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Coaching Basketball Successfully
by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten
Foreword by Mike Krzyzewski
Series: Coaching Successfully
304 Pages
Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden once said, “People say Morgan Wootten is the best high school basketball coach in the country. I disagree. I know of no finer coach at any level—high school, college, or pro.”
Morgan Wootten has retired from coaching, but his knowledge of the game remains unsurpassed and keen as ever. Coaching Basketball Successfully contains a wealth of Wootten’s timeless wisdom. And, in this third edition, Wootten adds even more value—the coaching experiences, methods, and tactics of his son Joe, a successful high school coach himself.
Loaded with insights, instruction, drills, and Xs and Os, Coaching Basketball Successfully is the best single resource on making the most of your program, team, and players each season.
Part I Coaching Foundation
Chapter 1 Developing a Basketball Coaching Philosophy
Chapter 2 Communicating Your Approach
Chapter 3 Motivating Players
Chapter 4 Running a Basketball Program
Part II Coaching Plan
Chapter 5 Season Planning
Chapter 6 Practice Planning
Part III Coaching Offense
Chapter 7 Teaching Offensive Positions and Sets
Chapter 8 Teaching Offensive Skills
Chapter 9 Developing a Quick-Scoring Approach
Chapter 10 Man-to-Man Offense
Chapter 11 Zone Offense
Chapter 12 Clock and InBounds Situations
Part IV Coaching Defense
Chapter 13 Teaching Defensive Positions and Sets
Chapter 14 Teaching Defensive Skills
Chapter 15 Team Defense
Chapter 16 Full-Court Team Defense
Part V Coaching Games
Chapter 17 Preparing for Games
Chapter 18 Handling Game Situations
Part VI Coaching Evaluation
Chapter 19 Evaluating Players
Chapter 20 Evaluating Your Program
Morgan Wootten compiled a remarkable 1,274-192 (.869) record in his 46-year career at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. Under Wootten’s helm, DeMatha won legendary national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968, and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams recorded 44 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and won 33 Catholic League championships. Most impressive, DeMatha has finished the season ranked number 1 in the Washington, DC, area 20 times in the last 33 years.
Wootten first put DeMatha on the national map of high school basketball in 1965 when his team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor’s club at Power Memorial Academy (New York). More than 160 of Wootten's former players have played college basketball, and a dozen have played in the NBA. Wootten was inducted into the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. He retired in November 2002.
Wootten is regarded as one of the best teachers in the history of the game. Coaches throughout the world have read his books, watched his videos and DVDs, and sat rapt through his clinics for many years. He and his wife, Kathy, reside in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Joe Wootten played for and was an assistant coach for his dad and is now an accomplished high school coach in his own right. Upon his arrival at Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington, Virginia) in 1999, he turned the program around from a 6-game winner the year before his arrival to an average of 23 wins per season as head coach. He also serves as athletic director of the school. Joe has led O'Connell to 5 Virginia State Independent titles, 3 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) regular season titles, 3 Alhambra Catholic Invitational titles, and 1 WCAC tournament title. He was selected as the Arlington County Coach of the Year three times, WCAC Coach of the Year once, and Virginia State Independent Coach of the Year four times. Well known for developing his assistant coaches, he has had one college head coach, four Division I assistant coaches, and 6 head high school coaches work with him before advancing in their careers. 32 of his O’Connell players have earned college basketball scholarships. Joe resides in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife, Terri Lynn, and their three children, Alexa, Reese, and Jackson.
“It is appropriate to mention Morgan Wootten in the same conversation as John Wooden, Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight as among the greatest coaches of basketball. His impact on all high school sports, all of his former players and coaches, and the entire coaching profession for generations is unmatched. His incredible ability to teach the fundamentals of the game is the gold standard for all coaches at all levels to follow. I know firsthand that his son Joe has continued this way of teaching the game. Joe’s continued development of the Wootten Way has produced championship teams and fundamentally sound college-bound players for over a decade. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a better coach.”
Sean Miller -- Head Men’s Basketball Coach
University of Arizona
“Morgan Wootten is one of the most respected basketball coaches of all time. His wisdom and expertise are in full display in Coaching Basketball Successfully. It is a guide that should be on the bookshelf of every high school coach.”
Tom Izzo -- Head Basketball Coach
Michigan State University
"People say Morgan Wootten is the best high school basketball coach in the country. I disagree. I know of no finer coach at any level – high school, college, or pro. I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it here: I stand in awe of him."
John Wooden
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this 
situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
The most important step in building a program is developing a style of play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play.
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition.
Style of Play
The first and most important step in building a basketball program is developing a system, or a style of play. Your philosophy and knowledge of the game will shape that system. But don't get too set in your ways. Be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your players.
