EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE
When you jump back into basketball planning again, one of the first things to do this offseason is consider how to improve strained relationships for next season. You know when players don’t get along. You don’t need everyone to be best friends, but if you noticed a divisive atmosphere in your locker room, and you... MORE
Brian Baxter is the director of Sports Psychology Institute Northwest in Portland, Oregon, and says: “Take time to reflect on the team’s mission statement, goals and performance, and to update the goals for the postseason. Make sure to celebrate improvements and successes together, but refocus attention and energy in the new goals. Clarify players’ roles... MORE
I’d always heard of football coaches scripting out their first 5 or 10 plays of a game, but it’s not something I’d heard of basketball coaches doing. However, when I met up with frequent Basketball Coach Weekly contributor Justin Duke (author of 46 Winning Warm-Ups), who says he sometimes scripts his first few plays to help build confidence.... MORE
Our game continues to evolve outward. Three-pointers have taken over and, not surprisingly, Cleveland and the Houston Rockets led last NBA season in 3-pointers made. Your players see this, want to mimic it and spend their gym hours hoisting shots behind the line, how should this impact on your coaching philosophy. A while back I... MORE
Recently, I discussed blowouts and how to handle them from your perspective. Roy Nickerson, a coach in Billerica Travel Basketball, Massachusetts, says he uses a statistical model by Bill James, who is more usually associated with baseball analytics. While Nickerson says the model was developed for college games, he says it can be used for lower levels.... MORE
It comes up every year – some team blows out another and it makes national news. So, I’m curious, how do you handle blowouts? I asked a few coaches this question a while back and three coaches agreed that once a game hits a 30-point difference, it’s time to take steps to keep things from... MORE
There are some teams that just struggle coming out of the locker room at halftime. It’s hard to pinpoint why but there are no minutes to be wasted in a game. So, if your team takes a while to get going after the break, consider some of these tips about what to say at the... MORE
I routinely go out and observed basketball practices. Last season, I went to Westview High (Beaverton, Oregon) to watch one of the top boys teams in the state. Upon entering the locker room, one of the first things you see if a game chart with many areas of focus on it, including six statistics at... MORE
in Basketball coaching, Practice Planning
The basketball season typically is described as a “grind” but is that how you want your athletes to feel about playing a sport? Sure, everything can’t be fun and games all the time, but when the pendulum swings too much the other way, then players may lose sight of why they love the game and... MORE
To me, this is the first step in developing your program because it gives direction and purpose for everyone involved. My belief is that individual player development (both mental toughness and basketball skills) and what you are able to accomplish in practice are the keys to the success of your team. I have listed philosophy... MORE
