september / october 2009 / october september everywhere enthusiasts basketball MAGAZINE FOR FIBA ASSIST 40 assist ettore messina pecora-kelly man to man defense lele molin neven spahija weak side offense richard stokes The CSKA Moscow eight qualities of a great referee Offensive System: amanda carlson the ten nutrition rules to live Season 2008-2009
tables of contents 2009-10 FIBA CALENDAR COACHES
2009 FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL
october 2009 Man to Man Defense 4 09 - 18.10 FIBA Africa Championship for Women in Madagascar by Tom Pecora and Michael Kelly november 2009 24.11 Draw for the 2010 FIBA OFFENSE World Championship for Women in Karlovy The CSKA Moskow Offensive System: 16 Vary (CZE) Season 2008-2009 december 2009 FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE 15.12 Draw for the 2010 FIBA by Ettore Messina and Lele Molin IS A PUBLICATION OF FIBA World Championship in International Basketball Federation 51 – 53, Avenue Louis Casaï Istanbul (TUR) CH-1216 Cointrin/Geneva Switzerland Tel. +41-22-545.0000, Fax +41-22-545.0099 Weak Side Offense 26 www.fiba.com / e-mail: [email protected] 2010 In collaboration witH Giganti del Basket, by Neven Spahija Acacia Edizioni, Italy april 2010 Partner 03 -06.04 NCAA Men's and Women’s WABC (World Association of Basketball Final Four in Indianapolis Coaches), Dusan Ivkovic President (USA) HOOP MARKET july 2010 Drills From Around the World 32 Editor-in-Chief 02 -11.07 FIBA U17 World Giorgio Gandolfi Championship for Men in by Raffaele Imbrogno Hamburg (GER) 16 -25.07 FIBA U17 World Editorial Office: Acacia Edizioni V. Saliceto 22/E, 40013 Castel Maggiore (BO), Championship for Women Italy, Tel. +39-051-6328811, in Rodez and Toulouse referees and game Fax +39-051 6328815 (FRA) E-mail: [email protected] Printed in Italy. administration Copyright 2009 by FIBA. august 2010 The magazine is published 6 times per year. 28 -12.09 FIBA World Championship Eight Qualities of a Great Referee 34 FIBA, Acacia Edizioni and the Editor-in-Chief are for Men in Turkey (Ankara, not responsible for the opinions expressed in the articles. All rights reserved. Kayseri, Izmir and Istanbul) by Richard Stokes The National Federation and their affiliates can reproduce any part or all the magazine for their september 2010 internal use, but not sell any part or all of the magazine to an external publisher without the 23 - 03.10 FIBA World Championship written permission of FIBA. for Women in Czech Right or Wrong? 37 acknowledgements Republic (Ostrava, Karlovy Filippo Arduino, Gastone Marchesi, Mirco Melloni, Vary and Brno) Corrado de Belvis, Gerald Couzens, Raffaele Imbrog- no and Lisa Cavallini. doctors, conditioning coaches and trainers HOW TO SUBSCRIBE: conditioning coaches A one-year (6 issues) subscription to FIBA Assist Magazine The Ten Nutrition Rules to Live 38 costs Euro 40 (europe), and Euro 45 (outside europe) to be payed in one of the following ways: by Amanda Carlson Payment with postal current account n. 83865261 headed to Acacia Edizioni srl (Only for subscription from Italy) Payment with banking transaction Being Strong When It Counts 42 c/o Banca Carige IBAN: IT 44 V 061 7532 6500 0000 5317 720 by Alan Stein SWIFT: CRGEITGG380 Please, fill in the subscription form that you can find on fiba.com, and send it, including the receipt, to: news BY MAIL: Acacia Edizioni - Via Saliceto, 22/E attention 40013 - Castel Maggiore (Bo) - Italy for readers who need informations, ONE-on-one 44 BY FAX: ++39 051 6328816 please send an e-mail to FOR INFORMATION: ++39 051 6328836 PLANET basketball 46 (from 9 am to 1 pm Central European Time) [email protected]
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COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL Man to Man by Tom Pecora by Michael Kelly Defense
Tom Pecora will be entering his nineth Day 1 Stance season as the head coach of the Hofstra On the first day of defense, we intro- At Hofstra, when we talk about de- Men's Basketball program in 2009-10 duce our "Stance" drill to the team. fense, we begin with our "Stance" drill and his 16th season at Hofstra overall. One-on-one, man to man defense is the (photo 1 and 2). "Stance" refers to the He was named the 10th head coach in foundation of our defensive philoso- way that the defensive player positions Pride history on March 28, 2001 after phy. his body when the offensive player that spending the previous seven years as We also review the four different ways he is guarding has the ball. When the an assistant. that we use to defend ball screens. The defensive player is in a "Stance" his ways that we defend ball screens, and feet are spread apart, slightly more Michael Kelly, a 2005 graduate of Hav- any screen for that matter, are person- than shoulder width, and his toes are erford College, is in his fourth season nel driven. pointing towards the offensive player on the Pride staff after being named as- The four ways that we defend a ball with the ball. The defender’s legs are sistant men's basketball coach at screen are: bent at the knees, looking as if he is sit- Hofstra University in June of 2006. t By having the forward hedge ting in a chair. The defender’s back is for two dribbles beyond the straight. The defender has one hand on During our pre-season, we introduce point of the screen. the ball and the other hand in the pass- our defensive philosophy to our players t By going under the ball ing lane. through a specific 7 – day program that screen. When we say a hand on the ball, the we call our 7 Days of Defense. We cov- t By going over the ball screen. defender extends his arm so that he is er our 7 Days of Defense over the t By blitzing the ball screen. an arm’s length a way, with his hand al- course of the three and a half weeks most touching the ball. We do not want that precede the first day of practice Finally, on our first day of defense, we our defenders to crowd the offensive that we are allowed to have a full prac- introduce our "Wack-out" drill, where player because that will lead to a blow- tice as a team. We will introduce these we teach our players how to sprint by. Blow-by refers to the time when an concepts to our players twice per week from help defense out to the perimeter offensive player dribbles past the de- for three weeks and then have one fi- to guard their opponent with the ball. fensive player, and is allowed to pene- nal review day during the last week of This occurs in games when there are trate into the lane to create a scoring our pre-season. ball reversals or skip passes. opportunity for himself or a teammate.
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If the offensive player has the ball posi- fender has a hand in the passing lane tioned on his right side of the body, the so that he can look to deflect any pass defensive player positions his right made by the offensive player. hand on the ball and his left hand is po- When the offensive player has the ball, sitioned in the passing lane. If the of- the defensive player mirrors the ball fensive player has the ball positioned with the appropriate hand. The hand D.2 on his left side of the body, the defen- that he mirrors the ball with depends sive player positions his left hand on on which side of the body the offensive the ball and his right hand in the pass- player is holding the ball. The defensive Ball” as he is mirroring the ball (photo ing lane. We emphasize that the de- player mirrors the ball so that the of- 3). There must be constant ball pres- fender must have his head and hand on fensive player never feels comfortable sure. When the offensive player begins the ball. The defender has a hand on while in possession of the ball, and also to dribble the ball in a particular direc- the ball to challenge the offensive play- to try and get a deflection if the offen- tion, the defender points his foot in the er if he looks to cross – over or change sive player tries to make a quick pass. direction that he is sliding (photo 4). He direction with the basketball. The de- The defensive player yells: “Ball, Ball, takes a long first step with his first foot,
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COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL
D.3 D.4 D.5 and a short second step with his second beginning of every practice. The players possession does not end until the defen- foot (photo 5 and 6), keeping one hand form 3 rows of 4 players each. The coach sive player grabs the rebound or gets a on the ball and one hand in the passing stands with the basketball in front of the steal, or until the offensive player lane. If the offensive player changes di- entire team. Each player acts as if he is scores. The coaches keep track of how rection while dribbling the basketball, defending the coach. The coach acts as many times each defensive player is the defensive player adjusts by switch- if he is the offensive player, and depend- able to prevent the offensive player from ing the hand that was on the ball and the ing on the coach’s actions, the players scoring. The defender with the most hand that was in the passing lane. At the who are the defenders, react appropri- stops by the end of the drill wins. We same time, the defender yells: “Switch.” ately in the ways that we have described will do this drill frequently at the begin- The defender then points his other foot above. ning of the season because it helps to in the direction that he is sliding, and We also practice our individual one-on- condition our players. takes a long first step with that foot, and one defense with our full court, one-on- They get tired quickly, but at the same a short second step with his other foot. one, zig zag drill. Each player will have a time, they understand that they are pre- When the offensive player picks up his partner. They will take turns playing of- paring themselves both physically and dribble, we teach our players to crowd fense and defense. They switch offense mentally for end of the game situations the offensive player and to mirror the and defense after every trip. Most of the that will occur during the season. The basketball with both hands, while yell- time, we will partner up guards with players understand that as the drill goes ing: “Dead, Dead, Dead.” The defender guards and forwards with forwards. on, it will be harder to get stops because crowds the offensive player to make it Sometimes, we will difficult for him to make a pass now that mix it up, and have the he has used up his dribble, and he yells: guards and forwards “Dead” to make it hard for the offensive compete against one player to hear his teammates who might another. The offensive be trying to come back to help. At this player will dribble point, the defender on the ball does not back and forth be- want to foul. Photo 7 shows the defender tween the sideline and reacting to the offensive player when he the nearest lane line picks up his dribble. as the defender looks This drill covers our basic one-on-one to turn the offensive defensive positioning for when the indi- player. Once they both vidual offensive player has the basket- reach half court, they ball. We execute our "Stance" drill at the play one-on-one. The
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COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL their bodies will get tired. This is where the players will teach themselves not only what it is like to play defense at the end of a game, but also how to become mentally tougher. This drill creates the game situation of what one-on-one, on- the-ball defense feels like, especially when a player becomes fatigued. It is a drill where our players can really com- pete against one another and it is also a drill that exposes a player’s weaknesses. After we complete our "Stance" drill on D.15 D.17 day 1 of defense, we look to teach our players the different ways in which we will defend ball screens. hand on the ball (diagr. 4 and 5). If, when we go under the ball screen, the ball Defending ball screens handler decides to shoot an out-cut We will have the defender of the screen- jump shot directly behind the back of the er (the forward) hedge for two dribbles screener, then the two defenders switch beyond the point of the screen (diagr. 2), men, so that the guard is guarding the if we want to get the ball out of the of- forward and the forward is guarding the fensive player’s hands, and at the same guard (diagr. 6, 7 and 8). We will go over time, if we don’t want to get beat by be- a ball screen if we feel that the offensive ing out-numbered on the pass back to player shoots the ball very well. When the screener. This is like a soft blitz. The we are going over ball screens, the de- difference is that when we hedge for D.16 fender of the screener begins by placing two dribbles, the forward hedging is able his forearm that is closest to the hoop to recover back to his man quickly (di- on the back of the screener. He fully ex- agr. 3). We will go under a ball screen if screen, screen.” In an athletic "Stance" tends his other arm straight out while we feel that the offensive player does and with his arm fully extended, but remaining in an athletic "Stance". This not shoot the ball as well as he might without losing contact with the screen- time, the defender of the screener (the drive the ball. When we are going under er, the forward’s job is to slightly hedge forward) begins with his bottom foot di- ball screens, the forward places his the ball screen, or force the ball-handler rectly behind the screener’s top foot and forearm that is closest to the hoop on slightly away from the ball screen, so lets the guard know that the screen is the back of the screener. The forward that he cannot come off cleanly. The coming by yelling: “screen, screen, fully extends his other arm straight out. guard begins with a hand on the ball and screen.” The guard begins with a hand He remains in an athletic "Stance". The slides with the offensive player until the on the ball and slides with the offensive defender of the screener begins with his point of the screen. The guard scrapes player to the point of the screen. The bottom foot in between the screener’s right underneath the screener. The forward hedges straight out and forces two feet and lets the guard know that guard then meets the offensive player the ball-handler away from the ball the screen is coming by yelling: “Screen, on the other side of the screen with a screen. The forward must not open up
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with his top foot. If the forward opens up the ball screen or if we want to disrupt with his top foot, the ball handler is able the opposing team’s offense. We begin to turn the corner before the defensive the same way that we do when we are guard is able to get back to hand on the going over ball screens. The defender of ball. The guard scrapes above the the screener (the forward) places his screener and then below his teammate. forearm that is closest to the hoop on The guard gets back to hand on the ball the back of the screener. He fully ex- when he passes under his teammate. tends his other arm straight out while The forward sprints back to the screen- remaining in an athletic "Stance". The er once his teammate has passed un- forward begins with his bottom foot di- derneath (diagr. 9 and 10). We will blitz a rectly behind the screener’s top foot and D.24 ball screen if we feel that a particular lets the guard know that the screen is player has been hurting us while using coming by yelling: “Screen, screen, screen.” The guard begins with a hand photo 12 on the ball and slides with the offensive player to the point of the screen. The forward hedges out as the ball handler gets to the screen. The guard and the forward come together to form a trap around the ball handler (diagr. 11 and 12). As the ball-handler tries to dribble out of the trap, the guard crowds the ball handler and makes it difficult for him to pass back to an open teammate. The forward and guard continue to look to trap the ball handler and look to obtain a deflection out of the trap. The two de- fensive players involved in the trap are not looking for a steal. They are looking for a deflection. We will also teach "Wack-out"s on day 1. We begin this drill by splitting up the team so that half of the team uses one end of the court and the other half of the team uses the other half of the court. On each end, one coach Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 9