Unlike colleges, at the high school level, we cannot give scholarships to players who we think would look good in our school's uniform. Nor do we have the luxury of keeping the same players for several years as do coaches in the NBA. Therefore, we must be flexible enough to adapt our system each year to maximize the attributes of the players on the team.
In 2004, we had a talented team returning to O'Connell, but in August, our 6-9 center decided to transfer to another school. We went from a team that was going to be strong inside to a team that had good overall height but no players taller than 6-6. We had to adjust our emphasis for that year. A 6-5 player named Ernie Lomax became our starting center. Ernie was not a scorer, but he was a big physical presence who loved to pass. We were able to use our post as our leading assist man, because he was always able to find the open man. The team adjusted great to the new philosophy. We went 30-4, and we won the state, league, and Alhambra championship. If we had tried to bend the players to fit the system that we had anticipated, we would not have been as successful. Instead, coaches need to bend the system to fit their players.
Some coaches do very well with mediocre players but find that their teams struggle when they have more talented athletes. Other coaches seem to excel with a superstar but don't fare as well with a solid all-around team. Those mixed results based on personnel differences reflect the coaches' stubbornness in sticking with the style of play that they like, no matter what. They might try to modify it slightly from year to year, but the same basic style of play emerges because it's the one they are most comfortable with. What these coaches fail to consider or acknowledge is that certain systems are more successful with certain kinds of talent. A coach who stays primarily with one system will only be successful during those years when the talent happens to match the system.
For example, a coach who is married to a zone defense that best suits a taller, slower team may find himself coaching a team that lacks size but is extremely quick. Instead of playing his favorite zone with such a team, that coach should switch to a pressing defense that would take advantage of players' quickness and create turnovers. But the reverse can also be true, as it was one year at DeMatha.
To be a consistent winner, the coach and the system must be flexible enough to bring out the best in the players as individuals and to capitalize on those strengths for the good of the team. Your coaching philosophy should allow for such flexibility. Although the system that fits that particular team may not be your favorite or the one you know best, it may be the one that gives your team its chance to become the best it can be. Providing that chance is the essence of coaching.
A Mismatch
The varsity team was small and quick, and the players excelled in a full-court pressure defense. Our junior varsity, in contrast, was one of the biggest we've ever had. It featured six-foot-seven Kenny Carr, who would later make a name for himself at North Carolina State and with the Portland Trailblazers.
When the junior varsity returned from its first game, I asked the coach how much he'd won by. “We got beat,” he replied.
“You got beat? How?”
“Well, we were pressing all over the court,” he answered, “and they just kept zipping through us. Our big guys just couldn't stay up with them.”
I then understood the problem and its correction. “You don't have a pressing team,” I replied. “A team with that size should do no more than just play solid half-court defense because no one will ever get a second shot against you.”
The coach of that team, Marty Fletcher, took my advice, and that team never lost another game. Marty is currently the assistant athletic director and head coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
If you bend the system to fit the ability of the players, you can then take it one step further and design a system that will get the ball into the hands of your best players most frequently. Set aside at least one special play to accomplish this purpose. If you're blessed with two or three highly skilled players, then it is wise to have a play for each of them. To keep all the players happy, some coaches have a play isolating each position. Whatever the approach, a coach needs set plays that allow the team to go to its money players in the clutch.
Having advocated flexibility, we must now issue a word of caution: Make sure your system is intelligently flexible. Remember, there is no progress without change, but change does not necessarily mean progress. Study your system, and change only when the talent you have makes it beneficial to do so. Your knowledge and perception of players' skills and intangibles will help guide you to the type and extent of change, if any, that will be most beneficial.
Thought for the Day
We don't need more strength, more ability, or greater opportunity. What we need is to use what we have. -Basil S. Walsh
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Stationary moves are a key offensive skill
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender.
Stationary Moves
After a player has caught the ball and squared up to the basket in the triple-threat position, he is ready to attack the defender. He can do so by using what I call “stationary moves.” I use that term because the player makes the initial move from a stationary triple-threat position, before putting the ball on the floor in a dribble.
Strong-Side Drive
From the triple-threat position, the player executes a jab step. The purpose of the jab step is to get the defense to react. The step should be made with the right foot by right-handed players, and the left foot by left-handed players.
To ensure that the offensive player stays balanced, the jab step should be quick and short (only about 6 inches [15 cm]; figure 8.3a). If the defender does not react quickly enough to the jab step, the offensive player should then take a longer step with the same foot, trying to get his head and shoulders by the defender (figure 8.3b). The player should then close the gap and explode to the basket with one dribble (figure 8.3c).
While teaching stationary moves, emphasize the advantages of using the dribble effectively. Players should try to get to the basket using the fewest dribbles possible. This helps prevent their defender or another defender from getting into the play and possibly stopping the drive. Also emphasize to your players the importance of keeping their head up while dribbling. This will give them the court vision to see both help-side defenders and their own teammates to whom they can dish the ball if the defense collapses when they drive.
