Thursday, June 11, 2015

Defensive Pick & Roll Coverages



Here is a guide of defensive pick and roll coverages.  Last off season I spent some time talking with coaches and watching a lot of different videos to create a game plan for how to effectively defend the pick and roll.  Most of my template is based on the teachings of  Bob Starkey from Texas A&M and Steve Masiello from Manhattan College.  You have to find a philosophy that works for you. Some coaches will defend two or three different ways and others will use all the coverages listed.  You have to find what works best for your team.  Bob also has a great blog with tremendous information that needs to be a daily visit for information and inspiration at http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com

Thoughts:
                 Want to force mid range jumpers
§                           Talk early
§                           Scoring range vs. non-scoring range
§                           Last 10 seconds of shot clock should be trap or switch 
§                          80% of passes out of the pnr are air passes so keep hands up in passing lanes on recovery
§                          In college contested jumpers are made at 22% 
           Goal is to challenge 85% of shots taken

Side Pick and Roll Coverages
o   Flat hedge Post position is at level of screen and a step off
§  Screener's defender must talk early
§  Guard goes over screen & under hedger
§  Guards wraps arm around screener and pushes off their butt
§  Guard forces offense to use the screen, places forearm on hip
§  Helpside/Basket helps on post roll
§  Post can recover to pop
·      Stop ball handler from turning corner and force to ½ court
·      Slow down rim attack
                       
o   Hard hedge for two dribbles (aggressive sideways poke)
§  Guard over the screener and behind the hedger
·      Stop ball handler from turning corner and force to ½ court
·      Slow down rim attack
                       
o   Ice/Down force ball handler to baseline
§  Highest helpside guard helps on post pop for easy deflections/steals
·      Contains great ball handler
·      Best at low screen location; FT line and below
·      Shrinks floor by keeping the ball to one side and no middle drives

o   Trap
·      Force a retreat dribble or ball handler to get rid of the ball
·      Get deflections
·      Post position is flat hedge. Guard goes over & runs to posts shoulder
·      Can trap until ballhandler gets rid of ball or after two dribbles

o   Switch
§  Double on any post catch
§  If don’t want to double then front the mismatch in the paint
·      Late clock situation or end of shot clock or end of game situations
·      Big’s mentality must be to contain and force contested shot
·      Littles down low can front and force lob if not doubling in the post
·      Post position on switch is flat at screener’s feet (even with level of screen)
o   Jam
§  Screener's defense bodies up to screener.  Do this to create space for guard to go under on non-shooter or to eliminate a good pick and pop or pick and roll post.


High Pick and Roll Coverages
o   Flat
o   Hard Hedge: guard over & under; Post is aggressive sideways hard hedge
o   Ice/Down to weak hand
o    Switch

o   Jam



Middle Pick and Roll Coverages
o   Flat: guard over and post flat hedge
§  Guards rotate onto post if they pop
o   Switch
o   Jam

Drag
o   Flat
o   Hard Hedge
o   Jam

Baseline
o   Flat: guard over post flat hedge.
o   Trap

Multiple ball screens
o   Double ball screens: guard over and 2nd post hedges. 1st post is zone coverage on 2 screeners.
o   Stacked ball screen: guard over and post guarding top person is hedger.  Defender guarding lowest person in stack is in zone coverage.

Elbow ball screens/Horns
o   Flat
o   Switch
o   Jam


Thursday, June 4, 2015

Lessons on Grief


This is one of the most powerful, honest, and courageous things I have ever read. Sheryl Sandberg lost her husband 30 days ago and she posted about the lessons she has learned while coping with her grief.  For those that have experienced the loss of a loved one you understand how she feels.  Hopefully we can all learn from her advice on how to help someone else who is experiencing loss.  You can find the original post at https://www.facebook.com/sheryl?fref=ts


Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved husband—the first thirty days. Judaism calls for a period of intense mourning known as shiva that lasts seven days after a loved one is buried. After shiva, most normal activities can be resumed, but it is the end of sheloshim that marks the completion of religious mourning for a spouse.
A childhood friend of mine who is now a rabbi recently told me that the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is: “Let me not die while I am still alive.” I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave. Now I do.
I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well. 
But when I can, I want to choose life and meaning. 
And this is why I am writing: to mark the end of sheloshim and to give back some of what others have given to me. While the experience of grief is profoundly personal, the bravery of those who have shared their own experiences has helped pull me through. Some who opened their hearts were my closest friends. Others were total strangers who have shared wisdom and advice publicly. So I am sharing what I have learned in the hope that it helps someone else. In the hope that there can be some meaning from this tragedy. 
I have lived thirty years in these thirty days. I am thirty years sadder. I feel like I am thirty years wiser.
I have gained a more profound understanding of what it is to be a mother, both through the depth of the agony I feel when my children scream and cry and from the connection my mother has to my pain. She has tried to fill the empty space in my bed, holding me each night until I cry myself to sleep. She has fought to hold back her own tears to make room for mine. She has explained to me that the anguish I am feeling is both my own and my children’s, and I understood that she was right as I saw the pain in her own eyes. 
I have learned that I never really knew what to say to others in need. I think I got this all wrong before; I tried to assure people that it would be okay, thinking that hope was the most comforting thing I could offer. A friend of mine with late-stage cancer told me that the worst thing people could say to him was “It is going to be okay.” That voice in his head would scream, How do you know it is going to be okay? Do you not understand that I might die? I learned this past month what he was trying to teach me. Real empathy is sometimes not insisting that it will be okay but acknowledging that it is not. When people say to me, “You and your children will find happiness again,” my heart tells me, Yes, I believe that, but I know I will never feel pure joy again. Those who have said, “You will find a new normal, but it will never be as good” comfort me more because they know and speak the truth. Even a simple “How are you?”—almost always asked with the best of intentions—is better replaced with “How are you today?” When I am asked “How are you?” I stop myself from shouting, My husband died a month ago, how do you think I am? When I hear “How are you today?” I realize the person knows that the best I can do right now is to get through each day.
I have learned some practical stuff that matters. Although we now know that Dave died immediately, I didn’t know that in the ambulance. The trip to the hospital was unbearably slow. I still hate every car that did not move to the side, every person who cared more about arriving at their destination a few minutes earlier than making room for us to pass. I have noticed this while driving in many countries and cities. Let’s all move out of the way. Someone’s parent or partner or child might depend on it. 
I have learned how ephemeral everything can feel—and maybe everything is. That whatever rug you are standing on can be pulled right out from under you with absolutely no warning. In the last thirty days, I have heard from too many women who lost a spouse and then had multiple rugs pulled out from under them. Some lack support networks and struggle alone as they face emotional distress and financial insecurity. It seems so wrong to me that we abandon these women and their families when they are in greatest need.
I have learned to ask for help—and I have learned how much help I need. Until now, I have been the older sister, the COO, the doer and the planner. I did not plan this, and when it happened, I was not capable of doing much of anything. Those closest to me took over. They planned. They arranged. They told me where to sit and reminded me to eat. They are still doing so much to support me and my children. 