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stands at the top of the key. One defen- neath the rim smacks the floor with both score. The defensive player must stop sive player stands underneath the rim. hands and then yells: “D-Time!” The the offensive player from scoring and There are two lines filled with the other coach then throws the ball to the first must then get the rebound (diagr. 13). players; one line in one corner and the player in one of the two lines. The de- The defensive player must prevent two other line in the other corner. The play- fensive player reacts by wacking out to different offensive players in a row from ers in the lines are the offensive players. the offensive player with the ball. The scoring. He remains the defensive play- The coach has the ball and yells: offensive player can either shoot or er until he accomplishes this goal. If the "Stance." The defensive player under- drive the basketball. He is trying to first pass from the coach is thrown to
photo 13 photo 14
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Day 2 On the second day of defense, we intro- duce our slide-run-slide concept, which becomes part of our "Stance" drill. We review defending ball screens and our "Wack-out" drill. We then introduce the ways that we defend down screens and flare screens, along with introducing the proper technique for defending back cuts. We teach our players the slide-run-slide D.32 concept so that they understand how D.37 they are supposed to react when the of- fensive player is able to advance past one particular line, then the next pass is the defensive player. When the ball han- thrown to the other line. When the de- dler begins to dribble past the defender fensive player gets two stops in a row, (photo 8), the defender must first begin the coach rotates in a new defensive to run lower and harder (photo 9). He player. This drill creates the game situa- must take his top foot and top arm and tion of what it feels like to go from help throw it across his body (photo 10). The position back to the offensive player that arm that he throws across his body must the defender is guarding. be fully extended and reach low enough to almost touch the floor. He then ad- vances by keeping his body low to the ground. Once the defender recovers, he returns to his "Stance", with his head D.38 and hand on the ball (photo 11). When we defend down screens, we be- gin with the forward as the screener. The forward yells: “Screen, screen, screen” to let his teammate know that a screen.” The guard positions himself di- screen is coming. Just like on a down rectly behind the offensive player that is screen, the guard “gets on the offensive going to use the screen. We call this player’s numbers” to lock and trail (di- “getting on the offensive player’s num- agr. 17). Again, the guard cannot lock D.33 bers” so that we can lock and trail (di- too early or the offensive player will slip agr. 14). The guard cannot “get on the to the rim. The guard must get back on offensive player’s numbers” too early, the inside after he clears the screen and or the offensive player will shape up to then he must load to the ball. The for- the ball. The guards must get back on ward is loaded to the ball and is two the inside after he clears the screen. steps off the line of the ball (diagr. 18 The forward is loaded to the ball so that and 19). The forward must see the ball he is able to help on a curl, and is also and must be there to hedge if the offen- on the line of the ball (diagr.15) so that sive player tries to curl. he prevents a direct pass over the top to When the defensive player is in denial his man, the screener (diagr. 16). The and the offensive player makes a back forward, therefore, must also see the cut, the defensive player keeps his back ball in case such a pass is thrown. to the passer. The defensive player de- nies with his closest hand and his clos- D.34 When we defend flare screens, we also begin with the forward as a screener. est foot. The defensive player also turns The forward yells: “Screen, screen, his head while he is in denial so that he Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 11
COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL can see both the man and the ball. He he is responsible for, will first cut to- looks to knock away the pass with his wards an imaginary line that runs from near hand. The defender throws down his offensive player to the rim, and once his back hand and snaps his head on the he has reached that line, will then sprint back cut (photo 12). The thought process out to defend his opponent (diagr. 32). If that we emphasize to our players is Con- the defender were to sprint directly from tain First, Deny 2nd – “Play the ball help position to his opponent, his oppo- First.” nent would have an open lane to attack off the dribble. When the defender V’s it Day 3 in, he prevents the offensive player from On the third day of defense, we review attacking off the dribble on a direct line everything from the two previous days to the rim. and then we teach post defense. Our The second concept that we emphasize forwards and guards defend the post in to our players is early help and recover different ways. However, they both al- when a teammate gets blown by with ways have their hands above their shoul- dribble penetration. In this part of the ders and they always position their bod- drill, the defender allows his man to beat ies between their man and the basket- him off the dribble for one or two drib- ball (photo 13). Their hands are up and bles. The next defender must then give they are constantly moving their feet. early help, and force the dribbler to Whenever a guard defends the post, he make the next pass out to his teammate is always in Red no matter where the (diagr. 33). Once this pass is made, the ball is on the floor. This means that he defender must V it in and "Wack-out" to fronts the post. While he is fronting the his opponent (diagr. 34). Once again post, the guard yells: “Red” which is the though, the next defender then allows photo 15 way that he lets his teammates know the offensive player to beat him off the that he is fronting the post so that he is able to have help on the weak side (pho- photo 16 to 14). Whenever a forward defends the post, he is either hard on the high side (photo 15) or he is in Red, depending on where the ball is. A forward is only in Red when the ball is in the corner. Other- wise he is hard on the high side.
Day 4 On the fourth day of defense, we review everything from the previous three days, and then we introduce the concept At- tack and Swim. This is a method our players use to avoid being screened. The defender must first turn and face the screen. The defender must attack the screen, instead of waiting to get screened (photo 16, 17 and 18). After the defender gets around the screen, his job is to beat the offensive player to the spot and force the outcut. The defender thinks: “Attack – Swim – Deny/ Red.” When we defend low cross screens and screened is loaded to the ball. On the and then we teach defending staggered diagonal back screens, our defenders pass, the defender being screened double screens. When we teach de- use the attack and swim method. When jumps to the ball. The defender being fending staggered double screens, we we defend low cross screens, the de- screened must first turn and face the use four offensive players and four de- fender being screened is loaded to the screen. Again, the defender must attack fensive players, and they begin in our ball. The defender must first turn and the screen and not wait to get screened. shell drill alignment. face the screen. He attacks the screen. The defender of the screener yells: The defender guarding the ball must al- He does not wait for it. The defender of “Screen, screen, screen.” The defender ways have a hand on the ball and must the screener yells: “Screen, screen, of the screener is loaded to the ball, never let the offensive player with the screen.” The defender of the screener helps low, and then gets back (diagr. 23, ball feel comfortable. The defender must help low, and then quickly get back 24 and 25). guarding the shooter can do two things. to the line of the ball, so that they do not He can lock and trail or he can shoot the throw a direct pass to the screener (di- Day 5 gap. If the offensive player coming off agr. 20, 21 and 22). When we defend di- On the fifth day of defense, we review the screen is a great shooter, the de- agonal back screens, the defender being everything from the previous four days fender will lock and trail. If the offensive page 12 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine floor, but the goal at that point is to have the players understand where it would be.The command that we use is load to the ball. This means that if you are a de- fender and your man does not have the ball, you must position your body closer to where the basketball is, and at the same time, have the ability to see the ball and to see your offensive player. As the ball is moved farther away from you, as a defender, you must continue to re-position yourself closer to the load line. This concept helps our players to understand positioning when we talk about help defense. It helps them to un- derstand the concept of team defense D.39 and that we want five defenders guard- ing the ball.
Day 6 On the sixth day of defense, we review everything from the previous five days and then we introduce our 4-on-4 "Shell" D.40 drill. The first concept that we empha- size to our players is jump to the ball when the ball is reversed around the pe- rimeter. Jump to the ball means as the player is not that great of a shooter, the from getting an easy look (diagr. 26 and ball moves from the defender’s man to defender will shoot the gap. Whichever 27). If the defender is shooting the gap, another offensive player, the defender way the defender chooses to guard the the defenders of both screeners both must reposition himself so that initially, shooter, the defenders of both screen- load to the ball but make room for de- after the first pass, he is in between his ers must yell “Screen, screen, screen” fender of the shooter to shoot the gap. man and the ball, so that the offensive to let the other defenders know that the As the shooter runs off the screens, the player cannot execute a basket cut after screens are coming. If the defender is defender shoots the gap and meets the he makes the pass (diagr. 31). locking and trailing on the staggered shooter after the second screen (diagr. As the ball is passed further away, the double screen, he cannot lock too early 28 and 29). defender continues to jump to the ball to or else the offensive player will shape An important concept in our team de- ensure that he can give help on any drib- up to the ball before he comes off of the fense is the load line. The load line is a ble penetration. We also instruct our de- screens. The defender of the first piece of tape that runs down the center fenders to “V it in” as the ball is passed screener must load to the ball and take of the court from the front of one rim to from an offensive player to the offensive away a possible slip by the second the front of the other rim. We use tape in player that this particular defender is screener. The defender of the second practice so the players get used to the guarding. This means that the defender, screener must load to the ball and hedge concept of the load line (diagr. 30). Obvi- instead of sprinting on a direct line from to prevent the shooter from curling or ously, for games, the tape is not on the help position to the offensive player who
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COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL dribble, and this continues so that all of the defenders get used to giving early help and recovering in both directions. The third concept that we emphasize to our players is jump to the ball, red the post, and load to the ball when they de- fend basket cuts. In this portion of the drill, on any pass from one of the top two spots towards one of the corners, the passer makes a hard basket cut (diagr. 35 and 36). On the pass to the corner, the defender must jump to the ball, so that he does not get beat on a basket cut. If the offensive player is not open on the basket cut, he posts up on the block for 2-3 seconds. The defender must Red the D.41 D.43 Post. The defender fronts the post and yells: Red to alert his teammates that he is fronting the post. After the post-up, the offensive player sprints out to the opposite corner position and all of the other offensive players rotate accord- ingly (diagr. 37). When the offensive player sprints out to the opposite corner, the defender does not chase the offen- sive player. Instead, the defender loads to the ball, and puts himself in proper help position (diagr. 38). the floor himself. If the offensive player We also practice our man to man team that catches the ball is a forward, the defense concepts with our Line of the forward quickly turns, and throws the Ball drill. The team is broken up into two ball to a guard on his team, and he then groups with 6 or 7 players in each group. pushes the ball up the floor. The defen- One group executes the drill while the sive player directly across from the other group waits. 5 coaches spread out player who catches the initial pass from along the sideline. The first group of the coach must sprint and touch the players lines up along the baseline in baseline before he can run back into front of the first coach, who has the ball. the play (diagr. 42). The first player, the player closest to the This situation creates a 5-on-4, where coach with the ball, is in the appropriate the defense must Sprint, Turn, and Talk on the ball "Stance". This player yells: if they plan on getting a stop. The de- “Ball, ball, ball.” The players behind the fense must stop the ball, protect the first player yell: “Line of the Ball, line of basket, defend the strong side block, the ball, line of the ball.” The coach with and the last defender sprinting back the ball passes the ball to the next coach converts to the weak side (diagr. 43). (diagr. 39). The line of players then sprints in line with the next coach, posi- Day 7 tioning themselves appropriately. They On the seventh day of defense, we re- continue to sprint down the floor as a view everything that we have taught in group until they come all the way back our pre-season defense instruction. to where they began. D.42 This concludes our 7 Days of Defense. Then the next group begins. While a Each day of defense usually lasts be- particular group of players is executing tween 45 minutes and an hour. the drill, the coaches can throw the ball This format allows us to introduce most back and forth. The coaches do not al- of our defensive concepts before we ways have to throw the ball in the same so we use substitutions. One team lines begin with our first day of practice. direction until it reaches the other end. up along the baseline. They are on of- Once again, the foundation of our de- Coaches can also throw long passes to fense. The other team lines up across fensive philosophy begins with "Stance" another coach. They don’t always have the free throw line. They are on defense. and the ability to stop the offensive to throw the ball to the next coach in The offensive players and defensive player, one-on-one. line. players are facing each other (diagr.40). We end our 7 Days of Defense by intro- We practice our man to man team tran- The coach throws the ball to one of the ducing our Shell Drill, where we empha- sition defense concepts with the transi- offensive players (diagr. 41). If the offen- size the importance of having all of our tion line drill. We separate the team into sive player that catches the ball is a defenders together defending the one two different teams. This is a 5-on-5 drill, guard, then the guard pushes the ball up offensive player with the ball. page 14 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
coaches - offense The CSKA Moscow Offensive System: Season 2008-2009
by Ettore Messina by Lele Molin
Ettore Messina started his coaching ca- reer with the youth teams of Reyer Vene- zia, when he was only 16 years old. From 1980 to 1982, he was responsible for youth teams at Mestre and in 1982/83 he was assistant coach at Udine. In 1983 he goes to Virtus Bologna, as responsible for youth teams and assistant coach of the main team. As head coach in Italy, he coached Virtus Bologna (1989-93 and 1998-2002) and Benetton Treviso (2002- 2005), winning four Italian Champion- ships, two Euroleague titles, eight Italian Cups and one Cup of Cups. From 1993 to 1997 he coached Italian National team, winning the gold medal at the Mediter- ranean Games and the silver medal at the Goodwill Games and at the European Championship in Barcelona. Since 2005, he coaches CSKA Moscow, where he won three Russian Championships, two Euroleague titles (2006 and 2008) and two Russian Cups (2006 and 2007). This sea- son he coaches Real Madrid.
