This article was written by Eric Musselman. Eric is currently the Assoicate Head Coach to Herb Sendek at Arizona State.

He has been an assistant for several NBA teams and is a former head coach of the Sacremento Kings and Golden State Warriors.

He has coached in the NBA D-League and was the 2011-2012 D-League Coach of the Year.

Eric has a blog (which he no longer updates) where he has posted many of his thoughts on coaching: emuss.blogspot.com

26 Winning Basketball Principles

1. Protect the ball. Bad passes and low-percentage shots are the trademarks of a poor team.
2. Be careful on a lay-up. More games are won on lay-up shots than on any other, and more games are lost because of poor lay-up shots than by any other shot.
3. Basketball is a game in motion. Motion on the court is vital. Too many players stand still and beg for the ball. Players should always pass and move. This action will take their defenders away from the ball and open up the court for a teammate
4. Always fake direction. Faking is important because it tricks opponents into making mistakes
5. Move to meet the pass. Moving and meeting the pass is the stamp of a good ballplayer. Players who move and meet passes make it easy for teammates to get them the ball.
6. When in trouble, make a V-cut (i.e., “clear out”). A player in the wrong position on the floor should make a V-cut. This will open up the floor.
7. Don’t think for the opponents — be yourself. Play your game and do not spend time trying to figure out what your opponents are thinking.
8. One player cuts at a time. Always remember — only one cutter at a time. Two players cutting at the same time allows the defense to be in a position to either double-team the ball or stop the play.
9. Grab it — don’t tap it. Effective rebounders grab and secure the ball rather than tapping it.
10. Never force a shot. Never shoot a shot if closely defended. Before attempting a shot, make sure that you have teammates in rebounding positions.
11. Dribbling is an emergency measure. Nine out of 10 players dribble or bounce the ball before they do anything else. This is a bad habit because it limits a player’s opportunities.
12. Talk to your teammates. Talking on offense and defense builds team play. Talking encourages teammates. Talking on defense is vital when picking up loose opponents.
13. Never turn your head on defense. Players should never turn their heads to watch the ball when playing man-to-man defense. When players change from offense to defense, they should backpedal so that they can locate their personal opponent or help in case of a fast break.
14. Don’t cross your feet on defense. Successful defensive players move their feet in short steps when playing defense.
15. Hands up on defense. Tight-rope walkers use their hands for defense, and the good defensive player does likewise. Movement of the hands and feet discourages passing and shooting and shows that the defensive player is on the ball.
16. Watch your opponent’s belly-button. We like our defensive players to keep their eyes glued to a part of the offensive ball-player that can’t fool them — the belly-button.
17. Pick up the first man. When you are back or coming down the floor ahead of the rest of your teammates, pick up the first offensive player down the court, whether it’s your assigned player or not.
18. Don’t leave your feet on defense. Good defensive players keep their head up and their feet on the ground.
19. Get position for rebounds. Instinct and sensing the direction of the shot and the angle of the rebound enables players to move into the correct rebounding position.
20. If you can’t rebound, you can’t win. Good rebounding limits the opponents’ shots and this is the key to winning basketball games.
21. The first fast-break pass must be perfect. The fast break must get started with a quick outlet pass. If the first pass is a good one, the fast break is underway. After it’s started, it’s hard to stop.
22. You must make 70 percent of your free throws. There is no excuse for being a poor free-throw shooter. Practice, confidence, and the proper technique are the keys.
23. Keep the defense busy. If all five offensive players keep moving, their opponents cannot afford to sag or float. Moving with or without the ball forces the defense into making mistakes.
24. Don’t cross the backboard to shoot. A player should learn to shoot from both sides of the basket and with both hands.
25. Never underrate an opponent. Be ready to play every game. Overconfidence can affect a team’s play. It is wise to remember that it is only the underdog who can do the upsetting.
26. Practice does not always make perfect — if you practice the wrong thing. Players often work long and hard and make little progress because they are practicing incorrectly.

This article was written by Coach Randy Brown. He is a former D1 Assistant Coach at Iowas State and Arizona. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona.

Randy’s coaching resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley.

