Post #6, August 7, 2008

A BASKETBALL LESSON FROM A FOOTBALL COACH

The subject of this posting was supposed to be Team Offensive Rebounding. That will have to wait because I feel strongly compelled to address something I learned not too long ago from a football coach, Don James. Coach James accepted the position of head football coach at the University of Washington in 1974. In his 18 years there, his teams won one NCAA championship, four Rose Bowls, and one Orange Bowl. His record there was 153-57-2, which included 22 consecutive victories. In his first year, he realized, by comparing his talent against that of the rest of the PAC 8, on paper, he should lose almost all, if not all conference games. But the Huskies ended up 5 and 2. I heard his unique season strategy was responsible and was anxious to find out what it was.

In a telephone conversation with Coach James this year, I asked him about that strategy. He responded by telling me he emphasized two things: Ball Handling and The Kicking Game. He went on to explain field position was everything in football. If you consistently allow an opponent to operate in the half of the field you are protecting, you are putting yourself in a very dangerous situation. On the contrary, if you keep them out, you have decreased their chances of scoring. He said, not turning the football over and a good punting/kicking game keeps them from obtaining good field position. In almost every conference game, the Huskies did as Coach James trained them and, consequently, put themselves in a position to win at the end. 

BALL HANDLING:
As you read, you are attempting to make the connection to basketball. It’s not difficult in the area of ball handling is it? A turnover in basketball allows the other team to gain possession of the basketball when your defense is not set and balanced. Your team is in a dangerous position. Good ball handling gives you a shot attempt. But making the connection for the kicking game is more difficult. Or is it?

THE KICKING GAME
The kicking game can be compared to strong interior defense in basketball. Stopping penetration and limiting the opponent to perimeter passing, is like good field position in football. You are keeping them away from your goal.

Last season, I watched over one-hundred NCAA men’s basketball games on TV. I kept stats. The statistic I was interested in was, each team’s scoring percentage when the ball penetrated into the key versus when it did not penetrate. The difference was astounding. Even perimeter shooting percentage increased when the ball first entered the key (or low post) and was passed out. When a shot was taken without penetration, the percentage was extremely low. So, field position in basketball is closing up the middle and keeping the ball on the perimeter.   

GOOD NEWS:
From the time Coach James became head coach, The University of Washington seemed to always have a great punter and field goal/kickoff kicker. He worked his kickers and the supporting cast hard.  His first year, he had virtually no offensive threat. But good ball handling gave him four downs. The punt was always deep and accurate, and left the opponent with a long way to go to score. By the way, as you can imagine, their field-goal kicking was pretty good so they did score. In the fourth quarter, that put even more pressure on the favorite opponents.

Coach James knew he didn’t have great offensively talented players. But he also knew, it you don’t need great talent to train a team to handle the ball safely under pressure and to teach the kicking game. So, this is good news for most coaches. I’m going to guess that most coaches reading this post do not have a team that, on paper, can beat the elite teams of the conference. You’re not alone; the 1974-75 Huskies found themselves in the same position. But, teams that competed against The University of Washington could not count on the Huskies beating themselves with turnovers and short kicks. They were forced to beat their defense and score.

Listen to me. If you work very hard on ball handling under extreme pressure and train your players to keep the ball out of the key, with a few breaks, you may very well find yourself, like the Huskies, with a chance to win down the stretch.

Upcoming Postings:
The Importance of Fundamentals
Team Offensive Rebounding