Special CHRISTMAS Double Issue! get the best from your STAR PLAYER WEEKLY BASKETBALL COACH December 6, 0/January, 04 Issue 4/5 $.99 TRY OUR SUCCESSFUL SETS FOR GUARDS AND FORWARDS PLAY LIKE DUKE, Kansas, Oklahoma State & KENTUCKY THE BEST COACHING TIPS every week! < JABARI PARKER Scores easily on backdoor plays Youth Basketball Is Struggling For These Reasons
December 6, 0/January, 04 Issue 4/5 $.99 < JABARI PARKER ScoreS easily on backdoor plays Contents Building A Winner BASKETBALL COACH Special christmas Double issue! GET THE BEST FROm YOUR STAR PLAYER PLAY LIKE DUKE, KANSAS, OKLAHOmA STATE & KENTUCKY THE BEST COACHING TIPS every week! Basketball Coach Weekly Issue 4 Basketball Coach Weekly 95 SW Iowa Drive Tualatin, OR 9706 Editor-in-chief Michael Austin michael.austin@ basketballcoachweekly.com Contributors Jerry Krause, Mike Lee Illustrations Mike Renwick Pictures Action Images Production Matt Boulton, Julie Lifton Publisher Kevin Barrow kevin.barrow@greenstarmedia.net Customer Services Duncan Heard duncanh@ basketballcoachweekly.com Managing Director Andrew Griffiths To advertise contact Elisabeth Cammell at advertising@ basketballcoachweekly.com WEEKLY TRY OUR SUCCESSFUL SETS FOR GUARDS AND FORWARDS YouTH basketball is STRuggling For These reasons (c) Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Click here to read the full disclaimer. To subscribe to Basketball Coach Weekly please contact Duncan Heard at Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK. You can contact Duncan via Skype at basketballcoachweekly or via email at duncanh@ basketballcoachweekly.com On September 6, a handful of you took a chance on a new basketball coaching magazine promising useful practice drills, successful in-game plays, a new take on diagrams and strategies to become a better basketball coach. Fourteen issues and three months into this venture, we ve delivered on that initial promise as we push to provide you the tools necessary to make this season a success. Now as we enter the holiday break (today you are receiving a special double issue to cover you through the holidays, then we ll be back January 9), we set our sights on developing articles and topics for coaches as they make their league and conference, then postseason pushes. Look for upcoming pieces on handling pressure, practice games to become better free throw shooters, how to adjust practice schedules at the end of the season, playing in unfamiliar gymnasiums in the post-season, and, of course, the time-tested, realistic Xs and Os diagrams you expect to see from Basketball Coach Weekly. This is one of my favorite times of the basketball season as I love watching teams come together during the holiday break. Back when I played (more accurately described as practiced and watched games from the bench ), QUICK HITTER The Reasons Youth Sports Are Struggling By Jerry Krause, director of men s basketball operations, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash. Youth Basketball is in serious trouble in this country. I have been involved in a group called Be Like Coach which is patterned after the teachings of Coach John Wooden. Before his passing, he We ve delivered on that initial promise as we push to provide you the tools necessary to make this season a success our teams bonded during those early-morning workouts when school wasn t in session. Tempted by the lure of doughnuts provided by our coach after practice, we busted our butts for a couple hours, then sat together and enjoyed the tasty, fatty pastries (athletic nutrition didn t rise to prominence in the early 990s). Plus, there s just something special about a gymnasium in the early hours of a winter morning. It s still chilly in the gym. A couple bouncing basketballs and squeaking sneakers echo off the pushedin bleachers. It s just a coach, an assistant and to 5 people ready to improve when most of their classmates still are in bed. You re the first one in the school. The lights slowly power on. You dig out the equipment and make a mental note of who are the first players to show. As your team looks to improve during this break, so too does Basketball Coach Weekly. Email me at maustin@ basketballcoachweekly.com to let me know about what types of plays or drills you d like to see and topics you want covered. We ve had a great first three months and I m ready to be a part of your program every week for the rest of the season and beyond. Michael Austin Editor-in-chief helped us form Be Like Coach to address the concepts and ideas to take youth sports in a better direction. We have determined youngsters are dropping out of sports at record numbers for two reasons:. Not having fun in our sports programs. So we developed a new description of fun at this level: Laughing Fun and Learning Fun. Laughing Fun is what attracts young people to sports and play In this issue... Exploit Advantages With your Star Player When you need a bucket, run set plays through your best player 4 Parker Post-Up Make it easier for your best low-post player to to gain position closer to the basket 5 Backdoor Pass Over Zone Instruct your star player to find a soft spot when facing a zone defense 6 Box Backdoor Cut Push action toward the perimeter then execute a backdoor cut 7 Draw Double, Pass Backside When the defense double-teams the block, have your top guard use a weak-side screen to come free 8 Corner Cut For Layup Use your