Bo Ryan: Wisconsin Badgers

I must admit that I have really enjoyed watching Wisconsin play this year.  Coach Ryan has done a great job of adjusting to his team's strengths this year.  Wisconsin has always been known for their Swing offense and strong half-court defense.  I have been also impressed with the high inclusion of ball screen actions that have been built into their base offensive foundation.  Today, we are going to examine a variety of Wisconsin Basketball Resources.

Bo Ryan: Man-to-Man Defense
Bo Ryan: Swing Offense
Swing Sets
Swing Playbook

Jamie Parish: Basketball Thoughts

I am happy to have coach Jamie Parish share some of his basketball thoughts with the coaching community.  I have known coach Parish for a number of years.  He is a very successful coach and has a great mind for the game.  I think everyone will be able to take away something from Coach Parish's thoughts.

Jamie Parish is in his 2nd season with the Sioux Falls Washington Warriors boys’ basketball program (2013-current).  He teaches Physical Education at Hawthorne Elementary in Sioux Falls.  Coach Parish brings a variety of experiences to Washington.  As a head coach Parish has stops in Vermillion (2003-2009) and Centerville (2010-2012), SD.  Most recently at Centerville he was the athletic director, physical education teacher, and girls’ basketball coach.  As a head coach he was fortunate to coach teams in four state tournaments including a state championship with the Vermillion girls in 2007.  During that stretch he was named the SDHSAA Girls Regional Coach of the Year in 2005, 2007, and 2011, the Region 4A Coach of the year in 2005 and 2006, and was honored with coaching duties in the SDHSAA All-Star games in Aberdeen on two separate occasions.  During the summer, Parish coaches for the Dakota Schoolers Girls Basketball Program.  Parish has assistant coaching experiences under Chad Lavin at USD, Chuck Iverson at Mount Marty College, Kraig Blomme at Hot Springs, and Mark Stadem at Brandon Valley.

Originally from Yankton, SD Parish earned an Elementary Education Degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD and a Masters Degree from the University of South Dakota.  Parish married his wife Laura (Johnson) of Wessington Springs, SD in May of 2012.  They are expecting twins in April of 2014.

I have had the good fortune of spending the last two years as the sophomore boys basketball coach working with an outstanding staff at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, SD.  It has given me the opportunity to do some things that I would not have been able to do as a head coach.  I have watched and learned from our head coach, I have attended college practices, several high school practices, and summer traveling team practices.  This stint as an assistant has given me an opportunity to see new ideas, confirm old ideas and reflect on my personal coaching experiences and philosophy.  Instead of a narrative I am going to make a list of things that I have thought about over the last two seasons. 

   

• Practice Repetitions

·         We all know that repetition is beneficial but the thought I ponder is what do you do when your kids are performing bad / lazy repetitions?  

·         Do you continue with the reps?  (are bad reps better than no reps?)

·         Do you punish them then continue with the reps?  

·         Do you move on and come back to it at another time?

• Ball handling

·         We all agree that ballhandling is beneficial but to what degree?  

·         Should it be practiced on a daily basis?  

·         Should it be an individual unsupervised warm up?  

·         Should it be worked on only in the off-season?  

·         Do post and perimeter players both need the same drills?  

·         Should ballhandling be game specific or should you use two balls?

• Shooting

·         We all agree that making baskets is a part of the game

·         How many shots should your athletes get during practice?

·         Should shooting be done before and after practice?

·         Should everyones shot look the same?  

·         Do you try to change someones form in-season?

·         Do you take a narrow/specific or broad approach to teaching the fundamentals of shooting?

• Private workouts

·         How beneficial are they?

·         Can a private workout make your 10th man into a starter?

·         Can a private workout make an average player into an all-stater?

·         Can a private workout make a high school player into a college player?

• Offense

·         Motion or Continuity

·         Motion is difficult to defend.

·         Is a high school season long enough to teach motion?

·         Continuity can be hard to defend.

·         Continuity can be too predictable.

·         Continuity can make your players into robots.

·         Continuity is easier to scout and take away than motion.  

• Staff Responsibilities

·         Do you delegate or take it all on?

·         assistants in charge of substitutions / offense / defense / blobs / practice input etc.