Developing the skills of the point guard is a tedious, careful, and slow process. Coaches can cultivate excellent point guards if they take the right approach to the mental aspect of the game first. Great point guards are tough, un-selfish, understand the game, and mentally strong. A winning point guard is in command when the game is on the line and makes all other players better by his presence.

Players are never too young to begin learning the truths of the game. Starting with the fundamentals, a young player must become comfortable with dribbling, passing, shooting, and playing defense. As players develop physically, they also gain knowledge of how to play the game. This development is a key for point guards because their position is the most important on the floor. A good point guard makes the team go.

The following eight skills are necessary for great point guards:

Study and understand your teammates – The point guard more than anyone of the floor knows each of his teammates inside and out. He knows all roles on the team and makes it a priority to enhance each of their strengths. He knows how to put them into situations where each player can be successful. For example, a post player is instructed to post up on the blocks and not float out to the perimeter. His skills and ability will impact the team most by playing around the basket. Roles are crucial to good teams and the point guard can solidify the team unit with good leadership skills.

Be the coach on the floor and in the locker room – A good point guard embraces his coach’s philosophy of the game and instills it on the floor. Knowing what the coach wants and does not want is a rare trait among players. For example, it a team’s philosophy is to shoot as many three point shots as possible, the point guard needs to get the ball in the shooter’s hands in scoring areas often. If the style of play is to push the ball up the floor, then the point guard needs to organize the break, push it hard, and attack the defense. The term “coach on the floor” belongs to great point guards

Earn the players trust – For a team to follow a leader, they must believe that he would do anything for them. Not only must he play extremely hard, but he can motivate teammates to do the same. Without confidence in your floor general, a team is left vulnerable.

Set the tone in practice – Your point guard must understand how a successful practice is run and what the goal of practice is. By serving as a model, he can set the pace for a good practice. Conversely, when a leader is not willing to give it his all, the team will suffer by having a bad practice.

Knowledge of each possible situation – Understanding what to do in every situation is the duty of a great point guard. He must know who is in the game and how he can set up teammates to be successful. Offensively, the game plan must be played out to perfection. Good shots, smart passes, and good screening are a must and can be dictated by the point guard. Point guards are responsible for knowing the time and score at all times, the importance of each possession, and control the tempo. He need to be aware of what is taking place and what needs to be accomplished on both ends of the floor. A good test is to watch a leader take over a game at winning time. When his team is out of time outs, the great players take over the does what it takes to win.

Unselfishness – Many coaches interpret this to mean the point guard should not look to score. This is not the case, especially if scoring is one of the strengths of your point guard. Unselfishness means that he will sacrifice his game at times to find better opportunities for teammates. Great point guards always make others on the floor better because of his presence.

Defensive leadership – A great assist to a teammate for a layup is great, but can’t match the impact of solid defensive play. Defense wins games and by taking a charge or forcing a turnover, any player helps his team win. It is more difficult to inspire teams to play defense at times. Players love offense and tolerate defense. A great point guard can lead a team to take ownership of the defensive end of the floor.

Handle success and defeat in perspective – Athletic competition is a constant flow of highs and lows. Young players are often greatly affected by the outcome of games. By developing a solid point guard, you will provide your team with a peer who can keep them grounded. Winning often breeds complacency in a team and a good point guard can keep success in perspective. Conversely, a loss can be tough on a team. Good point guards are able to pick up the team with his toughness and work ethic. This characteristic is the foundation of all great point guards.

I have just completed the book “The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO”- A Coach’s Guide to Seeking & Securing, Building & Maintaining a Successful Program by Matt Kramer & Randy Montgomery. Both Matt and Randy are successful high school coaches in Ohio. Randy also has experience as a college assistant on Bob Huggins’ Staff.

In this post, I am listing some of my takeaways from the first half of the book and will follow up next week with part 2 of this post. If you are interested in more information about the book, you can find it at the link below. The site also has a blog with several interesting coaching articles:

www.beyondthehardwood.com

Matt believes that “winning is If one of the biggest liars in sports. He had several 15 plus wins seasons as a JV coach. He learned that when a young coach wins games, that coach often begins to believe everything he or she is doing is on point. Nothing could be further from the truth. His worst seasons, in terms of wins, were the seasons in which he came the closest to reaching his potential.

