that could happen during the course of the game.

If the many different defensive scenarios have not been carefully evaluated, analyzed and then practiced with detailed repetitions, a basketball team could only win this type of close game by relying solely on the execution of the defensive strategies that were practiced in close detail in practice sessions and then instructed to execute during the game’s timeout.

If winning a game is important, should a coach go with a defensive strategy that was drawn up during the excitement of a last second timeout—a defensive plan that the coaching staff and players are not necessarily familiar with or is a coaching staff going to elect a course of action that has been carefully thought out, discussed, taught, and practiced repeatedly during the season?

Instead of a coach devising a defensive plan of action that his team might not have ever experienced or practiced, why not have these plans already introduced and understood by his/her team and also specifically practiced. This would give that defensive team an opportunity to be as prepared for these last second situations as they are for everything else that takes place in the games’ normal segments.

There are many different defensive schemes, methods and philosophies that can be very effective for a basketball team. Since there is not necessarily a “right or a wrong” method, the plan of action must be carefully planned, devised and then agreed upon (by the coaching staff). The defensive schemes must thoroughly be devised, then taught and convinced to the players of its effectiveness. The purpose of this article, as well as the previous and the following articles, is to dare each coach and coaching staff to be prepared and to have his/her teams prepared for those all important situations.

DEFENSE—B.O.B/S.O.B. PHILOSOPHY

Does your team always use a particular type of defense when defending Baseline Out-of-Bounds (B.O.B) plays, even if it is not your regular half-court defense? Do you zone or play man defense? If playing man, do you switch all off-the-ball screens when playing man-to-man on out-of-bounds plays? Does your philosophy dictate that the opposition’s “B.O.B. Trigger” be defended or not be defended? If you play a zone, do you trap the in-bounded pass in the deep corner? Do you deny the reversal pass out of the corner?

Does your team use a specific type of defense when defending the opposition’s Sideline Out-of-Bounds (S.O.B.) plays? Does your philosophy dictate that the opposition’s “S.O.B. Trigger” be defended or not be defended? If he/she is not defended, where do you place their “Trigger’s” defender, in the lane or as a center fielder? Are in-bounds receivers defended with full face-guarding or not? Do you switch all screens in the S.O.B. scenarios? Why or why not?

TIMEOUT SELECTIONS

Does the coaching staff have a philosophy on whether they want players early in the game to call a timeout to protect the possession of a loose ball? Or does the coaching staff want to save those timeouts for late game situations? If the coaching staff does not have a set philosophy and has not taught their players, those decisions will then be left up to the players. Does the coaching staff want to leave that decision up to the players?

DEFENDING THE DELAY GAME AT THE END OF PERIOD

Is it your staff’s philosophy to change its defense late in the time period when the opposition is holding the ball for the last shot in the period?   Defensively, does your team have a half-court trap defense or does it have a half-court trapping man-to-man defense? Which defense do you prefer to use? Why? Does your defensive attitude become more passive, more aggressive or stay the same? Do you change switching on screens or trapping on ball screens, when playing man-to-man defense?

DEFENSE—END OF PERIOD DEFENSE AFTER A SCORE

When your offensive team is going for the last shot of the time period, does your team have a predetermined defense that your team should use (even if it is a defensive change) when the opposition gains possession of the ball (after your score or turnover in the last few seconds of the time period)? For example, do you have your team change to a token full court pressure defense (to burn time off of the clock), whether it is a zone press or a man-to-man press? At the half-court level, do you then utilize a man-to-man defense to prevent an uncontested three-point shots at the buzzer? Do you change your defensive screening rules during this particular scenario of the game?

DEFENSE–TRANSITION AFTER YOUR TEAM SCORES (Tied or Still Behind)

Conversely, another one of the most important decisions a coaching staff should decide on and then convey to all players is what they should do in the last seconds of a game after they score to tie the game or when the opposition remains with the lead. The amount of the opponent’s current lead should also affect the coaching staff’s philosophy. If still behind, are there specific full court press defenses that should be utilized? If there are several choices, how is the desired defense called out to the team?

What kind of defense (full court and half court) is used after your team has scored to tie the game or put your team into the lead in the final seconds of a game.

Do your players know how to defend the opposition from either the full court and half court levels with the various time and score situations?

DEFENSE–TRANSITION AFTER YOUR TEAM SCORES (Tied or Now Ahead)

Does your team know your philosophy if you are the team that just scored to either tie the score or put your team up (by one or two or three points)? Does every player know what defense you expect them to be in? Do they know whether they are supposed to be in a full court press and what specific half court defense they are to be in to protect the lead and ultimately the game? Do you have a set philosophy to teach your players so that they will be successful?

The next situation a team must recognize defensively is the actual score and what type of shot do they want to deny and what kind of shots (if any) are they willing to concede. Don’t expect your players to read the your mind and know exactly what you want. If the score is tied or ahead by one or two, most likely the staff wants their defensive team to be in their most efficient defense.

