PRINCIPLES
The following coaching principles are derived from the coaching beliefs described in detail below it:
- Ensure that all players feel valued by the program
- Be the K.O.C: the King of Conflict
- Plan all training to peak at the end of the year
- Make decisions with the "quality shot" in mind
- Get the ball to the paint, and keep the ball out of the paint
- Measure and share team progress weekly
- Set time for the development of each pillar: tactical, technical, physical and mental
- Give players structure, than encourage them to find freedom and play to their strengths
- Engage ALL players in competition, daily.
- Primed, Guided, Sided, Live
- Keep the roster between 12-15
- Keep it Simple Stupid (Complexity fails!)
- Keep things light from time to time (No allergies!)
THE SECRET OF BASKETBALL
When the ball is a threat to get to the rim on every possession, whether it be by a rim run, cut or dribble penetration, we will create more of the shots that we want.
This principle of getting to the paint eliminates low percentage shots, such as transition threes, off the dribble threes and early mid range shots. We have to attempt to get a layup first.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A HIGH CORRELATION BETWEEN DISTRIBUTED, VARIABLE PRACTICE AND TRANSFER TO A GAME
Our practices follow a simple template. Primed, guided, sided and than live.
Is that it is not about basketball. Its not so much the "x and o's" as it is the "jimmys and joes." As described perfectly in the Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. Team chemistry is the most important part of being a basketball team.
"The relationship game is the game to win."
"The relationship game is the game to win."
To put this into action we have a "team cohesion" schedule. This includes our first team meeting, our team retreats and other team activity's.
Each of our players check in with a coach every tuesday. This check in gives the player a chance to discuss any issues, discuss ways to improve, or just simply to hang out.
I set a personal goal each day to "bathe" one player a day in the "R.I.V.E.R." To validate that person. To acknowledge, on a personal level, that they are Relevant, Important, Valued, Empowered and Respected.
I set a personal goal each day to "bathe" one player a day in the "R.I.V.E.R." To validate that person. To acknowledge, on a personal level, that they are Relevant, Important, Valued, Empowered and Respected.
THE KING OF CONFLICT
As Bill Parcells put, the key to successful coaching is to be the King of Conflict. The goal of the team is to win the championship. But not everybody performs every day at a championship standard. When people are not living up to their standard, somebody has to let them know. For this to happen, there has to be conflict and the nature of this conflict will define the program.
Within my program, there are three principles for handling conflict...
The first principle is expediency. The conflict has to be resolved as quickly as possible. I need to be at my very best, every day. And I cant be at my best, if something is weighing my down. I need a clear mind in order to function properly. If someone is not performing up to the standard, and it is bothering me, I need to address it so that I can be the best coach for my team. If I don't address it, I am polluting my own mind, and making things worse for my team.
The second principle is honesty. I need to say exactly how I feel. The analogy is, whatever I say to my assistant coach about the conflict, I need to say to the player. Word for word. With no sugar added. If I am not willing to tell the person what I think, exactly the way I would say it to my trusted assistant, well than how could that player trust me. I have to tell them the truth.
The third principle is respect. I need to respect each players standing within the group. Having conflict in a way that embarrasses them in front of their team leads to resentment and leads to a lack of trust of me, the coach. So, all conflict needs to be handled with as much respect as possible. If a conflict has to be held in front of everybody, make sure it is to the point, with 100% truth and not yelled or overly aggressive. If a conflict is held in my office, make sure it doesn't turn into me vs them. Allow them to speak their mind as well. These are young adults who are allowed to have a voice. The final piece of respect is to say the truth as directly as possible eye to eye whenever possible. Jerry Sloan rule = look them in the eye and see if they flinch. Avoid conflict over text message at all costs. Limit over the phone unless it is necessary for expediency.
OUR GOAL IS TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
As opposed to trying to win every game. What this means is that we want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. We want to peak at the right time.
This belief effects our program in the following ways...
First, with our tactical instruction, we allow for a grace period before committing to hard and fast tactics. While our principles will remain the same (see: the wheel of winning) we will go about achieving those in different ways from year to year. We are prepared for and embrace adjusting as we learn more about the strengths and weakness of our team.
