Bob Knight Thoughts

Bob Knight Thoughts We try to get our players to play intelligently. A key to that is getting them to understand not just that something works but why. A coach needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of every player who plays for him, and make them understand too. Only take shots that have over a 50% chance of going in. Show zone when an opponent comes down the court then after about 10 seconds go to man. 2QRIIHQVH\RXUSOD\HUVGRQ¶WWDNHEDGVKRWV7KH\GRQ¶WWKURZWKHEDOODZD\7KH\Pove without the ball. They help each other get open. A good defensive player can never lose sight of the basketball, because it is the ball that has to be stopped not a particular player. If the opponents play some form of man-to-man defense, they can determine who will guard our particular players, but I will determine where our guys are going to play. (PHUVRQVDLG³1RWKLQJJUHDWHYHULVDFFRPSOLVKHGZLWKRXWenthusiasm´ If it is a pressuring man-to-man, we have got to take the ball to the bucket- catch the ball, face, IDNHDQGGULYH'RWKDWGRLWZHOODQG\RX¶OOEHRQWKHIRXOOLQH Kids will be satisfied with what you tolerate. You are trying to get players to understand that how they play is a hell of a lot more important than whether or not they win. Winning is a by-product of preparation and work at practice. Basketball is the ultimate team game, but no game built around a team principle utilizes individual skills more. You do not have to score to be a good basketball player. There is some role for everybody. Let the bench guys play whenever you can. He was not real quick but he was good with the ball. He could shoot, and he wanted to win. Along with his skills, he understood what we wanted done and how we had to play, and he worked at getting other people to play that way. The principle thing with offense is reading the defense. What we try to offensively is always JLYHWKHPDQRSWLRQ,I\RX¶UHFRPLQJRIIDVFUHHQ\RXFDQJRKLJKRUJRORZRUSRSEDFN- you have to read the defense. At Indiana we beat the press and try to score-make the defense pay an immediate price for extending its pressure. %R\WKLVLVZKDWFROOHJHEDVNHWEDOOVKRXOGEH+HUHDUHNLGVZKRZRUNDVDWHDPWKH\¶UHJRRG students, and they show that good students can win. We coaches constantly harp on spacing, how important it is to maintain fifteen to eighteen feet spacing among all the players. I think spacing is one of the two keys to utilization of the court in offensive play. Four things the player who makes the first pass can do: 1 make an inside cut to the baseline 2 cut to the basket 3 screen away 4 replace himself. These four things are what we do in our 4 on 4 drills. The dribble is to be used against man-to-man defense to bring the ball up the floor, to improve the passing angle, or to take the ball to the bucket²and that is it! We spent a lot of October practicing four-on-four and five-on-five with out allowing a dribble. There we were truly playing Pass, Cut, and Screen. The only obligation you have to your players is that they know you are starting the best lineup you have. :KHQWKHEDOOLVDGYDQFLQJ\RXFDQ¶WEHVWDQGLQJ If you can go through a day without wanting it or thinking it or living with it, you are not supposed to be in it. Passion is what I am talking about. He was very good against zone defense because he mastered a very simple thing, the pass fake. That made him deceptive on top of a zone, and he added to that by being a good shooter. Understand, Listen, and Learn! WHGRQ¶WKDYHWRKDYHWKHEHVWWDOHQWWRZLQ Isiah was like Michael Jordan, a great combination of toughness and intelligence. Reasons why a team loses²sloppy ball-handling, poor defensive effort, lack of blockout, poor shot selection. ,¶YHQHYHUH[SHFWed anyone, including players, to agree with all that I do. But to the absolute best RIP\DELOLW\,¶YHWULHGWRSURYLGHWKHPZLWKDZRUNHWKLFDQGDELOLW\WRH[FHODWFUXFLDOWLPHV and a determination to be as good as they could be at whatever they do. .

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