best player in the flow of an offense rather than -on- 9 Double Screen & Pop A double screen leads to a dribble-drive scoring opportunity 0 Kick Out Dribble Drive When your top player is a forward with the ability to handle the dribble, it opens many more scoring chances Post Entry & Create Your star starts at the top, then shifts to the block Challenge Your Best Players Block outside distractions and keep your best player motivated in practice in the beginning. Learning Fun is a higher level of fun that happens in worthwhile youth sports programs where young people satisfy their natural curiosity for learning.. Lack of quality coaching. This goes hand in hand with Learning Fun. If qualified coaches are doing their job of teaching fundamental skills in basketball, participants will enjoy becoming better players through learning those fundamental skills. www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY
Set Plays For Best Players If your best player is a gifted forward, run a couple of Kentucky s plays designed for Julius Randle Exploit Advantages With Your Star Player Superstars are a rare breed but every team has a top player when you need a basket, run your offense through this person N o matter your level of coaching or the unique makeup of your squad, there is one certainty someone is your best player. This person may be an all-state superstar or simply a little better than mediocre on a bad squad. Either way, you need strategies to get the ball in that player s hands during critical moments of the game while also devising methods to keep him or her motivated and believing in your system. To start, think about when the game is on the line for your team. You know where the ball needs to go. The question is do you have plays designed specifically for this player? It goes beyond slinging a pass to your best player and clearing out. At the youth, high school and collegiate levels, -on- www.basketballcoachweekly.com offense isn t a high-percentage option. A better choice is to draw up and practice set plays for a specific individual. We have provided you eight successful sets on the following pages to do just that. These sets are based off arguably the four best players in men s college basketball right now: Duke forward Jabari Parker, Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins, Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart and Kentucky forward Julius Randle. The best part is these players are coached by some of the best minds in the game. The player movements on the following pages easily translate to any level of basketball. Simply insert your best player in the scorer s position and run through the actions outlined. Don t allow your offense to sputter when you need a basket place the ball in the hands of your best player and create opportunities for him or her to score. Plus, by using Parker, Wiggins, Smart and Randle as examples, you have plenty of options regardless of whether your star is a guard or forward. Also on the theme of developing your best player, check out the piece on page focusing on keeping your star motivated. When you have an athlete who is head and shoulders better than the rest of your players, sometimes it takes an extended effort on your part to ensure this person is invested in your program. If not, team unity falls apart. With the holiday break upon us, now is the perfect time to add some new sets to your playbook while bringing your group together as a cohesive unit. Issue 4/5 Words by: Michael Austin BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY
Sets For Best Players: Forward Jabari Parker Parker Post-Up When your best player is a forward, look to pound the post, especially on an inbound play where the big man starts at the top of the key Duke just had tipped off at home against Vermont last month. After being awarded the ball under the basket, the Blue Devils looked to their top player, Jabari Parker, for the game s first basket. Place your best player at the top of the set when taking the ball out under the basket. A simple screen in the lane frees a player in the near corner for the inbound pass []. After throwing the pass, the inbounder locates to the far corner using an off-theball screen. The player in the far corner comes to the top of the set using a screen from your best player. After setting the screen, your best player gains position on the weakside block. The ball handler dribbles out of the corner and passes to the top []. The ball continues to move around the perimeter with the pass from top to left corner. An immediate pass is made to your best player in the post, then let him or her go to work []. Be sure your best player isn t solely focused on getting to the block as the first responsibility is to set a strong off-the-ball screen to initiate the perimeter ball movement. Your best player s first responsibility is to set this screen so it s easier for the player in the far corner to be free at the top of the set Ball reversal goes from the right side to the top, which causes the defense to shift and be out of position to guard the left side of the floor On this catch the first look immediately is to the post where your best player needs to have strong, low position with a hand up Nothing fancy here use a screen in the lane to create space for an inbound pass Allow this player to use his or her best post moves and remind the other four players to stay out of the way so as not to draw more defensive attention to this spot www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 4
