YBCA

The shot clock does not make better players. However, the lack of a shot clock retards player development. I coached girls’ basketball in California with a 30-second shot clock. Only once or twice a game was the shot clock really a factor. The presence of the shot clock sped up the pace of the game. The threat of a shot clock led to players shooting open shots early in the clock and being more aggressive. 

I coached boys basketball in Utah this year without a shot clock. There were times that our opponent would run a minute of offense. Without the threat of the shot clock violation, there was no urgency. In close games, some teams would take even more time. I am sitting at the high-school tournament, and teams have started to hold the ball with three to four minutes left in the game.

Let’s assume a 25-game schedule. Some teams play more games and some play fewer, but let’s assume that is the average for a high school team. Let’s assume the presence of a 30 or 35-second shot clock increases possessions per game by 10, which would be a conservative estimate, though dependent on the style of play, opponents, etc. 10 possessions per game would mean 250 possessions per season for a player to practice a skill, whether penetrating against defenders or defending the ball or cutting versus a zone. Over four seasons, that is 1000 more opportunities for a player to practice his or her skills in a game environment. That is 1000 more possessions to get opportunities for the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th players.

One game today was played at such a slow pace that one team did not make a single substitution, and the players hardly looked tired after the game; one player was shooting around 20 minutes after her game ended and looked like she was warming up before a game, not after a closely-contested play-off game. But, I imagine if she filled out a Borg scale (6-20) and was completely honest with herself, I’d say that she would be at a 12 or 13, 65% – 70% effort or “somewhat hard.”

While a game with a shot clock can be played at a slow tempo, the shot clock limits how slow a team can play. The shot clock guarantees changes in possession. Teams have to make plays for the entire game; they cannot take the air out of the ball with three minutes to play.

Honestly, without the shot clock, most games are boring. But, the need of a shot clock is beyond aesthetics. It’s a matter of development. More possessions equal more opportunities. More opportunities equals more experience. More experience should lead to more improvement and development. It’s a simple matter of numbers. 1000 possessions may not seem like much, but that’s a conservative estimate. 1000 extra opportunities for development matter, especially in girls’ basketball where many people comment on the lack of experience playing pick-up games.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

In many ways, I feel disappointed about the way the season turned out. This may have been the hardest (least successful) season that I have coached in terms of changing behaviors. Parents and the varsity coach commented on the improvement of the team over the course of the season, but I don’t feel the same. The same basic mistakes that hurt us at the beginning of the season hurt us at the end of the season. 

In some ways, we did improve. We played our two most consistent games in terms of effort and execution in the last two games. In both games, our opponents started in man defense and switched to zones after we were able to score quickly against their man defense. Our defense was much better late in the season; the only transition baskets we gave up were off turnovers high on the floor. We hedged on screens, rotated in help, and helped each other far more than at the beginning of the year. Due to the scoring system 11 0r 12 of the 14 players started a game at some point during the season, and all 14 players played in both halves of all but two or three games, unless there was a reason (missed practice) for them sitting out. All 14 players scored in multiple games.

However, we failed to block out, we missed lay-ups, we did not shoot well, and we made the occasional lazy or bad angle pass straight into a turnover. These were consistent problems throughout the year despite a concerted effort to focus on lay-ups and passing in every practice. We did a competitive lay-up drill to start every practice. In some ways, this may have been a negative, as I think there was a lack of concentration sometimes. I think I should have incorporated different drills rather than relying on 3-4 different lay-up drills throughout the season. I also went away from an old favorite, the Box-Passing Drill, in favor of drills that involve more movement (Gael Passing Drill, 7v5 Passing), and that may have been a mistake as well.

Things that I will do differently next time:

1) Post drills: I used to do post drills every practice for all players. I do not do that this season, and that was a mistake. Post play is footwork and pump fakes. All players need to learn those skills. Next time, I will do post drills every practice. These drills may have helped with our finishing and boxing out around the basket.

2) Transition: I started the season with a lot of 2v1 transition drills, but as the season wore on, I went to more 4v3 and 5v3 transition drills. I think that I should have incorporated more 2v1 drills throughout the season.

3) Leadership: I did not name a captain until 10 games into the season because I did not feel that anyone had stepped up to show that type of leadership. Instead, the person who was leading in the scoring system was the captain for that game. I think this was a mistake, as nobody took the initiative and stepped up to fill the void. My eventual captain led more by actions than words. By choosing a captain, and empowering him to be the leader, he may have stepped up and filled the void. Maybe it was my encouragement that was lacking and left the void open throughout the season.

