My high school coach used to always say he wouldn't comment right after a game regardless of a win or loss. He wanted to wait 24 hours so he wouldn't get caught up in the emotion of the game. Sometimes he was better at that than others, but we wanted to make sure we followed that rule as a staff this weekend as we were a little disappointed in the job we did getting the guys ready to play this week. We felt like the gameslacked some of the continuity of previous weeks. A couple days later, we realize that some of it had to do with the boys taking what we did the last couple of weeks and really applying it in the games.
Specifically the last two weeks we worked a lot on the correct ways to defend screens. We worked on staying between man and the basket instead of chasing around picks and giving up layins. The boys really did a good job of taking the correct path to their offensive player keeping them in the proper position to stop the opportunities to drive. Individually guys did a better job of not overplaying on fakes make it more difficult to drive (especially off the wing), another thing we worked on last week. So part of us we'll score one for the defense this week (as a former player who couldn't shoot to save his life and had to get by on his defense I should have enjoyed it more).
Having said that, we'll work on some things to help the offense step it up. The big thing will be getting back to basics. We've had a little case of the "I Got This" syndrome creep in as we reach the middle of the program. Some guys are a little too satisfied with having learned the basics of the offense and need to recognize that the next level of understanding takes into account reading and reacting to the defense to create scoring opportunities. Also, as the defense improves; screening, cutting and playing at a little faster tempo, become much more important. You may see us coaching with a little more volume this week to make sure everyone recognizes the need to continue to improve and the pace of some of the drills will probably pick up as well.
Now that the defense has improved hopefully we can see another gain on the offensive side of the ball as well. Again, your input is always welcome.
Get an inside look at what's happening on and off the court at Home Court as well drills and insights from our coaches.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Week 5 - Winter League Thoughts
It was a fun weekend of games again. Glad to see most everyone back and ready to go. I'm really excited as we go for 6 straight weeks without a break. We should see some big improvement in the coming weeks. We'll have one more weekend of playing with the teams as they are and the reform the teams for the second half of the program.
Here's what we're thinking as a staff for each division. Please feel free to share with me any questions, comments or concerns at coach.pat@homecourtnw.com. We're almost to the mid-point of the program so now is the perfect time to gather feedback.
White Division - Sunday Games
I'm having an internal battle between my glass is half full viewpoint of life and the critical eye of a coach with the White Division. I couldn't be more pleased with the commitment that the boys are showing in trying to run the offense. Guys are really trying to make sure they do everything right. On the otherhand we're missing some opportunities to be aggressive because we're worried about making the wrong play. There were some nice spurts in the game today though where the boys got into the offense quickly and then took advantage of scoring opportunities. We'll really focus this week on getting mentally prepared to start the offense on each play and let the rest take care of itself.
Yellow Division - Saturday Games (Early Session)
We're really starting to see some individual improvement in this division. Some guys who were struggling early with the offense are starting to look more comfortable and we had some nice plays on Saturday. We need to do a better job as coaches of letting guys no the positive impact they are having without shooting the basketball. We see, on occasion, guys make up their mind that they are going to shoot no matter what and get themselves in situations where it's too easy for the defense to make the play. I do like the fact that the guys who have the best understanding of what we're trying to do are getting the most opportunities to score. They are recognizing the importance of reading the defense, moving with the ball and being aggressive when they can. It's also good to see the defense being able to stop the one on one plays forcing the offense to work together.
Orange Division - Saturday Games (Later Session)
What a great weekend of games. I think we had three games that came were decided in the last seconds and another that was decided by 5 points. We're definitely ready to start adding stuff to the plate. Practice will be really important the next couple of weeks as we start to incorporate more full court and end of game situations into our lesson plan. We're probably going to spend a little more time on team defense as well. At first it may make the games a little sloppy as we start to give guys some secrets for defending the motion offense, but I can't see any reason why the guys won't make the necessary adjustments on offense.
Again, please share with many any feedback or questions you have. We've got a quite of bit of time left in the program and we definitely want to make sure that everyone is having a positive experience.
Here's what we're thinking as a staff for each division. Please feel free to share with me any questions, comments or concerns at coach.pat@homecourtnw.com. We're almost to the mid-point of the program so now is the perfect time to gather feedback.
White Division - Sunday Games
I'm having an internal battle between my glass is half full viewpoint of life and the critical eye of a coach with the White Division. I couldn't be more pleased with the commitment that the boys are showing in trying to run the offense. Guys are really trying to make sure they do everything right. On the otherhand we're missing some opportunities to be aggressive because we're worried about making the wrong play. There were some nice spurts in the game today though where the boys got into the offense quickly and then took advantage of scoring opportunities. We'll really focus this week on getting mentally prepared to start the offense on each play and let the rest take care of itself.
