Things Basketball Coaches Should Be Doing Before the Season Officially Starts

In the dynamic world of basketball coaching, the period leading up to the official start of the season is a critical phase where groundwork is laid for success on the court. Listed below are some key actions coaches should prioritize during this crucial pre-season window to ensure a well-prepared and cohesive team once the official tip-off arrives.

Evaluate and Set Goals:

Before the season kicks into high gear, take the time to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Reflect on the previous season’s performance, individual player progress, and improvement areas. Based on this assessment, establish clear, measurable, and realistic goals for the upcoming season. Setting team and individual objectives creates a roadmap for success and provides a benchmark for progress throughout the season.

Develop a Comprehensive Training Plan:

A well-structured training plan is the backbone of a successful basketball season. Consider the team’s specific needs, focusing on physical conditioning and skill development. Design drills that enhance individual strengths and address collective challenges. Balance the intensity of workouts to gradually build endurance, ensuring that players peak at the right moment during the season. A thoughtful training plan sets the foundation for improved performance and minimizes the risk of injuries.

Build Team Chemistry:

Team chemistry is often the intangible factor that sets successful teams apart. Foster a positive and collaborative team culture by organizing team-building activities, both on and off the court. These activities can include friendly competitions, community service projects, or even casual team dinners. Strengthening the bonds among players encourages effective communication, trust, and a shared commitment to success.

Analyze Opponents and Adjust Strategies:

A seasoned basketball coach understands the importance of strategic planning. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents to tailor game strategies accordingly. Keep abreast of changes in the league landscape, study recent match performances, and identify areas where the team can exploit opportunities or shore up vulnerabilities. Adjusting game plans based on thorough analysis can provide a crucial edge during the season.

Assess Player Fitness and Injury Prevention:

Player health is a top priority for any basketball coach. Conduct thorough fitness assessments to ensure that players are in optimal condition for the demands of the season. Work closely with medical professionals to identify potential injury risks and implement preventative measures. Customized conditioning programs and injury prevention strategies can significantly contribute to the team’s overall performance and longevity throughout the season.

Refine Offensive and Defensive Strategies:

Use the pre-season period to fine-tune offensive and defensive strategies. Drill players on both individual and team plays, ensuring that everyone is well-versed in their roles. Experiment with different lineups during practice to assess compatibility and effectiveness. A well-coordinated team, adept at seamlessly transitioning between offensive and defensive plays, poses a formidable challenge to opponents.

Communicate Expectations Clearly:

Effective communication is paramount for a coach. Clearly communicate expectations regarding behavior, commitment, and performance standards. Establish an open-door policy for players to voice concerns or seek guidance. A team that operates with a shared understanding of expectations is more likely to navigate challenges cohesively.

Published at seanlebeauf.net.

Tips for New Basketball Coaches

New basketball coaches need to learn much about themselves to start an effective and successful career. Here are a few essential tips that will help them get started.

There are a variety of practical techniques that can help coaches develop their coaching skills and improve the performance of their players. Some of the most effective strategies that new coaches can use are: preparing for their first practice, learning on the court under a mentor, having an assistant coach, and being on time. They can also take part in a variety of professional development programs.

These tips can help new basketball coaches develop more confidence and fill in the gaps in their knowledge about the job.

Get a Mentor and Assistant Coach

New basketball coaches should consider getting a mentor. During their first few days on the job, they can feel confident enough to practice with a mentor. This type of individual can help you learn how to manage a large group of players.

You should also find yourself as an assistant coach. This will allow you to manage a larger group of players and lessen your burden.

Create a List of Drills

A drill bank can be made using various sources. You can find a lot of resources online, such as searching for basketball-related websites. YouTube also has a selection of clips that are related to the sport. Having a drill bank can be very beneficial for new basketball coaches.

Plan Practice in Advance

Before new basketball coaches begin their first practice, they should plan various sessions. This will allow them to organize their activities and ensure they are doing the right things. One of the most common reasons new coaches find it difficult to handle a large group of players is their lack of knowledge about the sport. Having a well-defined plan can help make the training sessions more efficient.

Ask for Help

During the early stages of their career, new basketball coaches can find many individuals willing to help them with their coaching issues. These individuals can be found at various schools, clubs, and associations. You can also ask them questions through online forums.

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Originally published at SeanLeBeauf.org

Tom Izzo on Leadership on the Court

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo is known for his winning ways on the court, but his career has been about more than winning basketball games. The statistics are impressive, with Izzo taking home one national title and eight Big Ten Championships. Appearing in the NCAA Final Four on ten occasions will get a coach, and their program, noticed. 

However, the ability to connect with his players and maintain his integrity are among the most impressive traits of Coach Izzo.

Several key phrases help fans and fellow coaches understand the leadership style of Coach Tom Izzo. The most important phrase for the Spartans coaches is honesty and integrity. The openness to be real with his players sets Izzo apart in a sport where coaches and parents tell players what they want to hear instead of what they need to know. Tom Izzo is brutally honest with his players, according to his fellow coaches. 

