So What's The Big Deal?

Now that I am on restricted duty, so to speak, I spend some of my time watching game tape. Several local coaches have asked me to do some scouting for them and I enjoy doing it. I see many of the so called "little things" that are poorly executed. Now before I go on, I want to state up front that the teams I coached often exhibited the same lack of attention to these so called "little things". I do not want to project the idea that these "little things" are not being taught by their coach. We all know that teaching the game does not mean those things will be executed correctly or consistently on game day!

"I hope this is gym class and not a competitive team practice!"

IN MY OPINION, SOME OF THE LITTLE THINGS THAT ARE INDEED A BIG DEAL:

LITTLE THING

#1 3rd Side Attack .... Now YOU don't have to agree with me, but more passes & good ball movement usually results in better shots being taken. When attacking a zone, get two ball reversals before a shot. Quick shots

can be "fools gold" vs a zone. Even if the shot goes in, does not mean it is a good shot. Over and over I see players come down the floor and within

ten seconds or less put up a three point shot. THINK ABOUT IT! How long

are you making your opponent play defense? Now if the shot is from a

post up or a lay in that is a good shot attempt.

#2 Quick Shot .... Team A has scored on three straight possessions and your team has not. A player on Team B comes down the floor and takes a perimeter shot off 1 pass or off the dribble. In my humble opinion, even if it goes in, .... it is a poor shot. Players, and I am convinced some coaches, do not understand in game momentum.

#3 Shot Distribution .... Recently looked at post game stats. This one caught my eye. Player A was 1 for 8 on 3 pt. attempts. while Player B (Who is the best 3 pt. shooter on the team) was 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. Are your

best shooters taking the most shots? *Your poorest shooter should have the highest shooting percentage because he/she should be taking the highest percentage shots! (Don Meyer). At this point in the season, you

should certainly know, with statistical support, who your best shooter(s) is/are.

#4 Ball Fakes .... When was the last time you saw a team on offense playing against a zone, fake a pass reversal and bring the ball back to where it came from? Ball fakes should be a part of your zone attack, because the zone defenders are easily influenced by the movement of the ball. A simple technique I seldom see used vs zones is to fake a ball reversal pass and pass the ball back to the same side it came from.

#5 Post Touches .... If you play with a post, some of the best 3 point shot opportunities should come from passing inside then passing it back out for the shot attempt. If you are going 3 or more possessions without the ball going inside, you may regret it. We used to call this a perimeter lapse. Evidence of lack of post touches can also be reflected in your game stats when you look at how many free throws your team has taken. I see teams

often shooting less than ten free throws in a game. Either the team you are playing is very well disciplined or your team is NOT taking the ball to the rim enough!

#6 One Dribble .... I was watching a game recently when team A was on offense vs team B that was in a zone. 3 passes were made on one possession and every single player who made a catch took one dribble before making another pass. WASTED DRIBBLES DRIVE ME CRAZY! Dribble with a purpose.

#7 Lack of Aggressive Post Ups .... I used to tell some of our less than aggressive post players that they should have at least one displacement foul in every game! GET YOUR BODY ON FIRST. You (the post up person) should be initiating the contact. Create a passing lane. Makes sure the passer can see your numbers.

#8 Get A Piece of the Paint .... I see so many dribblers using a ball screen poorly. Dribblers need to look to turn the corner and not take a path that will lead you out of bounds! If the defense is switching with a big on your perimeter, there is even more advantage to attacking the paint! *Also fake the use of the screen and go to the open side once in a while!

#9 Inactive Hands .... I see many poor close out techniques. Even while on the ball, I see so many defenders who are not active with their hands. No distraction. No taking away the vision of the passer or challenging the shooter. If your hands are down on a shooter, he/she can use your head to line up their shot!!

#10 One Handedness .... I absolutely hate the one hand pass of the dribble. Yes, it may look cool, but tell me how you are going to pass fake or pull back the ball if the passing lane suddenly is taken away? Pass, catch, & rebound with TWO hands. Yes, I know the college players & NBA players do it but

consider the skill difference between a pro or college player compared to

a high school player.

The better the competition you play the more likely that game or games will come down to 1 or 2 possessions. You never know when 1 or 2 of those key possessions that may determine the game's outcome may happen.