Lele Molin started to coach in 1978 as assistant coach of the youth team at Mestre. From 1985 to 2000 he works at Benetton Treviso, alternatively as head coach of the youth team (1985-88 and 1992-95) and as assistant coach of the main team (1988-92 and 1995-2000). Since 2000 he's assistant coach of Ettore Mes- sina, first at Virtus Bologna (one Italian title, two Italian Cups, one Euroleague), at Treviso (one Italian title, three Italian Cups, one SuperCup), then at CSKA Mos- cow (three Russian titles, two Russian cups and two Euroleague) and now at Real Madrid. page 16 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine The CSKA Moscow Offensive System: Season 2008-2009
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coachescoaches - - offense offense The offensive system we adopted last year can sometimes appear complicated for our players, because it demands men- tal attention and a good mastery of indi- vidual offensive fundamentals. In this article, we’d like to examine the guide- lines of this particular offensive system. For starters, we don’t think that our of- fensive system is all that original. What makes it different are not the plays, but how the players apply the various ideas that are behind each play. Our coaching staff spends a lot of time trying to figure out how we can utilize the best characteristics of our players on of- fense. This is a long process and some- times we can’t find an exact role for each of our players right away. We strongly believe that, beyond the offensive choic- es, we have to take care of the players’ improvement, putting them into the best conditions to be dangerous on offense: we want to be effective using the players’ skills. The general idea of the CSKA offensive system that eventually led us to our sys- tem of play was the conviction that it is certainly not the set play or playing free that makes the difference in a game. Rather, is was the ability of our players to understand what the defense was doing and to always be conscious of any chang- es that they were making. Our players must be able to read the defensive be- havior of their opponents. Any offense can be original, but if the player on of- fense is not able to understand what the defense does, he loses effectiveness and our offense slows down. The strength of our offense depends on the options that the players have at their disposal after reading (and attacking) the defense. This special knowledge takes a while to be completely understood by our players. Let’s take the example a shooter who’s coming off a low screen. Our player has to understand the defensive pressure he is under. He can react as written in the books or in the team playbook: If the de- fender trails, make a curl. If the defender slides through the screen, he makes a fade away. He has to be aware of the various options. It’s our job as coaches to provide the players the space and the time to better understand what the de- fense is doing. It is important to have an offensive system where the players can read the defense and react in the best way. One rule that pushed us to simplify our of- fensive system was the introduction of the 24-second clock. We simplified our offensive situations and our goal became to try and attack immediately after getting page 18 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine D.1 D.3
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possession of the ball. We were con- our offense. Understandably, our offensive vinced that maybe only with the very percentages went down a lot. weak teams on defense, it was possible We make great use of offensive transition, to score a basket off the first offensive the changing phase from defense to of- option. Too often, however, we are con- fense. These are not simple phases of a fronted with the correct defensive an- primary and secondary fastbreak, but an swer to our offense. That being the case, offense that is run full court with no inter- we need to notice this immediately and ruptions. Our team has to move like a come up with an instant strategy to get wave, where our players run at medium- around the defense. high speed, occupying our offensive spots Let’s take as an example of pick-and-roll and trying to get any advantage they can in transition (diagr. 1). This situation pro- before the defense is set. vokes a reaction of the defense, so as- At least 80% of the teams in Europe play suming that they don’t give up an easy transition pick-and-roll, and we did too, basket on the drive and kick out on the especially when we had Theo Papaloukas strong side, we must have the time to read as a point guard. He was so good, not only their defensive answer to this situation at finding easy shots or for his ability to get and exploit the spacing on the court and fouled, but because he could find free the timing of our passes. teammates for the open shot. Ten years ago, with the 30-second clock, The main goal of the offensive transition is many teams played the first part of their not to try for a shot on the first option, but possession without really attacking the to attack before the defense has a chance basket. We are not saying that we never to set up, making sure to get the ball mov- took a shot as the the first option of the of- ing around. fense; if there was a shot with a wide and These are the general ideas that worked free space, then we took it, but what we as a premise for all of our plays on offense. really were interested in was provoking a For us, the primary fastbreak is a clear sit- reaction and then playing accordingly, uation for outnumbering (2-on-1, 4-on-3, finding our 1-on-1 options, our passes, and for example) the defense and it starts from our movement. a recovered or stolen ball. Other times, the This is a concept we developed over the action begins from a defensive rebound or years and it always helped us, especially after an opponent’s scored basket. We when we played games when the ball was play an organized transition, changing the “heavy” (important game endings, for ex- ball side, and finally getting the ball inside ample) and when attacking a set defense to the center. became difficult, because our opponents Playing in transition is the distinguishing were ready to cover the strong points of mark of a team that plays the more inter- Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 19
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esting basketball to watch, but to play in therefore limit him and put him in possible this way it is necessary for players to un- penalty situations. By getting this player derstand basketball fundamentals and to in foul trouble, we gain another advan- have an extreme awareness of the rhythm tage while the opposition loses one. of the game. To control this kind of situa- In short, our offensive aim is not just to tion, especially when we play away from take a shot, but to find various ways to home, we play in transition. Our first goal produce even more shots. We don’t want is to give the ball to the center after pen- to take a shot that the defense wants us etrating inside the defense. In this way, to take. Rather, we want to take advan- we create a situation where the defense tage of our offense, keep the players must react and where we now have a moving on the court, and increase scor- precise rhythm for our offense after the ing opportunities with several passes. D.8 ball has gone inside. In our practice sessions, we stress the With the ball in the low post, teammates great importance of being able to pass typically stop and see what happens. This and receive the ball. This has always short moment of pause determines the been our job. When we were at Virtus correct timing of the action next to come. Bologna (Italy), with Ginobili and Jaric, We carefully took the statistic of how we worked a lot on passing: When and many times we bring the ball into the how to pass the ball was a primary goal heart of the defense (diagr. 2), either with and we quickly saw that it helped improve a pass or a dribble penetration. our game. We worked on passing into the For our offensive rhythm, it is critical that center playing in the low post. We taught the ball find its way to our inside player. our players how to get the ball in that Playing the ball only on the perimeter delicate situation, and how to reverse the creates a lot of difficulties for our offense ball side. Getting back to what we were D.9 and, as a result, it becomes harder to win saying at the beginning, the play itself is games. On the other hand, getting the ball not the important thing. Rather, it’s how inside gives us balance and allows us to players react to the defense and make attack the heart of the defense, where use of the fundamentals at particular we know that the opposing teams have a parts of the game. defensive organization ready to counter- Players must understand what needs to act. Therefore, we must be ready to play be done after the defense gets to work. against this reaction in order to take an They need to know what happens when advantage and get an uncontested shot the center is double teamed, how to move at the basket. off the pick-and-roll, and how to position Over the years, we realized that we must themselves in order to attack the weak aim to have at least 20 shots coming from points of their opponents. This is not an these low-post situations. Moreover, in immediate process, but something that is the initial phases of the games where the built gradually as the young players learn D.10 referees are very demanding, our power- the game. They must come to learn that at ful inside game causes many of the op- every ball possession,we must produce ball to the player who has cut. This allows posing big men to get into early foul something, whether it be through a series the second big man to take his place. trouble. This limits their time on the court of well-executed passes, or by reading a Moving this way is not only important for and we look to take advantage of that. mismatch on the court and quickly ex- providing the most scoring options but al- Losing a defensive big man or two early ploiting it. so causes the defense to become unbal- in the game frees us to make more pene- Our teams are known for getting the ball anced against a quick reverse on the ball trations to the basket. into the low post. Here is a typical situa- side. The fundamental thing is the timing Another goal of our offense is to attack tion where we make use of a screen. (di- of all this action. The player who sets the their best scorers. We want that their agr. 3). Whoever is at the top of the key screen must be able to use all the neces- best scorer working hard on defense to must clear out after having passed the sary fundamentals in order to take a good page 20 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine position inside the area. Let’s review the initial setup (diagr. 4). With the ball going to the wing, and with the low post strong- ly guarded by his defender, the first thing we can do is drive aggressively to the baseline. Seeing this, 5 will react by seal- ing his defender with a “self screen,” while one of our shooters will go to the corner on the weak side. This is a valid rule for all the spacings in all the offen- sive plays we use. Whoever reaches the top of the key will then “shadow.” This D.11 D.12 means that he will go behind the team-
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mate who has penetrated and the other player on the weak side will open the passing lane to punish the defender who is trying to help out on this penetration. The player with the ball must beat the pressure by driving aggressively to the basket. If, on the other hand, the defender on the ball contains the drive, and the defender on the post is behind, and the defender at the top of the key then float down, we use the offensive triangle to get the ball to the D.15 D.19 low post (diagr. 5). On the pass from the wing to the top of the key, and with the defender of the post who jams inside the area, we can bring the ball back into the area while the post goes in- side the area to “steal” space for a deeper reception (diagr. 6). We use the same rules and principles for another offensive situation where we have double exits. This has become one of our most effective offense sets. The first goal is to move our players on the perimeter and then use the center. This causes the defense to move and then we react to D.16 D.20 their reaction (diagr. 7). We could have Langdon, our shooting guard, come off the screens (diagr. 8), but we often used Siskauskas, the forward, as a cutter, be- cause he was very good on coming back from the first screen (diagr. 9). Let’s go back to the example of Langdon, who cuts and comes out on the wing, on the left side of our offense. When Langdon receives the ball on he wing, the forward, 4, makes a flash cut to the high post, while 1 clears to the corner on the weak side. However, if the guard, 2, makes a curl on D.17 D.21 the screen on the left, and receives the ball on the elbow, 4 will clear in the corner of the weak side (diagr. 10). on the first screen of 4 for 2, X2 defends shown in diagram 13. As you see, we are In the first case, 2 will try to shoot or play high on him, then 4 will screen in order to taking advantage of situations that offer with the center. In the case of the curl, 5 help the low cut of 2 (diagr. 11). Alterna- dynamic 1-on-1 plays. That is one of the will go to the mid-post position. Then, we tively, 4 will screen to help the high cut fundamental points of our offense. will continue on playing to maintain the into the area of the teammate (diagr. 12). In our system, 4 must be a player with a advantage, but everything starts from the When 2 receives the ball, he can shoot or great knowledge of the game, and he fact that the two big men have played well drive to the basket. In this particular case, helps the point guard, 1, in deciding the in the spaces. if 2 drives to the middle, on the eventual construction of the offensive game. Pay attention to the fact that we always help of X5 with 5, who is not a good shoot- Let’s look at the application of the same play by reading what the defense does! If, er from the perimeter, we will move as concepts with another setup we often page 22 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine D.22 D.23 D.24
used when 4 was already positioned at the top of the key. With the ball on the left, 1 passes to 4 (di- agr. 14), and, while the ball is in the air, 5 sets a horizontal screen for 3, who makes a hard cut to the basket. 5, immediately after the screen, moves to open an effec- tive second passing line. Don’t forget we are always talking of creating possibilities for getting the ball to the center. Let’s look now at the case where 3 passes the ball to 5 (diagr. 15). The center must not immediately put the ball on the floor, except if he sees that there is an immedi- ate advantage for him to beat his defend- er. However, if X5 is behind his back, 5 must play with great calm and look for a free teammate to pass the ball. For this reason, his teammates will move on the perimeter to get the ball back from him so he doesn’t always have the burden of go- ing 1-on-1 with his defender. First, we will have a hard cut of 2 from the weak side, and, if the defense floats and jams the area, it will be possible to pass the ball to 1, who gets free, using the screen of 4 (diagr. 16). The cut of 2 has to be deep, because just in the final phase of the cut we will have more chances to pass the ball. The important thing in all the action is the timing, especially with 5 and 2, who must avoid attacking the same space at the same time (diagr. 17). 5 quickly gets the ball, 2 cuts hard, and 1 moves. After a moment (one second), if we haven’t found free passes, because the defense is tightly covering our play- ers, then it will be the moment for 5 to at- tack, putting the ball on the floor with his teammates now well spaced and away from him. It’s clear that the defense will counteract our movements. 3, after having passed the ball, must fake as if he were moving to- wards the middle, and then cut hard to the corner. He cannot go towards the middle because X2 could easily double-team the ball. However, on the cut of 2, the defense can react with a “bump” of X2 that will effec- tively stop the cut by pushing 2 to the mid- Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 23