Crossover Step
If the offensive player executes a jab step, and the defender responds by sliding over in the direction of that step, the offensive player can then go in the opposite direction with a crossover step. First, a right-handed offensive player jabs with the right foot, forcing the defense to react and take away the strong-side drive (figure 8.4a). The offensive player then starts to cross the right foot over to the left side (figure 8.4b), stepping by the defender's foot and putting the defender on his right hip. The player should keep the ball as low as possible as he rolls his shoulders through and steps by the defender. The offensive player keeps the defender on the right hip, and he puts the ball down left-handed to protect it from the defense (figure 8.4c).
Once again, the offensive player should attack the defender by going in a straight line to the basket, thus limiting the defender's chance to recover. The fundamentals of effective dribbling, closing the gap, and keeping the head up apply to the crossover drive just as they do to the strong-side drive. When executed properly, either of these moves can lead to a jump shot or power layup if the defense reacts to the offensive player's footwork.
Jab Step to the Jumper
The defense will eventually adjust to the jab step by taking a retreat step to prevent the offensive player from slicing to the basket. As the defense retreats, the offensive player now has room to go straight up and shoot the jumper (if within shooting range).
To get the shot off, the offensive player must maintain balance after making the jab step. The player can do so only by keeping the feet shoulder-width apart and staying low. This is why it is important to teach players to keep the jab step short. A jab step that is too long will force the offensive player to reset, and the defense will be able to recover in time to stop the shot.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
Full-court plays give the opportunity to score with very little time left
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break.
Last-Second Plays
When a team scores a field goal and goes ahead of us with less than 10 but more than 3 seconds to go, my preference is not to call a time-out, but to quickly pass the ball inbounds and attempt to score with our quick break. If properly prepared, your team should be capable of getting a shot off from 12 feet and out within 3 seconds or a layup in 4 seconds. That being the case, I would rather surprise our opponents before they can set up the defense.
Many games are lost because the team that scores relaxes for just a second to celebrate their “win,” only to have a well-drilled team strike back quickly for the real win. Surprise is an essential element here, but control is just as important. Our quick break must be well organized if it is to be effectively executed.
If the other team scores, and the clock runs down to 3 seconds or less, I always want a time-out while the ball is in the net. If you are unable to create a quick dead-ball situation here, the running clock might kill any opportunity at a shot before your team even inbounds the ball. In this situation, you need a full-court play that gives you the opportunity to score with very little time left.
Ladder
This full-court play can be used from either the baseline or the sideline. The inbounder should be your best long-distance passer (usually the 1 player). Make sure that the inbounder knows whether he can run the baseline or whether he must remain at a designated spot.
When the inbounder slaps the ball, 4 back-screens for 5, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 4 then flashes to an open area. After a one count (following the ball slap), 3 sets a back screen for 2, who reads the defense and makes his cut. Player 3, after screening, looks for the open area in which to flash (see figure 12.7).
Tell your inbounder to look for the deep pass first because the deep screen will take place first. In addition, your receivers should break open at different times so your inbounder will have other options to go to if the first receiver is covered.
If this play is run from the sideline with the same screens (as it can be), your players will open up in different areas of the court, depending on where the ball is taken out of bounds.
Deep
In this full-court play, 2 takes the ball out, and 1 and 3 position themselves at each elbow of the foul line. Players 4 and 5 are outside the three-point arc and very close to the hash marks. On the ball slap, 4 and 5 begin downcourt and then come back (V-cut) to set screens. Player 4 screens for 1, and 5 screens for 3. Players 1 and 3 use the screens and sprint wide, looking for the deep pass over the top of the defense. Both 4 and 5 come back to the ball to be receivers after having set the screens, as shown in figure 12.8.
Again, tell your inbounder to look deep first; the short pass is the second option. Depending on the situation, you may need a deep pass for the score, or you may just need the short pass for the possession of the ball. If there is trouble, 1 and 3 can sprint back to the ball to be receivers. The sprint players must look over their inside shoulders so they can see the entire floor, stay balanced, and keep themselves from running out of bounds. You can also invert player positions so that your best ball handlers are in the 4 and 5 slots, coming back to the ball for the short pass.
Screen
If you have very little time left on the clock, a play called Screen is one more option you can employ to get a shot off. This play is possible only after an opponent has scored and your inbounder is allowed to run the baseline.
Player 1 sets a screen on the player defending the inbounds pass and looks to take the charge. When the screen is set, 3 runs the baseline. Player 4 looks to be a receiver in an open area, while 5 sets a screen for 2 under the basket at the opposite end of the floor. Player 2 moves to get open in the corner, and 5 cuts back to the ball after the screen. The inbounder (3) should throw long to an open area for the last shot, as shown in figure 12.9.
Read more from Coaching Basketball Successfully, Third Edition by Morgan Wootten and Joe Wootten.
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