Matt encourages every coach to start or update your coaching portfolio now even if you are not looking for a new job at this time. It is a lot of work but if you write a little bit of the time it helps with your gross process as a coach. It is a great tool to market yourself in an interview but it also helps you self-evaluate and reflect on your evolving philosophy.

Taking a job where there is tradition, but no players, gets a coach fired.

Randy has a big game board in the locker room. It lists all of the big wins that the programs has had over the years. The players take pride in adding to it. They also have a framed color action picture of every senior that is played for him at Hoover.

Matt creates scouting guides to help his assistants scout. It is a report he gives them each time they have a scouting assignment. It is a preview of what they are likely to see. The scout then checks off the things on the report that he sees and to add anything else that needs to be included in the report.

Randy’s top traits he looks for in assistants are loyalty and a willingness to work hard and learn. An assistant needs to be totally on board and if he isn’t, he senses it and replaces them immediately.

Randy feels that former players make the best assistants because they believe in his system and their loyalty runs very deep.

Many coaches do not understand the amount of hard work and time that is required to be a good assistant. So, work ethic is a close second in qualities that an assistant coach needs.

Randy will not hire an assistant coach who is not willing to scout. He feels that having middle school coaches scout not only helps in preparation for upcoming opponents, but also helps them learn the game.

Make sure you like the person before you hire them. Loyalty isn’t going to develop unless there is at least a professional friendship.

Public high school programs do not recruit from around the country, but do need to recruit schools from within their high schools. Promoting and having a first class program make being on the team more important to kids in the school.

Work at connecting all levels of the program (elementary, middle school high school) to keep interest high. Have a game where you introduce younger players at halftime. In addition to the recognition, families can see what it is like in your gym on game night.

Matt on rebuilding a program–Losing games is not a bad thing–as long as it serves as a means towards a successful future.

Coaching is a people business.

Randy’s objective for every practice is to develop players who are physically and mentally prepared for every situation.

Like all fundamentals, becoming a good passing team does not happen by accident and must be constantly mastered.

One of the most important jobs of a coach is to carefully plan each practice to help the team to achieve the most success possible.

Matt believes in reducing the amount of practice time as the season goes on to keep players energized on game nights.

Key question to ask when planning practice: “What do I want us to be good at doing?”

Deal with discipline issues in a way that is both fair to the team and to teaches the individual the lesson that they need to learn.

Randy–“Discipline is about love and love isn’t about always saying yes.”

Matt–“Never allow helping a player to turn into enabling that player.”

Coaching is leading. Leaders sell people on their vision, build relationships and get people to follow their best-laid plans, to work hard, and to stay true to the task. No matter how long you have been in your position, you must pursue that process anew each new season.

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.

This article was written by Coach Randy Brown. He is a former D1 Assistant Coach at Iowas State and Arizona. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona.

He has passion for the game of basketball and works as a basketball consultant and mentor for coaches. Click on the link below to subscribe to his daily email that includes links to his blog posts, plays, videos and other free resources:

Randy’s coaching resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, 5 Conference Championships and 5 NCAA appearances. His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley.

You can visit his website at coachrb.com

IHave you ever been in the doctor’s office listening to him rattle off and endless stream of words you don’t understand? If you are like many, you nod your head as if you understand, but have no clue what is being said. The same scenario is taking place on your practice floor and you probably don’t even realize it!

At a clinic a few years ago I was asked this question, “How do you know for sure that your players understand you and exactly what you want?” A pause was followed by a cocky response like, “Of course they know what I want. They don’t ask questions, they take notes in film sessions, and they seem to understand what we are trying to do.” I moved on as if I had answered that question hundreds of times. In reality, my lack of confidence in the response I offered really bothered me. Here are some ideas that I addressed in my own coaching to make me a better communicator and coach.

1. Ask specific questions to your players. Instead of open ended questions such as, “So does everyone understand why our help side defense is crucial to our half court defense?” This question will get about 10 head nods “yes”, 3 silent responses and 2 “deer in headlights” looks. Amazingly, as coaches we take that as a yes and move on.

The correct way to check for players comprehension and understanding is to ask, “Jake, tell me why our help side defense is so important in the half court? Stated another way I could ask, “Without help side defense, John, what would our defense look like? Another good question would be, “Travis, if you were coaching, how would you explain the proper way to get through a screen one pass away from the ball.”