coaches - offense dle of the area where X4 jams. At the same time, X1 will go to the midline of the lane so that X4 will guard the initial part of the cut, with X1 taking over for the final part (diagr. 18). When 1 cuts, X2 is already ready to anticipate him. This is a classic adjustment against this offensive play, and is an anticipated and aggressive switch. What is our rule when we face this defen- sive switch? We make a “cage” for 1 with 2 (who does not cut) and 4. 5 can kick out the ball to 1 (diagr. 19). This is a collabora- D.25 D.28 tion that must take place very quickly. Thus, when the defense makes its switch- es, 2 plays 1-on-1 against his defender. After the screen, 3 and 4 will also be open to offer two more passing lines. The idea is not to play in the way the defense wants us to. We have to force other situations to occur that will give us the advantage in the offensive game. Let’s assume that the defense decides to immediately double team 5 just as he gets the ball, with X4. 5 will react by squaring up to the basket, while 4 will cut hard to D.26 D.29 the basket to receive the ball from 5 and shoot (diagr. 20). If the defense moves to the weak side, “zoning” inside the area to steal space, it’s obvious that 4’s cut will no longer be effective. However, 4 can make a screen for setting 1 free, or else he can fake the cut and go back to his initial posi- tion to receive a pass from 5 for an easy shot (diagr. 21). Finally, if 4 calls for the ball and X2 quickly goes to contest the passing lane, there will be more space for the cut of 2 into the lane. These are situations that, as you can see, do not need to in- D.27 D.30 volve the players on the weak side. But, by simply getting the ball to the low post, we make the defensive reads doesn't start and-roll between 5 and 1 (diagr. 25). drives to the middle, 5 will cut along the immediatly. 5 still has other options on the weak side baseline into the lane, 2 will always go to If the double-team of X4 is made when 4 (diagr. 26) for 1. After the screen, 5 will cut the corner, and 4 to the wing on the weak screens for 1 (diagr. 22), then we react by hard into the lane, and just after that, re- side (diagr. 30). sending 4 to move to the weak side and specting our timing rules, it will be the mo- We have shown what to do using the low get the ball from 5. ment for 4 to put the ball on the floor and post and the need to apply simple princi- Often, defenses mix and hide their moves, attack the basket. Remember that we nev- ples of spacing and timing when reading and this requires that our players be skilled er want two players attacking the same the various defenses. The key is to be flex- in reading and immediately reacting to space at the same time! ible and quick to change, depending on what the defense presents. On the pass of 4 to the weak side, 5 steals what the defense does. Maintain proper Let’s see what we do if we have 4 in low space by offensively “boxing out” X5 (di- spacing and play-pick-and roll as needed. post and 5 at the top of the key (diagr. 23). agr. 27). As a final note, remember that the skills With the ball in the low post, 5 will always These spacing rules also must be used your players need to develop concern the go up beyond the free-throw line. If he re- when we play a post-up with a perimeter proper utilization of timing and spacing. ceives the ball from 4, very often 5, who player. With the ball with 3, 4 in high post, You can help by working hard in practice may not be a good long-distance shooter, and 5 in low post, we will not make cuts with simple situations like 2-on-0 and 3-on- will refuse to shoot. X5, knowing this, will from the weak side, because cutting 0 and then bringing in more complex situa- stay inside the three-second lane. But 5 against a bigger player (diagr. 28) would tions. By having your players see and can still be dangerous up high and punish not make any sense. This is different than practice against these defensive situa- this this defensive situation by making a the previous situation when 5 had the ball. tions, and learning all the various solutions hand-off with 2 (diagr. 24). Now, X5 is on the help side. There are two to them, when it finally comes to game However, if 2 is guarded aggressively by logical things to do: if 3 drives to the base- day, you can be confident that they will be X2, then we will have the cut of 2, the pass line, 5 cuts into the lane and 2 goes to the ready for everything that the defense has to 1, who replaces him, and then a pick- corner (diagr. 29). On the other hand, if 3 to offer. page 24 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
COACHES - offense Weak side offense
Neven Spahija He started his coaching career in Sibe- nia). He stayed in Slovenia as assistant cabi (Israel), Tau Vitoria (Spain) all for nik (Croatia). At 22 years old he was coach of the Senior team until early 2000, one season. Since november 2008 he's coaching the Junior teams, then in 1986 when he became head coach of Cibona been the coach of Valencia. He won 2 became the assistant coach of the senior Zagreb, where he stayed until november Croatian titles (2000 and 2001), coached team. He moved in 1992 to Zrinjevac Za- 2001. Then he was hired by Krka Novo the Croatian Under 21 natioanl team at greb (Croatia), where he was coaching Mesto (Slovenia), where he stayed until the 2001 FIBA World Championships and the Junior teams and was assistant 2003. He moved to Avtodor Saratov (Rus- the senior national team at Eurobasket coach of the senior team. In 1996 he be- sia), then he was in Roseto from January 2003 and 2005. He was ULEB Cup's run- came head coach of Pula, then of the 2004 to the end of 2005 season. Then, he ner up in 2003, won the 2006 Baltic Junior team of Olimpia Ljubljana (Slove- coached Lietuvos rytas (Lithuania), Mac- League, he won the Israelian league in
page 26 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine 2007, played the Eurolague Final Four and won the Spanish championship in Weak side offense 2008. From the offensive standpoint, one of the major concerns of each and every one of us in the coaching profession is how to mix up our attack. How do we even out our inside and outside offensive attack to upset the defense? Each good offensive team should have a solid offensive arse- nal from the outside, as well as the in- side. In this article, I will focus on the inside attack, particularly the off-ball movement when the ball gets to the low post. There are several very important aspects that we have to focus on when
discussing the low-post attack. First, who ball into our big man hands, this is when is going to get the ball in the low post? the action begins! I would like to point The obvious option is to get the ball to our out four main aspects of the game that most dominant player in the back-to-the- have to be satisfied at this moment. First, basket situations. Let’s say we gave him if our big man is so dominant or the de- the ball down low without using any extra fense so poor, or a combination of both, screens (screen on the baseline of a then we expect to score easy baskets, small for a big player, for instance). Our and many of them (diagr. 2). player runs down the court, fights for his Unfortunately, this scenario doesn't hap- position on the low block, and then gets pen so often, because either we are fac- the ball. (diagr. 1). ing good defensive players or the Most teams get into the serious problems opposing team has prepared for our in- when this happens, because they stop side attack and they start helping out, ro- playing at this point, if just for a few sec- tating towards the ball and doing other onds. But, in that short span, the offense things to make life very difficult for our comes to a standstill as the four other big man (diagr. 3). players stand around and watch, waiting The second aspect we have to focus on for the big man to make his move. To the is having the players cutting, moving and contrary, at the moment when we put the playing without the ball. This is a critical Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 27
COACHES - ofFENSEoffense
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D.3 aspect to your team’s success for several reasons. The primary reason why we in- sist on cutting is improvement in our of- fensive spacing. Second, it always forces the defense to think about helping, which automatically keeps them off balance. The first cut that has to happen is a cut on the ball made by the passer (diagr. 4). This cut is important because we can ei- ther score an easy basket (which is al- ways the goal) and second, as I already mentioned, it keeps the defense off bal- ance. The man that is guarding the passer is not in position to help or double team the big man with the ball in the low post. Therefore, at the moment of the cut, the man at the opposite corner has to slide up in order to improve team spacing (diagr. 5). There are two other cuts that are possi- ble. The first is a “duck-in move” by 4, and this is made if the defense reacts poorly, helps too much, or just falls asleep and doesn’t react (diagr. 6). page 28 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine D.4 D.7
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“suspect” calls. Let’s look at the screens that will help your offense. The first is a screen 4 can make on 2, who is making the cut on the ball (diagr. 9). This is a “quick hit” solu- tion to get a good shot off in case the de- fense is overplaying or else just not looking. In case that we don’t choose that option, 2 can always set a side screen on 4 (diagr. 10), after he makes the initial cut on the ball. This can be especially effec- tive if 4 is a good three-point shooter. Finally, 4 can set a back screen on 1 out on top, and then make a pop move to the top, and receive the pass from 5. The first option here would be a shot, but a sec- ond option would be a pass after a cut that 1 makes to the opposite corner fol- lowing the screen he received from 5 on the low block (diagr. 11 e 12). The fourth and final aspect that needs to be covered is team spacing. This is some- thing that I insist on with every offense the team runs. By keeping the five play- ers spread out on the court, the offense runs smoother and we will have many more options in our offensive arsenal that will allow us to score many easy points. I am a great believer in the multiple at- tack offense, but it takes a lot of practice The second cut is more of a slide motion There are two factors that need to be to make it work. Work on the little things I that is made to improve the passing angle mentioned while discussing this topic. have discussed. In the end, it’s the good by 4 to create an open shot from the high- The first is the screening angle, and the solid cuts, good timing of the screens, post area. This occurs after the big man second is the necessity to set solid—not and moving and playing without the ball has made a hard dribble to the middle moving—screens, because if you move, that will prove to be the crucial parts of (diagr. 7). it leaves room for referees to make many your successful offensive machinery. These cutting segments are very impor- tant and have to be practiced regularly with a variety of drills in order to make the offensive flow much more effectively and increase our options. The third cru- cial aspect in this segment of the game is off-ball screening, an often forgotten or little emphasized aspect of the game. I have found that by using off-ball screens we are allow our shooters to get open in a more effective way. In addition, we force the defense to either switch (the best scenario for them in this case) or get D.11 D.12 caught in the blind screen (diagr. 8). page 30 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
COACHES - hoop market Drills From by Raffaele Imbrogno Around the World
Raffaele Imbrogno has been coaching since 1980. He is an Instructor for the In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and other tools that are Italian National Coaches Committee of primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly useful for all of our readers. Please send the Federation and has been Director of your suggestions and comments about our basketball-related media for review in the Italian Basketball Federation Study this section. Center. Imbrogno is also the author of several technical basketball publica- coach a local team in his home town of tions. Cremona, the picturesque city that sits on the banks of the Po River in northen Italy. In the basketball world, coaches should “The Complete Book of Offensive Bas- always try to find new solutions and ketball Drills” is, as the title says, com- methods, because as the Scottish tradi- plete. Packed within its covers are 272 tional saying goes: “A rolling stone gath- pages of innovative drills that the most ers no moss.” In basketball this means famous coaches in the world have used that if you keep doing the same things to build their offensive strategies. The over and over with your team, your play- 150 drills Gandolfi has selected from the ers will become bored and teams will world’s masters for his book are all well soon have no trouble defeating your explained and nicely illustrated, and of- players. fer the first-time coach, as well as the Surely, our Editor-in-Chief, Giorgio Gan- veteran, plenty of workout ideas for their dolfi, is a person who never stops mov- teams. ing in his never-ending quest to better In 13 chapters, Gandolfi provides basic understand the game of basketball. Af- footwork and cut drills, ball handing ter having just recently published “NBA drills, dribbling drills, shooting drills, Coaches Playbook: Techniques, Tactics passing drills, as well as drills for perim- and Teaching Points” with publisher Hu- time around his publisher is McGraw- eter and inside players. There are also man Kinetics in the United States, he Hill, one of the most prestigious publish- chapters on proper court spacing, set- has come out with another book, his ing houses, and one that, surprisingly ting screens, running the fast break, and fourth to be published in the land of the specializes in books about big business drill for rebounding. National Basketball Association. This and science. Sometimes, however, they Gandolfi ends his excellent book with bring out books about sports. the top international coaches offering This time Gandolfi’s focus is on the readers their favorite offensive drills. changing world of basketball, from a Here you will find the drills of Ettore strictly US-centric game to one that now Messina, head coach of Real Madrid has strong international influence. You (Spain); Dirk Bauermann, head coach of see that in the subtitle of his book: “The the German National team; Sarunas Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Marciulionis, founder of the Marciulion- Drills: Game-Changing Drills from is Basketball School in Vilnius (Lithua- Around the World.” nia); Sergio Scariolo, head coach of the Gandolfi certainly knows his basketball, Spanish National team, and winner of and not only in Italy. Earlier in his career 2009 FIBA Euro Basket and of Khimki he organized basketball camps and clin- Moscow (Russia); Dusan Ivkovic, head ics for players and coaches for the coach of the Serbian National team, and sneaker company, Converse. These Jose Vicente “Pepu” Hernandez, former popular gatherings were held not only coach of the 2006 world champion Span- throughout Europe, but also in South ish National team. America and China. In addition to at- My advice: If you want one book that tending dozens of coaching clinics in has all the drills you need to try to help the U.S. over the span of three decades improve the offensive skills of your play- that were organized or attended by a ers and team, Gandolfi’s “The Complete Who’s Who of Hall of Fame basketball Book of Offensive Basketball Drills” is coaches, Gandolfi also found time to the one to get. page 32 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
referees and game administration Eight qualities
by Richard Stokes of a great referee Richard Stokes became a FIBA referee in 1993 when he was 25. He officiated in all European competitions until 2005 when he joined FIBA Europe’s Competi- tions and Referee Department and is currently an instructor and clinician in Europe.
