Basketball Plays Screen Rescreen

By Brian Williams on July 16, 2012

This play is run against man to man defense.

I got it from a Creighton Burns’ newsletter.

If you are interested in receiving his newsletter, contact us and I will put you in touch with Coach Burns.

By: Tubby Smith

This is a great man to man set. I would just run it on the right side of the floor to begin with and then teach it to both sides of the floor.

You need to run this set for your best shooter. It will work just about every time.

1 dribbles to the right wing when he gets free throw line extended 4 will down screen for 2 to come up top.

1 passes to 2 and sprints to the left corner, when the ball touches 2’s hands 5 down screens for 3 to come up top. Timing is important

2 passes to 3 and receives a back screen from 4, here 3 throws a lob pass to 2 for a layup. The next frame is important.

If X2 and X4 stop the lob to 2 (they should) 4 will Rescreen for 2 to come back up top to get a pass from 3 for a short jump shot.

Basketball Player’s Comfort Zone

By Brian Williams on July 11, 2012

This post is from Alan Stein.

One of the most significant ingredients to success is your ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Your comfort zone is your enemy. It makes you soft. It leads to complacency.

You have to constantly and consistently step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. There is no reward for always playing it safe. The player who can push themselves further once the situation gets uncomfortable is the one who will win. That is what makes great players so lethal. They thrive in adversity.

In addition to helping players get stronger, quicker, and in great shape, it is my job to push players out of their comfort zone on a regular basis. It is my job to help them increase their tolerance for discomfort (mental and physical). I want them to train hard so the game becomes easy.

I tell my players of the time during our workouts, “Temporary discomfort leads to permanent improvement.”

I also tell them, “You can have the pain of discipline or the pain of regret… take your choice.”

Both of those quotes exemplify the same point – if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone now… you will reap the benefits ten times over in the future. But you have to have the courage to sacrifice your immediate personal contentment.

When you are lifting weights, do you stop as soon as there is a slight “burn”… or do you push through and do a few more reps?

When you are running sprints, do you stop as soon as you are a little “winded”… or do you suck it up and run a few more?

When you are working on your ball handling, do you spend extra time on your off hand even though you make more mistakes? Or do you just keep doing the drills you are already good at?

When you are getting up shots, are you a “casual shooter” or do you run through every rep at game speed? Do you come off of imaginary screens and make hard cuts… or do you simply do spot shooting?

The answers to these questions will determine how successful you will be next season.

Remember, you have to deserve success. And to do that you have to leave your comfort zone now.

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

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

Just Me

By Brian Williams on July 10, 2012

written by Tom Krause

(I received this poem from a player I coached who has also done some coaching–Jake Despot.)

If you can’t use it this summer, maybe it might be useful next season.

From the time I was little, I knew I was great
’cause the people would tell me- “you’ll make it- just wait.”
But they never did tell me how great I would be
If I ever played someone who was greater than me.

When I’m in my backyard–I’m king with the ball.
To swish all those baskets is no sweat at all.
But all of a sudden there’s a man in my face
Who doesn’t seem to realize-I’m king of this place.

So the pressure gets to me- I rush with the ball.
My passes to teammates could fly through the wall.
My jumper’s not falling-my dribble’s not sure.
My hand is not steady-my eye is not pure.

The fault is my teammates-they don’t understand.
The fault is my coach’s-what a terrible plan.
The fault is the call by that blind referee
But the fault is not mine–I’m the greatest you see.

Then finally it hits me when I started to see
That the face in the mirror looks exactly like me.
It wasn’t my teammates who were dropping the ball
And it wasn’t my coach shooting bricks at the wall.

That face in the mirror that was always so great
Had some room for improvement–instead of just hate.
So I stopped blaming others and I started to grow.
My play got much better and it started to show.

And all of my teammates didn’t seem quite so bad.
I learned to depend on the good friends I had.
Now I like myself better since I started to see-
I was lousy being great–I’m much better being me.

Basketball Plays Fake Handoff

By Brian Williams on July 9, 2012

Coach Vonn Read has submitted several plays from his playbook series The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays to the Coaching Toolbox.

Vonn is currently serving as an assistant coach in the Women’s at Houston.

He has also served as an assistant coach in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, Orlando Miracle, and San Antonio Silver Stars.

