See how a Michigan AAU tournament used the Elam Ending, similar to what The Basketball Tournament does, for better late game situations. Today is tip-off of the The Basketball Tournament, which in its sixth year has become another great summer viewing option for basketball fans (You can catch all games airing live on ESPN networks). One…
Zone Offense: Alignment
Alignment may be the key piece of zone offense. Here’s some tips for picking the right alignment versus various zone defenses. When attacking zone defenses, the first step is to settle upon an offensive alignment. And starting from a good alignment may be all the “offense” you need versus a zone. The traditional zone alignments…
Building Your Playbook: Add Sets With Consecutive Actions
Stringing together consecutive actions creates advantages by forcing the defense to make back-to-back quick decisions and communicate. During my second year as a college assistant coach, we had a Division I point guard transfer into our small program. His skill in the pick and roll was quickly apparent, not just to our staff, but also…
Playing With Offensive Freedom
Playing with offensive freedom – four keys to playing with more freedom and less complexity. There is a spectrum of coaches and we all fall somewhere along this spectrum. On one end is the rigid coach who calls every play and coaches every dribble. On the other end is the coach who basically rolls the…
Basketball Strategy: There’s No “Right” Way to Play or Coach
It’s all about preference – teams with various styles of play are succeeding in today’s game, as evidenced by recent champions. During the 2019 men’s NCAA Tournament, basketball coaches and fans across the world saw a collection of some of the best games in recent memory. Specifically, the Sweet Sixteen and Eight Eight featured teams with…
Coaching Tip: Be Consistent in Your Leadership and Messaging
No matter the talent level, wins or losses, it’s important for coaches to maintain a standard of leadership at all times. I was out of town on a college visit trip with my son last month. While we were there, he was telling me about how one of the top high school basketball teams in…
Video Playbook: Staggered Screens
Video Playbook: Staggered Screens – A look across the basketball landscape at options and actions stemming from the staggered down screen. The staggered down screen is a staple in many motion offenses across the basketball landscape. In this video playbook we will look at college, NBA and International teams using the staggered down screen. Staggered Screens:…
Off-Season Improvement: Time to Get Better as a “Coach”
Make sure part of your off-season preparation is devoted to you becoming a better coach in general, not just a better coach in basketball. Normally, my posts here are often reposted from original blogs on my own site, Great Resources for Coaches site, and I’ve been grateful that FastModel Sports has allowed me to spread my…
Championship Mindset: Keys to Winning in the Postseason
Lessons on what it takes to win when it matters most – the postseason – from a coach with a track record of success. Every year, we prepare and plan to play on the last possible day in March. At Varina High School, where I spent six years building a program from the ground up, we made that an…
Video Playbook: San Francisco Point Options
Video Playbook: Point Series options from the University of San Francisco Dons The Princeton Offense has layers and one of those layers is the Point Series. In the following video playbook, the University of San Francisco Dons will serve as our visual aid for these Point Series options. Over First, let’s look at how to…