Substitutions are tough decisions. Every player wants every minute and every coach wants every player’s best minutes, with minimal conflict. After roster compilation, coaches are tasked with evaluating their personnel based on KSA’s – knowledge, skills, & abilities – and then expectedly define roles that give a pretty clear indication for the upcoming season’s depth chart; including playing time allocation. During the season coaching staff’s have a general idea for how well their team matches up versus an upcoming opponent. Maybe, the other team has length at the perimeter indicating it co ..read more

When time is based on basketball seasons, life moves fast! Careers progress, leaving many coaches finding themselves torn between pursuing their passion versus aging obligations. For those who dream of coaching, yet are occupationally tied to another profession the question arises: Is part-time coaching even possible? My Dream vs. The Reality Dream: After playing in college, my vision was to pursue Division 1 as a Graduate Assistant to soak up as much of a learning experience as possible from a larger staff. The Reality: Landed at my high school alma mater as a high school assistant JV coach w ..read more

Any defense works if it leads to a stop and rebound, right? Maybe the headline should’ve been more specific: Does Switching Man-to-Man Defense Work for an Entire Game? First, and foremost personnel is paramount. Let’s start with a hypothetical team profile and what it would take to successfully operate with an entirely switching defense. Communication If the personnel doesn’t show an inclination to actively communicate, the truth is every option of defense could lead to giving up points. Think about outside of a basic “Shell” drill where coaches mandate the robotic gap or help chatter while th ..read more

Start With Score & Situation Spurs just pulled with 7 after Devin Vassell converted a free-throw after an And-1 drive. There are 5 minutes remaining which means plenty of time, particularly in the NBA for either team to come away with the win. Coaching With The Lead Focus on ball control and conversions: offensive execution and defensive rebounding. Coaching With A Deficit Again, the NBA 7-point lead is not quite the same as high school or college given the shot clock and professional ability to shoot from the perimeter, also notwithstanding the luxury of advancing the ball during time-ou ..read more

Last night, the Las Vegas Aces held off a late rally by the New York Liberty to win back-to-back WNBA titles for the first time in over 20 years. This game felt set up to be a classic regardless of which team won, and it didn’t disappoint as far as coming down to the final possession. Late-game situations are the best of times, and the worst of times for coaches. Everything can be done right while still falling on the wrong end of the scoreboard. So, when watching the final 90 seconds of the WNBA Finals two things came to mind, and I’d be curious what you either thought of the game or how you ..read more

This portion of the book starts off with a great question that many coaches should consider when structuring their zone offense: “Why are they zoning us?” It might not even be a strategic move from the opposition to use a zone defense. Regardless why, it’s helpful to reflect where zone defenses find success and some vulnerabilities to it. Take a look at the list of pros/cons that Coach Dodd identified while considering the “Flo” zone offensive concepts: Why Zone Defense Works Exposes Poor Offensive Fundamentals Provides More Opportunities To Trap Masks Defensive Personnel Deficiencies Easi ..read more

One of my favorite things to conceptualize from a schematic coaching standpoint is building a playbook through a series of actions that could be used for sequencing possessions together. First, let’s start by defining my interpretation of series and sequencing in basketball. Series: Is a collection of actions/plays/sets under the same shape or structure Sequence: Executing consecutive possessions imitating similar action with a slight variation from previous play(s) There is no hiding anymore from a scouting perspective. One way to keep the defense guessing during a string of possessions com ..read more

After detailing Principles & Designs in our 1st discussion on The Trig Approach it’s time to flow into the “Collinear” halfcourt offense versus traditional man-to-man defense. Offensive Flowchart: Strike (In 2-3 Seconds) Win (Your Lane) Stretch (1-4 Finish) At the end of the break, you crack or hook: Crack (Attack Shell of Defense) Hook (No Advantage – Lift To Build 1st Triangle) *Co = M2M Offense; Flo = Zone* The break finishes into a 1/4 low until the first triangle is built. After one player hooks to the wing, the rest of the possession looks to establish a 4-out/1-in with an o ..read more

In the coaching profession, there are always games within the game, and networking is one of those extracurricular activities that can change the course of a career path. The “not what you know, but who you know,” line is so overused in the industry that it would seem that the number of contacts in your phone is a direct correlation to the likelihood of being considered for job opportunities. What happens when all those texts or emails are left on read with no response? Despite all those phone numbers or e-mail addresses, are you actually networking? Let’s get one thing straight right away: co ..read more

Combo Guards, Point Forwards, and Stretch Bigs – “Oh my.” Who knew positionless basketball just meant a hybrid reclassification? It’s the Coach Oprah Winfrey approach to bringing the ball up the floor – you can bring it up. And, you can bring it up! Does the Oprah Winfrey reference make sense now? Wait, not you; you need to outlet the ball real quick! There’s always the one big the coaching staff eliminates right away from having too much fun. So, does the point guard even exist anymore? The answer is yes, and I’d argue that their value has never been higher. Coming from a former floor gener ..read more