There is no doubt that Europe currently has some of best referees in the world and that is reflected by the nominations that they receive on a global level. The strong club and national team competi- tions demand the best job from our team of referee’s week in week out. Since join- ing FIBA Europe in 2005, I have had the opportunity to witness at first hand the different personalities, styles and quali- ties that exist within our team of officials. Everyone has their own personality and it is important and sometimes necessary that the personality of the referee be seen on the court. However, the focus of the game should always be the competi- tors. The officials should never be in the spotlight or be the focus of the game. When looking at the top officials that ex- ist in Europe, they will probably all possess the following qualities.
Integrity A great referee is a guardian of honesty in each basketball competition. The ref- eree must of course maintain a complete absence of bias. Nowadays we have seen that sports managers, coaches and now even referees in other sports such as soccer have been involved in illegal activities. However, in general, referees are rarely accused of any kind of dishon- est or deceitful conduct. If you aspire to be a great referee, you must never put yourself in a position where your integri- ty could be questioned. It can take many years to build up an image of high in in- tegrity; however, it may take only one action or mistake to destroy that image. If there is ever any possibility of a con- flict of interest, never put yourself in that position or, if there is any chance that page 34 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine your integrity can be questioned through shape, to keep pace with the game for throughout the season or even during an action, don’t do it. all four quarters. Games can be decided the tournament in different forms. Refe- in the last quarter or of course even in rees should of course work in the Eight qualities Physical fitness the final seconds. It is really impossible off-season to be in shape, and continue It has long been recognized and proven, for a referee to make mistakes at the end this work whilst they are also officiating that there is a direct connection between of the contest, which may affect the out- throughout the season. in shape for offi- your physical condition and your mental come of the game. Your fitness will have ciating; don’t use officiating to get in state. If you become physically tired dur- at some stage, a direct effect on how shape, or to stay in shape! of a great ing, or especially towards the end of a you perform in a game whether the ef- game, then your level of concentration fect is good or bad, will depend on the Hustle will also suffer, or decline. The modern investment an official has made in his fit- Officiating is game of angles, positioning professional players are in great shape ness. Nowadays, the preparation and and movement. This is true for the play- referee and so the referee must also be in good training that should take place continues ers and should also therefore be the same for the referees. Hustle describes this movement to a position on the court. There is no connection to speed and meaningless motion. Being quick and running a lot does not necessarily make you a good official. Every great referee moves efficiently to be in the right place at the right time in order to see the spac- es between the players. It’s the only way to see the whole play, from the best an- gle, to see the spaces means that you can also make good decisions on the re- sponsibility for contact and then have a good chance to make the correct deci- sion. Hustle also means that your movement in dead ball situations such as moving to the table to a new position, should not be done whilst walking. Move efficiently and with a purpose and keep the game moving with your hustle.
Judgement Great judgment can be a result of effort and experience. Few officials are born with it and many have to work hard at it. Therefore, it can also be described as an instinctive ability to apply the principals of advantage/disadvantage. When you see a play, in almost every case, if there is no advantage gained and if no player has been put at a disadvantage, there should be no call. Simply put: “Don’t stop the music.”
Communication This really means, “Can you deal with people?“ Can you deal with coaches, players and even co-officials during the game? Communication can be accom- plished in many ways and in most cases the situation will dictate your appropri- ate response. Sometimes a simple response to the question, a one word answer, or even a look can communicate effectively what is needed at a particular time. Saying the right thing to the right person at the right time can help one avoid potential problems in a game. Communication is also the knowledge of when it is best not to say anything - or to be quiet! When communicating, treat
Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 35
referees and game administration
use of good criteria, will help your game control and management.
Courage Regardless of the situation, personalities involved, pressures from the crowd, me- dia or possible repercussions, great referees place fairness above all other concerns. They act courageously and according to the dictates of that value. Have the courage of your convictions? Or have you got the strength (or guts!), for tough, but fair decisions.
Common Sense Of all the qualities a referee must pos- sess, common sense is the most important. That which is fair and right should always take precedence in every contest. Common sense ensures that fairness, understanding, and the best in- terests of the game are foremost in the mind of the referee. If you truly under- stand the spirit and the intent of the rules, common sense will guide you well. Plenty of game situations develop that are not specifically covered by rules or mechanics. That’s when common sense must take over. What is fair or what is right, is what should be done. Common sense goes hand in hand with Communi- cation and dealing with coaches and players. It helps determine how to han- dle a tough situation and for example, whether a technical foul should or should not be called. This last point is perhaps the non-written factor in officiating that is most impor- tant. It is not in a rule book, a manual or even available in a shop. But it is about thinking calmly and logically about what is right for the game and the partici- pants.
Summary Of course there may be other factors that determine people’s opinions on whether a referee is good, such as pres- entation or appearance, or even the language that is spoken. These attributes probably will not have a direct affect on people as you would wish to be treated takes. Everyone has difficulty at some how the game is managed, although yourself. time with consistency, but the great ref- there may help of hinder to create a good erees are relentless in their judgment. first impression. The participants will Consistency The great officials see and call a game make judgments of the management of This is what every coach wants and your better than their colleagues because the game, the ability of the referee to un- almost always hear it from the sideline in their feeling for game and for what is derstand and appreciate what is taking any game. Unfortunately you cannot buy right, is better. If the coaches and play- place, and also a good recognition of ex- this in a shop! Younger officials have ers believe that the official is consistent, actly what the contest means to more difficulty with consistency than any they will adjust accordingly. Inconsistent everyone involved. Without this and the other quality, mainly because they lack decisions on similar plays will create qualities mentioned here, referees will the experience to know when they are negative behavior and poor sportsman- be at a disadvantage compared to their being inconsistent. However, you only ship among players and invite criticism colleagues who are able to do so and gain experience through making mis- from coaches. Consistent officiating and have these qualities. page 36 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
referees and game administration RIGHT OR WRONG?
The following questions focus on the document, “FIBA Official Basketball Rules: Official Interpretations.” A free download is provided on the FIBA web- site (www.fiba.com). For additional clari- fications, explanations or examples, please consult this document.
1. A2 is dribbling the ball while being closely guarded in team A’s back- court. At the same time, A4 remains in the opponents’ restricted area for more than three seconds. Has A4 committed a three-second violation? 2. A7 enters the game to replace A3. Before the clock can again start fol- lowing the substitution, a technical foul is committed by A7. This is A7’s fifth player foul. The only team A sub- stitute available is A3. May A3 re-en- ter the game to replace A7? 3. A shot for a goal by A3 is on its up- ward flight when it is touched by a team B player. The ball is then on its downward flight with a reasonable chance of entering the basket when it is tapped away by B3. Has B3 com- mitted goal tending? 4. A5’s last free throw is successful. On the resulting throw-in, the ball is touched but not controlled by A4 on the playing court. Shall the game clock be started when the ball touch- es A4? 5. A shot for a goal is in the air when a double foul is committed by A2 and B2. The shot is successful. Shall play resume with an alternating posses- sion throw-in? 6. During the last two minutes of the 4th period, A2 commits a three-second violation. Team A then requests and is granted a time-out. When play re- sumes, shall the resulting throw-in of team B take place at the centre line 9. During an alternating possession extended, opposite the scorer’s ta- throw-in for team A, a violation is ANSWERS ble? committed by thrower-in A3. Team B 1. No (Art. 26.1.1) 7. A2 scores a field goal, after which is awarded a throw-in as a result of 2. Yes (Art. 19.2.4) technical fouls are committed by A4 the violation. Shall team B be entitled 3. Yes (FIBA Interpretation, Art. 31, and B4. After the fouls have been to the next alternating possession Statement 4) properly reported to the scorer, shall throw-in? 4. Yes (Art. 49.2) play resume with a team B throw-in 10. A4 is awarded two free throws. The 5. No (Art. 35.2) at the endline behind the team B bas- last free-throw is successful. After 6. No (Art. 17.2.3) ket? the last free-throw but before the ball 7. Yes (Art. 42.2.7) 8. The ball is within the basket as a re- is at the disposal of a team B player 8. No (Art. 31.2.4) sult of an A3 shot for a field goal when for the throw-in, team A requests a 9. Yes (Art. 12.4.7) A1 contacts the ball. Shall the ball be- time-out. Shall the time-out be grant- 10. Yes (Art. 18.2.4) come dead immediately? ed? Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 37
doctors, trainers and Conditioning Coaches The ten Nutrition
by Amanda Carlson Rules to Live
Director of Performance Nutrition for Athletes' Performance and Coreperfor- mance.com. A registered dietitian, earned her bachelor's degree in Nutri- tional Sciences with a minor in Chemis- try from the University of Arizona, then went on to complete a master's degree in both Sports Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Florida State University. At Athletes' Performance, she works di- rectly with the nutrition team and also coordinates research efforts to help Ath- letes' Performance stay on the cutting edge of sports science.
