Last One Holding The Chalk...Usually Wins!

(January 2009)

Assortment of plays, drills and ideas to help your program improve.

In November we looked at Michigan State University and Tom Izzo. This month we continue our look at their big rival, the University of Michigan and John Beilein.

Click the link below for Part 2 of Beilein's "West Virginia Style" 2-guard offense, THE SHUFFLE SET.

Michigan Man Offense

I have received a tremendous response from my new book "Fundamental Factory". In this book I share TEN of the BEST SKILL - BUILDING DRILLS I Have Ever Used in my 23+ years in the Business! The "Fundamental Factory" is a detailed drill series — 10 in all — that will teach and reinforce important skills, both on offensive and defense, in a repetitive, competitive and progressive environment. Your players will be challenged - both mentally and physically - on each of these 10 drills. Drill Names Include: The Shredder, Shooting Machine, The Perfect 5, Barbed Wire, 3 on 3 on 3 Cut-Throat, The Grinder, Karl Malone, Motion Builder, Triple Shot Weave and The Gauntlet. (Book Only) 68 Pages

I thought I would share with you today one of the drills that coaches have commented on the most after purchasing. It's called...

The Shredder

You can get the rest of the book in our new coaches store!

BASKETBALL BASICS: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR COACHING YOUTH BASKETBALL
(By Bill Salyers)

How will you run tryouts? Tryouts are a critical part of your season. There are so many factors to be considered with player tryouts that it could be a book by itself! First and foremost, you must make it a real tryout. Tryouts should be mandatory for all players who want to play on your team, and all players must attend at least one tryout. One year, while we were holding our AAU "A" and "B" team tryouts, the A team coach gave me a list of seven players that he was taking from the tryouts. However, there were 11 players listed on his roster. The remaining four players were from another program and he felt that they would have been a "lock" to make the team if they had been there. This type of favoritism is wrong and can only cause distrust among the players' parents and unrest among the players.

I'd recommend two tryout nights, if possible. Many junior high programs now favor the use of an "independent evaluator" to make decisions on which players are A-team caliber players, etc. The main reason for this change in philosophy seems to be an unwillingness of many coaches, administrators and program directors to take responsibility for cuts. It's your offense and your defense. It should be your team! If you feel uncomfortable with the selection process, get the assistance of an experienced coach to help you pick your team.

Keep an evaluation sheet on the players' strengths and weaknesses for a few weeks after tryouts in case any questions arise over the selection of the team. You're accountable for these decisions, so documenting your tryout records on paper can be a good way to protect you from charges of favoritism or other challenges. You shouldn't apologize for your picks if you've run good tryouts and have evaluated all the players fairly (but try telling that to the parent of the child who didn't make your squad).

You should also realize that you'll miss out on a good player or two every year. Not all players are good tryout players and not all have a good night. If that happens, try to learn what you might have done differently in your tryout that would have let the players better demonstrate their skills (such as more 1-on-1 or team scrimmages, etc.) and incorporate that in next season's tryouts.

WARNING: There is one sure way to strike a "death blow" to your team's morale after tryouts and that's adding a player after the teams are announced -- especially if that player didn't attend tryouts!

THE CALENDAR COACHING GUIDE: BUILDING A WINNING BASKETBALL TEAM ... MONTH BY MONTH
(By Ron Brown)

CHAPTER 1: (1.1 Pre-Tryout Forms)
Open gyms are done; kids are going to sign up to play; and with regular season games approaching, it's time to pick the team and prepare for the hectic, oncoming season. You need to put together the following forms to make the tryout and preseason easier on you and your coaching staff.

FORM 1: SIGN-UP SHEET. You'll need basic information from the students planning on trying out for your team (see next page). If you teach in the building, place a couple of sign-up sheets on the wall outside your classroom. If you're not going to be in the building everyday, place these sheets outside the school's main office. If you're in your second year or more at a program, encourage your veteran players to promote not only the location of the sign-up sheets but the tryout itself.