·         Do you approve all decisions or allow some freedom?

·         Who you you ask for advice?

·         Staff

·         Another Head Coach

·         Others

·         Do you make your assistants keep stats?

• Random Thoughts

·         Do you teach skills or drills?

·         I will weigh in on this topic, at some of the practices I have observed drills are too complex in my opinion.  The athletes are focusing so hard on running the drill correctly that they are doing the skill poorly.

·         Do you speak To your athletes or At your athletes?

·         How do you teach

·         Few big concepts

·         Specific and detailed concepts

·         How do you handle your off-season?

·         How many hours do you expect of your athletes?

·         Is your offseason “Mandatory”?

·         How much is too much?

·         How much is not enough?

These are some of the many thoughts that I have pondered over the past two years as a lower level coach.  I hope these random thoughts encourage you to question, evaluate, or even reinforce the things that you and your staff do.  I am uncertain at this point in my personal and professional life if I will have another head coaching opportunity or if the timing will allow me to pursue one.  I am however fairly confident that I could do a better job next time around after having this time to take a step back and look at the game through different eyes.  Good luck to you and your teams this winter.

Make a great day

Competitive Practice Drills

Coaches are always looking for new competitive practice drills to improve the play of their team.  The tough part, however, is finding a drill that fits with your system or being able to look at an existing drill and then modify to fit what you do.  Today, I offer a number of different drills for you to look over. Hopefully they fit what you do. If not, study them and modify them to fit your philosophy.

Steve Alford Competitive Shooting Drills

Stop and Score Drill

Perfect Lay-ups

Iowa State Combination 1-on-1 Drills

1-on-1 Rebound Outlet and Score

Gary Nottingham: Late Game Special Situations

One of the most under taught and practiced aspects of basketball, in my opinion, are late game special situations.  So, today we are going to take a look at a resource on that very topic.  You will find tons of practice ideas that will help your team prepare for various special situations.

Gary Nottingham: Late Game Special Situations

The Star Polisher

I have a great job in the universe of occupations. What do I do? I'm a "star polisher.  It's a very important job. If you want to know how important my job is, just go out at night and look at the stars twinkling and sparkling.

You see, I'm a teacher. The stars are the children in my class. My job is to take them in - in whatever shape they come - and shine and buff them and then send them out to take their places as bright little twinkling beacons in the sky. They come into my room in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they're bent, tarnished, dirty, crinkly and broken. Some stars are cuddly, soft and sweet. Some stars are prickly and thorny.

As I buff, polish, train and teach my little stars, I tell them that the world cannot do without them. I tell them they can do anything they set their minds to do. I tell them they can be the brightest, shiniest stars in the sky and the world will be a better place because of them.

Each night as I look at the sky, I'm reminded of my very important job and awesome responsibility. I go and get my soft buffing cloth and my bottle of polish in preparation for tomorrow and for my class of little stars.

--- by Leah Becks

Tom Crean: Winning College Games

"The Five Most Important Factors inWinning College Games"
1. The team that recorded the high field goal percentage was the winner in 75 percent of the games.

2. The team that scored the most free throws was the eventual winner in 70 percent of the games.

3. The team that recovered the higher number of rebounds was the winner 65 percent of the time.

4. The team that committed the higher number of personal fouls was the eventual winner in only 25 percent of the games.

5. The team that held the point advantage at halftime was the winner 74 percent of the time.

Statistics from 2005 Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12, and CUSA Season

The Man In The Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,

Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

Youmay be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum
And think you're a wonderful guy.

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please --- never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear to the end.

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

Youmay fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass

Tom Izzo Zone Sets

Here are some zone sets that Tom Izzo has used in the past.  He has some really great zone offensive ideas that can be easily adapted to our offensive packages.

Tom Izzo Zone Sets

Coaching Quote #37: You

"You are what you do."

--- Don Meyer

Roy Williams: UNC Transition Game

UNC is well known for thier transition game.  Not only do they have great athletes, but they also have a great system in play as well.  Here is an in-depth look at their transition game.

