Swensday Stuff

Ready, Set, Teach
Swen Nater

Ralph Drollinger, a 7’1” UCLA center, was the difference in the Final Four championship game in 1975 against the University of Kentucky. But Ralph was a slow learner. 

As a high school player, whenever he obtained a defensive rebound (when the other team shot and missed), he held the ball for awhile and then gave it to a guard. You see, his team didn’t fast break. The guard walked the ball up the court.

But, “walking” was not in Coach Wooden’s basketball dictionary; “Fast Break” was. That meant, whoever obtained the defensive rebound, immediately passed the ball to a guard who drove the ball down the court. Coach tried everything to get Ralph to give up the ball. I wasn’t there, but I’m guessing he tied, “Goodness gracious sakes alive, Ralph! Pass the ball!” But for some reason, Ralph didn’t learn. It drove Coach Wooden bonkers. 

The Perfect Teaching Moment
So Coach went back to the drawing board and came up with something that worked. One practice, at the exact moment Drollinger touched the rebound (He wasn’t even ready to pass it yet.), Coach Wooden shouted, “Ralph! Pass it to somebody short!” And, guess what? Ralph did. Wise teachers think ahead and prepare for moments like this. To avoid missing those moments, you’ve got to be Ready, Set, and then Teach.

Ready
Study each student/player and think of what to do when the time is right. If one approach doesn’t work, come up with another. It may be something to say, or even something to do. I had a tough time getting one of my players to understand, each time the ball was shot, he was to physically block his man off the board (“box out”). The only thing that worked was, when the ball was shot, I got behind the baseline and held up a cardboard box and said, “Box out!” It was hilarious, but it worked.

Set
When you come up with something to try, keep it in the front of your mind. Keep it on a notepad on your desk or on the 3X5 card in your hand to remind you. Keep watching and waiting for the moment.

Teach
Don’t force it; it may take a day or two. When the moment is perfect, “let ‘er go.” Magic will happen because learning will happen.

Conclusion
From that moment on, Ralph passed the ball, quickly, to “somebody short.” Study your students, anticipate their errors, have the information ready, and: Ready, Set, Teach. Lights will go on.