A look inside the practice planning process by examining a one-day “snapshot” of a basketball practice plan. Practice planning is an art form best learned through trial and error. There is no perfect plan or template. Coaches must tweak their process until they feel what they are doing with practice time elicits the most transference…
The Sweet 16 to Vegas
Why Sweet 16 to Las Vegas? The “Sweet 16 to Vegas” isn’t a new idea for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. I started exploring the Sweet 16 to Vegas concept 6 years ago, an idea introduced on “Shootaround with Beth and Debbie.” “Shootaround” was a podcast for change in the women’s game, introducing new and…
6 Ways to Be Coachable
(6 Ways to Be Coachable by Mason Waters was first published by Medium.com) Players, coaches want you to be successful. As a coach, I know I can say that honestly. I want my players to be successful. I really do. And I could care less about the ‘glory’ of it, if anyone knows I helped…
Get the Gear Your Team Needs While Working Within Your Budget
At FastModel Sports, we talk with coaches everyday about their goals on the court, expectations for players, and even the administrative challenges of running a team. One of the most common challenges we hear coaches talk about is being able to fit all the needs for their team into a small budget (that’s why last…
Be Precise
This is the next in a series of posts that come from some ideas I wrote about in my first two booklets A Head Coach’s Guide for Working with Assistants and The Assistant Coach’s Guide to Coaching. While those booklets were born out of some specific head coach/assistant coach issues I was facing with some…
Program Spotlight: St. Charles Spartans
When Coach Brett Campbell walked into his first day as head coach of the St. Charles Spartans, he faced one of the biggest challenges of his coaching career. As a brand new, first year high school, Coach Campbell had players joining together from eight different schools and coaches coming from three different programs. Learn how…
Offseason Planning – FastDraw
Basketball season may be over for the summer, but the season for new computers and IT department “updates” is just getting started. Whether you are finally getting ready to dump that old computer for a shiny new one, or you just want to make sure that all of your hard work in FastDraw is protected…
Final Four – A Professional Development Opportunity
College students get spring break for vacation. College basketball coaches get the Final Four. However, for eight coaching staffs the men’s and women’s Final Fours really are business trips. If you have a goal of reaching the game’s pinnacle event on the bench and not at the bar down the street, you need to take…
4 Reasons I Love FastDraw
Alright Coaches, listen up! Fall is here, football has started and I know from experience that basketball coaches across the country can’t stop thinking about the basketball season that is right around the corner. As coaches are sketching out ideas, sets, and plays on yellow legal pads, I absolutely must tell you the 4 reasons…
Organizing Your Coaching Library: A Simple Solution
As the summer is ending and the new season is approaching, there has never been a better time for coaches to take a look at how they organize all of their plays and coaching notes. If you are like me, you have a seemingly endless supply of notes, game films, clinic DVDs, and plays. Having…