4) Details: I tried to stress the details and the small things, but I should have learned from John Wooden and done them from the first practice. I should have done a loose-ball drill on the first day to develop the habit of diving for the loose ball. I should have taught the players how to huddle at free throws and communicate with each other. I should have instructed the point guard to look at me and run to the bench on a free throw or other dead ball if I needed to instruct something.

5) Be First: I worked a summer camp one summer and from our first meeting with my assigned team, I told them that we would be first everywhere. We would jog to lunch while everyone walked, and we would sprint between stations, and we would sprint to the head coach’s sessions so we would sit in front, and we would be the first to loose balls during games, etc.  I should have used that with this team as well. Be the first team to set up for out-of-bounds plays. Be first to pick up a teammate that falls or takes a charge. Be first to the bench at timeouts. Be first to the loose balls. Be first to the free-throw line to huddle up.

6) Camaraderie: I should have done more to build a team environment. I talked about Steve Nash and his impact on his team not just from a skill standpoint, but from a high-five standpoint. He always picks up his teammates, pats them on the back, high-fives, etc. Teams that do this tend to be winning teams. We often looked like a pick-up team, not a true team, which is a reflection of the coach. Early in the season, I should have done more to try and build that team spirit.

7) Play more cut-throat: As the season wore on, our “motion” offense, looked more and more like we were running one play because we went to the same option almost every time. I think that I went to 5v5 too quickly to prepare for the games because some guys had never played organized basketball before this season. I should have retained cut-throat and developed more freelance play throughout the season rather than getting stuck in one way of running our motion offense.

Those are the first things that come to mind. There are probably plenty of others.

I think the hardest thing about coaching is rewarding the players who do the right things even when they are not successful. My player who understood the game the best and was always in the right spot was also my smallest player and he was not the quickest either. He just understood the game. On most teams, he probably would have been cut. We intended to keep only 12 players, and he likely would have been one of the ones who did not make it, but he was too smart to cut. at the freshman level, I thought that he deserved a chance to stay in the competitive stream in the hope that he grows before next season. The problem was that he could do everything right, and the opponent could score right over him or grab the rebound or whatever. I always wanted to play him more because I knew that he knew the right things to do, but he was not always able to do them. Other guys were more athletic, better ball handlers, better shooters, etc., and ultimately those things tended to lead to success more often. However, I felt like I was not rewarding what I wanted when I took him out of the game or played him less minutes than someone who did not do the right things, but made up for his mistakes with quickness or aggressiveness. It was probably the hardest decision every game. Is the process still more important if the production does not follow? Or is production more important regardless of the process? If I have a player who plays terrible position defense, but blocks every shot, is that worse than the player who plays perfect position defense, but his man scores over him every time? Who should get more playing time? The one who appears to do the right thing or the one who gets the better result? There is no right answer, which makes it hard. If you play the one who does it right, how does the shot blocker learn to play better defense? By sitting on the bench? I tend to enjoy training more than coaching because of these dilemmas. It isn’t fun to look at a player after the game and now that he tries to do everything correctly, but I still did not play him as much because of his lack of strength, size, shooting ability, or whatever. That part sucks.

At different levels, it is easier to justify. When I coached professional teams, it did not matter. You could show up and practice hard every day, but if you were not going to help us win, you were not going to play. That’s the reality of the game. However, at the freshman level, there’s both the desire to develop players and give players a chance, and the desire to win and teach players how to win.

I like the freshman level for that reason.  I am happy that we kept players who most teams would have cut – guys who had no experience in organized basketball or guys that were too small or guys who were out of shape in tryouts. One of these guys ended up a regular starter and probably was our best player on the last game of the season.

The glimpses of improvement were there: the 9/10 from the free-throw line in a close game for a player who shot 30% from the FT line early in the season; the perfect hook pass on a pick-and-roll; the three passes and a lay-up to knife through a zone press without a press break; the perfect execution of the entry and high-low pass against the zone; our tall, skinny forward ripping through and taking a guy along the baseline and finishing through contact; our tough defender drawing what should have been two flagrant fouls because guys were so frustrated trying to handle against him.

I expect the group will fare much better next year, as none of the players who project as the better players has grown into his body yet. As they develop strength and coordination, I expect some of the missed block-outs and missed lay-ups to be eliminated just due to the strength and balance. As some of the guys who had never played organized basketball gain more experience and mesh their skills within the team, they should flourish. As the guards get stronger due to basic maturation, they should improve.

Hopefully they learned something that they take into the offseason, and they come back ready to play next fall. I know there will be a couple games marked on their calendars of losses that they would like to avenge.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

And that’s a wrap. We ended the season in a tournament and went two and a BBQ. We played the hosts in the first game and played one of our best games of the season, but fell in the 4th quarter. In the loser’s bracket, we played a team that we had beaten, but they brought down four guys who had played up on the sophomore team all season, and despite outplaying them for much of the game, we lost. 

