A common complaint I hear from numerous high school coaches is that when the Freshman class arrives on campus in the fall, they are not very skilled on the basics of basketball. (Check out my post, tips on coaching youth basketball, geared towards players 12 and under.) Because high school coaches have their own offensive and defensive philosophies, they…
Plays Of The Week – Feb. 13, 2015
“Zone Offense Variety Pack” Facing a 2-3 zone can be challenging. At the end of the day, your players just have to knock down open shots when they come. It is really that simple. You move the ball, make skip passes, attack gaps, go inside-out, hit the short corner and hope that the shots fall.…
My Dean Smith Memory
As an 18 year NCAA Division I head and assistant coach, I was blessed to have coached against the best. Bob Knight, Coach K, Eddie Sutton, Tom Izzo, Tom Davis, Ralph Miller, Billy Donovan, Roy Williams……and Dean Smith. Our Miami of Ohio team won the 1990-91 MAC regular season and tournament championship. Fortunately we were placed…
Fundamentals Your Team Should Practice Daily
In the game of basketball, there are a number of fundamental skills that are necessary to be able to compete. For example, the ability to dribble without getting the ball stolen, to pass the ball around the defense to reach open teammates, or to make a free throw. While the talent of each player and…
2014 Men’s Final Four Preview
FastModel is devoted to providing the most cutting edge products when it comes to preparing for your opponents. We have decided to take this technology and share with you a scouting report breaking down each team and their key players. Click the link below to download your copy today! If you want to learn more…
Top 10 Books for Basketball Coaches
We can all agree that any book written by or about John Wooden are some of the best books to read to improve as coaches. However, there a number of thought provoking reads that will not only help you become a better coach, but a better person. Below is a list of some of our…
5 Essential Phases of a Basketball Post-Game Routine
Some programs do not give this topic the attention it deserves, post-game routines need to be addressed with the same sense of urgency as the pre-game routines. As a college head coach, I ensured these five phases of post-game breakdown were part of our routine after every game. PHASE I: POST-GAME LOCKER ROOM MEETING Briefly address…
Creating a Culture of Belief with Positivity from Jon Gordon
Last year on my trip to the Men’s Final Four, I was fortunate enough to hear renowned speaker Jon Gordon. If you are not familiar with Jon, I highly recommend you hop over to his website after reading and sign up for his newsletter and purchase his books, you won’t be disappointed. As the season is underway…
Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Philosophy
Notes taken from the 2012 Brayden Carr Foundation Coaching Clinic. University of Cincinnati Men’s Basketball Coach Mick Cronin spoke on some of his on and off court philosophies for the Bearcats! Off the Court Each day his players are being recruited to not listen to him (from outsiders). Accept it and work to counteract that negativity-why…
4 Drills to Become An Effective Pressing Team
If you have not read our article yet discussing Shaka Smart’s key’s to full-court pressing defense, we recommend you hop on over and read that article before diving into the drills below! Circle Trap The Circle Trap drill is one of the best drills to not only teach your offensive players how to handle traps under…