Basketball News September - What are your predictions for the upcoming NBA season, based off summer league/last season? o Player of the year o Rookie of the year o Who will win the NBA Finals? o Who will be the worst team in the East? West? o Which Rookie will struggle their first season? o Which team will be the underdog? October - Talk about off season: o What has happened in the off-season § Trades § Free agency § Hires/fires § Arrests § Draft picks November - Do a quick recap from their list from September - College Basketball o Explain differences between college and NBA § Quarters (NBA) vs Halves (college) § Shot Clock • NBA 24 sec vs College 35 sec § Three-point line • 23’9” NBA • 19’9” College § Width of the lane or “paint” • 16 feet NBA • 12 feet College § Fouls • 6 NBA • 5 College § Possession • Jump Ball to resolve dispute in NBA • Possession arrow in College § Defense • Defensive Three Seconds rule NBA o Cannot stay in the lane for more than 3 seconds in the paint on defense • College there is no such rule Question of the day: Who do you think will win NBA Finals? Homework: Assign a College team. Have players watch a game and bring back the Coach’s name, their starting 5, what conference they are in, their biggest rival, who won the game and what the score was. December NBA - Any NBA trades happening or have happened? - Player updates o Injuries? o Suspensions? - Rookies that are making a name for themselves College - Top teams in each conference - Potential Tournament teams - Players that are standing out January - Talk about the All-Star Game o Who you think will make All-Star team? § East? West? o Prediction on who will win? East or west? - What All-Star Weekend consists off o All-Star Celebrity Game o Rising Stars Challenge § Also known as being the “Rookie Game” § Rookies VS Sophomores o G-League All-Star Game § Consist of the best G-League players o Slam Dunk Contest o Three-Point Contest o Skills Challenge § Obstacle course that includes dribbling, shooting, and passing § Agility, quickness, and accuracy come into play for this challenge o All-Star Game - What is your favorite part of All-Star Weekend? - How are All-Star teams chosen? o Viewers 50% o Media 25% o Players 25% - Think back to who you thought will be player of the year o Did they make the All-Star list? February - Do you agree with how they chose the all-star teams? - Did you predict correct on won the All-Star Game? - March Madness o Based on the games that you have been watching, who do you think will win, compared to before? o Explain how selection process works § Each member of the Division I committee evaluate a lot of information • Their opinions, usually made through their observations, discussions with coaches, directors of athletics and commissioners, and review and comparison of data, usually determine selections, seeding, and bracketing. § There are three phases to making a decision • Select the 36 best at large teams • Seed the field of 68 teams • Place the teams into the championship bracket March – Point Guard/Shooting Guard Day - NBA Predictions o Potential MVP western and eastern conference o NBA Finals MVP Point Guard - The best ball handler, dribbler, and passer on the team. - Handles the ball the - Usually brings the ball up the court and initiates the plays - Most of the time is the shortest player on the team, but not all the time - Facilitates scoring opportunities for other teammates - Can score as if they are a shooting guard too Discuss different types of Point Guards - Slashing point guard o Likes to attack the basket before anything else. o Specialty is scoring from the inside and drawing contact while taking their shot. o Keen ability to drive find an open man while driving in. o Requires a tough, physical point guard who can handle contact from bigger players inside the key. o Size isn’t necessarily as important for this position if you are able to compensate with agility and speed down low. o Also tend to be generally weaker from the 3-point line, but it is not always the case. § Example: Russell Westbrook, Isiah Thomas - Inside/Outside Guard o Otherwise known as a “point-forward”, an inside/outside guard has the ability to make plays at any place on the court. o They’re prolific scorers, which makes them a matchup nightmare. o They have the size of a big-man but the athleticism and speed of a guard. o They tend to be less than stellar defenders, due to the amount of time spent improving their offensive game. o Nevertheless, they’re one of the toughest types of guards to defend. § Examples: Kyrie Irving, John Wall - Outside Shooter o Otherwise known as a “combo-guard”, the shooting point guard has caused a dramatic shift in how the position is played. o This type of point guard has a dangerous 3-point shot and is not afraid to use it. Their first instinct is to try and find an open 3-point shot, before passing. o These types of guards must be both quick and smart, to find an open shot. o They often run the fast-break to get an open shot before the defense has time to recover. o 3-point shooting guards tend to be on the smaller side of the guard scale, which is why they tend to rely on the outside game more. § Examples: Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry - Game manager/pass first o This is the closest you’ll get to a quarterback on the basketball court. o This type of guard uses their vision, and patience to find an open pass. o They tend to have more chemistry with their team work with them to find an open shot. o These types of guards won’t blow you away with any flashy crossovers or dunks, but they tend to have a very high basketball IQ and rarely ever turn the ball over. § Examples: Tony Parker, George Hill - Defensive guard o These types of guards are lockdown defenders on the 3-point line. o They’re given the assignment of guarding some of the best players in the league. o This position requires a high basketball IQ, extreme fouling discipline, and some incredible footwork. o These guards also tend to have the loudest mouths on the court and use it to get into their opponent’s head. § Mike Conley, Patrick Beverly Shooting Guard - Combination guard - Best shooter on the team - Handles the ball just as good as a point guard - Able to pass the ball like a PG - Backup point guard, especially when getting double teamed to stop their shooting - Free throw percentage is usually and needs to be high. Discuss the Different Types of Shooting Guards - Combo Guard o As discussed during Point Guard Day: the combo-guard is a player who can pass and facilitate as good as any point guard but has the shooting stats of a pure shooting. o They’re incredibly smart players, who can overtake an offense if their original point guard needs some rest. § Example: CJ McCollum, Dwayne Wade - Lockdown Defender o Lockdown defenders on the 3-point line. o They’re given the assignment of guarding some of the best players in the league. o This position requires a high basketball IQ, extreme fouling discipline, and some incredible footwork. o These guards also tend to have the loudest mouths on the court and use it to get into their opponent’s head. § Examples: Tony Allen, Khris Middleton - Shot Creator o These types of shooting guards are masters of finding open space. o Whether it be cuts, or screens, or posting up; these players are masters when the ball is NOT in their hands. o This requires a deep understanding of spacing on the court, quick feet, strong screening, and a deadly shooting game. § Example: Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan - Spot Up shooter (pure shooter) o This type is similar to the “Shot Creator”, minus a couple differences. o A spot-up shooter might not have the same speed or agility to create their own shot. o What the lack in athleticism, they make up for with a much deadlier shooting game. o Spot-up shooters will rely more heavily on the passer to help create the shot, than a shot-creator. § JJ Reddick, Kyle Korver Question of the day: Who is you favorite Point Guard and Shooting Guard? April – Small Forward / Power Forward Day College - Recap on who won the March Madness tournament to who you thought would win, and what player stuck out to you the most. NBA - Playoffs / NBA Finals o Who you think will win compared to who you predicted in September o Eastern Conference winner? o Western Conference winner? - Who do you think will get Western Conference Finals MVP? Eastern? - Who do you think will get Finals MVP? Small Forward - Usually shorter, quicker, and leaner than the power forward and center, and typically taller than the guards - Considered the most versatile of all five positions. - The second or third best shooter from mid-range and out. - Point Forward played by the small forward generally o Plays the point and small forward positions o Able to bring up the ball - Examples: Paul George, LeBron James Discuss different types of small forward play types - Point Forwards o Like the “inside/outside guard”, a point forward is a player with the size of a forward, but he handles and speed of a wing player.