I have learned that resilience can be learned.  Adam M. Grant taught me that three things are critical to resilience and that I can work on all three. Personalization—realizing it is not my fault. He told me to ban the word “sorry.” To tell myself over and over, This is not my fault. Permanence—remembering that I won’t feel like this forever. This will get better. Pervasiveness—this does not have to affect every area of my life; the ability to compartmentalize is healthy. 
For me, starting the transition back to work has been a savior, a chance to feel useful and connected. But I quickly discovered that even those connections had changed. Many of my co-workers had a look of fear in their eyes as I approached. I knew why—they wanted to help but weren’t sure how. Should I mention it? Should I not mention it? If I mention it, what the hell do I say? I realized that to restore that closeness with my colleagues that has always been so important to me, I needed to let them in. And that meant being more open and vulnerable than I ever wanted to be. I told those I work with most closely that they could ask me their honest questions and I would answer. I also said it was okay for them to talk about how they felt. One colleague admitted she’d been driving by my house frequently, not sure if she should come in. Another said he was paralyzed when I was around, worried he might say the wrong thing. Speaking openly replaced the fear of doing and saying the wrong thing. One of my favorite cartoons of all time has an elephant in a room answering the phone, saying, “It’s the elephant.” Once I addressed the elephant, we were able to kick him out of the room. 
At the same time, there are moments when I can’t let people in. I went to Portfolio Night at school where kids show their parents around the classroom to look at their work hung on the walls. So many of the parents—all of whom have been so kind—tried to make eye contact or say something they thought would be comforting. I looked down the entire time so no one could catch my eye for fear of breaking down. I hope they understood. 
I have learned gratitude. Real gratitude for the things I took for granted before—like life. As heartbroken as I am, I look at my children each day and rejoice that they are alive. I appreciate every smile, every hug. I no longer take each day for granted. When a friend told me that he hates birthdays and so he was not celebrating his, I looked at him and said through tears, “Celebrate your birthday, goddammit. You are lucky to have each one.” My next birthday will be depressing as hell, but I am determined to celebrate it in my heart more than I have ever celebrated a birthday before. 
I am truly grateful to the many who have offered their sympathy. A colleague told me that his wife, whom I have never met, decided to show her support by going back to school to get her degree—something she had been putting off for years. Yes! When the circumstances allow, I believe as much as ever in leaning in. And so many men—from those I know well to those I will likely never know—are honoring Dave’s life by spending more time with their families. 
I can’t even express the gratitude I feel to my family and friends who have done so much and reassured me that they will continue to be there. In the brutal moments when I am overtaken by the void, when the months and years stretch out in front of me endless and empty, only their faces pull me out of the isolation and fear. My appreciation for them knows no bounds.
I was talking to one of these friends about a father-child activity that Dave is not here to do. We came up with a plan to fill in for Dave. I cried to him, “But I want Dave. I want option A.” He put his arm around me and said, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of option B.” 
Dave, to honor your memory and raise your children as they deserve to be raised, I promise to do all I can to kick the shit out of option B. And even though sheloshim has ended, I still mourn for option A. I will always mourn for option A. As Bono sang, “There is no end to grief . . . and there is no end to love.” I love you, Dave.

