2011-12 Season Quotes

Each Monday I try to post a new "quote of the week" in my office. Something short and simple for our players to see when they walk in to inspire them for the week ahead. Sometimes it's motivational, sometimes practical, sometimes philosophical. But it also serves as a daily reminder to me. I've compiled the quotes I used this season here.

• "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good." -- Jerry West
• "20% of your efforts lead to 80% of your results" -- Pareto Principle
• "You're not allowed to be average in anything you do. We expect excellence." -- Jeff Capel
• "If you're comfortable, you're not developing. It's not my job to make you comfortable. It's my job to help you develop. I create chaos." -- Mike Rice
• "What can I, and only I, do that will make a real difference?"
• "Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all for yourself." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
• "There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty." -- Proverbs 14:23
• "WHAT mistake was made doesn't matter. WHO made the mistake doesn't matter. HOW we respond is the only important part. Next play!"
• "Don't focus on getting THROUGH your workout, focus on getting FROM it."
• "To compete is different than to play hard. Competing is playing hard with a purpose."

I'd love to hear any quotes you used with your team, staff, or organization this year! Please leave them as a comment below.

Zone Offense Principles

A common idea that you'll hear at clinics is that the best coaches are the best imitators. They see stuff (plays, patterns, actions, defenses) that works, and they implement it with their own personnel. In my own experience I've even taken things that were effective against our team and turned around to add it to our package. In regards to zone offense, I think there are 4 things that you should look for when implementing a system, whether it's your own or someone else's.

Ball Movement - The ball must move quickly and fluidly against a zone. Against a man defense, there is usually action coming toward the ball. That means that at times the man with the ball must hold onto it and create an opportunity to make a play. Against a zone, holding onto the ball allows defenders time to adjust and communicate as they assume new positions on the floor. Also, defenders are prone to watch the ball, so when the ball moves quickly their focus is taken away from other players in their primary area even more.

Court Use - Swinging the ball from wing to wing over and over again will rarely create opportunities to get quality shots. Use the deep corner, short corner, and high post to force the defense to flatten out and make true rotations, not simply shift from side to side. Post entries are also vital against the zone. You don't have to get a shot out of it, but a post entry will collapse the defense and open up cuts and shots for perimeter players.

Screening Action - I think screens are really under-utilized in most zone offenses. When you screen a zone, you're creating confusion for the defender. He has to make a choice to who to guard. He has to communicate with a teammate who is not focused on either man involved in the action, and that teammate also has to choose who to pick up when he realizes there is a screen happening behind or around him. This goes for ball screens and screens away from the ball.

Dribble to Pass - When using penetration against a zone, design it to create an opportunity for another player. Attack gaps and occupy two defenders at one time. As those players converge on the ball, open spaces will open up. Try screening other players or running cuts into those spaces to create favorable shot opportunities. Getting all the way to the rim may happen if you have a perimeter player with a combination of quickness, strength, and ball handling, but it can be just as effect as a means to set up others. 

Lastly, whether you're designing your own sets or imitating from somebody else, don't be afraid to get innovative. There's no sense in running an offense for two post players if you only have one, or don't have any at all. Take a realistic look at your own roster and build to the strengths of your team!

If you have most zone principles you'd like to share, please leave them as comments below. Also, if you're in the Twin Tiers, check out www.facebook.com/dynamicbasketballdevelopment - a new training and consultation opportunity opening this summer!

#purposefulpickup Thread

After my entry about Purposeful Pick-Up became the most successful one-day post I've ever done on Monday I decided to try to get a #purposefulpickup thread going on twitter that night. I was amazed at some of the responses that came in during that time, and wanted to share some of them. Thanks to everyone who joined in!

"Everybody sprint back on D after a turnover" - @NBNBball
"Don't get lazy on the boards and just rely on jumping; get a solid, intentional box out on every shot." - @adubb928
"best be closing out with high hands and getting on the floor" - @CoachEvans12 (my favorite response of the night, coming from one of my former players)
"never getting out played by alumni or anyone else for that fact" - @CoachAndrewWeb
"letting your play and wins do the talking, not the mouths." - @CoachAndrewWeb
"Take charges" - @cammu51

Game study - Rajon Rondo

In early April, Alan Stein of Stronger Team posted a challenge to watch the NCAA Final Four through a different lens - one focused completely on one player. I'll admit I didn't follow through with Coach Stein's challenge then, but I took it and ran last night during the Hawks/Celtics game. I was going to focus on Paul Pierce, to see how he used screens and footwork to get himself open for jumpers, but just before tip-off the analysts disclosed he had a knee injury and his minutes might be limited. I changed my game plan and decided to focus on Rajon Rondo instead. I wanted to look at how he operated in transition, and really see if I could nail some of the keys that make him effective in the open court beyond his speed.

1. Rondo gets to the middle of the floor on almost every shot the opponent takes.
It was pretty obvious that the Celtics were not worried about Jeff Teague going to the offensive glass. I don't think I saw Rondo make a conscious effort to box him out around the perimeter during the game. What I like about Rondo getting to the middle of the floor is that it allows him to read rebounds and get to his outlet areas quickly. He's able to get to either sideline in equal time (minimal for him anyway because of his quickness) and begin the Celtics transition attack.

