Last One Holding The Chalk...Usually Wins!

(November 2002)

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

Click TV below to view a short video clip from former UCLA assistant coach and USC interim head coach Jim Saia and the 1-4 High Offense. You can find it at our Basketball Store for a fraction of the cost found elsewhere. $25 gets you both the "offensive system" video and the "drills to teach the offense" video or $30 for the DVD.

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JACK RAMSAY'S DOZEN "ABSOLUTES" IN COACHING

1. Basketball, like every other sport, is predicated on the execution of the fundamentals.

2. The coach is a teacher; his subject is the fundamentals.

3. The highest level of achievement is attained by the teams with the best conditioned players.

4. Even the greatest players have a level of improvement to achieve.

5. Even the greatest players accept coaching and value the need for discipline and the order that it brings to the team.

6. Winning is more related to good defense than good offense.

7. Break-down drills, under simulated game conditions are essential to team success.

8. Teams that play together beat those with superior players who play more as individuals.

9. There are no physical limits to individual achievement.

10. Although the game has become more sophisticated, simpler is better in developing and teaching a system of play.

11. Players draw confidence from a poised, alert coach who anticipates changing game conditions.

12. Teams that never concede defeat can accomplish incredible victories.

BIG TEN SET PLAYS (PART I)

INDIANA

NORTHWESTERN

MICHIGAN

A TEN YEAR STUDY OF 3.500 NCAA DIVISION 1 GAMES REVEALED:

* 25% of all points scored in a basketball game are free throws.

* 35% of all points in the last five minutes of the game are free throws.

* 67% of all points in the last minute by the winning team are free throws.

GAME STRATEGY / TIME-OUT IDEA

This is something we implemented early on during Coach Lavin's tenure at UCLA. The "battleboard" is not a new concept to basketball, in fact, we stole the idea from many NBA arenas that charted various hustle categories during the game for the crowd to see. We have taken this concept and added it to our time-outs. This is a great way to get your kids focused on hard work and effort during the game by giving them a clearly visible "scorecard". You don't need to call attention to it every time-out - just place it on the floor of every time-out huddle so that the players can glance at it to see how they are doing. It will really give impact when you are talking to your kids about effort, whether providing positive feedback for a job well done, or giving them constructive feedback and encouragement to work harder in certain areas of the game. Each box will have a large number filled in during each time-out so each player can clearly see how we are doing. These are stats that can be kept by managers and/or an assistant coach. At the beginning of each time-out, the assistant coach and managers meet quickly to tally the scores and then slide it on the floor of the time-out huddle. The "red zone" are points scored and given up in the area around the basket, similar to the "red zone" concept in football inside the 20-yard line. A very important area to control on both ends of the floor. The mini-battle column is for how we are doing each 5 minutes. This can be helpful in the unfortunate event you get behind by a large margin. You try and emphasis to get it back one possession at a time and not try to get it back all at once. This "mini-battle" helps them look at just the score in the last 5 minutes or from the last time-out if you don't have regular media time-outs like we do at the collegiate level. It can give them hope to know even thought they may still be down by 15 points, they have outscored them the last 5 minutes, and with that continued effort they can get it to under 5 points towards the end of the game and have a shot to win. Give the "battle board" a try - I think you will be pleased at how much more efficient your game coaching and time-outs will be!