Nutrition is something that affects every athlete, yet every athlete eats for com- pletely different reasons. As a basketball player, putting thought behind what goes into your mouth can do wonders for health, but most importantly, perfor- mance. The thought process behind choosing the right foods or combinations of foods seems to be the most paralyzing for most athletes. There are so many dif- ferent opinions, ways of doing things, an- swers to weight loss, answers to weight gain everywhere you turn that it can be- come confusing to a point where acting on good intentions seems to halt. By no means do I want to downplay the com- plexity of nutrition, but what does all the science matter if you don’t change the way you eat? After years of working with professional athletes in a variety of sports, including basketball, we break down our methodol- ogy into “10 Rules to Live by” that can be simplified to five categories: eat clean, eat often, hydrate, recover, mindset. These five categories will allow us to as- sist our athletes in streamlining their healthy and performance eating efforts. These are not exact recommendations, but are the first steps in choosing the right foods to fuel the game you play. Come Back to Earth. This simply means to choose the least processed forms of foods, specifically carbohydrates, when page 38 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine building the majority of your meals. Typi- body’s number one fuel source, so you and red color. It all sounds so simplistic, cally the less processed the foods and want to make sure that at each meal, 50% but still the average athlete only con- the closer the food that you are eating is of what is on your plate is some type of sumes about three servings of fruits and The ten Nutrition to its natural state, the better it will be for carbohydrate while fiber helps to stabi- vegetables per day. The athlete that eats you. An easy way to do this on the carbo- lize your energy levels and give you more more fruits and vegetables gets more of hydrate side of things is to simply look at efficient forms of fuel. If you feel ener- what the body needs to speed recovery, the label and the amount of fiber that is gized, recover fully, are at a healthy per- improve energy production and help to in the product. If the product has at least formance weight, and are performing, improve the immune system. Rules to Live three grams of fiber or more per serving, you are probably eating the right amount Three for Three. Eating consistently it is a good choice. The average athlete of carbohydrate. maintains energy levels, keeps the body gets about 15 grams of fiber per day, The Less Legs the Better. Protein is a in a fed state, and prevents mood swings which is far below the recommendation critical part of the diet for the athlete, and binging. Keeping the body fueled will of 25-35g per day. Carbohydrate is your specifically the type and the amount. prevent extreme hunger, which will make When focusing in on the type of protein, healthier food selection easier. Combin- typically the less legs the animal has be- ing the three main nutrients (carbohy- fore you actually consume it, the better drates, protein, fat) every three hours the source. Fish, turkey, and chicken rank (hence the three for three) will keep you high. You need to be more selective with fueled and keep you on track. Planning dairy, red meat, and pork products. Low- out meals and snacks ahead of time will fat dairy, lean cuts of pork and beef, and ensure that you stick with your fueling grass fed four legged animals are best. regimen. Keeping healthy snacks, bars, As a basketball player, you are at the high and ready to drink meal replacements end of protein needs. You want to con- with you at all times will ensure you have sume about 0.8 – 1.0g of protein per fuel on hand to keep you going. pound that you weigh. Protein keeps your Eat Breakfast Everyday. There is a lot of metabolism going strong, can help to in- debate on why this is important, but I still crease the satiety of meals, helps the believe that eating breakfast everyday is body maintain muscle, and should be in- critical and find it to be an absent habit cluded as part of your recovery meal or for most of us. “There isn’t enough time,” snack. Splitting the total protein intake “I’m not hungry in the morning,” and “it’s over the course of the day by including too complicated” are common phrases I some in each meal will help to ensure ab- hear. Breakfast does not have to be buck- sorption and utilization. wheat pancakes and an egg white om- Eat Fats That Give Something Back. Di- elet. Breakfast could be a blend of yogurt, ets too low in fat can be detrimental to high fiber cereal, a scoop whey protein, basketball players; however, diets too and frozen berries mixed together or sim- high in fat (as with anything) will lead to ply whole wheat toast, peanut butter, and increased fat accumulation. It is recom- a banana. Eating breakfast will give the mended that 20 – 30% of the total calories body the fuel it needs, jumpstart the me- come from fat. The best types of fats to tabolism, and set you up to consume the include are raw nuts, seeds, olive oil, nut number of calories they should be eating butters, and fatty fish. The forgotten fats throughout the day. in the US are the essential fatty acids, Hydrate. Dehydration = Decreased per- specifically the omega-3 fatty acids. formance. You should have the goal of These fatty acids help with decreasing drinking while training and playing to pre- inflammation and due to their essential vent a 2% loss in fluid and an extreme nature, must come from the diet. Those disruption of electrolyte balance. To do who do not consume fish 2-3 times per this you need to ensure that you are hy- week may want to consider supplement- drated before you step onto the court or ing with fish oil. into a training session. A case study per- Eat a Rainbow Often. The vitamins and formed at Athletes’ Performance in 2008 minerals that our body’s need naturally found 98% of our athletes to be dehydrat- come from the foods that we eat, ed prior to their am training session. specifically fruits and vegetables. Eating When you think of hydration you need to a variety of fruits and vegetables in a think of it in terms of all day and during multitude of colors will help to ensure training. We recommend drinking ½ oz to that you are getting the variety of nutri- 1 oz per pound of body weight per day. ents that you need. Some of the best Fluids should consist of primarily water fruits are blueberries, blackberries, rasp- and other naturally low or non caloric berries, strawberries, granny smith ap- beverages, followed by 100% fruit juices ples, sweet cherries, and black plums. (depending upon calorie requirements). The best vegetables are to reach for are In order to prevent dehydration during stewed tomatoes, dark leafy greens, and excercise, you should create an individu- anything that is rich in yellow, orange, al approach to minimizing fluid loss dur- Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 39
doctors, trainers and Conditioning Coaches more protein you need) and at least 2 times the amount of carbohydrate in re- lation to protein. So, if you have a shake with 25 g of protein you need to make sure you get 50-75g of carbs with it. By consuming this snack, meal, shake, or bar that hits your protein and carbohy- drate requirements as quickly as possible after training, fuel repletion, muscle mass gains, performance at your next session or game and immune function will be op- timized. Supplement Wisely. There are so many supplements on the market that it be- comes difficult to decipher which ones are needed. Supplements should “com- pliment” what you are currently eating and how you are training and a mentality of food first supplement second should be employed; however, there are a num- ber of situations that warrant a basic supplementation protocol. For example, athletes who do not get the recommend- ed three servings of fatty fish per week should consider supplementing with an Essential Fatty Acid supplement. Those who do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables should be taking a multi-vitamin. Supplements that reach beyond that scope can be taken, but should be chosen only after an evalua- tion with a doctor and dietitian. When choosing any supplement, make sure that it has a Good Manufacturing Prac- tice and is certified to be banned sub- stance free. Get Back in the Kitchen. In a world of convenience, travel, and life on the go, we turn to restaurants, fast food, and “quick” food for our nourishment. Res- taurants, regardless of the type, do not take into consideration your calorie needs or your health when deciding upon their menu. Eating out is tricky as the ma- jority of items are oversized and have significantly more fat and calories than similar dishes made at home. At the end of the day, if you really want to maximize ing training by weighing in and out of or snack. As a basketball player, this is your body composition, hit your nutrient sessions and tracking how much fluid is hands down your most important meal of and calorie goals, and just eat cleaner, consumed. A general place to start is to the day. The mindset of many still in- you or a personal chef who is fully aware drink 17 – 20 oz prior to exercise, 7 – 10 volves a hesitation to consume calories of your needs and goals are your best al- oz every 10 – 20 minutes during exercise, after just burning them. In order to opti- ly. The more you can prepare your own and 17 – 24 oz for each pound lost during mize the benefits of a training session food, the more control you will have in exercise. During times of intense activity, and jumpstart recovery for maximal the nourishment of your body. extreme temperatures, and long dura- gains, it is critical to consume a post When it comes down to nutrition, there is tion, a carbohydrate electrolyte bever- workout recovery meal that blends both not one answer, one magic pill, one sup- age is optimal in addition to water carbohydrate and protein as quickly as plement, or one tip that will give you the because it is imperative to replace fuel you can after training, playing or practic- results you are looking for. It involves and the fluid and salts lost from sweat. ing. It is important to get this meal, shake taking the 10 tips above, creating “Per- Don’t Waste your Workout. Even with the or bar within 45 minutes after stopping fect Days”, and mastering the consisten- abundance of research available on the your activity. This recovery meal should cy of implementing the strategies listed benefits of post workout nutrition, I still contain around 25-45 g of protein (de- above into daily life until it becomes a see athletes skipping the recovery meal pending on size, the bigger you are the habit. So, how are you doing? page 40 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
doctors, trainers and Conditioning Coaches Being Strong by Alan Stein When It Counts
Alan Stein is the former co-owner of Elite severity of injury. Basketball is very physi- areas: ankles, knees, groin, lower back, Athlete Training Systems, Inc. and the cally. Making the muscles, ligaments, and and hands. Your goal as a coach should be Head Strength & Conditioning coach for tendons of the body stronger will lessen to minimize risk within the training atmo- the nationally renowned Montrose Chris- the occurrence and/or severity of an injury sphere. You should only use the safest tian Mustangs boy’s basketball program. (such as a pulled groin or rolled ankle), exercises available, and do your best to Alan brings a wealth of valuable experi- and keep your players on the court. Fur- make sure that all workouts are properly ence to his training arsenal after years of ther, you will improve their performance supervised. Players should always per- extensive work with elite high school, on the court. fect exercise technique and form prior to college, and NBA players. He is a sought The stronger your player is the more force utilizing additional resistance or weight. after lecturer at basketball camps across they can produce; the more force they can the country and is regularly featured in produce, the higher they can jump and the Additionally, players should perform every publications such as the Winning Hoops, faster they can run. most importantly, movement in a slow, controlled, and delib- Time Out, Dime, American Basketball strength is an attribute that can quickly di- erate fashion, with special emphasis fo- Quarterly, Stack, and Men’s Health. minish. In as little as 3 weeks your players cused on the lower portion of each lift. may have a noticeable decrease in Lastly, your players should work within an Your effort and dedication as a coach, strength. That means every week that appropriate repetition range (8-15 reps for combined with the information in this arti- goes by, your team is getting weaker. most high school and college athletes) cle, will help you implement a sound and Come playoff time your team will be physi- and avoid maxing out (seeing how much productive in season strength training pro- cally at their weakest when you need them weight can be lifted in one repetition), as gram. In order for your team to reach its at their strongest! these practices can be very dangerous. true potential on the basketball court, they Time is a precious commodity for both you player must maintain the strength they built “It is better to look ahead and prepare and your players, especially during the throughout the entire off season. than to look back and regret.” season. As obvious as it sounds, strength training There are as many different strength train- is still a greatly underestimated aspect of ing methodologies as there are ways to Therefore, the goal of your in season preparation in many programs and often a run a full court press or a fast break. Re- strength program should be to get the best much neglected component during the ac- gardless of what you choose, safety, time results possible in the shortest amount of tual playing season. efficiency, and intensity should be the time. You should use a limited number of Just remember, your players are not olym- backbone of your strength training philos- sets and exercises during each workout pic lifters, power lifters, or bodybuilders, ophy. Your main focus during the season (1-2 sets per exercise), while minimizing so they need not train that way. A safe, should be to maintain (if not improve) each rest intervals (very little rest in between time efficient and productive in season player’s overall muscular size and strength. sets) to induce an overall conditioning ef- program can take as little as 20 minutes Your in season program should address fect. This will make each workout brief, twice a week! their major muscle groups (legs, hips, but intense! The primary purpose of a strength training- core, and upper torso) as well as paying Intensity is the most important controllable program is to reduce the occurrence and special attention to the most injury prone factor in determining the results for your
page 42 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine players. Below a certain level of intensity, strength training will have very little bene- fit. I define intensity as the level of effort Being Strong exerted by the individual being trained. If a player is capable of lifting 100 pounds 15 times and they stop at 10, the exercise was clearly not as intense as it could have been. Therefore, it is recommended that When It Counts each set is taken to the point of momentary muscular fatigue - the point at which no additional reps can be completed.
