Ball Screen Finishing Drill

By Brian Williams on January 31, 2017

This drill for finishing off a pick and pop is among the thousands of resources for both coaches and player available from basketballhq.

They have several more videos as well as basketball coaching resource articles.

The Coach in the video is Matt McCall, currently the Head Men’s Coach at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. At the time this drill was filmed, he was an Assistant Coach at Florida.

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Ball Screen Finishing Drill

Chris Holtmann Conversion Defense System

By Brian Williams on January 29, 2017

I am a big believer that half court defense starts full court and that you can’t be a great defensive team without being great in converting to defense to force your opponent to play against your half court defense.

The video is 5 minutes of Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann going through his Conversion Defense System.

His system utilizes the 3 rebounders to the offensive glass when the shooter lifts for the shot, along with a fullback and halfback. Coach Meyer called the 3 offensive rebounders the “tailbacks”

Coach Holtmann goes into the initial roles for the fullback and halfback.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here:

Chris Holtmann: Stopping the Fast Break – Basketball — Championship Productions, Inc.

Make sure your sound is on as you watch.

The video is a You Tube video.

Click the video to start the presentation.

Euroleague Man to Man Plays

By Brian Williams on January 25, 2017

These 2 man to man sets are from Scott Peterman’s Euroleague Playbook.

My hope in presenting plays is that you can take them and change them to fit your own needs or to use to brainstorm ways to get your scorers into positions where they can be effective.

Diagrams created with FastDraw

Anadolu Efes Istanbul Diamond DHO Pick and Roll

3 cuts to the corner

2 breaks to the 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point arc.

1 passes to 2 and the cuts over for a return pass/hand off.

5 sets a back screen for 2.

4 cuts just outside the nba slot to be a reversal.

5 sets an on ball screen for 1.

2 cuts to the free throw line extended.

4 runs a dribble hand off with 2.

5 then immediately sets a ball screen for 2.

1 spaces to the opposite wing.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul Horns

4 and 5 set a staggered screen for 3.

3 curls the screen.

4 rolls to the block and 5 pops to the perimeter.

1 passes to 5.

1 cuts to the opposite corner.

2 lifts.

4 screens for 3 and 3 cuts around 5 for a dribble hand off.

4 pops to the slot.

If 3 can’t attack the basket, he reverses to 4.

2 clears and 1 lifts.

4 and 1 execute a dribble handoff.

5 then sets an on ball screen for 1 and rolls.

EOG Out of Bounds Defense

By Brian Williams on January 24, 2017

Two ideas for special situations from Phil Martelli of St. Joseph’s.

Whether or not you like or agree with the concepts, I hope it stimulates you to think about, plan for, and practice end of game short clock situations that you need to prepare for.

The first situation is an idea for putting two defenders

There are no tactics that work every time and for every team. Desperation strategies fail more often than they succeed, but I have seen enough well coached teams pull out wins to know that it is worth the time to be prepared. I have also seen unprepared teams give away games that they should have won. At this point in the season when you are cutting back on the amount of time that you spend running and jumping in practice, it is a good time to focus on the mental aspects such as Rehearsing End of Game Situations.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here:

Stealing Points by Mastering Special Situations – Basketball — Championship Productions, Inc.

Make sure your sound is on as you watch.

The video is a You Tube video.

Click the video to start the presentation.

10 Areas for Player Self Evaluation

By Brian Williams on January 22, 2017

—Excerpted from the book, “Running the Show” by Dick DeVenzio

Posted with permission from PGCBasketball

You can read ways 1-10 at this link: Part 1: 10 Areas for Honest Self Evaluation

Stemming from the need for a standard of personal excellence, I offer a citizenship test or “State of the Person” report card. In brief, here are twenty-one categories or subjects in which I think each person should strive to get an A. In my opinion, all A’s in these would qualify a person to think of himself as approaching excellence as a person in the same way Michael Jordan approached excellence as a basketball player.

How do you measure up?

11. SERIOUSNESS

Are you serious about the things you do and aware of the impact you can have on others and on your own future?

12. COMMUNICATION

Do you understand that reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are valued throughout the world?
How is your eye contact, hand shaking, sentence structure, empathy, expression?
Are you taking full advantage of the remarkable powers of sincere, effective communication?

13. PHYSICAL FITNESS

Are you giving your body the opportunity to enhance your life via energy level, appearance, strength, sport?
Do you maintain a regular regimen of fitness?

14. MODERATION

Are you intelligent, in control, and aware of the consequences of your actions?
Do you moderate your own urges as well as your own judgment of others’ actions?

Are you intelligent, in control, and aware of the consequences of your actions?

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15. GENEROSITY

Do you find ways to give away a lot of the things you have so that others can enjoy them?
Do you need a lot of material things to be happy, or are you more interested in getting material things for others?

16. THINKING AND REASONING

How well do you deal with problems, evaluate opinions, and form your own ideas?
What religions have you studied?
What foreign or unusual ideas and philosophies have you weighed?
Could you help opponents to find some areas of common ground and help solve their problems?

17. BROADMINDEDNESS

How do you respond to other cultures and religions, unusual ideas, unexpected comments, and different tastes in fashion?
Do you do anything to try to expand your tolerance and objectivity?

18. DESIRE TO MEET CHALLENGES

What energy and effort do you bring to subjects you don’t like in school, activities that are new to you, problems that are difficult to solve, and conflicts in your home or among friends?

19. TOUGHNESS

How good are you at overcoming fatigue in school, during homework, and in sports?
How good are you at taking criticism?
How quick are you to complain or blame?
How good are you at taking full responsibility for the circumstances that confront you?
Do you control circumstances or do you let them control you?

20. OUTREACH

How often and how well do you reach out to include and invite others to show off their talents, express their feelings, and share your friends and interests?

It would be difficult to be too good at this.

BONUS: SELF-PRIDE

What would you want the world to see if 60 Minutes broadcasted a documentary report on you?
Would you be a terrific role model to the rest of the world if they suddenly got an inside, detailed look at the way you live your life?
Would you be proud of what the world would see?

Is it hard to do all these things? You betcha. It’s hard to bring the ball down the court against Gary Payton, contain Allen Iverson and slam dunk on Shaq too. But that’s what Michael Jordan and excellence are all about in basketball. Should excellence as a person be any easier?

To learn more about PGC Basketball, including additional training tips and videos, you can visit their YouTube Channel

Dick Bennett Defensive Vision Drill

By Brian Williams on January 17, 2017

This post contains a video with retired Wisconsin and Washington State Coach Dick Bennett.

Make sure your sound is on as you watch.

The video is a YouTube video

Also, please make sure that you are on a server that allows YouTube access.

Even if you don’t play a pack style of defense, I hope the video gives you an idea or two as to how you can clarify and teach the system that you play.

You can make adjustments to the rules and requirements of the drill that fit your team.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here:

Origins of the Pack Line Defense with Breakdown Drills – Basketball — Championship Productions, Inc.