Roy Williams UNC Transition Game

Wooden Observations

1) Why is it so hard for so many people to realize that winners are usually the ones who work harder, work longer, and as a result, perform better? 2) Why are there so many who want to build up the weak by tearing down the strong?
3) Why is it that so many nonattainers are quick to criticize, question, and belittle the attainers?
4) Why is it so hard for us to understand that we cannot antagonize and positively influence at the same time?
5) Why is it so much easier to complain about the things we do not have than to make the most of and appreciate the things we do have?

Don Meyer: Secrets to Building a Championship Basketball Program

A few years back I took an Advanced Basketball Theory class with Don Meyer.  During the course, we had to watch a series of videos.  Here are some notes that I took at the time over the Secrets to Building a Championship Program video.

Don Meyer Secrets to Building a Championship Program

George Karl: Advantages to Running

1. For whatever reason, refs call way more fouls in transition than in the half court
2. Everything is better early, no matter what action it is
3. Offensive rebounding increases by 10% in transition
4. Wants players to penetrate in transition
5. Coach Karl would rather have his team too wild and fast and coach them down, then the other way around.

Coaching Principles: Seth Davis and Bill Russell

Here are some coaching principles from a Seth Davis and Bill Russell presentation. Something all coaches should keep in mind.


1. Love the game: Watch it, learn it and love it. Don’t think you know it all.

2. Know your team: When making adjustments, make adjustments your team can make. Know your strengths and limitations so you can set your team up for success.

3. Make rules reasonable: Your authority is established through proof not command. I’ve always said: the best use of power is not having to use it. If you make a rule make sure the punishment is clear: Red would fine a player $10 for being late to practice. Yelling is not a punishment, it takes a rules offense to a personal and negative level that hurts the whole team.

4. Loyalty is paramount: “I only ever played for the Celtics and I never would play for another team—they were loyal to me, and I was loyal to them”

5. Negotiation is key: Everything between a player and a coach is a negotiation. When you want a player to do something you want—you have to give them what they want. Negotiating so everyone wins is the goal.
6. Craftsmanship: Know what you need to do to get this done.

7. Winning: When I do my job and you do your job—we all win.

8. Own your decisions: When you make a mistake, when you fail to lead by example, when you do something wrong: own your decision. Accept personal responsibility, apologize and move forward. Be a model of positive decision making and turning a negative decision into a positive.

Anatomy of a Timeout: Tip #1

Many games are lost and won with a timeout. There are so many things to consider during timeout situations, so it is vital that you practice different timeout situations during practice. Today, I am going to talk about the advantage of switching defenses after a timeout. Coach Bobby Hurley Sr. mentioned in his defensive DVD that at least 1 time during a game, he will switch defenses after a timeout in order get an advantage for 1 possession. Many times, coaches will design a set or quick hitter during a timeout. Therefore, I love the idea of making a defensive change while coming out of time out. You can make a very subtle change or you can get really creative. The type of change you make should depend on what you have practiced, the time of the game, and the collective basketball IQ of your players. Here are some ideas to consider:


Subtle Changes

1. All out deny the other team’s best scorer

2. Trap the other team’s best player on catch or dribble

3. Switch from man to zone or vice versa depending on what you were playing prior to the timeout

4. Switching all screens to disrupt the flow of a set or quick hitter

Aggressive Changes

1. Box and 1 or diamond and 1 on the other team’s star player

2. Triangle and 2 with chasers on the point guard and best scorer

3. Show zone defense and then match on the first wing pass

4. Show man and then zone on the first wing pass

5. Aggressive trapping scheme such as trapping wings/corners/post entries

As I already noted, there are many variables that play into what a coach should switch to after a timeout, such as your style of play, time and score of the game, your opponents, or what you feel your players are comfortable adjusting to. The last thing you want to do is over coach the kids and have a defensive break down.

Don Meyers Defensive and Offensive Absolutes

One of my favorite coaches out there is Don Meyer.  I have a huge appreciation to his approach to basketball and living.  If you have ever listed to Coach Meyer talk, you know what I am refering to.  His attention to detail and his expectations of having good character is like no other. 

Coach Meyer also has a way of simplifying the game.  Today, I wanted to share with you his defensive and offensive absolutes.  Regardless of your style of play or philosophy to the game, we can all stress these principles. 

Defensive and Offensive Absolutes