Maintaining his integrity has become key to his success as a leader throughout Michigan. Along with turning down the advances of LeBron James to join the NBA, Izzo has worked to raise awareness about the water issues in Flint.

Talent is critical in the world of basketball, with college players hoping for a speedy move to the NBA. Coach Izzo provides a different view of college life and the draw of the NBA. The Spartans coach explains that playing in the NBA is different from maintaining an NBA career. 

Izzo’s most famous alumni is Draymond Green, who remained with the Spartans for four years despite constant calls from the NBA. Green is one of the players who benefitted from Izzo’s love of players from different sports with a willingness to adapt to several positions.

Within the Michigan State Spartans program, it is well known that the team comes above all else. For Tom Izzo, the team should be the most important aspect of the basketball program in a sport where individual stars have become the norm. Izzo understands his program does not attract the top individual superstars of high school basketball, who tend to move to Duke and North Carolina. 

What Izzo offers is the chance to learn and develop as a player and a person. His open-door policy continues after players move onto the NBA or a career of their choice.       

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How to Slow Down a Pressure Defense

Originally published on SeanLeBeauf.org

Applying a pressure defense is a common strategy among basketball teams around the country, which is designed to disrupt the rhythm of the opposing offense, speeding them up and forcing mistakes. This can come in the form of zone press, full-court press, man press, or simply consistent trapping throughout the game. Regardless of the type of defensive pressure that you are facing, having a gameplan to counteract that is essential.

Force Their Hand

A common strategy used by teams attempting to slow down a pressure defense is by taking as many timeouts as possible and stopping play. While this can be effective in crunch time situations, it is not always necessary.

To take advantage of their quickened defensive schemes, design plays that are just as fast as theirs. Charge the basket and create easy finishes. This puts them on their toes when done effectively, and displays confidence on the offensive side of the ball, disrupting their rhythm and turning the tables.

Ball Strength

A high-pressure defense is one that is going to be reaching for the ball as frequently as they can without drawing fouls. Poking and swatting a limply-held ball will almost always result in turnovers. Ensure players are holding the ball with strength, and with both hands.

Simultaneously, players should be in a position of strength, squaring up their defenders immediately upon catching a pass. Otherwise, the defender will get in the face of the player with the ball, taking up as much space as they can and forcing the ball handler to pivot backwards. Being in an advantageous position (with at least a foot between the ball and the defender) will allow players to pivot and dribble, shoot, or pass.

Fake Passes

Defenders in this scheme are almost always going to be looking to jump passes and disrupt passing lanes in general. For that reason, simply faking passes is going to be an effective move in throwing the defense off. However, the fake must be convincing.

Any skilled basketball player can sniff out a fake pass if it isn’t well hidden, as they typically read the eyes of the ball handler. For a truly deceptive fake, square your shoulders towards one player and extend your arms. As soon as the defender jumps, quickly fire the pass over to an open teammate.

Hard Cuts

Getting open against a pressure defense will not be a simple task. Jogging around the paint to try to find an open spot will do no good. Get away from your defender by making hard cuts. Much like route running in football, a fast cut in the opposite direction will create space for a short period of time. The cleaner and better these cuts are, the more the defense will worry about individual players rather than the ball, thus creating offensive opportunities.

The Most Shocking NBA Trades in the Last 10 Years

Originally published on SeanLeBeauf.net

Trades in the NBA happen frequently, but some stand out more than others. Here are some of the most shocking trades in the NBA in the last 10 years.

1. Oklahoma City trades James Harden to Houston for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, 2013 1st rounder, 2013 2nd rounder, and 2014 1st rounder

In 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder were poised for great things. They had lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals the year prior, but they had a young, talented nucleus of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. As the sixth man, James Harden provided valuable scoring and playmaking off the bench.

Unfortunately, the prospect of having to pay an expensive luxury tax to resign Harden to a max deal proved to be too daunting. Since then, Harden has become a perennial all star and MVP in the league. To this day, one of the biggest “what-if’s” in NBA history is if the talented trio all stayed.

2. Boston Celtics trade Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, D.J. White, and a 2017 2nd-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, a 2014 1st-rounder, a 2016 1st-rounder, a 2018 1st-rounder, and rights to swap picks in 2015 and 2017

Some call this the worst trade in NBA history, and with good reason. The Nets wanted a shot to knock off LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat, and they wanted to do it at all costs; even if it meant mortgaging their future. They got two Hall of Famers in Pierce and Garnett, but the problem was that they were 36 and 37 respectively.

The players Boston received in the trade don’t matter. What matters is who they drafted with the picks they got. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum look to have high NBA ceilings, and another pick they got convinced Cleveland to trade star point guard Kyrie Irving to them, leading us into our next talking point…

3. Cleveland Cavaliers trade Kyrie Irving to Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a 2018 1st-rounder

The timing of the trade was shocking, as Kyrie Irving’s apparent disinterest and frustration with playing in Cleveland and with LeBron James came to a head when he requested to be traded. Cleveland has sorely missed Kyrie’s shotmaking ability since then, and the Celtics have seemingly become a playoff team overnight. Irving, combined with young starts Brown and Tatum, make for serious threat in the league.