2. Rondo is moving forward as he receives the outlet pass whenever possible.
He is not waiting for the outlet pass to get to him with his feet planted. He gets to the outlet area along the sideline, and starts moving forward. His momentum is headed down the court already, and that allows him to throw ahead with pace on his passes when the opportunity to do so presents itself. In the game last night, the Hawks didn't try to pick him up early - instead opting to meet Rondo between half court and the top of the key. This allowed him not only time to get moving forward on outlets and get some shots of his own, but also to set up the next point -

3. Rondo knows where teammates who are trailing are going to be.
I've heard a lot of people say that the Celtics are too old for Rondo, and their age and tendency to not run limit his effectiveness offensively. What I saw last night was that Rondo has actually taken this potentially frustrating trait and turned it into a dangerous advantage. He ALWAYS knows what is happening behind him. When he received outlet passes, his first look was up the floor. But if he didn't throw ahead, he would turn his head and look behind. If you're looking for it, you'll see him turning his head and picking up teammates as they trail him down the court. He knows where they're going to be, and it allows him to set them up for secondary transition opportunities.

4. Rondo moves defenders to open up passing lanes in transition.
Guys like Rondo and Steve Nash get a lot of credit for "probing" the lane and creating tight passing angles - and they should. It requires a confident handle, ability to get by defenders and draw help, and precise passing ability on the move. What I saw last night was Rondo doing the same thing in transition that he does when he "probes" the lane in set plays - moving the defense. One sequence in particular, Rondo came down the floor well ahead of his teammates. He pushed the ball below the free throw line, just outside the paint, and drew his own defender and a big who had been the first man back to that side of the floor. Once they engaged him, Rondo took a retreat dribble, pulling them further from the paint and opening a lane down the middle of the floor. Right on cue, Ryan Hollins trailed the play with a cut down the lane for an alley-oop. This was my favorite play of the night. Rondo knew Hollins was trailing the play from glancing back as he pushed the ball up the floor, then moved the defense to open a lane for the cut.

Three additional observations:
Rondo uses deliberate ball fakes very well, and defenders react to them.
Rondo rarely turns around if he can't get to the rim in transition - he uses the retreat dribble to keep passing options alive.
Rondo is looking to pass first when he puts the ball on the floor. I thought this caused him to miss some shots last night because he picks up the rim late in his shot.

The final possession:
I've watched the final possession at least 10 times. I think the key to that whole play was Josh Smith stepping in front of Rondo on the sideline right after the steal. It obviously slowed him down, but I think it caught Rondo off guard. He had to go backwards, and faced a bigger defender all the way down the court. The second part was a very good job by Horford to take away the baseline. His flat hedge stopped Rondo from turning the corner and Smith was waiting in the middle of the floor if he came back that way. Overall, I think that play was a result of heads up defense rather than a bad play by Rondo to go to the sideline.

Purposeful Pick-Up

Over the summer months many players get the majority of their time on the court in pick-up games. This isn't the ideal setting for improvement - that would be drills. But drills become monotonous, and the fact is that most high school players don't want to stand around and do actual drill work. They want to get out and run and play. With that in mind, I'd like to present the concept of "Purposeful Pick-Up".

I do not advocate abandoning drill work in the summer. The specific, purposeful repetition of skills is really how you grow and develop as and athlete. But if you're going to say that pick-up is how you'll be working on your game, then you need to identify specific areas of weakness and deliberately target those aspects throughout your workout.

Some examples of "Purposeful Pick-Up":

• All penetration will be to your weak hand.
• You will go find your man and box out on every shot, regardless of if it takes you away from the rim and the rebound.
• You'll only shoot jumpers off of a certain action
• pull-up jumper, using ball screen, catch and shoot, specific location (corner/wing/top)
• You'll only shoot off of a "2nd cut"
• This is the cut you make after you have set a screen
• All passes will be thrown with your weak hand.
• Jump stop for every pass.
• Hard hedge every ball screen.
• Deny your man the ball at all times.
• Full court pressure on the ball.

When deciding what to focus on before you play, you need to take 3 things into consideration:

1. What does my team do?
2. What is my role on the team?
3. How am I trying to improve, thereby expanding my role?

You need to understand the system your coach wants you to be able to run, in order to know what to work on. You also need to know and understand your current role - the expectations your coach has of you. When you know those two things, you can target a specific area of your game to improve, and develop additional skills that will expand your role.

As you can see, some of these may require you to communicate with your team ahead of time. And some people you'll play with won't like it if you're focusing on a specific aspect and your team loses because of your concentration. To put it bluntly - too bad. If you want to get to the next level - whether it's playing in college, becoming a starter for your team, or just making the squad - you have to improve. And focusing on one aspect at a time is the most efficient way to do that when you're not doing drill work.

What are some other things that "Purposeful Pick-Up" could focus on? Leave suggestions in the comments section. Also, follow @CoachCW_51 for #purposefulpickup, where I'll be generating conversation about the concept on twitter.

When a Thought becomes a Belief

I was watching a show on Netflix the other night (sorry, not sure which one) and heard an interesting discussion about thoughts and beliefs. The cast was arguing about whether they truly believed in a cause, or just thought somebody, somewhere should do something. As I went over the discussion in my head, I developed my own opinion on the matter. And what I came up with was this:

"A thought becomes a belief when you are capable and willing to act upon it."

There are many times when discussions of leadership and coaching turn to getting people to "believe" or "buy into" what you are saying, planning, and doing. When the people you lead believe, they're ready to act on your plan. They'll sacrifice their own glory. They'll donate their own time. They'll put their own thoughts aside and follow through with a course of action.

Another way to look at it is that, in my opinion, a thought is an abstract concept. It changes with time and evidence. A belief has been established over a period of time after collecting evidence. It's the product of many thoughts.

I'd love to hear feedback on the above statement and on thoughts vs. beliefs in general. Please comment below or, as always, e-mail me any time.