Second, we play a larger rotation earlier in the year than we do later in the year. Early in the year, our rotations will be based on the V.P.S scores of individual players. As the year progresses, we will move to a shorter rotation, once our top players have established themselves.
Third, the volume and load of our training sessions (on court and in weight room) will be tailored so that we are able to peak emotionally, physically and spiritually at the end of the season. We do not want to wear down our team and peak too early.
WHY WE ARE A "QUALITY SHOT" PROGRAM
The aim of basketball is to score more points than your opponent. This can be achieved in two ways. Taking a higher "quantity" of shots than your opponent or taking a "higher quality" of shots than your opponent.
Taking more shots is a sound philosophy and works for many programs across the nation. However, we are a "quality shot" program for the following reasons...
First, my background as the head coach, is in coaching a "quality shot" style of play. Just like our players should play to their strengths, I should coach to my strengths.
Second, my background is in recruiting "efficient" basketball players. In being honest about my strengths and weakness, I am better at identifying "efficient" talent than "athletic" talent required for a "quantity shot" program.
Finally, it is my belief that you prepare for the hardest game on your schedule. In the biggest game of the season (hopefully the championship game) two teams will likely shoot an even amount of shots. In my assessment, "quantity shots" programs are better built for the regular season and "quality shot" programs are better built for the playoff season. I want us to be prepared to win the championship game.
ANALYTICS AND GETTING THE BALL TO THE PAINT
Analytics have shown that the highest value shots are the free throw, shots at the rim and the inside out three. To get these shots, we put an emphasis on getting the ball to the paint.
When the ball is a threat to get to the rim on every possession, whether it be by a rim run, cut or dribble penetration, we will create more of the shots that we want.
This principle of getting to the paint eliminates low percentage shots, such as transition threes, off the dribble threes and early mid range shots. We have to attempt to get a layup first.
WHAT GETS MEASURE GETS MANAGED
The old adage in business applies to basketball as well. To bring our core values to action, we need a means for tracking our progress .
Since our process involves both effort AND results, we track both. To track effort, we utilize our "Hustle Stats." To track results, we utilize both the V.P.S and our Conference Stats. (Which are derived from Dean Oliver's research on the four factors.) To track progress in the weight room we use our "Olympic Stats," which measure vertical jump, 40 yard dash, lane line agility and an 800 meter sprint (or yo-yo intermittent test.)
Commitment to the goals, core values and rules of the team will be monitored by me, the Head Coach, in a more informal, yet still direct, way.
We meet as a team every Monday to review our three tracking criteria.
BASKETBALL IS A COMPLEX SYSTEM
There are two things that describe a complex system. First, their is top-down causation between its parts. Second, the system produces emergence. ("Chaos" or "An unpredictable outcome.")
This belief that basketball is a complex system effects us in the following ways.
First, due to top-down causation, the parts of our system all effect each other. Put more clearly our tactical play, is effected by our players technical skill and our players technical skill is effected by their physical and mental abilities. We must care for each pillar of our system to create the best possible system. If a player is underdeveloped mentally our tactical execution will suffer. If our tactical system is unclear a players mental development will suffer.
We must devote specific training time to each of our pillars..
Tactical = our team practice time
Technical = individual workouts
Physical = weight room
Mental = classroom
Team Spirit = team retreats
Second, due to the factor of emergence, created by our complex system, we must be prepared for chaos. We prepare our selves in the following two ways.
First, the coach must provide structure within the chaos so that possibilities are not infinite. We have a clear system on both ends of the floor that reduces the amount of variability that can occur.
Second, the player must be prepared for chaos and have the freedom to adapt on the fly. This is why we lean more heavily on principles than rules. We want our players to "understand the commanders intent" and than be able to operate with "decentralized command." We want to help players understand their strengths so that they can play to them and leverage them against their weaknesses. We want our players to feel a sense of freedom within our structure, to solve problems as they see fit.
PLAYERS GET BETTER BY PLAYING AGAINST BETTER PLAYERS
Look at nearly every example across history and you will find that top players developed their game playing against superior opponents. Michael Jordan against his older brothers. Luca Doncic playing professionally at the age of 15. Better players simply hold you accountable to playing better. They will constrain your game in a way that guides you towards an optimal style of play.
So in our program, our younger and non-rotation players, go head to head against our veteran players as much as possible. Certainly the weight room and extra work with a coach has its merits, but the number one priority is going at it in practice with our top players.
Our rotation players, of course, get to to go it with all of the teams on our schedule. These teams, will challenge them and provide them the opportunity to grow. (Which is why we respect our opponents!)
We will not hide young players from the practice floor!
Our practices follow a simple template. Primed, guided, sided and than live.
We "prime" our players before each workout, engaging their nervous system.
We "guide" our players with specific instruction at the beginning of practice, when they are most open to learning.
Than we "side" our players so that they can get more reps than they would in a 5v5 game.
Finally, we spend the bulk of practice in "live" game play, where we try to replicate as close to possible the attributes of an actual game.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A HIGH CORRELATION BETWEEN SMALLER ROSTER SIZES AND TEAM COHESION
Not only does the science say that 12-15 players is the right number for a roster, this has been true in my experience as well. My high school basketball coach carried 12. My sophomore year, there were only 8 of us. Every player on the team must have a role on the team and a purpose. I can not provide a role to more than 15 players.
There are two fears that get in the way of doing this. First, is that we will run out of players for practice. Most of my practices are built for two teams of six. If we need to go three teams, or if we drop under 10 players, the coaches can play.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A HIGH CORRELATION BETWEEN SMALLER ROSTER SIZES AND TEAM COHESION
Not only does the science say that 12-15 players is the right number for a roster, this has been true in my experience as well. My high school basketball coach carried 12. My sophomore year, there were only 8 of us. Every player on the team must have a role on the team and a purpose. I can not provide a role to more than 15 players.
There are two fears that get in the way of doing this. First, is that we will run out of players for practice. Most of my practices are built for two teams of six. If we need to go three teams, or if we drop under 10 players, the coaches can play.
I want to hire young assistants and have a youthful team. All the better if they can get in practice and mentor the players.
The second fear is that we are reducing the chances of finding a gem at the back end of the roster. My philosophy is recruit better. Do your work early. Recruit the best, or nothing and never settle!
FEED THE TUNA THE MAYONNAISE
Keep things as simple and predictable as possible. Basketball is a chaotic game already, we cant have our program be chaotic as well. Complexity fails. Keep everything as simple and straight forward as possible.
The Randy Bennett rule applies here: which is the idea that HABITS LEAD TO WINNING. We want our program to have a rhythm to it, week to week and season to season. This rhythm will give players confidence, because they know what is expected of them. They will build the habit of winning! "Never getting to high or to low."
FEED THE TUNA THE MAYONNAISE
Keep things as simple and predictable as possible. Basketball is a chaotic game already, we cant have our program be chaotic as well. Complexity fails. Keep everything as simple and straight forward as possible.
The Randy Bennett rule applies here: which is the idea that HABITS LEAD TO WINNING. We want our program to have a rhythm to it, week to week and season to season. This rhythm will give players confidence, because they know what is expected of them. They will build the habit of winning! "Never getting to high or to low."
The program is a "machine." Consistency and a clarity of purpose inspires confidence.
DONT BE THE CAUSE OF A BASKETBALL "ALERGY"
Humans have evolved over time BECAUSE OF there interests in new and unique challenges. Pursuing peak performance in basketball is a fantastic challenge to pursue. HOWEVER! The brain requires fresh and new challenges from time to time.
To keep things fresh and to avoid developing an "allergy" to basketball, we do the following...
Cycle in games other than basketball throughout the year. This includes the following four:
- Water Polo
- Spike Ball
- Ping Pong
- Ultimate Frisbee
Keep things fresh in the film room. Always looking for ways to lighten things up, use interesting analogies and poke fun at each other
Invest in 2-3 team retreats per year and look for fun things to do as a team while on the road.