    Thursday, May 28, 2015

    How to Build your Man Defense

    Here is an outline to help you build your man to man defensive philosophy.  

    What do we want our identity on defense to be?
    What are our target stats?
    What habits will we reinforce?

    Full Court principles
               Turning the ball handler
                Forcing to the weak hand

    Half Court principles
                Denial
                Pack Line 
                Help rotations-help and fill system

    Communication
                 Terminology

    Transition
                 How are we guarding the advance pass?

    On ball positioning
                Stance: top, wing, corner
                       Are we forcing baseline or middle?            
                Ball pressure
                Hands
                Jump to the ball

    Off ball positioning
                Open or closed stance
                Position on the line from the ball to defender
                Bumping cutters

    Closeouts
                Approach: straight up/force baseline/force middle/to dominant hand
                Distance
                Hands
                Slides vs. penetration-be able to guard your yard

    Post D 
                How we guard the post must be aligned with how we are playing on the perimeter.
                Positioning: top of the key, ball above the FT line, ball below the FT line at wing, & corner.
                Footwork
                Trapping

    Help and Rotation
                Stunt and recover vs. penetration
                Rotations based on penetration from the top-wing middle-wing baseline

    Screening: How are we guarding screens?
                Downpick
                            Strong side
                            Weak side
                Back screen
                            Big to little
                            Little to big
                Cross screens 
                            Little to big
                            Big to little
                            Like size-big to big, little to little
                Diagonal
                            Little to big
                Pick and Roll
                            Who is the ball handler? 
                                  Shooter, driver, both
                            Who is the screener? 
                                  Shooter, driver, both
                            What is the angle?
                                  90/45/flat/step up/baseline
                            What part of the floor is the screen?                        
                                  Side-middle-drag-elbow-corner
                            There are at least 7 ways to defend the pick and roll.
          Ice or Down
          Switch
          Jam
          Trap
          Soft hedge
          Flat hedge
          Hard hedge 
                    Basic Play Actions
                                  Flex
                                  UCLA
                                  Zipper
                                  Horns
                                  Iverson-1-4 high set guards go over top and other under
                                  Elevator-top or side
                                  Floppy-single double
                                  Staggered
                                        Big-Big for little
                                        Little-Big for little
                                        Big-Little for little
                                  Hand offs/dribble weave
                                        Big to little
                                        Little to little dribble weave
                                        Big to little dribble weave
                
    Rebounding
                   In the paint
                   Outside the paint
                   Outside the 3 point line

    Thursday, May 14, 2015

    Creating Culture




    Listened to another great podcast this week by EntreLeadership with Jack Welch, former CEO of GE and the vice president of basketball operations for the L.A. Clippers, Kevin Eastman.  They both spoke about creating culture. Here are some of the takeaways:

    Jack Welch
    • Make sure your employees have purpose. Give them the why of the organization.
    • Create a growth atmosphere.
    • Concentrate-do not dilute. Do not focus on too many things. Become a master of a few things not good at many.
    • Leaders must be transparent.  Don't have an environment of secrecy. This will help when your organization has to face adversity. Transparency leads to truth and trust.
    • Truth and trust leadership is a mentality and methodology. Create this atmosphere in your group and as a whole organization.  Trust will get you answers quickly. Trust is a muscle-it will get stronger in time. 



    Kevin Eastman

    Building an organization is a delicate balance of culture and people.  If you have the right culture and the wrong people, this will kill the organization.  On the other hand,  if you have the right people and the wrong culture this one still has a chance because the right type of people will try and do what they can to keep trying to change the culture.

    Culture should be seen, heard, and felt.  One way it can be seen is just by looking at the physical environment.  As you walk around the office space and you see that it is clean then you know that the details matter to that organization.  Also, when you are strolling around pay attention to the sounds you hear.   If you hear please and thank you then you know is a place of respect. If you hear laughter then you know it is a healthy environment.

    3 Things Critical to any Organization:
    Culture
    People
    Belief

    The 4 C's of the Clipper's Culture:
    Character
    Class
    Committed
    Communication

    3 Groups of People in Every Organization:
    Bought-ins:  have complete buy in of vision
    Give-ins: have not bought in but will do their jobs because supposed to
    Not-ins:  will never believe in vision

    He stresses the importance of spending time on the "give-ins" group.  Leadership must work to get rid of the "not-ins" group. Once you can eliminate the "not-ins" and some of the "give-ins" then the "bought-ins" will thrive along with your culture.

    Leaders must understand that people will follow you based on their eyes and ears. People are looking at leaders to see if your actions match your words and that your words match your actions.

    To help deal with the fear of failure make sure and not just focus on what the consequences are if you fail but also give the same value to the consequences if you succeed.

    "Leadership is a position of power and responsibility. On the way up it is all about you but when you get to be the leader it is all about them."




    Thursday, May 7, 2015

    Innovation


    "Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this.  For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward." Henry Ford

    An excerpt taken from https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/default.asp:

    "Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. He didn’t even invent the assembly line. But more than any other single individual, he was responsible for transforming the automobile from an invention of unknown utility into an innovation that profoundly shaped the 20th century and continues to affect our lives today.
    Innovators change things. They take new ideas, sometimes their own, sometimes other people’s, and develop and promote those ideas until they become an accepted part of daily life. Innovation requires self-confidence, a taste for taking risks, leadership ability and a vision of what the future should be. Henry Ford had all these characteristics, but it took him many years to develop all of them fully."

