The 1-2-2 zone

…blends itself towards several different coverages. Those coverages and the rules of your match-up dictate what type of personnel you will need. There are three theoretical types of 1-2-2 zone coverage (Figure 1-1). X1 can sag into the as the ball goes to a wing, and could cover the low post strong side when the ball is passed to the corner. This occurs when you use X1 as a tall defender, capable of defending the inside as well as the perimeter. Or the wings, X2 and X3, would have coverage of the guards, wings, and corner areas. This forces X2 and X3 to cover a large area, but it leaves your two top rebounders, X4 and X5, near the basket; rebounding is a major weakness of the regular 1-2-2 zone. An alternative coverage is to let X4 and X5 go to the corner and X2 and X3 cover the strong side low post. This removes a perimeter alley from the defensive wing's coverage, but it also means that your wings must be capable of defending the inside low post with the ball in the corner. It does leave the opposite low defender in the primary rebounding area. In both cases, X2 and X3 must be extremely quick and fast to cover the area assigned to them.

The most popular coverage is the third theory. As the ball moves to the corner, the low defenders operate on a string; as one of them moves to the corner to cover the pass receiver, the other low defender comes to cover the strong side low post. The weak side wing drops immediately for weak side rebounding. This means your wings don't have to be quick, but they must be capable weak side rebounders. This is the most popular slide because it requires less specialization of skills from each defender. while it fits the personnel of most teams, it does have the disadvantage of utilizing those principles against which most teams drill daily.

X1, must be your best perimeter defender and must be a quick and fiesty. On most teams the guard fits this mold. He has to channel the offense in a pre-determined direction. Once having done that, X1 must prevent lateral penetration. Quickness, therefore, is more a premium than size. If X1 also has size, it'll just make your zone and match-up that much tougher. X1, when channeling, should initiate his coverage at mid court and when not channeling, should line up at the top of the .

X2, should be your second best perimeter defender. Because many teams use a two guard offensive set against the 1-2-2, X2 will frequently cover the other guard. He must cover any quick moving attacker laterally without allowing penetration. In the match-up, size takes a back seat to quickness. If you intend to have this man cover weak side rebounding or inside in the regular 1-2-2, then he must have some size. Because most teams attack the right side of the court, the majority of time, X2 should be left of X1.

X3, is the weakest of the three perimeter defenders. In fact, this is an ideal place for one of your best offensive players. This defender can be big and slow. When you match up, he usually gets the weakest wing or corner attacker. In the basic zone this defender frequently has weak side rebounding responsibilities. X4 and X5, can be slow, but they must be talented inside defenders. They are the reason you choose the 1-2-2 match-up. They are your matchers. The bigger they are the better. X5 should be a better high post defender. X4 might have to cover perimeter players more often than X5. X5 must be a better inside defender and a better rebounder. ______

"Seven Minute Shooting Drill"

The drill runs as follows: We position two-player teams with one ball at each available basket and put seven minutes on the clock. We start the clock and each team shoots from one spot--the right elbow first. The shooter rebounds his won shoot and throws a two hand chest pass to his teammate. Players yell out their team score, and the first team to 10 baskets from this spot wins, and that teams win record is recorded.

We immediately yell "Rotate" and the teams rotate clockwise to the next basket. Team one goes to basket 2, team 2 goes to basket 3, etc. When we change baskets, we also call out a change of what spot to shoot from--"left elbow"--and again the teams shoot and compete to the first to reach 10 made shots. The teams continue to yell out their scores as they make baskets, and when one team makes 10, we again yell "rotate!" Upon rotating, we change the spot again--to 8 feet in front of the basket- and continue the drill as the 7-minute time ticks off. Other shooting spots used in this drill: top of the key at the 3-point line, 15 feet away on the right baseline, at the right elbow after one dribble, then back to the 8-foot shot and the 3 pointer, etc. Obviously, you can mix up the shots any way you like. (If you have a lot of kids you could have three to a group.)

Remember kids today do not practice their shooting very much, they would rather play games or try to dunk when they know they can't, also girls will stand around and talk if they are not make to work. (This is just an observance of mine it may not be totally true.) *The drill comes from Seton Hall and their former Coach George Blaney) *My kids always liked this drill.

______*I also think we need to teach our kids how to strip the ball when the opposition gets an offensive . Here is a drill you can do to teach kids how to strip the ball. Get in groups of two and have one player throw the ball up on the and get the offensive rebound and s/he has to take the ball down to waist level before putting the ball back up to score the defensive player standing beside the rebounder will try to strip the ball out of their hands. It takes about 5 minutes to do this drill and you only have to do it once a year and the kids will remember how to strip the ball. (You do this drill on one goal and let them rotate groups. If you let them do it on separate goals they will screw around and they won't get anything done.)