Yellow Division - Saturday Games (Early Session)
We're really starting to see some individual improvement in this division. Some guys who were struggling early with the offense are starting to look more comfortable and we had some nice plays on Saturday. We need to do a better job as coaches of letting guys no the positive impact they are having without shooting the basketball. We see, on occasion, guys make up their mind that they are going to shoot no matter what and get themselves in situations where it's too easy for the defense to make the play. I do like the fact that the guys who have the best understanding of what we're trying to do are getting the most opportunities to score. They are recognizing the importance of reading the defense, moving with the ball and being aggressive when they can. It's also good to see the defense being able to stop the one on one plays forcing the offense to work together.
Orange Division - Saturday Games (Later Session)
What a great weekend of games. I think we had three games that came were decided in the last seconds and another that was decided by 5 points. We're definitely ready to start adding stuff to the plate. Practice will be really important the next couple of weeks as we start to incorporate more full court and end of game situations into our lesson plan. We're probably going to spend a little more time on team defense as well. At first it may make the games a little sloppy as we start to give guys some secrets for defending the motion offense, but I can't see any reason why the guys won't make the necessary adjustments on offense.
Again, please share with many any feedback or questions you have. We've got a quite of bit of time left in the program and we definitely want to make sure that everyone is having a positive experience.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Winter League - First Games
Another great weekend of games just finished up. My first impression is that all of the boys are going to have to get used to the extra playing time. 25 or 30 minutes doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are shuffling in and out of the game quickly there isn't a lot of rest. Throw in the fact that the motion offense requires you to be constantly moving and thinking and you can understand where the fatigue sets in.
The progress being made is really great. We're looking forward as coaches to one more week of practices and games before taking a break for the holidays. Here's my thoughts on each division.
YELLOW DIVISION
Other than the fact that I didn't do the best job of forming the teams this week, there were some nice games on Saturday morning. We'll have to move a couple of guys around to make up for my error to even things out a bit, but individually we're seeing guys start to recognize how to react to the defense and take advantage of opportunities. I think the guys are ready to start using more back door cuts against defense that overplaying the pass so we'll make that a focus this week in practice. There are a few guys who are still a little lost on the court in the motion so we'll need to make sure we get guys up to speed.
ORANGE DIVISION
We really saw guys hit the wall a the 15 minute mark of the second game on Saturday. It was a testament to how hard they are playing. The matchups are really competitive though and its great to see the guys working together. Spacing improved a lot this weekend and we saw a lot of guys taking advantage by making a curl cut to the hoop off the cross screen. As we work with the defense to take away those cuts, the screener will start to see some opportunities to score as well. This group is ready to start focusing a little more on individual skill development so we'll start to get into some smaller groups for fundamental training either this week or the first practice of the new year.
WHITE DIVISION
The boys played awesome tonight in my estimation. You can see a few guys starting to recognize scoring opportunities. There were a lot of great give and gos and drives to the basket off screens. As guys got tired, we had a handful of guys get away from the offense and tried to do things themselves. It's a testament to the defensive effort that individual drives to the basket (those that aren't coming off screens or cuts) are not that successful. There are also a couple of guys who aren't exactly sure where they are supposed to be all the time, so it's up to the coaches to do a better job this week making sure everyone is working together. We'll also spend a little time this week on getting back on defense to see if we can eliminate some of the breakaway layins.
Overall we've got a great group of guys to work with this winter, so we hope to go into the break with a lot of momentum. By the way, if you are looking to stay busy over the Holiday Break or want to have some great chances to improve shooting or ball handling skill check out www.homecourtnw.com/holidaybreak.html.
The progress being made is really great. We're looking forward as coaches to one more week of practices and games before taking a break for the holidays. Here's my thoughts on each division.
YELLOW DIVISION
Other than the fact that I didn't do the best job of forming the teams this week, there were some nice games on Saturday morning. We'll have to move a couple of guys around to make up for my error to even things out a bit, but individually we're seeing guys start to recognize how to react to the defense and take advantage of opportunities. I think the guys are ready to start using more back door cuts against defense that overplaying the pass so we'll make that a focus this week in practice. There are a few guys who are still a little lost on the court in the motion so we'll need to make sure we get guys up to speed.
ORANGE DIVISION
We really saw guys hit the wall a the 15 minute mark of the second game on Saturday. It was a testament to how hard they are playing. The matchups are really competitive though and its great to see the guys working together. Spacing improved a lot this weekend and we saw a lot of guys taking advantage by making a curl cut to the hoop off the cross screen. As we work with the defense to take away those cuts, the screener will start to see some opportunities to score as well. This group is ready to start focusing a little more on individual skill development so we'll start to get into some smaller groups for fundamental training either this week or the first practice of the new year.