As you can see, there is not much differ- ence between your off season strength training philosophy and your in season phi- losophy, with the exception of the volume. Given your players will be practicing and playing almost every day (at high levels of intensity) and will be in a constant state of fatigue from November to March, it is rec- ommended you decrease the volume of each workout to reduce the overall wear center of all movement, which means core require no equipment, can be done any- and tear on their bodies. Do fewer sets and training is extremely important for basket- where (which is great when your team is less total exercises, especially for the low- ball players. traveling), encourage communication er body. A strong core may help prevent hip and among players, and are a very effective lower back injuries (which are especially way to build and maintain strength. While you certainly want your program to common among taller players). If a player Manual resistance exercises are strength have balance, and work all muscle groups, performs a basketball push-up, he not only training exercises in which a partner or the core is extremely important to staying strengthens the chest, shoulders, and tri- coach applies the resistance instead of injury free and performing well on the ceps, but is a great core exercise too! using weight, such as traditional barbell, court. The core consists of the abdominals, Manual resistance exercises are a fantas- dumbbell, or machine. It is important to low back, oblique’s, and hips, and is the tic tool to use during the season, as they make sure that you and each member of your team understands the concept of manual resis- tance, so that the exercises are as productive as possi- ble. Further, it is important that your team performs these exercises correctly, learn- ing to apply resistance evenly throughout the en- tire range of motion, and making sure that there is resistance on both the posi- tive and negative portion of exercises. The responsibilities of the lifter include Sample In Season Strength Training Workout: performing slow and controlled repeti- tions, pausing at full contraction, and giv- Basketball push-ups Forward & lateral lunge ing constant tension through a full range of motion. Pull-ups 1 legged DB squat More specifically, this means that they Manual resistance lateral raise 1 legged leg curl on physio ball need to “push or pull” against the tension DB standing shoulder press Manual resistance hip adduction the spotter provides on the positive part of (groin) the movement and “resist” against the tension on the negative portion. Manual resistance rear deltoid 1 legged DB calf raise Seated row Basketball plank hold (core) A common mistake many players make is Dips Basketball woodchoppers (core) not resisting during the negative of exer- Barbell curl cises. The responsibilities of the spotter include applying variable resistance Plate pinchers (grip) through the entire range of motion and making sure the lifter keeps good posture. Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 43 news Hall of Fame inductee Gonzalez reflects on past, one-on-one looks at the present Argentina have a rich history when it ketball team of Argentina now and bas- comes to international basketball. One ketball as a whole in the country? conversation with Ricardo Gonzalez, who was last week inducted into the FI- ricardo gonzales: There were many BA Hall of Fame, makes that very evi- players that weren’t able to take part in dent. the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship in A guard on the national team that won Puerto Rico. Of our top 10 players, the the inaugural FIBA World Championship only one able to join the team was Luis in Argentina 59 years ago, Gonzalez had Scola. The others weren’t able to come, some interesting thoughts on basketball for various reasons which I don’t under- as it was when he played, and as it is stand because of the clubs – (Manu) Gi- now. He spoke to Cindy Garcia from FI- nobili is coming off an injury, (Andres) BA. Nocioni was struggling. Fortunately, we were able to qualify (for the 2010 FIBA fiba: You must be thrilled to have been in- World Championship). I had the hope that ducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. if we hadn’t qualified that the host coun- try (Turkey) would actually invite Argenti- ricardo gonzales: Many years have gone na to the World Championship based on by and it’s very gratifying and I feel ex- our recent good results. But instead now, tremely happy. we are calm because we have qualified. The players that we had in that team were fiba: Ricardo, you had many successes good, perhaps not as good as the ones you playing career. Is there one specific that weren’t there. But they were good. achievement that stands out? being able to do what they love doing. The It’s a good team. It’s a little bit like the players are happy and they are good boys. Spanish national team. You might be miss- ricardo gonzales: The World Champion- They all do a lot for the youth. They create ing one or two players and the team might ship in 1950. Many of my teammates are foundations. They are able to take chil- feel their absence, but they always man- still alive and we still manage to see each dren that are on the streets to attract them other. That was the most important. There to the sport. But, I think that is the most are others, to have gone to the (1948) fulfilling thing because money comes and Olympics in London and to (1952) Helsinki goes. To be able to give a chance to chil- where we finished fourth - it was also a dren who have no possibilities and with beautiful thing. There was the Pan Ameri- their help, they can go on to realize their can Games in Mexico where we played dreams, I find that admirable. against the United States and beat them (laughs). In reality, we must have played fiba: Basketball for you must have 10 times against the United States and opened many doors in terms of traveling, I’m pretty sure we had more triumphs getting to know other cultures. Is that than they did. It was an honor and we felt true? extremely happy. ricardo gonzales: One has the privilege fiba: How has basketball changed from to have been able to travel, to get to know the time when you played to now? the world. I was lucky to have played in two Olympic Games, in London and Hel- ricardo gonzales: It gives me happiness. sinki. With my club (Argentinian club Pal- Nowadays players , whether they are in ermo), I went all over Spain. We also the NBA or are playing in Europe, they went to Italy, we went to France. I trav- have the good fortune of being able to as- eled around South America, Mexico. It sure themselves of their future from a fi- was a great experience. nancial standpoint while at the same time fiba: What is your opinion about the bas- page 44 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine news Hall of Fame inductee Gonzalez reflects on past, looks at the present
age to find a replacement because the Ricardo Gonzalez: I have been linked to with such intensity that it is spectacular. I core of the team is always there. the club where I finished my career. I was remember that in my time, we used to coach, which I did for many years. I am train three or four times a week. We fiba: You have watched many games. Is an executive at the club. There are many would go to the club on the Saturday and there a player that you identify with, that basketball clubs in Buenos Aires. Many on the Sunday you would play the game. reminds you of you when you played? are like neighborhood clubs but most He reminds me of that kind of player, have a lack of resources. Our club, for ex- bearing in mind that he is a professional ricardo gonzales: In terms of position, ample, is not lacking in resources. We and that he needs to look after himself. I Juan Carlos Navarro of Spain reminds have enough, but not too much. It’s suffi- think he is a player that wherever he is in- me of me because I had the same role in cient. We have a gym in an area called vited, he’ll go and play. the Argentina national team as he has for Palermo. The important thing is that these Spain. clubs are able to help the community. fiba: What kind of emotions do you feel That is our main aim. In Buenos Aires, it is when you watch a game of basketball? fiba: What was your opinion of the Eu- very difficult to maintain a basketball roBasket? neighborhood club. Before, it used to be ricardo gonzales: I love it. It makes me easier. If you look at it, the majority of feel as though I am there, playing. I love ricardo gonzales: I thought the quality players now come from the interior of the to see them play because the majority of of play was marvelous. Europeans and country because the big cities are ag- players are very humble. They give every- South Americans may have 20 quality gressive and the boys don’t go to the thing on the court. In my times, it wasn’t players, and the Americans might have clubs as we used to when we were young. possible to spend a lot of time on basket- 100. But in a game, it’s five against five. It They have other things to do whereas in ball because we had to work and you goes to show how basketball has a level the small villages in the interior, children could only devote two or three hours a playing field across the world and that still go from school to the club. All of the day, if you could. They are very fortunate has been proven time and time again. players that we have now, they come out to be able to spend all day doing what Before, the synonym of basketball was of small clubs. they love doing, which is the most impor- the United States whereas now you see tant thing. They are doing what they love. for example a team like Serbia, so young fiba: Is there a player that you admire in That is a privilege and fortunately, they and so talented – today we can say there the national team? are able to take advantage. are a lot of synonyms for basketball. ricardo gonzales: Besides the fact that fiba: Did you remain involved with bas- he doesn’t seem to have injuries, Luis FIND MORE INTERVIEWS ON WWW.FIBA.COM ketball in any way? Scola has such a will. He lives basketball Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 45
news the world in brief Planet basketball
started to exercise control of the boards – she collected a total of nine boards of the game – and China gradually built their lead. The 2008 Beijing Olympic semifinalists led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quar- ter. Chen Nan topped the scoring for China with 17 points and Bian Lan chipped in with 13 points and five assists. Chen Xiaoli had 13 and Zhang Fan added 11 to the Chinese all-round show. Beon Yeonha had a staggering game-high 29 points for Korea and Jung Sunmin played with characteristic composure for her 17. “I think it was a tribute to the hard work First wave ticket sales of the 2010 FIBA card" will be decided during the FIBA the girls had put in the entire champion- World Championship Central Board Meeting in Istanbul on ship,” said China coach Sun Fengwu. “We Zone 1 tickets sold out 12th-13th December 2009 and the precise were determined to do well and that’s The first wave of the online ticket sales of tournament schedule will be finalised af- what carried us through,” he added. the 2010 FIBA World Championship has ter the draw on 15th December 2009. A powerful performance midway through been very successful. The official ticket- the first half – interrupted only by the first ing agency Biletix/Ticketmaster an- China, Korea and Japan qualigy for Czech quarter break – helped Japan outsmart nounced on 30thSeptember, that Zone 1 Republic 2010 Chinese Taipei 72-57 and retain their tickets of the first wave that started on The three teams from Asia that qualified bronze. 18th August 2009 are already sold out in for the 2010 FIBA World Championship for The Fumikazu Nakagawa-trained team Ankara and in Istanbul. Preliminary Round Women in the Czech Republic are China, Packages and options of Turkey and Korea and Japan. U.S.A. in Zone 1 are also sold out. Fans In the Final of the FIBA Asia Champion- will have another chance for those best ship Ma Zhengyu came off the bench and tickets in the second and following waves. reeled off 16 points as China powered The second wave will start on 2nd No- ahead to score a 91-71 win over defend- vember 2009. ing champions Korea. In order to accommodate the huge re- China, thus won their 10th gold medal in quest from fans from abroad, the first FIBA Asia Women Championships, re- wave of the ticket sales has been extend- gaining the top place after losing it to Ko- ed to 15th October 2009 and fans can still rea in Incheon two years ago. buy the remaining first wave tickets until Bian Lan, adjudged the MVP of the Cham- then. Package prices range from 35 to 150 pionship began to Euros. play with wonted It is the first time in the history of FIBA fervour and Chen events that ticket sales started as early as Xiaoli began to one year before the event. Tickets are move in tandem sold exclusively online through the official and China’s grip agency Biletix/Ticketmaster. on the game grew Details about the ticket sales can be fol- manifold. lowed on "turkey2010.fiba.com/tickets" Chen Nan, award- The four teams which will participate in ed the Best Cen- the FIBA World Championship with a "wild tre award later, page 46 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine
news from the Land of the Rising Sun thus Karen Gustavo and Fernanda Neves with "Leo (Rautins, Men's Head Coach) has bagged the third berth available to repre- 3 points each. Brazil shot 1-13 from the been very supportive. When you love a sent FIBA Asia in the 2010 FIBA World field and made four free throws in the first sport like all of our staff do, then you want Championship for Women. ten minutes. the sport to be great in your country, not “We had our ups and downs in this Cham- Argentina didn't score for 8:09 minutes just for your team,” McNeill said. “There pionship, but we have finished on an up,” between the first and second quarter, is real support at all levels. I got e-mails gushed Nakagawa. “A few plans and a their last basket was with one minute left from Cadet and Junior National Team few didn’t, but what I am happy about is in the first as Paula Reggiardo netted a coaches and Leo. It's good to see every- that the plans for the most crucial game three pointer. Brazil made a 17-0 run to be body doing well." worked,” he added. up 22-13 and finish the first half up 25-21. Final Standings Final Standings Karen Gustavo led with 7 points, Adrian- 1. Brazil 1. China inha Pinto and Jucimara Dantas 5 points 2. Argentina 2. Korea each. Erica Sanchez had 12 points for Ar- 3. Canada 3. Japan gentina. 4. Cuba 4. Chinese Taipei In the third quarter Brazil defined the 5. Puerto Rico 5. Thailand game as Adrianinha and Alessandra com- 6. Chile 6. India bined themselves on both sides to force 7. Venezuela turnovers and make Argentina take bad 8. Dominican Republic Brazil with golden shots during the rest of the game. At the performance at end of the third quarter Brazil had a 50-35 Class of 2009 inducted into FIBA home lead. Hall of Fame Brazil won the Gold Helen Luz along with Alessandra, who Eleven basketball greats were inducted medal at the FIBA won the 1994 FIBA World Championship, into the FIBA Hall of Fame in Alcobendas Americas Champion- sealed the victory for Brazil in the final (Madrid, Spain) on 22nd September. ship for Women after minutes, especially Helen who made a The men and women who form the 2009 defeating Argentina three pointer with 46 seconds left to send class were enshrined after outstanding 71-48 to finish the their fans into a frenzy. careers as referees, players, coaches or tournament in Cuiabá, At the end Adrianinha Pinto of Brazil was contributors.The 2009 inductees include Brazil in front of over 9,000 fans. Canada selected as the MVP of the tournament. Bulgarian referee Artenik Arabadjian, reached the podium and the third spot for The Brazilian point guard averaged 10.8 Spanish coaching legend Pedro Ferrández the FIBA World Championship for Women points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in five and playing greats Oscar ‘Big O’ Robert- in the Czech Republic (23 Sept – 3 October games played. son of the United States, Ricardo González 2010). Canada survived in overtime against Cuba of Argentina and Jacky Chazalon of Silvia Gustavo led Brazil with 18 points, to capture the bronze medal. The 69-59 tri- France. All except Chazalon were in Kato- Fernanda Neves 13, Alessandra Santos 12 umph also clinched a spot for the Canadi- wice, Poland, on Sunday to watch the last and Adrianinha Pinto 9 points with 8 re- ans at the 2010 FIBA World Championship day of the EuroBasket. They then flew to bounds. for Women in the Czech Republic. Spain to take part in the ceremonies. The Brazilians had a rough start, making "We have incredible chemistry, and I don't Posthumous inductees this year include just one field goal (3 point) in the first quar- think I've worked with a group that de- American coaches Pete Newell and Kay ter to finish down 13-7. Argentina had Eri- serves it more," Canada coach Allison Yow, Brazil basketball great Ubiratan ca Sanchez with 6 points and Brazil had McNeill said. “We had different people Pereira, Swiss referee Marcel Pfeuti and step up at different times and I'm just re- Argentina’s Luis Martin, a contributor. ally proud of them." González is a national team hero of Argen- Basketball is on a high in Canada because tina. the men also qualified for the 2010 FIBA Among his achievements is the gold med- World Championship in Turkey. al he helped capture for his country in