*Here are the 7 things to chart in The Game Within The Game situations: 1. Scores first in the first quarter 2. Scores first in the second quarter 3. Scores first in the third quarter- 4. Scores first in the fourth quarter 5. Time Out Situation- 6. Our Inbound Plays- 7. Opponent Inbound Plays- TOTALS- ______

"TEAM KNOCKOUT" Here is how you play it. You have two teams on each elbow the first kid in each line is the only one with a ball. When the coach says GO both kids shoot and if one kid makes and he other kid misses his shot he is knocked out. Now if they both miss they have to get their own rebound and dribble back to the elbow and they will keep shooting until one of them makes it and knocks the other kid out. *This is important so listen up! After every made shot the coach must say GO, the next two shooters cannot start until the coach says GO. **You do see that one kid at the end of the game could knock out say five guys on the other team and his team would be the winner. You get a winner when everyone is knocked out on the opponents side. *This is a good Basketball Camp game or a good way to end practice.

______Here is what the great pure shooters (Kobe Bryant, J.J. Reddick, Michael Finley, and Jeff Hornacek) have in common and it is predicated upon one thing: VERTICALITY and 3 cornerstones:

1.FOUNDATION, strong legs (could be skinny strong legs), bent knees to build the proper verticality in the shot, feet must be set comfortably and ready to thrust up to the sky, never falling back!!!

2.CONFINDENT CATCH, with two hands, face the rim like a gun fighter, visualizing the ball going through the net, scorers mentality, knowing that you have practiced shooting thousands of times!!!!!

3. CONSISTENT RELEASE, muscle memorization, soft touch, quick release, proper arch, arch varies due to depth and defense on the shot, release is away or out in front of your body, shooting arm and hand are never tense or stiff, same release every time, always released on the WAY UP never at the peak of the jump or on the way down. ______

"JUMP STOP TIPS"

1. Prevention of (Kids are going to fast and lose balance) 2. Prevention of charging (I see this every game on drives to the basket) 3. Allows player to be on balance and able to move in all four directions. 4. Puts the player in balance for his/her , thus avoiding "floating" and shooting out of control. 5. Puts a person in the position to use more offensive options such as pivoting and hitting trailers. 6. Allows players to be on balance to control the ball for better ball protection. 7. Allows a split second of time for a better and more accurate decision and allows the player to see other options that may exist at the moment. 8. *We as coaches always say that kid plays out of control the real problem is the kid at the end of the play s/he does not make a jump stop and a good decision. 9. Puts a player in a perfect triple threat position 10. Use this saying the rest of your coaching career. STOP AND MAKE A DECISION.

______"AN IDEA FOR 4 OUT 1 IN "

As you know I watch lots of basketball games and I see several teams that run 4 out 1 in motion, but sometimes these teams have a terrible time getting the ball their postman because the defensive postman just engulfs him fronting him/her and plays him/her really physical inside. Now, I want to show you something that could help you if you can't get the ball inside to your good postman because they are up against a great defender.

You can assign your 4 man to be a permanent screener on offense. His first job is to for your 5 man (Postman) and he wants to set a tough screen on X5 allowing your 5 man to break to the ball and get open. Another job the permanent screener can do is screen for your perimeter people who do not have the ball. The last job the permanent screener could do would be to set ball screens for perimeter people to use to drive. (This ball screen can only be set for the driver to drive to the middle of the floor, never to toward the baseline. The reason is, it is much harder to defend a ball screen going to the middle of the floor than it is toward the baseline.)

#5 sets up on the same side as the ball handler. Explanation- 3 has the ball and s/he passes to 1 who passes to 2 when the ball is in the air going to 2, 4 cross screens X5 and 5 cuts off of him/her to the right mid post. 2 will look to feed 5 now posted up on the right side of the floor. *If 5 is not open 4 will screen for someone who does not have the ball. 4 just keeps working his tail off trying to get someone open. (*Most of the time 4 will screen for 5) (*This is not something you would do on offense all the time. It is just an adjustment that could be made during the game.) ______

6 THINGS DEAN SMITH GAVE US" 1. Hand signals for defense. 2. on the floor during the game. (Not on the sideline) 3. Tired signal (This is given on the offensive end of the floor. It is never given when you are on defense.) 4. Run and Jump Defense. 5. Point . 6. Calling a Time Out after you score a .

______"PARENT TIPS" 1.Parent Rule-- Talk to parents about anything except playing time. 2. Do not talk to a parent after a game. You may both get upset and say things that you will both be sorry for. 3. Tell the parents of the non-players their son/daughter will not get to play in most games and if the parent or player complains that will be it for them being on the team. 4. I don't know if you can tell kids this or not, but some kids playing time will only be practice not in the games. 5. Do NOT raise your voice with a parent. ______

Gym Rat's Must Do 15 Daily Drills

Basketball is a game that requires repetitive practice to learn, improve and maintain your skill level. While competition is an important part of becoming a great basketball player, those who choose to ignore or under practice the most basic basketball fundamentals have less chance of reaching their full potential. Over the course of my 35 years as a high school basketball coach I found that these 15 drills make a significant difference in my players when they were practiced on a daily basis. It would be easy to overlook the value of this type of daily drill practice but don't. It will build your skill level, increase your confidence with the ball, and provide you a set of skills that give you the best chance to compete for playing your time.