WHITE DIVISION
The boys played awesome tonight in my estimation. You can see a few guys starting to recognize scoring opportunities. There were a lot of great give and gos and drives to the basket off screens. As guys got tired, we had a handful of guys get away from the offense and tried to do things themselves. It's a testament to the defensive effort that individual drives to the basket (those that aren't coming off screens or cuts) are not that successful. There are also a couple of guys who aren't exactly sure where they are supposed to be all the time, so it's up to the coaches to do a better job this week making sure everyone is working together. We'll also spend a little time this week on getting back on defense to see if we can eliminate some of the breakaway layins.
Overall we've got a great group of guys to work with this winter, so we hope to go into the break with a lot of momentum. By the way, if you are looking to stay busy over the Holiday Break or want to have some great chances to improve shooting or ball handling skill check out www.homecourtnw.com/holidaybreak.html.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Winter League - Jamboree Impressions
We had a great set of games over the weekend and I was really pleased with the early progress. Right now almost all of the kids are so focused on running motion that they aren't quite able to play at their full speed, but the commitment to the offense is very encouraging. In fact, the understanding of the offense is much higher this year than it has been in year's past at this time. In addition, the atmosphere in the gym was so positive. It really makes it a lot of fun when we have a great group of parents supporting the program. As coaches we certainly noticed a great vibe on both Saturday and Sunday.
We'll add another post on Friday with a link to a web page that will list the team assignments, schedules and standings throughout the program. I also know there was some confusion on what exactly some of the rules for each division and we'll clear those up later this week as well.
Below are some specific things we'll be focusing on in each division over the coming weeks. Let me know if you have any questions.
Coach Pat
YELLOW DIVISION - Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We were really excited at the way the boys were reversing the basketball from side to side when the defense was taking away drives to the basket. Beyond just continuing to become more comfortable with running motion, we'd like to see the boys do a better job of setting screens to get teammates open. If we can get the guys focusing on getting their body in front of the defensive player (instead of just running to a spot) more scoring opportunities will follow. Defensively we want to start to work on going under screens instead of chasing players to limit cutting and driving opportunities.
ORANGE DIVISION - Saturdays, 1:30 to 3 p.m.
The focus here will be more on the cutter than the screener. We want guys waiting for screens to be set and then cutting hard to the open spot. Right now we're getting a little impatient and leaving early which negates the effectiveness of the screens and hurts spacing. We also want to have the guys utilize back door cuts more to keep the defense honest. Speaking of defense, patience is the focus there as well. We're getting a little overextended by pressuring the ball too far away from the basket. We want to focus more on technique and personal accountability to keep from giving up easy baskets.
WHITE DIVISION - Sundays, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
You may feel like the kids are playing a little slower than usual (especially some of the more advanced kids in the program), but I think that's because we've thrown a lot at them mentally. A couple of guys only had one practice under their belt so the focus will be on getting everyone up to speed with moving without the ball. Another are of focus on offense will be trying to limit the unnecessary dribble. We're trying to break the habit of catching the ball on the perimeter and just dribbling in place or dribbling to another spot along the 3 point line. If guys are dribbling we want them going to the basket. Those stand still dribbles limit movement and can sometimes cause guys to miss passing opportunities which slows down the offense and lets the defense recover. Defensively, we'll focus on playing your man where he is, not where he's going. Sometimes guys get into the habit of moving before the offensive players because they know the motion offense. As guys get more comfortable in the offense, they'll be able to recognize how to beat those who cheat on defense, so we want to change those bad habits before they start to cost their teams.
We'll add another post on Friday with a link to a web page that will list the team assignments, schedules and standings throughout the program. I also know there was some confusion on what exactly some of the rules for each division and we'll clear those up later this week as well.
Below are some specific things we'll be focusing on in each division over the coming weeks. Let me know if you have any questions.
Coach Pat
YELLOW DIVISION - Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We were really excited at the way the boys were reversing the basketball from side to side when the defense was taking away drives to the basket. Beyond just continuing to become more comfortable with running motion, we'd like to see the boys do a better job of setting screens to get teammates open. If we can get the guys focusing on getting their body in front of the defensive player (instead of just running to a spot) more scoring opportunities will follow. Defensively we want to start to work on going under screens instead of chasing players to limit cutting and driving opportunities.
ORANGE DIVISION - Saturdays, 1:30 to 3 p.m.
The focus here will be more on the cutter than the screener. We want guys waiting for screens to be set and then cutting hard to the open spot. Right now we're getting a little impatient and leaving early which negates the effectiveness of the screens and hurts spacing. We also want to have the guys utilize back door cuts more to keep the defense honest. Speaking of defense, patience is the focus there as well. We're getting a little overextended by pressuring the ball too far away from the basket. We want to focus more on technique and personal accountability to keep from giving up easy baskets.