He was an advanced scout for the Orlando Magic as well as The Charlotte Sting.

Please like this page or use the Twitter button to share!

1 passes to 4 at the elbow.

5 sets the flare screen for 1 to keep their defenders involved.

3 relocates high to take away help. 2 goes hard to the ball for the fake handoff.

4 plays with back to the baseline and fakes the handoff.

On the fake, 4 quickly drives to the basket for the layup!!! X4 will bite on the fake!!

Coach Read has also put together The Basketball Encyclopedia of plays. You can check them out here: The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays or read more about the books:

Any coach looking for the latest and innovative plays from the Professional, College, or High School levels can stop looking. With a compilation of over 7,700 different plays, you will never need to purchase another basketball playbook again. These playbooks can be used as a great reference tool for years to come. This 2 Volume Book includes plays from 19 different play categories, and they are the most extensive playbooks on the market.

The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays (Platinum Series) contains over 7,700 Plays (Both Volumes combined) from the NBA, WNBA, USBL, and College levels from someone who has worked as an Advanced Scout or Coach on each level!!! This book has been intensely compiled over the last 21 years, with plays taken from a lot of NBA Coaches (past and present), WNBA coaches, and College coaches (Men’s and Women’s) from around the country.

Any coach that is serious about improving their knowledge of the game from an X and O standpoint will benefit tremendously from these books. These Books can be used to discover New Quick hitters, add a New Package to your playbook, or develop an entire Offensive System. There are a lot of new ideas and concepts in these books to study, and the Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays can be a great resource for coaches on all levels!!! This book is definitely for those X and O junkies who are always looking to improve as a Coach.

“THE GAME IS ALWAYS CHANGING? ARE YOU?” Vonn Read

Here is the link: The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays

Intensity Looks Like

By Brian Williams on July 6, 2012

No matter what level of basketball, there are many areas in basketball coaching that are more of an art than a science.

Getting players to continually play hard is one of those areas.

If you can come up with a list of things for your program that you believe constitute playing hard and then look for and praise those things when they happen, you are likely to develop a culture in your program that playing with all out intensity is the only way you practice and play.

This list was designed for a high school basketball program, but I believe that it can be modified and adapted to fit whatever level of basketball coaching you are at.

Beat the ball down the floor in transition and conversion.
Rebound position every shot—back, space, pinch on free throw.

Play defensive in a stance.
Help and then recover.
Help the helper.
Close out with hands above shoulders.
Dive on loose balls.
Protect the ball when you have it.
Rip through on pivots—strong with the basketball.
Chin rebounds.
Meet every pass.
Change direction and speed on cuts.
Take a charge.
Steal passes that are thrown too far.
Sprinting from spot to spot in basketball practice.
Contest every shot.
Ball Fakes.
Deflect passes.

Togetherness Looks Like

Verbal response and applause for good plays (regardless of shirt color in basketball practice)
Encourage a teammate after an error or a missed shot that was a good shot
Help a teammate up off the ground
High fives and back slapping
Huddles on the floor
Never criticize a teammate
Bench stands when a player leaves the game
Acknowledge a player being substituted for in practice as he leaves the floor if you are also on the sideline

Ten Commandments of Getting Along

By Brian Williams on June 27, 2012

Since team building is a huge part of the art of basketball coaching, you can never have too many resources for team meetings, bulletin boards, or player’s notebooks.

Here is one that we hope you will find to be useful with your team:

Keep skid chains on your tongue. Always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, persuasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what you say.
Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully, no matter what the cost.
Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who it is.
Be interested in others; their pursuits, their work, their homes and their families. Make merry with those who rejoice; with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard him as a person of importance.
Be cheerful. Don’t burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone is carrying some kind of burden.

Keep an open mind. Discuss but don’t argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves. Refuse to talk about the vices of others. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be destructive and hurtful.
Take into consideration the feelings of others. Wit and humor at the expense of another are never worth the pain that may be inflicted.
Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Remember, the person who carried the message may not be the most accurate reporter in the world. Simply live so that nobody will believe him. Disordered nerves and bad digestion are a common cause of backbiting.
Don’t be anxious about the credit due you. Do your best and be patient. Forget about yourself and let others “remember.” Success is much sweeter that way.