    Henry Ford is a great example of an innovator who was not afraid to fail.  His curiosity of how things worked began as a young boy on his parent's farm. Both of his parents encouraged his innovative mindset to tinker with the machines on the farm to make them better. This early encouragement taught him to not be afraid of failure but instead to learn by trial and error. Teach those around you that it is okay to fail. As John Maxwell preaches, "the best teacher is not experience but evaluated experience."

    From his failed experiences Ford learned to persevere through setbacks. His first two companies failed before he found success with Ford Motor Company. He learned from each of those failed attempts and had the faith and belief to keep trying.

    Ford recognized early that people mattered.  He had an ability to identify and attract outstanding people that believed in his vision.  Another great quality was his ability to learn from others. His idea for the moving assembly line came from the meat-packing industry.  His innovative and outside the box thinking helped stabilize his workforce.  The company was having a problem retaining employees so his solution was to double their wages. Problem solved!

    My greatest takeaway from Henry's Ford experience, is that as a leader, do not accept the status quo; this is the way things have always been done.  Be an example for your followers and become a creative thinker and problem solver.  Make it a habit to challenge your own assumptions.

    "Don't do things the way they have always been done.  Don't try and fit the system. If you do what is expected of you, you'll never accomplish more than what others expect." Howard Schultz Chairman and CEO Starbucks

    Thursday, April 30, 2015

    Motivating the Unmotivated



    Today I want to share with you the great resource of Micheal Burt.  If you are looking for a great podcast, website, or TV show then this is your guy.  He is high energy, entertaining, and informative.
    Coach Burt believe everyone needs a coach in life. We need coaches to force us to have conversations we don't want to have, make us do things we don't want to do, and to help us become something we do not think we can become.  He believes a coach can help bring focus to our confusion, clarity to our misdirection, and confidence to our insecurity.

    To Motivate is to Move.

    One of 3 things missing for the unmotivated
    1. Knowledge
    2. Know how
    3. Want to
     "If you have a want to you can find a how to."


    4 things that motivate people from Daniel Pink's book Drive
    1. Purpose
    2. Progress
    3. Mastery
    4. Autonomy

    How to implement
    Purpose: help people find their voice.
    Progress: Pain and progress pendulum must swing.  Complacency is when there is not enough pain to force into progress. Don't be tolerant of complacency. Set goals and measure/track progress.
    Mastery: how do you become a resource for people.
    Autonomy: speak the language of results.

    5 things that demotivate people
    1. Personal heartbreak and transition.
         3 Transitions are:
            a. Ending of something you love
            b. Disorientation: you are low on swag & go back to old ways & doing things the easy way
            c. New beginning
    2. On the wrong bus in life.
    3. Bad culture. Cultures need expectations and accountability.
    4. Fatigue if you are in burn out or mechanical mode.
    5. Complacency-biggest emotional cancer.






    Thursday, April 16, 2015

    Team Building




    I wish I could find more time to read but what I have discovered is that I can find time to listen to podcasts almost everyday.  I find time when I am in my car and when I work out. One of my favorites is the EntreLeadership Podcast https://www.entreleadership.com/posts.podcast.  They have a great variety of leadership, personal growth, team growth, and profit growth.  I highly recommend you download one and test it out.

    Here is an early one I listened to by Dave Ramsey about team building.

    The 5 Destroyers of Team Unity
    1. Poor communication
    2. Gossip/complaining
    3. Unresolved disagreements
    4. Lack of shared purpose
    5. Incompetence

    6 Qualities of an Ideal Team Member
    1. Share Mission/vision
    2.  Deliver WOW care with genuine passion
    3.  Can, and like to be challenged
    4.  Committed to continued improvement
    5.  Must play well with others
    6.  Inspiring to others