If your team is ahead by three, there must already be a decision as to whether to foul the opposition to burn time. Knowing your team is under the limit of team fouls can give the defensive team a huge advantage, if the philosophy has already been established AND the players know ‘how to properly foul’ in those circumstances. A definite philosophy should be agreed upon by the coaching staff in the preseason and then thoroughly taught to all players in the program, so that there is no doubt or hesitation in anyone’s mind as to what to do during the intense situation.

DEFENSE–“LATE GAME 3-POINT LEAD”

Does the coaching staff have a philosophy and have they taught their team a type of man-to-man defense that could be used in late game situations where the primary objective is to defend the opposition from shooting “three’s” and sacrifice giving up an inside shot for “2?” If that has been taught that to players, do players know when to use that defense and when not to use it?

Or does the coaching staff have a philosophy for late game situations of deliberately fouling an opponent to prevent them for shooting (and making a “3” to ultimately tie the score)? If so, has the staff thoroughly taught the players the proper techniques of fouling that opponent? Do the players know when and when not to use that technique? If not, what changes in philosophy and technique are there to defend the opposition in this scenario?

DEFENSE–“QUICK” SIDELINE & BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS SITUATIONS

Do you have a philosophy and a defensive plan to guard against the opposition’s shots when they are in the same type of situation?   One defensive philosophy is not to guard the offensive “Trigger” while another theory is to substitute and put in the tallest defender you have on their “Trigger” to help deny the in-bounded pass. Another philosophy is to trap the first pass that is made to the receiver in the deep corner, while another defensive thought is to remove the defender on the “Trigger” and place that defender either in the lane, as a centerfielder or to double-team and deny the most likely in-bounds receiver?. Defensively, do you advocate any of these theories? If so, have you practiced those situations?

DEFENSE–“ICING” THE OPPOSITION’S FREE THROW SHOOTER

Do you have an organized plan of action when the opposition is the team that is shooting the free throws? Do you believe in “icing” the opposition’s free throw shooter late in a close game? If so, how do you do so?   Do your players understand your method? Have they rehearsed and practiced the situation enough? Do you have a specific fast break or play after obtaining the ball after the opposition shoots the free throw?

Do you have a philosophy and a value for how important “last shots” at the end of a time period are? If your team succeeds before the buzzer, do you have a “Buzzer Prevent Defense?”

DEFENSE–WHEN AND HOW TO FOUL THE OPPOSITION

Do you have a defensive philosophy dependent upon the time and score when to start fouling the opposition to make the last possessions a “free throw shooting contest?” Does the coaching staff have a system of determining whom to foul? Do the players know how to foul the opposition? Late in a game that you are behind, when the stopping of the clock and defensive pressure is extremely valuable, is it important to you to substitute your defensive specialists and/or “foulers” into the game for offensively-skilled players only when the opposition has possession of the ball?

If so, how do you get your offensive scorers back into the game when you obtain possession of the ball? If it is important to have specific players in the game for specific situations, what techniques do you use to achieve that and have you practiced those techniques with your team? Should you have a plan? Does the coaching staff then have a pre-set plan on what players on their team fit those three categories?

CONCLUSION

Devising a philosophy and specific defensive plan for the many scenarios requires a great deal of time, effort, imagination and creativity by a coaching staff. Its creation and development can be much more fruitful and valuable when it is done in the off-season versus trying to manufacture a hasty plan in the middle of an actual game. Winning and losing the game sometimes is just the difference of one decision or of one (correctly or incorrectly executed technique). Winning just two games that could have been losses can drastically turn the outcome of an entire season around. A team that ends up with a 16-10 record seemingly has a totally different season when they could have had a 18-08 record.

If the coaching staff develops a sound philosophy on the different scenarios that can (and will) take place in games during the course of the season, the next step is to thoroughly teach every player that philosophy. Utilizing the last ten to fifteen minutes of practice of most practices for these many different game situations can be a very invaluable asset for a defensive basketball team. This investment of time and energy provides players with the required repetitions for a team to understand and improve the skills needed to be successful.

During the season’s practices, the appropriate techniques can then be fully explained, taught, and practiced with the players and the entire coaching staff. This makes everyone involved more prepared and confident in the defensive plan of action. Remember the cliché, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Succeed in those important scenarios with POISE.

About the Author

Coach Kimble was the Head Basketball Coaching position at Deland-Weldon (IL) High School for five years (91-43) that included 2 Regional Championships, 2 Regional Runner-Ups and 1 Sectional Tournament Runner-up. He then moved to Dunlap (IL) High School (90-45) with 2 Regional Runners-up, 1 Regional, 1 Sectional and 1 Super-Sectional Championship and a final 2nd Place Finish in the Illinois Class A State Tournament. He was an Assistant Basketball Coach at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, FL for 1 year before becoming Offensive Coordinator and then Associate Head Coach for 3 additional years He then was the Head Basketball Coach at Crestview (FL) High School for 10 years, averaging over 16 wins per season.

He has had articles published in the following publications such as: The Basketball Bulletin of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Scholastic Coach and Athletic Journal, Winning Hoops, Basketball Sense, and American Basketball Quarterly. He has also written and has had five books published along with over 25 different DVDs by Coaches Choice and Fever River Sports Production.

See him on Twitter @CoachJohnKimble and his Web Page “www.CoachJohnKimble.com”