Generally, we like to post our sign-up sheets a couple of weeks before the first night of tryouts. Once you have a good handle on opening-night participants, contact all faculty with a list of those students and inquire about their current academic standing.

FORM 2: Athletic Participant Grade Sheet. Normally, an athletic director or administrator handles contacting the teachers about potential athletes' current academic standing but if that's not the case, try dropping this form (page 11) in each teacher's mailbox.

FORM 3: Emergency Information Sheet. Another important piece of information for the coach and the high school office is the Emergency Information Sheet (page 12). Keep copies in your medicine kits so if you're on the road and a player injury occurs that requires a trip to the hospital, then you have the vital information at hand. Never take anything for granted. Be sure to double- and triple-check with the athletes and their parents or guardians prior to commencing any activity requiring more physical energy than tying sneakers.

After gathering the players' Emergency Information Sheets, take this opportunity to check your medicine-kit supplies. Create a checklist for the following items: instant cold packs, athletic tape, athletic pre-wrap, butterfly bandages, scissors, gauze pads, Band-Aids, Ace bandages, sports injury care handbook, latex gloves, alcohol prep pads, Tuf-Skin, skin lubricant, antiseptic towelettes, tongue depressors, antibiotic creams and finger splints.

CHAPTER 1: (1.2 The Tryout)
From the vantage point of the head coach, the actual tryout for the team should include skill drills, which can be measured, timed and recorded. Here's a coaching tip -- in today's world of accountability, coaches need to have proof of who did what.

Parents usually don't accept the news that their son or daughter isn't good enough to make the squad. If you don't record success or failure in specific areas, then you're likely to hear statements like, "I just spent $160 on new sneakers," or the classic line, "This is the first year my child hasn't made a team." Having back-up material for potential confrontations with those who are cut and their parents always is a good idea.

A lot of coaches make the mistake of rolling out the ball, scrimmaging, then picking a team. If your only tool for evaluating talent is scrimmaging, then you are cheating the participants and not giving them a true tryout. Make certain that all participants feel they have a legitimate shot of being on the team. Hurt feelings about being cut during that first week are bad enough. Don't add insult to injury by grouping kids by skill and scrimmaging, then sitting on the sidelines while talking to your staff as the kids scrimmage away all of your tryout time.

Try to time everything in tryouts from speed and success rate of a 3-man weave to wind sprints at the end of each session.

When the scrimmaging portion of the tryout does start, avoid putting too many skilled players together. The cream generally rises to the top in tryout. My old coaching colleague and friend, Carroll Conley, once told me that players usually cut themselves either in tryouts or before the week begins. There's a lot of truth in that axiom, for either in the classroom, or in the gym, non-varsity players often find a way of putting a chance at making the team in jeopardy.

CHAPTER 1: (1.3 The Cutting Process) There are a lot of variables that go into selecting a team. During tryouts, coaches should have a good sense of a student's academic standings and each school system varies in its approach to basketball players and grades. In borderline selection situations, the conscientious student has an edge because you don't want to lug less conscientious ones around all year worrying about their grades.

Attitude is a key factor as well. Looking the other way about poor attitude and flattering yourself into thinking you can make this kid change is dangerous. It happens but are you willing to place the welfare of your "project" above the welfare of the entire team? Think about how this situation could play out over the course of the season.

CHAPTER 1: (1.4 Final Cut) As a rule of thumb at tryouts, keep all seniors until the final cut. Some of these kids have been with the program four years, so try to give them a close look. It may not be easy but remember, in small schools being cut from the hoop squad can be a traumatic event. Never keep a freshman or sophomore on your team who will not start or be the first person off the bench. But, look at all kids on the first night (grades 9-12). Then, keep underclassmen who can help you. Kids mature more quickly than they used to and some 9th and 10th graders are ready earlier for the high school team than they might have been 20 years ago. The proliferation of strength exercises and the training that goes with it, AAU and YBOA club teams, and, of course, advanced training kids receive in summer camps all factor into that decision.