In both games, when we made mistakes, our opponent punished us. When our opponent made mistakes, we did not. In the end, that was the difference. For instance, in the first game, twice we had a 1v1. My player stopped and pump faked the defender out of the gym, but then missed the open lay-up. When we trailed them on a flex cut, they took advantage and converted. Lay-ups. Box outs. That was pretty much the difference.

The host team is good (I expect that they will lose a close game in the championship game) and has a very good player. As the game wore on, and we anticipated their plays, he would make reads on his own and flash into the open area, rather than where the play was intended for him to go. He was always one step ahead, and he finished his shots. He is the best player that we played all season. I thought before the game about trying a box-and-1, but decided against it. Maybe I should have, as he scored half of their points though we did a decent job against him as it was just. He was just taller, stronger, and better than our defense. At the end, however, our defense was good enough to win; we just did not make enough shots, and we did not extend the lead early as much as we should have.

In between games, we practiced some little things, like out of bounds plays and some other things that we did not spend a lot of time on during the season. We put in a new zone out-of-bounds play, and we had a lay-up almost every time that we ran it. Unfortunately, we did not always complete the pass or finish the shot. It was a ridiculously simple play, but those are the ones that tend to work the best. We did manage to defend the underneath OB plays finally.

In our last game, our opponent played a 1-3-1. Our offense is set up to attack from the corners and from post to post. When we reversed the ball, we got lay-ups. However, we were stubborn. It’s like doing it the right way was too easy. We came down, reversed the ball, faked the pass to the wing, entered into the post, and made a wide-open lay-up. Next possession, rather than look for the same thing or fake the same pass to draw the defense and punish them somewhere else, we made one pass and jacked a three-pointer or we passed to the strong side and attempted to drive baseline into three defenders.

That is the most frustrating thing. I watch the game, and I know that we know what to do. We make the right plays enough to convince me that we know what we are doing, and we are not just getting lucky. But, then we are not consistent making the right play, and we make mistakes that we should not make at this point in the year.

So, that’s the season. A frustrating end.

Overall, there were some great things. By the end of the season, guys were seeing the open man, even if the pass was not always perfect. Everyone was handling the ball, with post players showing confidence to handle the ball against a press or in transition. After a period in the middle of the season where our concentration and intensity waned, we ended the season playing our two most consistent games of the season.

It was a good group to coach. I think we were better than our record shows. Hopefully that shows next season in terms of development this year rather than playing only to win this season.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

Last Wednesday, my professor in my Motivation Theory course asked me why my players play basketball. I did not have a definitive answer. They are fairly typical freshmen, trying to fit in at a new school, make friends, and expend energy. I don’t know that any of the guys are Basketball Players. I think that they like basketball and like being on a team and like walking around school in their basketball gear. 

Thursday, midway through practice, I asked the team if they really love playing basketball. I did not really see it. However, every player said yes. At the end of practice, I asked the team if they wanted to practice on Friday and Saturday or on one day or the other. The unanimous decision was that 10:00AM was too early, and they only wanted to practice on Friday.

Monday started with a disappointing loss this week. After the game, I got on the guys. We need more intensity and concentration, and it starts in practice. I reminded them that they said that they love to play basketball, but an hour later begged off of a Saturday morning practice. I told them that no longer was I guaranteeing everyone playing time. I don’t want to feel compelled to play a player who looks out of it or who doesn’t play hard during the game. We have one tournament left in the season, and I told them that they had three practices to earn the playing time. I told them that I would re-start the practice scoring system, so everyone had a chance to earn the opportunity to start.

The lecture did not have much effect. Yesterday, I stayed after practice. All the other teams were away, so we had the gym to ourselves and finished at 4:30. I left out the balls and shot for a while. One player shot for 5-10 minutes. Everyone else changed his shoes quickly and took off. I made 56/60 from the free-throw line and left, and guys were still outside waiting for their rides.

The players listen and are respectful; however, they don’t know what it takes to be successful. Today, we started practice with a drill called “20-minute Shooting” from 180 Shooter. When I watched a college team do the drill, players hit over 100 3s. My high scorer was 38. I don’t expect a high-school freshman to equal a D1 player in terms of shooting or effort; however, I explained the difference to the team to illustrate where they have to get to if their goals include playing at a higher level.