Sets For Best Players: Forward Jabari Parker Backdoor Pass Over Zone Zone defenders tend to focus too much on the area to cover and not enough on the offensive players have your superstar pick an opening and score a layup Surprisingly trailing by two points at home against Vermont with :0 remaining in the game, Duke s Jabari Parker shreds the Catamounts zone defense by finding an opening. As the point guard brings the ball up the court, have the best player (in this case, Jabari Parker is highlighted) survey the defense. If it s zone, the star has an opportunity to exploit an opening without much notice. This zone s lower portion is playing a bit higher than normal. With the superstar filling the lane from the right side, the point guard passes to the left wing (which moves the defense to the left) as the right wing clears to the right corner []. Your best player now sneaks behind the back of the zone as the defenders are too focused on their areas of responsibility. A high ball screen causes the defense to come even higher than before []. As the defenders come high, the ball handler fires an over-the-top pass to the superstar at the rim []. The backside defender doesn t have a chance. If he over-commits to the star in the lane, then the corner is open for a -point attempt. The pass to the left wing shifts the zone to the left, which creates more space for the superstar to move behind the defense This ball screen moves the middle defender toward the perimeter and causes the back of the zone to become open Your superstar comes up the floor and surveys the defense if it s a zone, he or she looks to run to the zone s softest spot The softest spot in this zone is behind it on the weak side this is where your star goes undetected by a defense focusing its efforts on the perimeter The backside defender has to choose between guarding the star in the lane or the shooter in the corner www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 5
Sets For Best Players: Guard Andrew Wiggins Box Backdoor Cut Utilize your best player s natural instincts and athleticism to exploit special situations for an extra basket or two during a game No. 5 Kansas trailed No. 4 Duke, 0-7, with 4:9 remaining in the first half of the teams early-season battle. The Jayhawks ran a simple box set to score an easy basket off an inbound play to get its superstar player, Andrew Wiggins, going offensively en route to a -point effort in the win. With the ball under the basket, align your four players in a box set. Place your best player on the weak-side block (Wiggins is highlighted with the white circle) []. Both players in the post move high as the players at the elbows relocate to the closest corners. The inbound pass is made on the right side of the floor []. Instruct your superstar to fake coming higher into the set, but then plant, reverse direction and go hard toward the basket. As the defense shifts its focus to the perimeter players, this backdoor cut allows your star to come free. An over-the-top lob allows for an easy scoring opportunity []. Defenders tend to be a bit more lax in an out-of-bounds situation. Use this to gain a quick step toward the basket as the defensive focus is on the perimeter. Keep the ball on the side of the court away from your star player so he or she has ample backdoor space to cut to the basket This player plants hard and shifts back to the basket as the defense is slow to recover A box set is standard in today s game and doesn t provide the defense any idea as to where the ball may be going Have the wings move to the corners to create space and give the illusion the focus of this play is on the perimeter Once the star player plants near the elbow, the pass is made over the top of the defense www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 6
Sets For Best Players: Guard Andrew Wiggins Draw Double, Pass Backside Draw a double-team in the post on one side of the floor as your best player cuts to the hoop using an off-the-ball, weak-side screen Still trailing Duke midway through the first half, Kansas goes back to its superstar, Andrew Wiggins, on a well-timed backside cut as the defense was occupied double-teaming the post. Your best player (Wiggins for Kansas is highlighted) sets in the left corner with initial action on the right side of the floor. The point guard starts play with a pass to the right wing. The right post gains position on the block and calls for the ball. After making the pass, the point guard moves into position to screen for your best player []. Your star uses the off-the-ball screen to come to the left wing. The defense double-teams the post, which causes your forward to dribble toward the perimeter []. The dribble away from the hoop draws the defenders out, leaving space for a backside cut. Your best player cuts toward the hoop, receives the pass and scores easily before the defenders recover []. The player on the right block needs to be a legitimate post scorer to draw a double-team. This leaves the backside open. After the wing pass, the point guard prepares to set an off-the-ball screen for the star Your best player is on the weak-side wing and waiting to find a scoring alley A low-post scorer who commands a double-team keys this play as the defense becomes focused on this player and not your star Dribbling toward the perimeter draws the two defenders away from the hoop Make this pass before the double-team leaves the dribbling post player for an easy scoring opportunity for your best player www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 7
