Versatile players and a free flowing offensive system helped the Villanova Wildcats capture the 2018 men’s NCAA National Championship. The story of the night was Donte DiVincenzo, who came off of the bench and sparked a huge run for Villanova, which continued to hit big shot after big shot throughout the game. Early on it was Michigan…
Wooden Award Watch: Luke Maye Player Breakdown
North Carolina’s Luke Maye has put himself in the Wooden Award conversation with a versatile skillset based on elite shooting and rebounding. MORE Wooden Award Watch Series: Jalen Brunson Player Breakdown Luke Maye blasted onto the scene during North Carolina’s title run last season and eventually hit the game winning shot in the national championship game. The 6’8″…
Footwork on the Catch: Creating an Advantage
Footwork is a very fundamental basketball skill, but it can turn an average offensive player into a dangerous one. Whether 10 years old or 20, footwork is a key fundamental to a player’s overall game. Proper footwork can help a player gain an advantage, create spacing, draw fouls, and prevent travels and other types of turnovers. Footwork is the…
Wooden Award Watch: Jalen Brunson Player Breakdown
Villanova’s Jalen Brunson is a player of the year candidate who excels at fundamentals for a complete overall game. Jalen Brunson has been a staple of college basketball for the last 3 seasons. The Villanova junior is a coach’s dream when it comes to point guard play. He is a winner and leader who can shoot…
Go Home Coach: 5 Ways to Save Time and Be More Efficient
The basketball season is long and grueling. Once practices and games begin, the days and nights can blend together. In order to lead and mentor their teams, coaches often sacrifice things like time with family, friends, themselves, not to mention sleep and exercise. Having a proper work/life balance is important to the health of coaches, and…
![September 29, 2017 - Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A - Amir Coffey dribbles during a drill. ] LEILA NAVIDI ⢠leila.navidi@startribune.com ....BACKGROUND INFORMATION: University of Minnesota mens basketball practice with new coach Richard Pitino at their first practice on Friday, September 29, 2017 at Williams Arena. ORG XMIT: MIN1709291622530139 (Credit Image: © Leila Navidi/Minneapolis Star Tribune via ZUMA Wire)](https://team.fastmodelsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/20170929_zaf_m42_022-158x130.jpg)
3 Keys to In Season Player Development
Player development is often the focus during the off season as players work on improving weaknesses and overall game. In season, practice time is heavily focused on team concepts, and understandably so. However, it is just as important to include player development work so players maintain skills that were enhanced during the off season, and even improve…
Pregame Visualization Techniques to Improve Performance
Visualization in sports and athletic performance has become more common over the last several decades. Teams and players have been using it to help clear their minds, think positively, review the game and improve performance. Athletes such as Carli Lloyd and Lindsey Vonn, actor Will Smith and even Oprah Winfrey have been known to use…
![Dec. 22, 2014 - Lakeville, MN, U.S. - MacKenzie Denk (43) during practice Monday afternoon at Lakeville North High School. ] JEFF WHEELER ââ¬Â¢ The Lakeville North girl's basketball team practiced Monday afternoon, December 22, 2014 at the high school. (Credit Image: © Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/ZUMA Wire)](https://team.fastmodelsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Girls-basketball-practice-230x128.jpg)
Game Like Drills for Pregame Warm Ups
Practice is inherently about preparing for a game by performing drills that translate to games scenarios. Most coaches would say that pregame warm ups are about getting players’ bodies physically ready for the game. However, the mental aspect of pregame needs to be just as much of a focus, if not more. Preparing for the…
Player Development: Training Guards and Posts Together
Traditional player development consists of breaking up players into guards and bigs, working specifically on post work for bigs and outside work for guards. With basketball becoming more and more versatile and positionless, it’s critical that players be trained in all skills and not boxed into a single position based on their size or current skillset.…