These questions are excellent because they illicit specific answers that leave no room for guessing or vagueness. The other benefit is that the attention level in the room will always be high because each player knows he may be next!

2. Terminology. Coaches need much improvement in this area. One downfall is that consistency in terminology is crucial, though many coaches are inconsistent in their use of terms. A coach may use the term screen one time and pick the next time. The player may think the coaches is talking about two different things because the words are different. Consistency in using terms is very important to developing clear, consistent communication between coaches and players.

3. The Ultimate Test. Do your players know exactly how to answer these two questions? If they do, you have 90% of all basketball coaches beat and can expect success on a consistent basis.

Question 1–Do you know what I expect from you as a player? If so, tell me exactly what it takes for you to get in the game. Playing time is at stake here, and many players think they know what they coach wants, but are often way off! Convince them that those who can answer this question will receive the playing time, and watch them pay attention! Player that understand your system and communication style can hit the bulls eye on this question with no problem. Could your players pass this test?

Question 2–Once in the game, do your players know how to stay in the game? As a coach, when a player earns the right to play, you want them to think and execute on the floor. A players’ understanding of your system and execution on both ends always shows on game night. The player that knows exactly what his coach wants AND can execute it, will be on the floor all night. How many of your players can answer Questions #2?

Failure is the greatest classroom according to all of the world’s great achievers. I learned a tough lesson about my communication as a coach. Fortunately I took that failure and turned into a way to improve my coaching drastically by asking the right questions and listening to my players. This article is written for you, so that you don’t make that same mistake.

CoachRB’s Q & A Collection

TOPIC: Building a Culture in High School
This question comes from a girl’s high school basketball coach in Iowa regarding building a culture of winning.

QUESTION:

Coach,

I will be working on skill development this summer with my team.  My team is not very good at shooting, penetration and passing.  Do you have a skill development packet, workout or something I could look at and possibly tweak?  We work on passing under pressure, getting trapped, and monkey in the middle to develop passing.  We shoot off of screens, from pivots, drop steps, slips off of screens and penetration to finish.  We develop our guards to explode around a chair with 1 and 2 dribble pull ups to crossovers and finish.  We also shoot on the Gun.

These are a few of the things we work on but we finished 9-14 this year with apathetic kids.  It turns into the coach’s fault and I hate it.  I have some talented freshman and I want to make sure we don’t lose anymore.  I offered developmental stuff like this last year and nobody showed up.  Any help or advice would be appreciated.

CoachRB ANSWER—

Coach–
Thanks for the email.

It seems your obstacle is a “buy in” so a change of culture is key.
It’s slow and painful, but starts by the kids having a reason to be in the gym. It must be “FUN” for them to be there.
Once you get them there, you have them and can work to help them improve.

My suggestions—-create a 3 on 3 league/program so kids/parents have the idea they are “playing” so you and the kids win. You can teach everything out of 3 on 3. It is the best use of your time possible as you continue to work on individual ball skill improvement. You will be amazed at the power of 3 on 3.

Basketball has to be important to kids before they will supply the action. They have to have a reason to get to the gym and so it has to be challenging, fun, and they must know they gained something by being there.

I hope some of that helps…RB

These observations are from Alan Stein.

This excerpt from the series was originally put together by 5 Star Basketball Camps.

Today’s lists are part 2 of my posts. Here is a link to part 1 in case you missed it.

Great Players (Part 1)

Today’s list includes:

Thoughts on Great Defenders and Great Scorers.