Sets For Best Players: Guard Marcus Smart Corner Cut For Layup Move your top player from the wing to the opposite corner and eventually to the rim this keeps the defense guessing and makes for an easy score Oklahoma State is up by 0 points with 6:47 remaining in the first half of an earlyseason, non-conference tilt with South Florida. Superstar guard Marcus Smart finishes the game with 5 points, including this set play resulting in two points. Position four players, including your star, outside the -point line with a single player on the ball-side block. The ball is on the right wing and is passed toward the top. Your star (Marcus Smart for Oklahoma State is highlighted with a white circle) cuts to the right corner as the right post comes high []. After dribbling left, the ball handler comes back across the top of the set to the right off a ball screen from the post who has moved high. The right wing relocates to the left wing. Your best player takes one big step toward the ball, then cuts to the hoop []. This cut places the defender on your star s back, so a precise pass from the wing results in layup opportunity []. The step fake by your best player coming from the corner sells this play. Make it a hard step to force the defense to move toward the perimeter. Dribble the ball left to allow room for your star to clear to the right corner Have this player clear to the opposite wing this opens a passing alley from the top to the hoop The forward gets in position to set a ball screen at the top of the set The key to this play comes down to the star taking a hard step toward the ball, then cutting hard to the hoop The defense is recovering so this pass must be made quickly to take advantage www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 8
Sets For Best Players: Guard Marcus Smart Double Screen & Pop Your best player executes a double screen on the block before popping toward the wing, catching a pass and dribbling into the lane Looking to head into halftime with a comfortable lead against South Florida, Oklahoma State turns to its superstar yet again and pushes its advantage from to 4 points on this play. Your star is partnered with another player on the left block. The ball is located on the right wing with the right post ready to move across the lane and come off the double screen. The ball is passed from the right wing to the top as the right post curls around the double screen. The new ball handler looks to pass to the curling player []. If that option is not available, your best player runs off an inside screen to come free on the left side of the court. The curling player clears back to the starting point near the right block []. The pass is made from the top to your star. Your star dribbles into the lane and takes a highpercentage shot []. The defense focuses on the curling player and as he clears through the lane, the left side of the court becomes empty. It creates the perfect scenario to get the ball into the hands of your superstar in a -on- situation. A double screen on the left block creates a pile of bodies in this area and confusion for the defense Have your star stay inside the -point line on the curl so it only takes a dribble or two to get into the lane This player moves out of the lane avoiding a -second call and taking a defender away from the basket This player has to curl through the lane to take at least one (maybe two) defenders away from the left side of the floor Make sure this is an aggressive dribble into the lane to create an optimal scoring chance www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 9
Sets For Best Players: Forward Julius Randle Kick Out Dribble Drive Create space for your forward who has the ability to put the ball on the ground and create a shot, just like Kentucky s Julius Randle No. Kentucky trailed No. Michigan State, 59-50, in a big-time, early-season matchup. With 9:49 remaining, the Wildcats ran this play for Julius Randle to net a couple of points. The ball starts with your star (in this case, Randle is highlighted with the white circle) on the strong (left) side of the court. Two players are on the left block with another on the left wing. Your best player passes to the only player on the right side of the floor. The inside post player screens for the other, who relocates to the strong-side block and posts up []. The player in the post pops out a step and receives an entry pass. The passer cuts through the lane and your star moves to the top of the set []. The post dribbles out toward the perimeter and passes to the star, who is cutting toward the hoop. Having control of his dribble, the star dribble-drives into the lane and scores on a short jumper []. Instead of simply running isolation for your best player, this set allows him or her to get a head of steam moving toward the basket to create an easier scoring opportunity. To create the inside-out action in the next diagram, the player moving across the lane needs to rub the defender off the screener s shoulder Your best player moves into position at the top of the set instead of attempting to dribble-drive from a standstill, moving legs create momentum toward the basket This entry pass is away from the block as it begins creating a lane for the star to dribble and shoot Your best player catches the pass on the run, takes a couple of hard dribbles and looks to score in the lane The post continues moving the ball away from the hoop to draw out the defender www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 0