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1950 at the FIBA World Championship. He made 50 appearances for his country from 1947 to 1955 and played at the 1948 London Olympics and the 1952 Helsinki Games. "It's an honor to be inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame," González, now 84, said to FIBA.Com. "To be recognized for my ca- reer as a basketball player is a wonderful feeling and it gives me great pride." While he has long since retired as a play- er, González still feels as passionate as ever when it comes to Argentina and bas- ketball. He watched nervously, he said, as Argentina struggled at the start of last month’s FIBA Americas Championship be- fore eventually hitting their stride and win- ning the bronze medal to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Moncloa. "Basketball gives you joy al- FIBA, FIBA EUROPE join with UN in "I feared at one point that we would not though on this occasion, there have been declaration for road safety make it to the FIBA World Championship plenty of thrills from the Preliminary In a Declaration for Road Safety signed but the team reacted well with Luis Scola Round." during the EuroBasket 2009, FIBA and FIBA showing again his leadership qualities," Zapatero paid a special tribute to Pau Europe joined the Polish Ministry of Infra- González said. Everyone in Europe has Gasol, who was voted Most Valuable Play- structure, the Polish Ministry of Sport and been buzzing about Robertson, who was er of the EuroBasket. Gasol, who won his Tourism and the United Nations Economic amazing at the University of Cincinnati, first-ever NBA title as a power forward Commission for Europe (UNECE) in a plea with the gold-medal winning Team USA at with the Los Angeles Lakers in June, had to respect road traffic rules. the Rome Olympics and in the NBA. also been named MVP of the 2006 FIBA The EuroBasket 2009 Declaration for Road In his first five NBA campaigns, in fact, World Championship. He suffered a finger Safety: "Because a true champion re- Robertson averaged a triple-double in injury during the preparations and missed spects the rules of the game!" - draws a points, assists and rebounds. In 2000, he all of the friendly games but recovered in parallel between basketball and road safe- was named ‘Player of the Century’ by the time to lead Spain. "I thank Pau Gasol's ty stating that non-respect for rules results National Association of Coaches. commitment to the national team," Zap- in unfairness, on the road as on the court. Bill Russell, who was inducted two years atero said. "It is exemplary. Pau, you don't The consequences of not following the ago in the first class of the FIBA Hall of know how much you contribute positively rules on the road are, however, much more Fame, was also in Europe this week to to the national team." severe and sadly, many people do not play take part in the ceremonies. Zapatero then looked ahead to next year by the rules when they get behind the when Spain will attempt to defend their wheel.In an effort to reach out to people's Royal reception for golden boys world title, saying: "We now hope that the everyday lives, the Declaration offers a Spain's EuroBasket winners were wel- good run continues at the Olympic Games new perspective on road rules. It tries to comed home by King Juan Carlos, Queen in London but before that, we have the FI- counter the "avoid getting caught" attitude Sofia and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodri- BA World Championship in Turkey, al- with one of respect for fellow road-users. guez Zapatero on 21st September in Ma- though we cannot ask you for more." It also summarises 7 simple rules which drid less than 24 hours after their title After meeting with the Prime Minister, have proven beyond any doubt, time and triumph in Katowice. Spain went to celebrate at the Cibeles time again, that they save lives: Gold medalists at the 2006 FIBA World fountain in Madrid where 5,000 fans were Do NOT use mobile phones while driv- Championship, silver-medal winners two waiting for Los Chicos de Oro. ing. years ago at the EuroBasket in Spain and Final Standings Do NOT drive whilst under the influ- runners-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 1. Spain ence of alcohol and/or drugs. the Spaniards overcame a difficult start to 2. Serbia Stay within the speed limit. the 2009 event in Poland and won five 3. Greece straight games by an average of 19 4. Slovenia points. 5. France They defeated a 6. Croatia young but excel- 7. Russia lent Serbia team in 8. Turkey the final on Sunday 9. F.Y.R. of Macedonia night, 85-63. 9. Poland "I followed the 11. Germany games and you 11. Lithuania have played in an 13. Great Britain impressive man- 13. Israel ner," Zapatero said 13. Bulgaria at the Palacio de la 13. Latvia page 48 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine dddd news Share the road safely with pedestrians vengeance and led by and cyclists. as many as 16 points Wear seatbelts - every day, every time, but ended up scrap- both in the front and back of the vehi- ing a 61-60 win on cle. Sunday with more Use approved child restraint systems. than 10,000 fans look- Wear approved helmets while riding ing on in San Juan. two-wheelers. Carlos Arroyo had a On a global scale, 1.2 million people die in chance to win the road traffic crashes every year, with mil- contest at the buzzer lions more injured and disabled. The Dec- for Puerto Rico but laration makes the point that these crashes his three-pointer from are NOT accidents but events that can be the right corner was prevented through daily action and aware- off target. "It was dif- ness. Through its Road Traffic Safety Fo- ficult, but we were rum, UNECE has established a multilateral able to win and to be champions is always lans a tough battle. legal framework for road safety which very nice," Anderson said. "I believe that After finishing the covers all factors influencing international this title is the first of a series that this first quarter with a road traffic, including the driver and the generation will win." Brazil, Puerto Rico, 19-15 lead, both vehicle, in the Convention on Road Traffic bronze-medal winners Argentina and Can- teams went to the (1968), and which prescribes common ada all qualified for the 2010 FIBA World locker room with norms for traffic light signals and uniform Championship in Turkey. FIBA Americas tight 35-34 advan- conditions for road markings in the Con- giants Team USA will also be at next year's tage for Cote vention on Road Signs and Signals (1968) big event after qualifying as last year's d’Ivoire. Olympic champions. Angola took Brazil confidence now soaring ahead Before thinking about Turkey, the Brazil- charge in the third of 2010 FIBA World Championship ians want to savor their victory over Puer- quarter but was Anderson Varejão and Brazil are celebrat- to Rico. "We knew the final would be a never really able to pull away. The lead ing a gold-medal triumph after beating very difficult game," Brazil guard Leandro changed a total of 16 times, and the score hosts Puerto Rico in the FIBA Americas Barbosa said after pouring in a game-high was tied no less than 6 times during the Championship title game on 6th Septem- 24 points. "Therefore, even when we built game. ber. But hopes are a good advantage, the game wasn't won. Angola’s experience with a team that plays also high in Puer- In the final minute, we possessed enough together in almost the same composition to Rico and Cana- calm to withstand the pressure and win since 4 years made the difference. da that also the first of many titles for this new team." Leading scorers for Angola were Carlos booked a ticket Brazil center Tiago Splitter was extremely Morais with 21 points, whilst Joaquim for the 2010 FIBA happy. "We managed to overcome the Gomes and Olimpio Cipriano added 16 World Champion- home team and a crowd of 10,000," he points each. ship in Turkey. said. "Let's celebrate because we deserve Pape Amagou led the way for Cote d’Ivoire Beaten by Puerto it and we share this achievement with the with 18 points. Rico earlier in the Brazilian fans." Tunisia gained the third African spot for competition, Bra- Final Standings the FIBA World Championship in Turkey in zil hit back with a 1. Brazil the bronce medal game in securing a 83- 2. Puerto Rico 68 triumph against Cameroon, the surprise 3. Argentina silver medal winners from two years ago 4. Canada in Angola. 5. Dominican Republic The North Africans will have their first ap- 6. Uruguay pearance at a FIBA World Championship. 7. Mexico “This is the biggest success for Tunisian 8. Panama basketball”, said Coach Adel Tlatli after the game. “We do not know what to ex- Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia pect in Turkey, but we will do our best to earn spot for Turkey 2010 present our country and the whole African Angola has captured on 15th August in the continent.” Africa Union Hall in Tripoli, Libya, its sixth The Tunisians were controlling the game consecutive title in a much contested all the time and went into halftime with a game against Cote d’Ivoire (82 – 72). 40-31 lead. At the end of the third quarter It is the 10th overall title for the basketball Cameroon was able to pull back to 56-50, crazy country from Southern Africa, and but at the end of the fourth quarter Tunisia Angola will represent Africa as reigning took control. champion at the FIBA World Champion- Amine Rzig was leading the way for Tuni- ship for the third time in a row. sia with 20 points, and Cyrille Makanda The “Elephants”, the nickname for the was with 18 points the best scorer for team from Cote d’Ivoire, gave the Ango- Cameroon. Fiba Assist Magazine | 40 2009 | Page 49 dddd
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Final Standings to dissipate as the fourth quarter began. Final Standings 1. Angola As a matter of fact, this was the first time 1. Iran 2. Cote d'Ivoire China lost a gold medal game in FIBA 2. China 3. Tunisia Asia Championship history – the hosts 3. Jordan 4. Cameroon carried an impressive 14 gold-2 bronze 4. Lebanon 5. Nigeria haul from 17 appearances into the final. 5. Chinese Taipei 6. Centr African Rep “The whole idea of a final game to seize 6. Qatar 7. Senegal the initiative early,” said Matic. “I’m hap- 7. Korea 8. Mali py things fell in place early for us. And 8. Philippines 9. Rwanda we didn’t lose focus after that,” he add- 9. Kazakhstan 10. Egypt ed. 10. Japan 11. Libya Wang topped the scoring for China with 11. Kuwait 12. Morocco 24 points, but played with wonted form 12. United Arab Emirates 13. Cape Verde only in the third quarter when he scored 13. India 14. Mozambique 11 of them. 14. Uzbekistan 15. South Africa The third was the only period when Iran 15. Indonesia 16. PR of Congo allowed China to keep the scoring level. 16. Sri Lanka
Asian contingent for Turkey comprised of Jordan Takes Bronce New Zealand China, Iran and Jordan Ayman Idais and Rasheim Wright scythed claim second The three teams through the rival defence during each FIBA Oceania that will represent other’s slump in form to help Jordan to Championship FIBA Asia at the an 80-66 win over fellow West Asian na- A sublime perfor- FIBA World Cham- tion Lebanon in the bronze medal play- mance from Kirk pionship 2010 in off on Sunday. Penney and an in- Turkey are Iran, The win helped the Mario Palma trained credible third China and Jordan. Jordan to book their entry into the 2010 quarter from the But it was hard- FIBA World Championship in Turkey. New Zealand Tall fought battle. “We have been working on this for the Blacks has deliv- When Iran won last three years,” Jordan coach Mario ered them their the title in the Palma said. “I think Jordan came into second ever FIBA Oceania Championship 2007 FIBA Asia Tianjin as one of the teams capable of with a 100-78 victory over Australia in Championship at winning the Championship. We fell short Wellington. Australia won the first game Tokushima, one question remained unan- in that, but today we were focused,” Pal- of the home and away series with 84-77. swered: Could Iran have won if China had ma said. Penney finished with 24 points, 10 assists played with their full team? Lebanon finished without a medal for the and 7 rebounds in a remarkable display The answer to that question came two first time in three championships, having that guided his young team to its biggest years later in the form of Iran’s thumping bagged with the silver in both 2005 and ever winning margin over its powerhouse 70-52 win in the gold-medal game of the 2007 FIBA Asia Championships. neighbour. He received outstanding sup- 25th FIBA Asia Championship. Jordan had never beaten Lebanon com- port from Mika Vukona, who at just 198cm Hamed EHadadi, who had scored 31 ing into this Championship – having lost dominated Australia's inexperienced points in Iran’s final triumph two years all their three previous encounters – but frontcourt with 25 points, 12 rebounds ago, was once again the leading scorer in Tianjin, Jordan opened their campaign and 2 blocks. Alex Pledger was also a for his side with 19 points. “There’s a with an 84-67 win over Lebanon and fin- major factor in the paint, recording 15 huge difference between then and now,” ished it beating the same rivals. points and 13 rebounds to continue his said EHadadi. “Playing against China’s “What matters is the timing of the win,” emergence. Australia's shining light was first team in China is pressure enough. bemoaned Lebanon coach Dragan Raca the persistent play of 2006 FIBA World But we were determined to carry out said. Championship player and Olympian Brad what our coach Newley, who finished with 20 points and told us,” he 5 rebounds but could not carry his team- added. mates to victory. Though the result of the Never had any game was beyond doubt, if Australia team dominat- could bring the margin under 7 points it ed a gold med- would retain the FIBA Oceania Champi- al game against onship on aggregate, but Vukona domi- China in the FI- nated the boards and was steady from BA Asia Cham- the free throw line as New Zealand pionship the closed out their remarkable 22-point win. way Veselin Both countries have qualified for the FI- Matic’s team BA World Championship in Turkey next did on Sunday year, with New Zealand taking Oceania's night in front a first seed into the tournament. capacity crowd – which began FInd more news on fiba.com page 50 | 40 2009 | Fiba Assist Magazine