1. Body Circles 10 Around Head 10 Around Waist 10 Around Both Legs 10 Around Right Leg 10 Around Left Leg

2. Flip (No Drops) 10 10 10

3. (No Drops) 10 10 10

4. Skip Dribble (No Mistakes!) 10 10 10

5. Free Throws (Make Five in a Row)

6. Spider Dribble (No Mistakes!) 10 10 10

7. Behind the Back Dribble (No Mistakes!) 20 20 20

8. Figure 8 Dribble (No Mistakes) 10 10 10

9. (No Misses!) 5

10. Free Throws (Make Five in a Row)

11. Mikan Drill with One Dribble (No Misses!) 5

12. Machine Gun Dribble (No Mistakes!) 50 50 50

13. Pass, Catch, Pivot, Power Lay up (No Misses!) 5 Right Hand

14. Pass, Catch, Pivot, Power Lay up (No Misses!) 5 Left Hand

15. Free Throws (Make 5 in a row) The more times you do this workout, the faster you will get! It will become fun, and you can do it more than once in a day. But the secret is to do it at least one time every single day! Read below to get specific instructions on how to execute each of these drills. Remember the point of daily drilling is to refine a skill, automate it so that you don't have to think about it or attend to it during game performance. This can only be done through repetitive practice like what I have provided here.

Gym Rat's Drill Descriptions

1. Body Circles: Move the ball in circles, changing hands, clockwise, around your head, waist, both ankles together, right ankle, left ankle. Strive for speed! If you drop the ball, you must begin to count 10 all over again!

2. Flip: Hike the ball through your legs, front to back, catching the ball; do not let the ball hit the ground. Each hike counts as "one," ten hikes is a set. If you drop the ball, start counting all over again!

3. Flop: Bend over, right hand holds ball in front, left hand holds ball behind your legs. Switch positions of hands quickly. Do not let the ball hit the ground or you start counting all over again!

4. Skip Dribble: Dribble ball through legs in scissors fashion, through the front of the legs. Point toes straight ahead, head up, don't watch the ball! No mistakes, 10 dribbles per set. Start counting over if a mistake is made!

5.10.15. Free Throws: Shoot until you make 5 in a row. Rebound your own shots to get you off the line before each attempt.

6. Spider Dribble: Same as "Flop" - except you bounce the ball 2 times in front of you. 2 times in back of you very quickly.

7. Behind the Back Dribble: Bounce ball back and forth behind you without looking at the ball-no mistakes or start counting again!

8. Figure 8 Dribble: Take low, fast dribbles in figure 8 around your legs, moving clockwise.

9. Mikan Drill: Right and left hand hooks catching ball as it comes through the net.

11. Mikan Drill with One Dribble: Dribble once before catch .

12. Machine Gun Dribble: Sit down, alternate hands quickly, taking short fast bounces!

13.14. Pass, Catch, Pivot, Power Lay up: Stand under the hoop, toss ball out 15 feet with reverse spin, run out, jump stop, catch ball, reverse pivot, drive to hoop, power stop lay up off 2 feet. Repeat, no misses! ______

“Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

“What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.” ~ John Ruskin

“I would rather regret the things I have done than the things I have not. ~ Lucille Ball

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” ~ Conrad Hilton

“Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” ~ Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C.

As you teach, you learn. -- Jewish Proverb

To teach is to learn twice. -- Joseph Joubert ______

'"THE NO-REPEAT RULE" "The no-repeat rule" Once a topic is covered in a coach and parent meeting the parent cannot come back to that topic again. It is amazing how short parent conferences are when they are not allowed to keep talking about the same issue. Just say we have covered that and is there any other problem.

______"HOW TO MEASURE DEFENSIVE EFFORT" 1. Deflections (a fingernail touching the ball counts as is a deflection) 2. Draw Charges (Even if they call a blocking foul) 3. Making the opponent pick up their dribble. 4. Getting on the floor after loose balls. 5. Not being screened by beating the screen over the top. -- Tubby Smith ______

"A students plea to his/her teacher/coach"

1. Be demanding. Expect great things from me. I'll come up to them if I think you feel I can make it. Stretch me. Demand that I be respectful, neat, thorough, and punctual. Do not allow me to say, "I don't know." That is a cop-out. Demand that I think and help me to do such.

2. Be patient with me. You have several years on me in school and experience. Remember the teachers that had no patience with you? Explain. Let me ask questions. Show me. I want to achieve. Don't make me ashamed for having asked a question, even if it may seem stupid. And give me an honest answer. Don't fake me out. If you don't know the answer, please say so. I won't feel so stupid at times if I hear you say, "I don't know."

3. Teach me that the world does not revolve around me. I know my parents think that, but it isn't realistic. Show me how to fit into the group and yet never compromise my convictions or morals. Teach me to work by myself and to have confidence that I can achieve.

4. Speak with Authority. Don't give up on me. I will test you to see if you truly believe what you say. Just make sure that what you say you can carry out. Don't be afraid of my parents. They, too, may test you from time to time.

5. Teach me a way of life. Don't say there are many ways.. find the one you want. Books may be important, but how to live in this world is more important.