Sets For Best Players: Forward Julius Randle Post Entry & Create Devise ways to get your best post player the ball near the block even when he starts the play by dribbling at the top of the set While Kentucky had no trouble with Robert Morris last month, and led by points in the second half when this play occurred, it still shows a dynamic way to feed the ball to the post. Your star is dribbling the ball at the top of the set with three players spaced along the baseline and one located on the left wing. Your best player dribbles right and passes to the player coming high from the left block. The player in the right corner cuts toward the right block []. After making the pass, your best player comes low and screens. This player curls around the screen through the lane []. The ball handler dribbles right to create a passing lane and passes to your star player with his or her back to the basket. Have players on the weak side move into shooting windows and allow your star to create on the open side of the floor (Randle took a hard dribble toward the baseline, spun back and nailed a jump shot) []. When you have a dominant post player, create situations where he or she moves from different angles to the block to gain an advantage. While the main option is to get the ball to your best player, look to pass to this player cutting through the lane Once the ball is in the hands of your star, have others move to shooting windows in case the defense collapses It adds a new dynamic to your offense when your best post player has the ability to dribble the basketball this extends the defense Your best player must set solid screens it s not going to show up in the box score but when your star screens well, it trickles down to every player on the team Be sure your best player gets plenty of -on- scoring opportunities in practice so he or she has a variety of moves to use in game situations www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY
Kobe Bryant works out to the point of almost blacking out at times do your best players have the same drive? Player Motivation Challenge Your Best Players Top athletes have too many people in their ears telling them how great they are you need to keep them motivated for the sake of the team C hampionship programs feature the best players as the hardest-working players. If your best players are slacking, then the rest of the team receives the impression success comes to those who don t work hard. Unfortunately, mostly due to outside influences, your best players aren t always prepared to work the hardest. They constantly are told how great they are and rarely are challenged. As the coach, it s your job to push all your players while showing them you care. workouts. A few years ago he was working out six hours per day, six days per week for six months of the year.. When Jason Terry was at the University of Arizona, part of his workout regimen during the summer after his freshman year was to make 750 shots every day before 7 a.m. Think about that: 750 makes before his teammates were out of bed. By providing examples, you are making an extra effort, which resonates with players. It shows you care and coaches who care have tremendous influence over players. Show Success You need real-world examples of how great players achieve success to motivate your best athletes. Here are three examples:. Sam Presti, general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder says that Kevin Durant works like a rookie on a 0-day contract.. Kobe Bryant has been known to push himself to the brink of passing out in Study Game Film Studying game film is one of the most underrated things players can do to improve their game. Watch your games but have players study opponents of similar abilities. Do this in a small group setting (or individually). Here are three tips:. Show clips of your players making mistakes in games, as well as the positive plays. Then rewind to go over the clips in greater depth. www.basketballcoachweekly.com. Do the same thing only with opponents of similar skill sets and athletic ability.. Give the player the remote. Have them stop the recording at certain times and explain what was done correctly and incorrectly. Words by: Michael Lee, Founder and National Lead Trainer, Mike Lee Basketball, Milwaukee, Wis. Challenge Without Criticism Yelling, shouting and criticizing aren t longterm solutions for motivating your best players. Use drills and goals, such as the following:. You control the drill where players make a read as shown here.. Change the best player s goal in shooting workouts, sprints, etc. don t make it the same as the rest of the team.. Have shooting drills focus on makes in a row to force short periods of intense focus. 4. Spend extra time after practice and specifically challenge something about his or her game. It can be as simple as a 45-second drill but those 45 seconds may mean the world to the player. Issue 4/5 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY