Coaching Advice from Basketballsense.Com
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Coaching Advice from BasketballSense.com Dribblers should keep their hands below the waist and shooters should keep their hands above the waist. Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson likes the fact that his 1-4 offensive alignment does not require big scorers on the block. He also likes that the basket is not guarded in this alignment. Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson teaches that when attacking a zone, all screeners should post up after setting a screen. Jerry Wainwright will use six offensive players when working on a half- court trap. Seven players against a three-quarters court trap. Eight players against a full-court trap. St. Louis coach Charlie Spoonhour teaches his guards in transition defense to slow the ball and push it wide. Iowa State coach Tim Floyd breaks his defense down into three parts: (1) Stop the transition, (2) Take away the designed offense, and (3) Limit opponent to just one shot. William Fleming High School coach Burrall Paye believes that a low post player must learn to pivot and use both feet with his offensive moves. Using the same foot with each pivot and move gives the defender an advantage. Clemson coach Rick Barnes feels that a key to running successful traps is teaching the habit of sprinting out of traps when they are not successful. No foot fakes when you shot fake. When on the free-throw lane, teach your players to step into their opponent and not into the lane (unless their opponent moves there). To beat a double-team, bring three players into prime receiving position, six to ten feet from the ball, spread out. With two men on the ball, the defense cannot bring three men up to guard all three receivers, or they will be leaving a player wide open under the basket. - Dick DeVenzio "Play against the game, not your opponent." Bud Wilkerson Teach your guards how to defend the post. Teach your post players how to defend the perimeter. Stress to your team to extend the outlet pass as far as the defense will allow. The easiest way to begin an offensive set is with the dribble entry. Indiana assistant coach Norm Ellenberger teaches his offense that when confronted with a switching defense, you should always cut low off the screen. Teach your players to have their palms perpendicular to the floor when preparing to rebound. The most important pass in a fast break is the initial outlet pass. Teach players to put the ball on the floor where they are headed, not where they are. In a zone offense, you get the opportunity to decide who to dribble penetrate against. Norm Ellenberger teaches in his zone offense to occupy a spot for no longer than two counts and then move. Cut and read. Teach high hands and low knees on defense. Teach your players to put a forearm on their man's chest, then box out. Do not let your team focus on how good their opponent is. Get them to focus on how good you can be. Take away what a team does best. Dave Odom teaches his defenders to bump below cutters and force them high. If you do not pay attention to the details of the game, you can believe your players never will. "The first thing you have to teach your players is a work ethic." - Rick Barnes Army coach Dino Gaudio believes there is nothing more important in a motion offense than spacing. Drexel coach Bill Herrion teaches his defenders to turn the ball as many times as possible in the backcourt. Once the ball crosses the half-court line, he wants the ball pushed to the weak hand. John Calipari teaches his players to jab with their strong foot. Cuts down on turnovers. If the short corner is defended when running your zone offense, look into the middle. Bill Herrion subscribes to the philosophy that you do a drill right -- even if it takes twenty-five minutes. Do not allow your man to go where he wants to go uninterrupted. Ball fake no higher than your forehead. Teach your ballhandlers to change speeds with the ball. Many coaches have a predetermined defense after a made free-throw and another defense after a missed free-throw. Ideally, you want to be turning the corner on your second dribble when running a pick-and-roll. One of the biggest errors in coaching is allowing poor execution of what you stress. If you are unsure about what to emphasize to your team, emphasize the fundamentals. .