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BASKETBALL COACHW
EEKLY
Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy
Develop off-The-Ball SkillS To CreaTe BeTTer ShoTS
CatCh Off theCurl
Better Safe than Sorry: PaSS on free SamPleS
Footwork, Hands ready
Spring SCheduleMeeT playerS’ faMilieS on Their Turf — in Their hoMeS
ShOw ShOOterS SuCCeSS iS MOre than a great releaSe
May 14, 2015Issue 85
$5.99
ChriS herren interview WaTCh for Warning SignS, aCT iMMeDiaTely
add a Single driBBle after the CatCh for Pull-uP JumPer
< J.J. Redick is a master
catcHing and sHooting oFF
a screen
2
it allows them to be on “their own turf” and feel comfortable, according to Liley.
“You go into their living room and lay it out for them. You tell them, ‘Here is what your child has to do to be a big part of our program,’ and ask the parents if they are on board for this level of commitment,” he explains.
Liley adds he invites parents to ask the hard questions at this time, such as inquiries about playing time and coaching philosophy. “Let the parents know you aren’t open to talking about these things during the season, so this is their shot.
“And, if you don’t deal with these issues now, then you’ll be dealing with them during the season when you’re trying to win ball games or get the team to come together.”
Sure, the conversations may not be comfortable, especially if you are meeting with parents who are not pleased with how last season went for their child. But, in the long run, it’s worth it for all parties involved.
Right now, you should be visiting the homes of your top 7 players. Meet with their parents. Talk about tough issues. And, find out who is on board as you build your program for a successful 2015-16 campaign.
Take this advice from Bill Liley, an 11-year coaching veteran in the Seattle area, whose most recent project involved turning Eastside Catholic High, which always had been a football school, into a basketball powerhouse all while playing in the same conference as many Seattle city public schools.
Liley spoke at the recent PGC/Glazier clinic in Seattle about how to build a winner and said spring is the perfect time for home visits.
Liley says when he was working with Marv Morris at King’s High School, Morris routinely set up spring meetings with the expected top players and their parents.
“Once your season ends, you are preparing for next year with a new group. Some players may stay the same, but it’s never the exact same group,” Liley explains. “So, you need to start fresh and start early in preparation for next season.”
Meeting players and their parents in their homes is an effective strategy as
Meet Players’ Families In Their Homes
Basketball Coach Weekly Issue 85
Basketball Coach Weekly9325 SW Iowa DriveTualatin, OR 97062
Editor-in-chiefMichael [email protected]
ContributorsChris Herren, Bert DeSalvo, Bill Liley
IllustrationsMike Renwick
PicturesAction Images
DesignJamie Leeson
PublisherKevin [email protected]
Customer ServicesDuncan Heardduncanh@ basketballcoachweekly.com
Managing DirectorAndrew Griffiths
Contents
“If you don’t deal with these issues now, then you’ll be dealing with them during the season …”
Companies constantly are trying to get their products in front of potential customers, especially teenage buyers.
I just read this story about a softball coach in Oregon who was given some free samples of energy drinks, provided them to his players and now is suspended for two weeks.
The drinks seem harmless enough with about the same
amount of caffeine as in a cup of coffee or even a large soda. Plus, when you think about the types of drinks your players are carrying around with them before/after practice, one of these energy drinks probably isn’t a huge deal.
But, you need to be careful. Today, it’s much better to err on the side of caution. If you receive free
samples, give them to your athletic director and get his or her opinion. Remove yourself as the “middle man” between companies and players. It’s just easier to stay out of it.
There really isn’t much for you to gain by providing players samples of drinks, and now we are finding out, there is a lot to lose.
— Michael Austin
To subscribe to Basketball Coach Weekly please contact Duncan Heard at Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK.
You can contact Duncan via Skype at basketballcoachweekly or via email at duncanh@ basketballcoachweekly.com
BASKETBALL COACH
WEEKLY
Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy
Develop off-The-Ball SkillS To CreaTe BeTTer ShoTS
CatCh Off theCurl
Better Safe than Sorry: PaSS on free SamPleS
Footwork, Hands ready
Spring SCheduleMeeT playerS’ faMilieS on Their Turf — in Their hoMeS
ShOw ShOOterS SuCCeSS iS MOre than a great releaSe
May 14, 2015Issue 85
$5.99
ChriS herren interview WaTCh for Warning SignS, aCT iMMeDiaTely
add a Single driBBle after the CatCh for Pull-uP JumPer
< J.J. Redick is a master
catcHing and sHooting oFF
a screen
(c) Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Click here to read the full disclaimer.
Michael Austin Editor-in-chief
www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 85 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY
Bill Liley is a 3-time conference coach of the year and has appeared in 2 state title games
In this issue...
3 CatCh Off thE CurlYou want your shooters to possess
the ability to curl around a screen, catch and shoot — use these offseason cone drills
4 Curl, CatCh & ShOOt frOM 4 SPOtS
Develop footwork to create shots and drilling players to catch the ball in a proper shooting position
5 Cut, CatCh & fInISh WIth a 1-DrIBBlE Pull-uP
Add in a dribble so the shooter learns how to create more separation from a potential defender
6 WatCh fOr WarnIng SIgnS
Chris Herren discusses how to spot substance-abuse issues in your players and how to address them
Stay Out Of Drink WarSQuiCk HittEr
Many parents want a forum to get their opinions and complaints off their chest. Once afforded that opportunity, many come around. For players, it shows how much you care about them and the lengths you’ll go to ensure their success. For you, it gives you a better idea about the level of cooperation (or lack thereof) from your top players and their parents.
“You’re taking a chance opening yourself up like this but if you want the player to take on a big role, then it’s worth it,” Liley says.
One skill you want all shooters to have is the ability to curl around a screen, catch and shoot — use cone drills in the offseason to make it happen
The Clippers’ JJ Redick drilled 200 3-pointers last season, many of which came off a hard curl
www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 85 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 3
Words by: Michael Austin
Drills by: Bert DeSalvo, head women’s coach, Southern Connecticut University, New Haven, Conn. , @CoachDeSalvo on Twitter
Coming off his first full season as head women’s coach of the Southern Connecticut Owls,
Bert DeSalvo remains determined and energized to see his program improve every day, including during these long spring and summer months.
The Owls finished in the lower half of Division II women’s hoops last year in both field-goal and 3-point percentage. It’s an area where the team must improve to start gaining in the wins column.
DeSalvo says he’s been using a lot of cone drills this offseason to improve his players’ shooting skills as these drills work on game shots coming off hard curls. Plus, they aid in perfecting players’ footwork.
“We are focused on changing speed, changing direction and changing elevation,” DeSalvo explains about how he uses cone
drills in the offseason. “I like to mix up our footwork drills so we get players doing a variety of things we typically do in our offense … and sometimes even things we don’t do in our offense.”
The thinking here is if players are simply going at one speed through a drill, it becomes monotonous to them. By shifting speeds when it comes to footwork, players consciously think about when to go all-out (coming off a screen or when curling to the ball) and when to dial it back a bit (when dragging the defender low).
When explaining the actions they are about to complete during a cone-drill circuit, DeSalvo says he doesn’t spend a lot of time talking.
“When I teach these sequences, I go fast so it’s almost like a timeout huddle,” he says. “Players have to retain the sequence,
then execute it. It helps our listening skills.”Check out the movements illustrated on
the next two pages. The first has a shooter curling around a cone, catching and shooting in rhythm. There are four cones on the floor.
The second drill utilizes a single dribble (or two) for the shooter after the catch. The dribble allows the shooter to create space and/or move closer to the hoop for a higher-percentage jumper. There are three cones on the floor in this drill.
Both drills are great for players to use in the offseason, especially if they are looking for things to do in an open gym setting or an outside open hoop. Stress to players the focus here is game-like shooting, rather than just standing still and taking shots they’ll never have the opportunity to shoot in a game.
Catch Off The Curl
Shooting DrillS
WHY USE ITYou want players taking game shots. All four shots in this sequence come off cuts and curls you’d expect players to execute in a game.
SET UPMake a box of cones with a couple on each side of the free-throw-line-extended area, and the other two wide of the lowest block. The shooter starts under the hoop. Have two coaches (or teammates) with a ball spaced at the top.
HOW TO PLAYThe shooter curls hard around one of the low cones and flashes with ready hands to catch a pass from that side’s coach. Catch and shoot the ball [1]. The player cuts diagonally across the lane and curls around the opposite-perimeter cone. The same coach passes. Catch and shoot the ball [2]. The shooter now moves low to the same side, curls around that cone and receives a pass from the same coach as the previous two. Finish the drill diagonally cutting across the lane, curl around the final cone, catch a pass from the other coach and shoot again [3].
TECHNIQUEYour choice: have players take one-dribble pull-ups instead of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
Curl, Catch & Shoot From 4 SpotsShooting is more than a release, it’s about footwork to create a shot and catching the ball in a proper shooting position to ensure success
www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 85 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 4
3
1
2
Finish the action by diagonally sprinting across the lane to the final cone for another catch-and-shoot 3-pointer
Start by making a hard cut and curl around a low cone — be sure the player’s hands are up and ready to catch the ball and shoot in rhythm
Run around this low cone and curl around as if coming off a low screen — catch this long
pass and shoot quickly
Continue the action by sprinting across the lane and coming high on the opposite side curling toward the ball
Player movement Ball movement Dribble Shot
Shooting DrillS
Catch and shoot a 3-pointer, or, if you want to work a different skill, have players take a one-dribble pull-up
2-pointer on the catch
WHY USE ITGet players used to creating off the catch by having them take a dribble and shoot a pull-up jumper. It’s a must-have skill for any successful shooter.
SET UPSet up a triangle of cones with one at the left elbow, another at the right elbow but extended out, and a final one slightly shifted to the left near the top. The shooter starts on the left block.
HOW TO PLAYThe shooter sprints to the left-elbow cone, makes an L-cut, reverse-pivots on the catch and sweeps to the baseline for a one-dribble pull-up jumper [1]. After shooting, the player walks the imaginary defender down, then sprints to the wing and receives a pass. The shooter then takes one or two dribbles (you decide how many) and takes the pull-up jumper [2]. Now, the shooter simulates an “Iverson Cut” outside the right-side cone for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Finish by walking the defender down and sprint through the middle. Catch the pass, make a shot fake and take a one-dribble pull-up.
TECHNIQUEMake your players change speed, direction and elevation throughout the drill so it’s not so monotonous.
Cut, Catch & Finish With A 1-Dribble Pull-UpAs a complement to the previous drill, now add in a dribble so the shooter learns how to create more separation from a potential defender
www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 85 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 5
3
1
2
Finish the sequence by selling the up-fake off the catch, then taking
one dribble into a foul-line jump shot
Reverse-pivot off the catch and take one hard dribble toward the baseline to set up the pull-up jumper
This is the only shot in the sequence not involving a dribble, but after
a few reps the player can take a dribble right into a pull-up
This is where you add in a change of speed as the shooter walks low simulating bringing a defender toward the baseline before cutting back to the wing
Player movement Ball movement Dribble Shot
Shooting DrillS
Split the cones on the dribble and take a middle-of-the-
court pull-up jumper
Teenagers think they are invincible and don’t see their drug and alcohol use as an issue — pay attention and step in when needed
Chris Herren once was that gifted teenager who was abusing drugs and alcohol in high school … listen to his advice
www.basketballcoachweekly.com Issue 85 BASKETBALL COACH WEEKLY 6
Words by: Michael AustinY our Saturday morning practices
may be telling you more about your players than you think.
Coaches love those early-morning sessions. Teenagers, of course, typically hate them.
But, there is a marked difference between not being a morning person who still has the ability to show up on time and put in an all-out effort, and someone who partied using alcohol and/or drugs the night prior.
Chris Herren, the former NBA player who who has been battling substance-dependence issues for more than two decades, says pay attention to those Saturday morning practices. Back in his playing days at Durfee High School in Fall River, Mass., it’s no secret Herren had spent his Friday nights doing anything but preparing for early-morning workouts.
“Those Saturday morning practices
let you know who goes out and who doesn’t on Friday. And, if you approach the kids you suspect of being out, they’re automatically going to feel like they have to lie about it,” Herren explains. “So, if you have to lie about what you’re doing, then how is it good for you?”
Beyond early practice, Herren advises coaches to pay attention to the groups in which players are hanging out. You’re around the school enough (even if you aren’t a teacher) to know which people have the same goals and missions of your players, and which don’t.
“The circle of friends is a tell-tale sign. If a player is hanging out with a bunch of people who aren’t athletically driven, and maybe not driven at all, then that’s a warning sign for you,” Herren adds.
Herren says if you suspect a player of using drugs or alcohol, you need to determine your course of action.
Approaching the player directly may be an option, but if you fear the player will devolve further, seek out the parents or even a professional.
“Sometimes the first step is to go straight to a parent or a counselor. You are there to coach. Let a professional handle this,” Herren says.
This also is more effective than simply slamming the player with a team suspension and washing your hands of the situation. Stay involved with the athlete’s situation and consider your team rules in the context of the greater good.
“We are too quick to punish rather than treat. Some of your athletes could be struggling with an illness. Should a player be suspended for an illness?” Herren asks. “If a junior in high school makes a mistake and seeks help, should you still take the game away from him (or her)? Consider options for players to right the wrong.”
Watch For Warning Signs
Off-The-COurT Issues