We are stuck in our comfort zone. We do what we are comfortable doing, at a pace with which they are comfortable playing. With a team full of players playing in their comfort zone, we don’t have anyone to push the others to go faster or to play harder. We start slowly in games because we have to adjust to the faster pace that other teams play, from getting the ball up the court to making sharper cuts, etc.

I am frustrated with myself this season because I have been unable to get the players to move beyond their comfort levels. I see a couple players who show demonstrated improvement, but overall, we as a group have not moved beyond our comfort zones with enough regularity to improve greatly. All the small-sided games, all the competitive cauldron ideas, all my talk of comfort zones has not registered or changed behaviors. I continually changed drills and changed approaches, but the changes typically lasted for one day.

If I started the season now, I would be harder on the guys from the first day. I would do more shooting early in the season. I would play more cut throat and less 5v5. I would spend more time teaching the minor details like bench decorum, pointing to the passer, thanking the screener, etc. I would be tougher on the team when we don’t talk on defense. I think that I felt some of these things would improve as the season continued, as players improved, as players became friends, etc. However, I should have been more proactive from day one.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

Set plays are not bad. However, when players depend solely on a play, the play has the effect of limiting the player’s development of game understanding. 

In our game on Monday, our opponent came out running play after play. They ran a play that we ran in high school and called “X”. The play starts with two high and three across the free-throw line extended. On a pass to the wing, the two high cross and use the player in the middle of the free-throw line as a screen. When they called out the play’s name, my defender guarding the player who was set to cut to the ball-side block would run right to the block.

This is the problem with plays: When players do not read the screens or the cuts, and simply run to spots, they become very easy to defend. They also are learning to run to spots, not to play basketball or read the game.

If their player had stopped his cut, he would have been wide open at the top of the key with an open lane to the left side (another point since the team started its offense to the right 100% of the time) or a backdoor cut would have left him open on the weak side for a lob pass.

Late in the game, one of their players yelled at their coach: “What play do we run?” I thought to myself: just play. Even thought they ran 10 or more plays, by the 4th quarter, we knew what the plays were trying to do, and we could take away the first couple options. There is a reason that they scored 21 points in the first five minutes, and two points in the following 11 minutes. Once they showed their plays, we learned how to defend each call and could take away their options.

Because they were dependent on the plays to create shots, when their first options were taken away, they could not adjust. They could not read the defense. When we went under screens, they did not fade – they kept curling to where they were supposed to cut for the play to work. When we chased around a screen, they did not curl to the basket; they kept running to the three-point line where they were supposed to cut.

We had two bad bounces on rebound attempts or our opponent would not have scored 21 points in the final 27 minutes after scoring 21 points in the first five minutes primarily because the players lacked the awareness to adjust once we anticipated their plays.

Our offense is not a picture of execution, but that is because a motion offense is harder to learn and master. Players have to read the defense and read their teammates. Defenses cannot cheat and expect our cuts because we read the defense and take what the defense leaves open. We don’t make the perfect decision all the time, but we are learning to adjust and adapt to good and bad decisions. Occasionally one player cuts backdoor while the passer passes out of bounds. It happens. But, they are learning to read the defense, and we can use the mistake as a learning situation.

Late in the game, when we needed a basket, we had set plays in reserve that they had not seen. We got the ball where we wanted and just missed the shot. It happens. However, that is how set plays should be used with youth teams: An occasional play to get a specific player a specific shot, but with the ability to adjust and adapt to the defense. If players lack the awareness to read the defense, they are not learning, and they become easier to defend. It is easier for a coach to dictate the play with set plays, but it does not mean that players are learning. At youth and high school levels, what’s more important: player learning or dictating the play?

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

Started the week with another Monday game. Started slowly again. Fell behind 21-5. Trailed by one at half-time and had the lead in the 4th quarter. Lost by one, though our scorekeepers made a mistake, so the score should have been tied. We played without three starters because two missed Saturday’s practice and one missed grades. Two of the remaining top players did not play the first quarter because they were late to the game. 

The game was everything great about our team, and everything that drives me crazy. We start the game and look like we are playing our first game of the season. We dribble into traps, trail cutters, miss boxouts, etc. Somehow, after about five minutes, we remember how to play the game. We held them scoreless for a nine-minute stretch. Amazing that within the span of two minutes we go from trailing cutters on a flex cut and surrendering lay-ups to taking away any good looks at the basket.

We never give up, and we flight to take the lead. However, we stagnated late because when we feel pressure, we try to do things ourselves. We take quick shots and dribble too much. We don’t reverse the ball against a zone but show our stubbornness trying to pound it through the zone on the strong side. We faced a 3-2 and both of our zone sets would create easy shots for our primary ball handlers if we make two quick passes, but instead our ball handlers try to create shots with the dribble with no movement.

We had two chances to win the game and missed shots. We should have gotten the ball back with three seconds to play (potentially on an intentional foul), but did not get the call. Instead, we stole the out-of-bounds pass, but the official would not grant me a timeout. Lots of chances and could not convert one last big play. It happens when you expend so much energy coming back from so far down.

I feel like we are finally to where we should have been at the beginning of the season. we are starting to see things and learn the basics, like moving to help position on a pass or switching out if someone is beaten at half court. Some of the guys think too much, which hurts their performance, but overall, we are starting to get there.

Since we are getting closer to where we should be, I instruct more. I expect more precision offensively and defensively. Early in the season, I wanted them to gain more game experience in practice scrimmages. I wanted the skill practice within the games. I wanted to prevent them from thinking too much or trying to do things one certain way. Now, I want them to see more things. We know how to run a pick and roll. Now, I want them to see the best option in the pick and roll. I want them to see the difference between a side PnR with two guys on the strong side versus a side PnR with three guys on the strong side. I want them to know when to cut to the ball side against a zone and when to cut to the opposite corner. I could run plays calling for one or the other, but then they would not necessarily learn to read the defense and make the right choice. I want them to learn to read the defense and make quick, accurate decisions. It leads to mistakes, but it also leads to greater understanding in the long run.

I watch one of the guys who nearly was cut on the first day of tryouts. On the first couple days, I watched tryouts. We didn’t think that I would be able to coach because of my school commitments. The sophomore coach ran the tryouts and did a lot of drills, like three-man weaves and three-on-two/two-on-one. This one guy looked terrible. He looked out of shape. However, he had decent height, so he made it through the initial cuts.

Is it the player’s fault that he is out of shape on the first day of tryouts? Isn’t that part of the coach’s responsibility – to get players into shape? There was no off-season program for the freshmen: Should a lack of conditioning disqualify a player?

He has transitioned to a competent post player and a surprising all-around player. He knocked down a three-pointer in the last game and stepped up and almost made another three late in the game that would have won the game. Some people watch our team play and cannot believe that I allow him to shoot threes. Why? Because he is the third tallest player on the team? He shoots as well as anyone else on the team; why yell at him when he misses? Some people cannot believe this.

They would be even more surprised if they watched our practices. He now handles as well as many of our guards. He isn’t perfect, but he can handle the ball. He puts forth the effort in each and every drill, so he really has improved. He has gone from afterthought to consistent starter; from taking up space to making post moves and knocking down threes. He is one of the three or four players who I would say really loves to play. It shows. Imagine if we had cut him because he was not in great shape.

Our best player knocked down 9/10 free throws last game, a big change from the beginning of the season when he was shooting about 40%. Seeing these type of changes are the most gratifying parts of the job.

Due to injuries to our top two post players, we are going to adjust our offense slightly for the last two games of the season, as we only have two post players left. We will spend the rest of the week working on a more traditional four-out offense, using some of the Blitz Basketball ideas. We also are shooting more.

We do not have a league championship or any game for which we need to peak. Therefore, I am taking advantage of every hour that we can be in the gym to continue working on skills and understanding. My goal is and always has been for next season, when they have to compete to make the team and the team can compete for a league championship. I want guys from this team to make the varsity, but that requires work. We’ll see who is ready to make that commitment in the off-season, but for now, I want to continue developing skills as much as possible.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

We play a Mon/Wed schedule, which is less than ideal. We won our Monday game though we played without four guys who missed Saturday’s practice. We scored one point in our first six possessions even though we shot five wide-open shots and a lay-up which results in the foul and the free throws. Once we started to hit shots, we jumped out to a 20-point lead and eventually pushed the lead to 30. Then it was like we forgot how to play basketball.

I substituted five in and five out, which I do not like to do. However, I had a couple guys waiting to go in the game, and there were no whistles. They waited at the scorer’s table for over a minute of game time, and I figured that it was time to get some other guys in too. When the new five entered, we dribbled off of our foot twice, we missed lay-ups, we passed into defender’s hands. It was a disaster. We lost our concentration and intensity. Learning to play with a big lead and maintain focus on what we are trying to do, regardless of the score, is a learning experience like playing in a close game or playing when behind.

After the game, the disappointing second half was stuck in my mind. However, at practice on Tuesday, we talked about the good things that we did. We have been working more on help defense and rotations, and we implemented these things into the game. We played man-t0-man full court; when our guards needed help, the posts stepped out and slowed the penetration. We had guards rotate and help in situations that looked like a run-and-jump around half court. They really struggled to score for the entire first half until they got into the bonus, and we got called for some touch fouls, giving them free throws. Our opponent was without its best player, but our defense in the first half was very much improved.

In our Wednesday game, which I missed, we apparently started the game on fire and playing with intensity. However, we were out-rebounded in the second half and struggled in another loss.

After our Monday game, we spent more time working on man-to-man defense in the full court, and transitioning from transition offense into some form of an offensive set. When we get sped up against a press, even a man-to-man press, we tend not to get organized in the half court. Also, when things turn south, we tend to look too much for individual plays rather than working together. Therefore, that was a major focus for the rest of the week – moving from chaos to organization if the immediate great shot is unavailable or if we have a lead and want a slower pace. We went over a couple different ways we can run the court and end up in our basic set. One idea was that a reversal pass in transition starts our basic offense: we don’t have to reverse, look for a cutter or post, and then back out to start over if nothing is available.

We also practiced more against a zone because I want to emphasize moving into gaps, not defined spots, and I also need to find a way to get the guys to talk more defensively. It is improving, but still not where we should be.

On Saturday, based on some of the feedback from Wednesday’s game, I reversed our scrimmage rules for one-on-one. Typically we play make it-take it, and you have to get a defensive stop in order to play offense. However, in an effort to focus on defensive concentration, I changed it so that you had to get a score to get the opportunity to play defense, and the only way to get points was to get defensive stops.

I read a book chapter on Friday night titled “The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Theory: When Coaches’ Expectations Become Reality.” During Saturday’s practice, I was cognizant of the feedback that I give. There are players who receive more feedback than others; for instance, during shooting drills, a couple guys have weird shots that I leave alone. Six hours or practice per week is not enough to change a player’s shot, and these guys are two of our better shooters: one is the player that I send to the line if we are shooting free throws.

During scrimmages, I tend to talk to the point guards more than other players because I want them to be the leaders on the floor. I want them to see the game as I see it. I empower them to make the decisions in the games.

I hope that my expectations do not affect any of the players negatively. I think most of the guys have improved individually in their basic skills and their game understanding. Some have improved more than others, but I feel that has more to do with previous experience and individual variation than systematic bias on my part.

The article talks about implicit effects of feedback. For instance, if a coach gives more praise to a lower-performing player, and more informative feedback to a higher-performing player, the praise may be telling the low-performing player that a lower level of performance is expected.

I am a pretty positive coach. I try to use praise to encourage things that I want to see. I have a tall, skinny player who I want to be more aggressive, so I praise and clap and high five him when he makes a tough move to the basket, even if he misses or gets fouled. I am not praising him because I think that is all he can do: I’m praising him in an effort to buoy his confidence and encourage him to continue making that effort, regardless of the result.

Some players lack confidence and need a push; some have too much confidence, and need a dose of reality (not on this particular team). I think the amount and type of feedback depends on the individual and the situation, and I think one thing that separates good or experienced coaches from inexperienced or bad coaches is the ability to sense the need for a specific type of feedback and the ability to give that feedback.

The highlight of Saturday’s practice was hearing that some of my frequent sayings are retained. One of my frequent instructions is not to allow one mistake to become a second mistake. For instance, don’t put your head down after a missed shot and allow the opponent to get a lay-up at the other end. One frequent situation is a dropped ball or deflected pass: a small mistake. However, players often panic or rush when they retrieve the ball, and the small mistake becomes a big mistake (turnover). This morning, my big bobbled the ball and it was going out of bounds. He tried to save it and threw it out of bounds on the side. He immediately looked at me and said “second mistake.” I wasn’t even going to say anything, as he was off-balance and trying to save the ball, so a precise pass was not to be expected. But, it was good to hear that some things stick, and hopefully change behaviors as the players gain more experience.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

This week, we only had one game, which we lost. Due to my classes, I was not there, but according to the players, we made silly turnovers and could not rebound, though we fought back in the second half. A trend. 

In practice, I went back to basics. I felt that our ability to pivot, especially around the basket, was limited because too many players were relying on a permanent pivot foot. We would grab an offensive rebound on the left side of the basket where a quarter-turn front pivot on the right foot would lead to an easy lay-up, and instead make a three-quarter pivot on our left foot back into the defense. Some players were traveling on the perimeter, as well, though it was called rarely, but I dislike bad footwork. Pet peeve.

We did a simple four-corner passing drill. The passes went around the perimeter of the square. Players came back to the catch, pivoted on their right foot, passed to the next, and followed their pass. As the week continued, I started with this drill and then went to a competitive passing drill (7v5 or Gael Passing) and the effort and execution appeared to improve.

To combat the poor rebounding, teams earned a point for all offensive rebounds in any scrimmage situation. We continued to play “3 Stops” too, as giving up an offensive rebound returned the defense to zero. I also played “Jungle Ball” to get the guys more physical around the basic and to practice finishing through contact, as well as developing the idea of playing through a missed call. Essentially, three players are in the key, and you have to score three baskets to get out. When one player leaves, another players jumps in. I don’t call any fouls. Any ball that leaves the key, whoever retrieves the ball gets possession; they pass to me, and I pass to them when they get into the key. Some guys did not like the drill. Others did. Hopefully it leads to improved finishing around the basket in our up-coming games.

We had a great practice on Saturday morning. We only had 10 guys, which is disappointing, but a symptom of the type of guys that are on the team (scouts, student government, soccer, etc). I see so much growth in many of the guys. We did a transition-defense drill, a modification of the Foster’s 1v1 Drill, and my big, a lanky 6’5 kid, played phenomenal defense against a guard. He stopped the initial penetration, moved his feet, stopped a crossover, stopped another crossover, and eventually blocked the shot. The footwork and quickness is improved so much from the start of the season.

When we played 3v3 “3 Stops”, we did some great things. We are starting to show more confidence in each other, so we hedge a little more and trust someone else to help if our man rolls to the basket. We had a couple possessions where we rotated, helped, hedged: great defensive possessions. We are starting to understand and apply the basic concepts of man-to-man defense that are necessary to be successful. We are learning to adjust and adapt to each other and play through mistakes rather than giving up a lay-up if one guy breaks down.

I realized this week that I am an optimist compared to most coaches. When I talk to coaches, I hear about everything that is wrong with their players. They make it seem like they are lucky to have won any games. I look at my players, and I think I overestimate their abilities. I think we should win all our games. I think the players are great. Then, I was reminded that during tryouts, when we played “King of the Court,” my current “best players” could not get off the loser’s court. I look at them and see what they can be; I tend to ignore what they are. I have to take a step back and look at things more objectively; luckily, others help me see these things. I see a player who has the potential to be a star because of his work ethic, his size, and his desire; I ignore the fact that he has yet to grow into his body and is uncoordinated, which leads to missed shots, bad fouls, etc. I tend to like the players that I coach to such a degree that I see their positives and tend to ignore some of their negatives.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League

Note: I have had this file on my computer for over a decade. Not sure where it originated, but things for each team and player to think about.

1. When a winner makes a mistake, he says “my fault”; when a loser makes a mistake, he throws the blame on someone else.
2. A winner credits his “good luck” for winning on being fundamentally prepared; a loser blames his “bad luck” for losing on bad breaks even though he is not fundamentally prepared.
3. A winner works harder than a loser and always finds time to do what is expected of him; a loser never finds the time and when he does, he works on the wrong things.
4. A winner makes commitments and sets goals with his heart and sets out to accomplish them; a loser makes “promises” with his mouth and never sincerely means to keep them.
5. A winner shows he’s sorry by making up for mistakes; a loser says “I’m sorry” but does the same thing next time.
6. A winner thinks, “I’m good, but not as good as I should or could be.” A loser thinks, “I’m not as bad as some of the others.”
7. A winner would rather be admired for his ability than liked, although he would prefer both; a loser would rather be liked than admired because he knows he hasn’t worked hard enough to be admired.
8. A winner hates to lose; a loser could care less although he may put up a good front.
9. A winner is fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game; a loser is not!
10. A winner knows that strength, agility and quickness are the keys to success in athletics and works hard to attain those things; a loser may know, but never attains.
11. A winner takes constructive criticism from the coach, realizing that it will help him and the team; a loser pouts and thinks he’s being picked on.
12. A winner thinks of the team first and never wants to let the team down; a loser thinks of himself first and the team last.

Week 7 encapsulated freshmen basketball in many ways. We start the week with a win over another local school playing without one of our better players who was away on a family vacation. Play a road game on Tuesday. The officials showed up late and asked me the game time. Then one official delayed the game so he could find a uniform to wear as he forgot to bring his. Ironically, he gave me a technical the first time that I said anything to him, without raising my voice, when I said, “Way to be professional” in response to his comment. Wednesday, we played our third game in three days and missed four players who had to go to a guitar performance for class credit, had another player injured early in the game, and had two players sitting out the first half because they missed the bus and showed up late because they had club soccer practice.

It is difficult to fault for players for other interests, since I am not a proponent of early specialization, but it is also difficult to see players who are not fully invested in the team (as another player leaves for a week-long vacation today). People here ask me if I ski because I live 25 minutes from world-class skiing. I did ski as a child. We had a cabin in Lake Tahoe. We sold it when I got to junior-high school. We never used it because I had games every weekend. If my family had gone on vacation when I was playing, I would have stayed with a friend rather than go on vacation and miss part of the season, but then again, my parents never would have schedule a family vacation that would cause me to miss school, let alone practice or games. But, I digress.

We went 2-1, beating the teams that we should have beaten and losing to the team that is better than us. After our Tuesday game, I had a heart to heart with two of the best players. One is extremely talented and has improved over the course of the season, but I feel like he has a fixed mindset. He never appears to go 100%. I told him that he could be good, but that I wasn’t sure if that’s what he wants. Physically, he should be a potential starting wing on varsity next season. His shooting has improved more than anyone during the season, and he has a really nice, high-arching shot with an effortless release. However, he seems to be in his own way a lot. He seemed to agree with my assessment. The next day, he tweaked his ankle and took himself out of the game.

The other player is one of the better players, but he seems discontent with being on the freshmen team. When we have sophomores practice with us or when we scrimmage the sophomores, he plays much harder. I told him that I felt like I was not helping him improve and asked him to tell me if there was anything that I could do. He is a point guard, and I pretty much give point guards complete control to call plays and run the team. In most games, you hear the coach call a play every time down the court and every time the ball goes out of bounds. I never tell them what to run. I want players making those decisions. I want players learning to make those decisions and learning to communicate with each other.

In our first game of the week, the most impressive thing, I think, was that we scored at the end of the first three quarters with three different players making the play. At the end of the first quarter, I had neither of our regular point guards in the game, so a wing calmly called for a high ball screen with five seconds left and stepped confidently into a three-pointer. More than anything this week, that played showed our improvement thus far: a player who has never played organized basketball before this season communicating nonverbally with a teammate to create a shot under time stress without any prodding or play-calling from the bench.

I showed up late for the loss on Wednesday due to my “Motivation Theory” class. We did not play poorly. We were down at half and cut the game to 12 and had consecutive possessions where we missed two lay-ups and three of four free throws. Then they went on a mini-run to balloon the lead to 20. We did some decent things; we got decent or good shots against their switching defenses; we played adequate help defense; we rebounded a little better.

However, after the game, my focus was on their mentality. One thing that I have stressed from the first or second practice is that a “quiet gym is a losing gym.” We do not communicate enough on defense, and we lack enthusiasm for each other or for the game. I told the that when I walked in the gym, their body language told me everything. I tried to remember this list of the things that winners do and went over three or four with the team in our post-game talk:

How to Tell a Winner from a Loser

1. When a winner makes a mistake, he says “my fault”; when a loser makes a mistake, he throws the blame on someone else.
2. A winner credits his “good luck” for winning on being fundamentally prepared; a loser blames his “bad luck” for losing on bad breaks even though he is not fundamentally prepared.
3. A winner works harder than a loser and always finds time to do what is expected of him; a loser never finds the time and when he does, he works on the wrong things.
4. A winner makes commitments and sets goals with his heart and sets out to accomplish them; a loser makes “promises” with his mouth and never sincerely means to keep them.
5. A winner shows he’s sorry by making up for mistakes; a loser says “I’m sorry” but does the same thing next time.
6. A winner thinks, “I’m good, but not as good as I should or could be.” A loser thinks, “I’m not as bad as some of the others.”
7. A winner would rather be admired for his ability than liked, although he would prefer both; a loser would rather be liked than admired because he knows he hasn’t worked hard enough to be admired.
8. A winner hates to lose; a loser could care less although he may put up a good front.
9. A winner is fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game; a loser is not!
10. A winner knows that strength, agility and quickness are the keys to success in athletics and works hard to attain those things; a loser may know, but never attains.
11. A winner takes constructive criticism from the coach, realizing that it will help him and the team; a loser pouts and thinks he’s being picked on.
12. A winner thinks of the team first and never wants to let the team down; a loser thinks of himself first and the team last.

In practice yesterday, one of the players responded. He was trying to get the others going and trying hard to encourage everyone and talk on defense. But, nobody else responded. The one player who I can count on to talk on defense was away at a soccer tournament, so the one player was solo trying to pick up his teammates.

In my post-practice huddle, I used a reference that I stole from former Crenshaw head coach Willie West. He talked about the team as a fist versus five individual fingers. I have used this since the beginning of the year, but in many ways, we are still a collection of individuals. Tactically, we organize like a team, but in terms of the group enthusiasm, playing for one under, talking, helping, cheering, high-fiving, etc., we resemble a pick-up team, and that so far is my greatest failing with this group.

By Brian McCormick
Author, Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development
Director of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League