6. Make sure that I take the consequences for whatever I do. Get on me when you have to but prepare me to live a realistic life. Teach me to work and learn responsibility. The idea that school should always be fun is not realistic in preparing me for life. Don't eliminate crisis from my life. After all, life is one crisis, test and trial after another. Don't accept my handicaps as excuses. -- Ardell J. Jacquot

______QUICK SHOT NEAR THE RIM" *This must be taught in a drill by putting a big guy under the rim on defense and an offensive player on each . You the coach stand on the line and pass the ball to one of the offensive players and they must shoot quick before the big guy can get there to block the shot. The offensive players will be facing the rim when they catch the ball. (Every one on the team has to be on offense.) *This quick shot can also be taken off of the dribble. The driver will jump stop and shoot the ball on the way up before the defender can react. Let the kids play one on one to learn how to score like this. Put the kids on all six basket and you can teach them in about five minutes. (This is not a FLOATER, but similar.) ______

"COMMON ERRORS MADE IN REBOUNDING" 1. Watching the flight of the ball. 2. Assuming the shot will be made. 3. Assuming a teammate will rebound the ball. 4. Relying too much on jumping ability of size not blocking out on the shot. 5. Running under or getting pushed too far under the basket. 6. Moving into a position directly behind and opponent. 7. Not wanting the ball and fighting for good inside position. 8. Not anticipating and going to the spot where the ball will be rebounded. 9. Rebounding with on hand, and not grabbing or protecting the ball. 10. Making a bad outlet pass or throwing the ball away after obtaining the rebound. ______

*The Four Laws of Learning: 1. Proper Demonstration 2. Imitate the demonstration 3. Correct the demonstration 4. Properly and quickly repeat the demonstrated skill to perfection. ______

4 on 3 Passing Drill ll. Object: Offense- to complete 10 passes Defense- force , get ball prior to 10 passes lll. Rewards: Winners get a drink. Losers repeat drill vs. next group lV. Teaches: Poised offensive fundamentals vs. extended pressure defense. (escaping double teams, moving to get open, avoiding corners, etc.) Frantic pressure defense: techniques of double teaming, denial, going for the etc. *NOTE- You do see there are 4 defensive players on 3 offensive players. The point of the drill is to be able to pass under great pressure while being double teamed. *NOTE- Dribbling is allowed in this drill, but there will be no shooting. ______Point Drop Zone

A. X1 and X2 cover a pass to the wing. They start on the elbows. B. X4 and X5 cover the corners. They start on the lane line. C. X3 covers the point of the zone, but must stay inside the three point line. -- When the ball is on the wing he will cover the ball side elbow --When the ball is in the corner he/she will front the low post. (They can get there easily!)

A) Alignment l l X5l lX4 l l X1 _____X2 X3 ______

(B) Ball on wing: l l 4 X4 fronts low post, X2 covers the ball l X5 l5 X4 X3 gets on the ball side elbow. X1 and X5 get in the middle of the lane. 3 X1 X3 X2 2

1 ______

(C) (Ball in the corner) l l X4 4

*Note 2- If a team would line up with at two guard front against this zone all you have to do is drop X3 back into the middle to cover and X1 and X2 move up slightly and you will be able to match up with their offense.

Note #3- if they throw skip pass across court it will always be covered by X1 or X2. You are shooting a free throw and the shot is missed, teach your offensive rebounders on the second spot in the lane to always tip the ball back toward half court where your men who are back for defense can get it. Make this a rule they don't ever grab it, but always tip it back. Put your big guy/girl on the right side of the rim and he/she will always tip back with their right hand. (Of course the person on the left side of the rim would be tipping with their left hand. ______

"THOUGHTS OF SHOOTING"

1. Hand Position is not coached enough. It is more important than your elbow being in the correct position. I bet you don't realize this, but when you follow through your INDEX FINGER not your fore finger (middle finger) is the one pointing at the rim. (bet) 2. You must have a good shooting foundation and be ready to shoot. 3. Many poor shots are taken because the player takes too long to catch and shoot and then fires up a shot under duress. 4. If the ball is in the air coming to you, you need to have your feet in the air (old saying "Ball in the Air-Feet in the Air) 5. It doesn't matter if you shoot off of a Jump Stop or Step into the shot just get the shot of quick with balance. 6. SHOOT THE BALL ON THE WAY UP NOT AT THE PEAK OF YOUR JUMP! This is the truth, go watch a good shooter shoot. Have you ever seen guys/gals that jump high and shoot on the way down? They always miss! 7. Do good shooters dip the ball? (This means when they catch it at chest level they dip the ball down below their waist before they shoot. I am talking about shooting off of the pass not the dribble.) The answer is YES great shooters dip the ball. Go watch tape if you don't believe me. 8. The shot must be TIGHT- meaning keep it close to your body and have very little wasted motion. 9. Where should you look when you shoot the ball? Answer- Find the nearest three hooks holding the net on to the rim and shoot it over the middle hook. 10. The great shooters usually shoot the ball in front of their bodies. If you look closely the ball will never gets behind their forehead. 11. The elbow: don't worry about it if it sticks out a little. Go to the gym and shoot some and look at your elbow I bet it sticks out a little. 12. Players need to learn to shoot quick. If you can shoot off of a pass in one-second or less you can be guarded on the outside. 13. If you catch the ball on the perimeter and you are closely guarded if you want to shoot the outside shot you must first step hard at the defender to get him to back off and the you can shoot quickly. Rule if you want to drive ball fake and if you want to shoot the outside shot foot fake. (Watch tape on Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse he is a master at this Technique.) 14. Most right handed players shoot much better going left instead of going right because they have much better balance and they are squared up better. 15. Most players are not great shooters shoot better on one side of the floor than they do the other side of the floor. 16. The average player cannot make a 15 foot jump shot off of two hard dribbles. 17. The guide hand and thumb cause lots of problems in some shooters.

______"HOW TO GET OPEN" 1. "Coming off of a screen will be more effective if the offensive player steps into the defender before making his cut."(Morgan Wootten DeMatha HS) To put this in terms that kids can understand you need to tell them to locate their defender and go up and "bump" into him before coming off of a screen away from the ball. As you can tell you cannot always do this, but it is well worth teaching in a drill. (I learned this last week while studying about basketball. I never coached this concept, but I think it is worth teaching whether you run plays or motion.)

2. How to get open on a dead ball situation no matter where the ball is located on the floor (Baseline either end or the sideline). "Get where you need to be and "STAND STILL" do not keep moving! It is easy for the defense to defend you if keep moving, come to a complete stop and then break hard one way or the other and you will get open most of the time. If you think about the above concept (Number 1)"bumping into your man is a good way to get open here also." (Go watch a Junior High game and players do this all the time.) (TEACH, TEACH, TEACH) ______

"3 on 3 Rebounding Game" (By Steve Fisher San Diego State) We try to put our blocking out principles to work in a 3/3/3 rebounding game, (This drill works best with 9 players, but you can do it with 12 players) where the defense has the opportunity to box out the shooter, next receiver, and the off ball offensive player. Three teams compete, and a team receives a point for every defensive rebound it grabs. The defensive rebounding team stays on the floor accumulating points until they surrender an offensive rebound. The third team always enters on offense, and wins the right to play defense by getting an offensive rebound. The game is quick-paced, competitive, and our players certainly seem to enjoy it.

*Scoring/Other Rules 1. Defense gets a point for every rebound. 2. Defense stays until they surrender an offensive rebound. 3. Third team always comes in on offense. 4. If an offensive team scores they rotate out and a new offensive team comes on. 5. Play to 10 points and have winners and losers. 6. Start the ball up top and play regular 3 on 3 (the ball must be checked by the coach)

______"THE CONCEPT OF THE BOX"

The BOX area is from your shoulders to the top your knees or in other words right in front of your body. If you are being pressured you cannot have the ball in this area! You can rip the ball through this area by taking the ball up high or down low, but don't leave it here! Now, against pressure hold the ball to the side of your body and out of the BOX and your players will not make as many turnovers. A good way to drill on this is to have a ball and a partner with one player on the baseline and his partner 15' away (you can do this with lots of kids at the same time) and have the player with the ball dribble up to the defender and pick up the dribble and then have the defender really pressure him/her and have them rip the ball through the BOX and keep the ball on their hip or to their side and not lose it. Another way to drill on this is to play half court with no shooting or dribbling and have the player with the ball to hold it two to three seconds before passing and of course they must keep the ball out of the BOX. *It is important to rip the ball below your knees or over your head. Always keeping the ball close to your body! *I always thought "chinning the ball" was best, but now I see this is much better! ______

"JUMPING TO THE BALL"

Most coaches don't emphasize teaching "jumping to the ball" they say it, but don't emphasize it. Also, I always thought jumping to the ball was mainly for the man guarding the ball, but that is totally not true and here is what I mean. Remember this: THE WHOLE TEAM SHOULD JUMP TO THE BALL not just the man guarding the ball. If you will stop and think if the whole team is dogged into jumping to the ball they cannot be screen by the offensive players. (Look at it on paper and you will see what I mean.) I have always noticed that great defenders cannot be screened and now I'm thinking maybe they just might understand what jumping to the ball really means. *Remember this whole coaching thing is not what you teach, but what you EMPHASIZE! ______

"THOUGHTS ON SCREENING"

1. First don't call them screens "call them COLLISIONS" that is the only way we can get it through their heads to set a good screen. (Kelvin Sampson) 2. If you watch closely when kids set screens they screen AIR more than they screen the opponent. 3. Remember this: If you are a Big screening for a shooter, the first thing you do is for the shooter and then turn around and re-screen for him/her and they will be open every time. (Bobby Knight) (This is an awesome idea!) Do you understand what I am talking about here? 4. "Referees only call one illegal screen a game." (That is their quota in high school) 5. The reason kids don't screen well is the coaches fault because they seldom emphasize it. Most coaches never show the kids on tape that they are not setting good screens. 6. If you are a good shooter you should be a great screener because the screener is the most open man in the game when he sets a good screen. (The screener must step back and look for the ball after screening.) (Most great shooters a poor screeners in my opinion.) 7. Referees never ever call the offense for setting an illegal screen against a zone defense! You might as well go for it on these screens because they are not going to call it unless you somebody. (Owen Miller University of Texas at San Antonio) 8. Do you know why Ball Screens work better than screens away from the ball? I think the reason they work better is because you know right where they are going to be set plus they are easier to use. (If I were coaching today I would have like a million ball screen plays, because they are the hardest offensive play to defend in the game! Watch a pro game and see if it is not the best way they can get shots at "crunch time". 9. I think girls basketball coaches should add more ball screens to their offenses. It seems like I see it more ball screens with boys basketball than I do with girls basketball, but I could be wrong. 10. You need to have a whole practice where you emphasis is screening and you should go absolute bonkers when they screen AIR!! (DS) ______

