Blog Posting #16, September 27, 2008

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PRE-SEASON PLAY 

Pre-season basketball includes organized and unorganized games. This section of a season can be a time for player improvement, providing the coach gives specific guidelines to all, and a specific curriculum to each player. On the other hand, if the play is not governed and managed, bad habits, both individually and collectively, will become even worse. Why not gain an edge on the competition by making the most of it?

One: TAKE INVENTORY
By now, you probably know what you are going to do offensively; you have an offense you think will maximize the talents of your best offensive players and will actively engage the others in fulfilling the roles necessary to make the plays. Take a few hours to visualize the skills each position will need to make it happen. In the process, you’ll discover some players do not have those skills. Make notes on each player, jotting down their weaknesses that must become strengths. It may be containing a quick ball handler, passing into the post, dribble penetration, finishing a drive, using a screen, screening, getting open, protecting the basketball, or aggressive and relentless rebounding.

Two: GIVE PLAYERS ASSIGNMENTS
Now, for each player, pick the most important weakness. Meet with each player and tell him, “When you are scrimmaging, either in games or not, there is one thing I want you to concentrate on. I don’t care of you score a point. Concentrate on improving this one thing. For the team, I need you to improve greatly in this one area. Don’t just play—play with a purpose. After each game or scrimmage, when you assess your play, I need you to be able to say you significantly improved in that area.”

Three: EVALUATE WITH ONE-ON-ONE
Within twenty-four hours of a scrimmage or game, meet with each player to evaluate progress. If you don’t, they won’t think it was very important. If you do, they will and, most definitely, will be more on task during play, knowing you’re watching and expecting improvement. Before the conclusion of the conference, give the player specific feedback and more specific instruction as to how he or she can get to the next level of the skill.

Four: DISPENSE THE NEXT SKILL
When you know the player has improved to your satisfaction, let him know how much he is helping the team. Then, dispense the next skill he needs for the position he will play.  However, make sure to tell that player to continue to improve on the first, while working on the next. However, some players may need to stay with one skill until the first practice. That’s your call.

I’m a firm believer controlling the defensive boards is key to tough team competition. If I were coaching, during the pre-season (and all summer for that matter), I would be giving my inside players goals for rebounding and keeping a very close eye on their progress. Also important to me is a player’s ability to contain a dribbler and not allow penetration into the lane—both down the middle and around the outside. Therefore, some of my players would, most definitely, have the assignment of working hard at the footwork, balance, and anticipation needed to stop a dribbler, all the while providing as much ball pressure as necessary. The better a player gets, the more ball pressure I will tell him to apply, testing his ability to still stop the drive.