GREAT SCORERS

• Great Scorers can beat you in a myriad of ways – they are not one dimensional.
• Great Scorers develop exceptional concentration and focus.
• Great Scorers don’t get discouraged if they miss a shot or two. They always think ‘my next shot is good.’
• Great Scorers know how to keep the defense off-balance.
• Great Scorers attack their opponent’s weaknesses.
• Great Scorers have multiple weapons and keep defenses guessing.
• Great Scorers finish strong, even through contact. They embrace getting fouled!
  Great Scorers know how to control, read and react to their defender.
• Great Scorers know the moves, angles and tricks to create space.
• Great Scorers recognize scoring opportunities and get open easily.
• Great Scorers practice game-like situations against tough competition.
• Great Scorers make great ball fakes and shot fakes. They use their eyes to deceive.
• Great Scorers are comfortable in the paint and can finish around the bucket.
• Great Scorers have confidence in their game. A bad game doesn’t phase them.
• Great Scorers can score from all three levels. They have their 3-pt, mid-range, and interior games on lock.
• Great Scorers run hard on the break and get points off of offensive rebounds. They always look for ‘easy’ buckets.
• Great Scorers make free throws. Period.
• Great Scorers can get their shots off quickly, but without ‘rushing.’

These observations are from Alan Stein’s blog. This excerpt from the series was originally put together by 5 Star Basketball Camps.

Today’s lists are part 1 of the entire group. There is a link to part 2 at the bottom of this article.

I hope these are some thoughts you can use to give more purpose to the roles you have defined for your team.

GREAT GUARDS

• Great Guards are relentless on both ends of the court.
• Great Guards use pump-fakes and ball fakes often. They set up the defense to go one way and pass/go the other way.
• Great Guards know not to telegraph their passes. They use their eyes to create deception.
• Great Guards welcome defensive pressure. They see it as an opportunity to score an easy bucket for their team.
• Great Guards are patient with the basketball. They read the defense & act accordingly.
• Great Guards facilitate every facet of the offense.
• Great Guards don’t try to find the ball, they let the ball find them!
• Great Guards are ALWAYS communicating with their teammates to ensure cohesiveness.
• Great Guards hustle back on D when they get beat. They set the defensive tone!
• Great Guards rebound their position – they don’t leave that to the ‘big guys.’
• Great Guards push the ball up the floor and try to find an opening in the defense for themselves or a teammate.
• Great Guards get everybody involved by sharing the basketball.

GREAT POST PLAYERS

• Great Post Players knock down their free throws when they get to the line.
• Great Post Players have go-to moves with either hand to use in the paint. They also have a countermove for every move.
• Great Post Players enjoy banging on the interior and setting solid screens.
• Great Post Players are exceptional at help defense. They stop the ball when it’s in the paint!
• Great Post Players can hedge on the perimeter and get back to their man QUICKLY.
• Great Post Players draw double-teams, recognize them and react quickly to get the ball to an open teammate.
• Great Post Players never over dribble.
• Great Post Players run the floor – rim to rim – on offense and defense.

GREAT TEAMMATES

• Great Teammates call out screens so their teammate doesn’t get clobbered.
• Great Teammates don’t care whether they start or come off the bench – they just want to win!
• Great Teammates HYPE their team UP before the game and during halftime.
• Great Teammates are an extension of the coach – on and off the court.
• Great Teammates are positive, supportive, honest, and enthusiastic.

GREAT TEAMS

• Great Teams dig in on defense until they get the ball or the buzzer sounds. They NEVER give in because they’re tired.
• Great Teams listen to their coach – they understand that he/she is looking out for their best interests!
• Great Teams know who they want to get the ball to in the clutch – they have a game-plan.
• Great Teams close out games and know how to play with a lead. They also know how to fight back when they are down
• Great Teams are willing to share the ball on offense – they don’t care who scores they just care that they
  score.

GREAT PASSERS

• Great Passers make scoring easy. They put the ball where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.
• Great Passers can throw every type of pass – with either hand – depending on the situation.
• Great Passers make the simple play, not the flashy play. All they care about is a positive outcome, not
  how it looks.
• Great Passers fake a pass to make a pass.

GREAT REBOUNDERS

• Great Rebounders are quick off the floor – they anticipate where the ball is going and go get it!
• Great Rebounders just don’t want the other team to get the ball – they clear out space for teammates to
  get the rebound.
• Great Rebounders assume ‘shot is taken, shot is missed.’
• Great Rebounders protect the ball after the rebound.
• Great Rebounders attack the glass on both ends of the floor.
• Great Rebounders have soft hands and great body balance.
• Great Rebounders always think the ball belongs to them.
• Great Rebounders find their man when the shot goes up, make contact, block out, then pursue the ball.

Click here for Part 2 of Characteristics of Great Basketball Players