"FINISHES" -- (No Defense)

1. Lay-ups and act like there is some that is going to block your shot. 2. "The Runner"- Shoot this shot from driving from different places on the floor. (By the way most players cannot make a runner in a game! Tony Parker of the Spurs is awesome at it! Do you realize what a "Runner" really is? It is just shooting the ball quicker than they can guard you and you shoot the ball on the way up! (You shoot early off two feet. (Some kids shoot it off of one foot but is not as effective.) 3. "Baby Hooks" (Most guards shoot these shots in a game, but seldom practice them. 4. "Reverse Lay-ups- You need to come from both sides of the floor to practice this shot. (Left and right handed) *NOTE- All of these finishes need to be practiced "Right and Left Handed". *You might practice one of these a day for 5 minutes in the off season. *After the kids have master how to finish with no defense you can add a big guy to challenge their shot. (It will be fun for the players!) ______

"MAN TO MAN DEFENSIVE THOUGHTS"

1. Don't let the opponent drive through the elbows when the ball is on the wing. This just kills the defense. I would rather see them drive the baseline. Force 'em to the corners! This should be a point of emphasis this season.

2. Don't FOUL so much!! Players can be aggressive without fouling all the time. Fouling is a mistake!! How come when kids get four fouls they can quit fouling? The reason kids foul so much to me is coaches fault for not emphasizing it!! 3. Don't try to steal the ball from the man dribbling the ball by reaching! Just keep pressure on the ball and keep the ball in front of you. You will need to have a 10 minute "no reach" scrimmage and if anyone reaches you kill the whole team!

4. Deny Ball Reversal: If the other team cannot reverse the ball they are really limited on what they can do offensively. This year make denying ball reversal a priority. 5. Transition Defense may be the most important thing to teach. How come kids can run 100 miles per hour on a , but they don't run that hard to get back on "D"? (It is your fault if this is happening.) ______

"STRESS THESE FROM DAY ONE"

1. Always sprint the floor in transition. (Offense and Defense) 2. Always be lower than your opponent. (Most coaches don't think of this on "O") 3. Set good hard screens. (Call them COLLISIONS!) (Straddle the near leg of your opponent) (HIT HIM!!) 4. Know how to come off of a screen. (You can never be too late! Most kids come off screens way too early!!) 5. Never have both feet flat on the floor at the same time. (Offense and Defense) ______

JIM BOEHEIM'S 2-3 ZONE DEFENSE

Basic Rules 1. They are going to guard the 3 point line. 2. Guards are responsible for keeping the ball out of the high post. 3. The center fronts the low post and stays between the ball and the basket. 4. On every pass 5 people move. 5. They believe they can win with it.

Basic Movement 1. Guards touch hands (not really) up top. (To keep someone from flashing into the free throw line area and catching a pass from the point guard. 2. Forwards are wide and up high. (This is important) 3. Guards don't play the ball coming down court. 4. They believe the 2 men up top can guard 3 offensive players. (One player at the point position and one on each wing.) 5. Forwards and Guards bump on the first pass.(Do you know what bump means?) 6. Forwards always come up on the baseline side when they bump. (This keeps the offensive guy from driving the baseline. 7. When the ball is on the wing the guard covering the elbow must not get too low or he will get screened. (You probably don't know why, but I could explain on the phone) 8. They will trap all passes to the short corner. (Their rotation is very important, but I can't show you in the newsletter.) 9. Drill the offense taking 30 seconds and then getting a shot. 10. Play the 2-3 zone against 7 offensive plays with the extra players one in the high post and the other in one of the corners. *If you don't understand bumping you don't understand this defense!

Responsibility 1. The center has the ball when it is passed into the high post, when this happens the forwards must get in the paint and stop the high low pass. (This take practice) 2. All five guys hit the boards! (No snow birding) 3. The forwards never give up a baseline drive because this will kill the defense.

1. Teams turn the ball over a lot against this defense. Don't ask me why. 2. There are more upsets in when teams are playing a zone defense as opposed to when they play man to man. 3. We know where they are going to line up on offense. Nine out of ten teams will either line up 1-3-1 or 1-2-2. 4. They only practice the 2-3 zone 10 minutes a day because they work mainly on their man to man defense, but play a zone in the games. 5. This is better than a match-up zone because kids can understand who to cover easier. 6. Syracuse traps the ball side corner when the other team runs their out of bounds plays. ______

Knight SHOOTING DRILL" *How to do the drill: 1. You need three players (shooter, passer, rebounder) 2. Two balls 3. One Minute on the clock 4. Goal to make 15 shots out of 25 attempts 5. The passer can only pass. The rebounder can only rebound and then pass to the passer. (I know you realize the passer passes to the shooter.) 6. The Rebounder counts the shots attempted. 7. The Passer counts the shots made. 8. The drill starts with the shooter having a ball and the passer having a ball. 9. The shooter will move from Elbow to Elbow in the drill. (Must HUSTLE!) 10. Their should be some type of punishment if the shooter does not get the 25 attempts or the 15 makes.

