"Education changes behavior." Impact personal and basketball growth; leave fingerprints on the process. Here are considerations to leave a mark.  1. Create durable relationships. Disavow the 'self-made man' hubris of the individual triumphing over society. Be the 'anteambulo' who clears the path for others. 2. Help win 'the mental game'. Train players in visualization, affirmations and meditations. Leading figures in society and sport have a process to build resilience. "See it and become it." 3. Teach basketball symmetry.   4. Share. Phil Jackson's "basketball is sharing" is ..read more

Coaches can influence players positively and negatively. Telling a player or team, "I believe in you," can make all the difference. That doesn't mean that coaches should oversell players. But when we confirm our belief in a player, it can be transformative. Players remember genuine expressions of confidence in their work and progress.  At the end of her eighth grade season, I told Cecilia Kay, "you are the best player I have coached in twenty years of coaching." I encouraged her to represent Melrose in the postseason league all-star game. She was the leading scorer with 24 points. She fol ..read more

Footwork is one way to separate.  Cross step Negative step Reverse pivot into attack Learn to play off the catch ?? Try using a cross step. 1. Step across the defender's frame 2. If they stay, keep going. 3. If they move, you can always use it as a jab as well. **THE BASKETBALL GOES DOWN AS YOU STEP**#HoopStudy #basketballtraining #ballislife #PointGod pic.twitter.com/v36XrZ3mUy — DJ Sackmann (@DJSackmann) April 24, 2024 The negative step provides a "launch step" to attack the basket. It may also draw a defender closer.  Pete Newell's books and tapes on "Big Man Moves" taught ..read more

Tom Izzo said, "Championships and great seasons are won in locker rooms." Great teams have great teammates. • They own their roles. • They care about each other. • They commit to each other and the team. A great team isn't made up of individual superstars, it's made up of… pic.twitter.com/DIVqV8eGqB — Coach AJ ? Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 24, 2024 Choose to be a great teammate. Make it a priority. Have joy in the process of preparation, practice, and competition. Celebrate the experience and your teammates.   ..read more

Compression liberates us. It ranks among the most powerful analogies. Compression makes better players, better coaches. Velocity equals distance/time. Compression reduces time. Compression heals, cooks, informs, speeds, teaches. Compression cooks as in pressure cooking. Steam "produced from the boiling liquid, raises the internal pressure above ambient. This higher pressure limits boiling and creates higher cooking temperatures, allowing food to cook far more quickly than at normal pressure." (Duck assist) Compression 'edits' ideas and stories. Com ..read more

Basketball is a game of SEPARATION, cutting and passing, separating and finishing. During practice, emphasize to players how to create separation via: Effort Cutting  Screening Footwork (e.g. pivoting, negative step) Off the dribble (e.g. hesitation/lateral glide, crossovers, combinations) In this clip, Jayson Tatum illustrates separation with "attack off the move" or STAMPEDE.  Lagniappe. What leaders do. Model excellence.  We can tell you how successful you’ll be based on the consistency & commitment of your leadership. To get something out you must first put somethin ..read more

3 Things that will help players separate from the pack.. 1. Quality of Coaching - The better coaching you get from HS/AAU/Training the better chance you’ll have to succeed at the next level. Appreciate the coaches that invest in you and hold you accountable. 2. Work on Your Own… pic.twitter.com/qQhIRPlDcZ — Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) February 28, 2024 Sharing quotes, videos, and missives won't make anybody great.  Players gotta play.  Players must build skill. Players must develop athletic explosion. Find equal or better players to play against.  Build skill with a m ..read more

Numbers. Everyone wants "numbers." Possession enders get numbers via scores, assists, rebounds, and stops.  Efficiency reveals itself in: Points/possession Effective field goal percentage (and True Shooting) High assist/turnover ratios High free throw percentage Low turnover percentages High rebounding percentage Efficiency implies skill, toughness, and good decision-making.    Who is the epitome of efficiency? Nikola Jokic Playoff Game 1, Jokic FG 15-23  EFG% 67.4% FT   1-2 (nobody's perfect) Rebounds 12 Assist/turnover 7/0 The efficient player scores and ..read more

Basketball is not a democracy. Let's contrast sport with part of a famous document, the American Declaration of Independence.   We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to ..read more

Use a few thoughts from an old coach to young ones.  1. Develop enduring relationships. My wife and I celebrated our fortieth anniversary visiting my high school coach and his wife for dinner.  2. Cultivate a network to help players succeed long term. Encourage them to seek references and letters of recommendation.  3. "Never be a child's last coach." Both our best player and the twelfth player should feel seen, heard, and valued.  4. Add value. Vary practice to engage players and find multiple ways to develop player and team skills.  5. Remember Brian McCormick's "n ..read more