WHITE DIVISION - Sundays, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
You may feel like the kids are playing a little slower than usual (especially some of the more advanced kids in the program), but I think that's because we've thrown a lot at them mentally. A couple of guys only had one practice under their belt so the focus will be on getting everyone up to speed with moving without the ball. Another are of focus on offense will be trying to limit the unnecessary dribble. We're trying to break the habit of catching the ball on the perimeter and just dribbling in place or dribbling to another spot along the 3 point line. If guys are dribbling we want them going to the basket. Those stand still dribbles limit movement and can sometimes cause guys to miss passing opportunities which slows down the offense and lets the defense recover. Defensively, we'll focus on playing your man where he is, not where he's going. Sometimes guys get into the habit of moving before the offensive players because they know the motion offense. As guys get more comfortable in the offense, they'll be able to recognize how to beat those who cheat on defense, so we want to change those bad habits before they start to cost their teams.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
4 Corner Slide Relay
Here's another great defensive drill that is also great conditioning. This one is much easier to explain verbally. Hope you enjoy the video.
Was this video helpful? Let us know if there are other topics you'd like us to cover; Shooting, Ball Handling, Motion Offense, Out of Bounds plays, etc.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Caterpillar Slide
This one is a little more complex, but a great read and react drill that really can be used for all ages. We call it the Caterpillar Slide and it's an awesome defensive/conditioning drill. The high school kids in our Pre-Season IDP always start groaning when they see us start to set it up.
Players are partnered up (by quickness preferably) and form two lines side by side. Cones about 2.5 feet apart are set in a line. Have at least two more cones than the number of groups. The first player in each line stands next to the first cone and gets into their defensive stance. When the coach shouts "Go", both players defensive slide as fast as they can away from the cone. When coach yells "Stop" both players sprint to the next cone and the next two people in line take their spot at the first cone. The drill continues until eventually the whole group is in the drill.
After finishing at the last cone (after coach yells "Stop"), players go back to the start of the line, switch sides and wait for everyone else to finish (the break is very necessary). Once everyone has completed the drill we run it another time to focus on sliding the opposite direction.
The first time we run it our coaches pause at each cone to allow some recovery time. The second time through we go quicker to really accentuate the conditioning benefits. Make sure to vary the time between "Go" and "Stop" commands so players don't anticipate and they also get the read/react benefits as well. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.
Players are partnered up (by quickness preferably) and form two lines side by side. Cones about 2.5 feet apart are set in a line. Have at least two more cones than the number of groups. The first player in each line stands next to the first cone and gets into their defensive stance. When the coach shouts "Go", both players defensive slide as fast as they can away from the cone. When coach yells "Stop" both players sprint to the next cone and the next two people in line take their spot at the first cone. The drill continues until eventually the whole group is in the drill.
After finishing at the last cone (after coach yells "Stop"), players go back to the start of the line, switch sides and wait for everyone else to finish (the break is very necessary). Once everyone has completed the drill we run it another time to focus on sliding the opposite direction.
The first time we run it our coaches pause at each cone to allow some recovery time. The second time through we go quicker to really accentuate the conditioning benefits. Make sure to vary the time between "Go" and "Stop" commands so players don't anticipate and they also get the read/react benefits as well. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.
Home Court Defensive Slide Drill
Here is the Home Court Defensive Slide Drill we talked about at last week's Coaches Clinic. This is a great warm up drill as well as an opportunity for you as a coach to watch defensive technique. Are players staying balanced and in their stance? Are they taking short aggressive strides or slow long ones? Who is competiting the hardest?
Players are lined up from shortest in the front to tallest in the back. Either put your fastest player in front or someone you are trying to challenge to increase speed/effort. Players are in their defensive stance and on the coach's command make three hard slides out in a particular direction and then back to the middle. The goal is to try and beat the player in front of you.
This is definitely a short burst drill though. Use it as a warm up to get the competitive juices flowing in practice and get the kids thinking defense. It's also a great reaction drill for younger players.
In the video we have a group of high school boys and girls from our pre-season IDP but the drill is effective for all ages. We used as the first of three different defensive conditioning drills we used to break up scrimmages (those drills will be posted as well).
I hope this is helpful. Leave questions in the comment section below and we'll be happy to answer them.
Players are lined up from shortest in the front to tallest in the back. Either put your fastest player in front or someone you are trying to challenge to increase speed/effort. Players are in their defensive stance and on the coach's command make three hard slides out in a particular direction and then back to the middle. The goal is to try and beat the player in front of you.
This is definitely a short burst drill though. Use it as a warm up to get the competitive juices flowing in practice and get the kids thinking defense. It's also a great reaction drill for younger players.
In the video we have a group of high school boys and girls from our pre-season IDP but the drill is effective for all ages. We used as the first of three different defensive conditioning drills we used to break up scrimmages (those drills will be posted as well).
I hope this is helpful. Leave questions in the comment section below and we'll be happy to answer them.
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