*Change up to the drill. You can have the shooter go from elbow to the wing and back to the elbow. S/he should move about 12'. You may need to put a mark with chalk on the floor so the shooter will know where to shoot from. (All the other rules are the same.) (This is great for taking shots at game speed.)

______UT SHOOTING DRILL *The Explanation is below the diagram ______l l l 2 l l l ______1 3

"Three Man-Two Ball Shooting Three Pointing Shooting Drill" 1. 1 has a ball ready to shoot 2. 2 has a ball under the basket 3. 3 is spotted up behind the arc *Procedure 1. The drill begins with 1 taking a shot and 2 under the basket will make a pass to 3 for a three point shot. 2. The passer (2) sprints outside anywhere behind the three point line. 3. The first shooter (1) follows his shot, rebounds, and passes to a player spotted up behind the arc. 4. The drill continues for 1 minute and each player has to make 6 three point shots. (They count their own made shots.) (Penalty if they don't reach 18 total makes)

*Remember this and you can do the drill. After you shoot follow your shot rebound it (missed or made) and pass to a player behind the three point line. Do not stay under the goal after you rebound your shot just sprint behind the three point line and you will get a pass from another player who has just rebounded his/her shot.

*You can shoot from the corners, wings or point area. *If there are three players and two balls someone has to be open for a pass after you follow your shot and get the rebound.

______"A GREAT REBOUNDING DRILL" -- The Bubble Drill

*To do this drill you will need a rebound dome or you can go to Walmart and buy some Bungee Cords for $6.00. It is up to you. Either way you will have to have someone go up on a ladder and put something over the rim so the ball will NOT go thought the net.

How to run the drill 1. Divide you players up into teams of three. (There is no out of bounds in this drill) 2. You are going to play to 5 points 3. You can only get a point for a defensive rebound (I point) (The only way to score) 4. If you get an offensive rebound you get to play defense. The defensive team will now go off of the floor and the new team will come on the floor to play offense. 5. Give each team equal size if you can. The drill works best with 9 kids on a goal. 6. The third team is waiting out of bounds under the goal. 7. Let them have the ball to play 3 on 3 to start the drill. 8. The coach will handle the ball after each offensive rebound. 9. The only thing you stop in the drill is a "FIGHT" (You call no fouls) This drill is to make kids tough!! 10. You will need a manager to help you keep score. There will be a penalty for the losers. 11. You can also do this drill full court, it is called "Double Bubble". You play it for 10 minutes running you offense (5 on 5) The only change in this drill is that you get 2 points for an offensive rebound and 1 point for a defensive rebound. You play to the first team to 10 points. *Diagram Below: Team 3 on 3 on 3 ______l l l l l l 2 ______2 1 1 2 1Ball Coach

*(Situation) Team 1 plays team 2 live three on three. Lets say team 1 shot and team 2 got the defensive rebound. The ball will now go back to the coach and team 2 would get one point and the new team on offense would be team 3. Team 1 would step under the goal. Remember you can only score if you get a defensive rebound and the way to get to be on defense is to get an offensive rebound. If you can remember this formula you can run this drill. (Kelvin Sampson OU) (Maybe this drill is why his teams play so physical) ______

"GUTS" Great Under Tension and Stress ______

NORTH CAROLINA'S MOTION OFFENSE -- By Roy Williams

1. Three passes before you shoot unless you have a lay up. 2. Change sides of the floor. (Reverse the ball) 3. Give the defense a chance to make a mistake. (THREE passes you get a good shot and FIVE passes you get a great shot.) (Try this one day in practice when they are going against a set defense make them make 5 passes before they can shoot. You will be amazed at how good of a shot you will get!) 4. Backdoor and overplay. 5. Don't pass up a screening opportunity. 6. Be strong with the ball. (Catch the ball and face the goal. Hold the ball for two seconds, while you are reading the defense.) 7. Stay wide and high. 8. Look and then make the correct pass. 9. Be able to get open without someone screening for you. 10. Get a buddy to work with on offense. Natural pairs: one man will have the ball and the other two pairs will screen for each other. (talk and eye contact) 11. Don't worry about spacing on offense. (Use common sense) 12. Use over head passing to move the ball. 13. V-Cut to get open on offense. 14. Call out the man's name you are screening for on offense. 15. When you screen make contact and straddle the near leg of the defender. ______

PACK

1. Only defend from the 3 point line back. No one goes past the three point line. The only exception could be if you are guarding the man with the ball and he is outside the 3 point line. 2. Teach the defenders to not let anyone dribble between them. (Help and Recover or NO SPLITS!) This is easy to teach! 3. Front the low post. 4. Make them beat you from the outside. 5. Make them score off of the dribble. 6. Cut off the baseline drive. 7. Keep the dribbler in front of you. Don't let him drive around you! 8. Block off the boards! 9. You will not switch. (Only as a last resort) 10. This is just like a zone only everyone has someone to guard and someone to block out. 11. When in doubt stay between your man and the basket. 12. Teach them how to sag off on the help side of the floor. 13. Get a hand in all shooters faces. *If there is a most important rule it would be NO SPLITS. ______

"DEFENSIVE SITUATIONS" (Screens)

1. What we are going to talk about here is if you are not going to switch on screens away from the ball. 2. IF YOUR MAN CALLS FOR A SCREEN, YOU ARE A HELPER!! Think about it, all your man is doing is screening away from the ball so why don't you just help by moving toward the ball? In high school 99% of the kids don't know how to slip a screen away from the ball so if your man is a screener you can help all day! 3. Now, on the other hand if you are guarding a man coming off of a screen, here is our rule for this man. HE CANNOT BE SCREENED!! He can trail the screen or go ball side, but he cannot be screened. Great defenders don't get screened!! 4. Do you know how to teach your kids to trail a screen? What I mean here is just get right behind them and when someone screens for them you follow them instead of going on the ball side of the screen. (This is the best way to defend a good shooter.) You must teach kids how to trail a screen, it does not come natural.) 5. The 5th Defender- Is the guy that can screw up the play, I just learned about this last Thursday and it is the truth. Think about this and draw up some of your plays and look and see if at some time during the play that there is one player on defense who could leave his man and totally screw up the play. When you look at tape this season find the 5th guy and yell at him for not leaving his man. (Scouting will help here) ______

BOXING OUT RULES:

1. Do NOT watch the flight of the ball. (I'll bet all of your kids do this!) 2. Be active during "Dead Time" (the time when the ball leaves the shooters hands until it gets to a position where it can be rebounded) (What would you say about four seconds on a three point shot?) 3. Stay down and establish good rebounding position. 4. Box out by using a "Hand to Shoulder - Butt to the Gut" technique. (Hand to the shoulder simply means stick your arm out straight and put it on the shoulder of the offensive rebounder to stop his momentum. (The referee won't call it!) 5. Maintain inside position by spreading out with both hands high. 6. Do not front a good offensive rebounding post player. 7. "FACE" guard an exceptional offensive rebounder. Chest him with both hands high. Sacrifice the rebound to keep the opponent from getting the ball. In other words block him by facing him. You won't get the ball, but neither will he when it is missed.

______WHERE TO BE ON DEFENSE

*When the ball is below free throw extended on defense all five defenders should be on the same side of the floor as the ball. (Yes, past the rim!!) (See Diagram) *The numbers are the offense and the letters are the defense. *A is guarding 1, B-2, C-3, D-4, E-5 *If you will look closely when the ball is below the free throw line extend the weak side help defenders should be in an I-Formation. Do you see A right over D? You should check your tapes this year to see if your guys are in an I-Formation on the help side of the floor. ______

DRILL TO BE STRONG WITH THE BALL

*To understand this drill you will have to look at the diagram below. This is a very good drill to teach kids how to pivot under pressure and not loose the ball while being double-teamed. (Remember I can't draw on these diagrams so read closely.) ______X l l Ball A l l B X l l ______

1. A and B are partners (30 feet a part) 2. The X's are permanent defenders when the ball is passed from A to B they will sprint over and cover B. 3. To start the drill the X's the heck out of A for 10 seconds, their goal is to knock the ball out of his hands. No fouls are called. 4. A's rule is to pivot keeping his elbows out and he needs to move the ball from high to low and keep pivoting. (He cannot just stand there with his back to the defense) 5. After 10 seconds on the coaches signal A will pass the ball across court to B and the X's will run over there and double team him for 10 seconds. 6. If the ball is knocked out of A or B's hands they have to do 5 perfect pushups. 7. All of this action goes on for 1 minute. 8. This drill is going on all the way up and down the middle of the floor with your whole team involved. 9. After 1 minute the X's go to offense and A and B go to defense.

*The point of the drill is teach kids to not panic while under intense pressure in a game. A and B will get tired in this drill just by pivoting strong.

______4-6-4 Conditioning Drill

You run full court, down is 1, back is 2, down is 3, and back is 4. Then you turn around and back pedal 6 lengths and finish with 4 lengths forward. This how we get 4-6-4. The kids have 1 minute and 30 seconds to complete this cycle. With girls or younger kids you need to complete the cycle in 1 minute and 45 seconds. ______

Defending Out of bounds

(Under their goal, playing man to man defense) 1. Teach your kids to defend Box and Line sets under their goal. (Walk them through what we are talking about today.) (90% of all inbounds plays are from these two sets.) 2. Your goal is to steal the ball when they are inbounding it. You have 5 defenders on the floor to their 4 offensive players. 3. DO NOT LET THEM CATCH THE BALL IN THE BALL SIDE CORNER!! (I looked at all of my good out of bounds plays and on most of them we pass the ball into the ball side corner to run the play.) (Now, look at your OB Plays and see where you pass the ball.) 4. Jam all screeners with your forearm so the offense cannot go where it wants to. 5. Switching is okay on out of bounds plays if it will stop them from scoring. 6. Put your defensive man right over the inbounder and have him/her with active hands jumping up and down trying to get a piece of the ball when they pass it inbounds. 7. Even if you don't steal the ball you will messed the timing of the other teams out of bounds play! ______