10 Things Players Can Do When Not Playing Well

On Tuesday, I was reading an article by Seth Davis. In it he says, "A player should be able to play well when he's not playing well." So I asked my players what it means to them to "not play well." An overwhelming majority of answers had to do with not being able to score and/or poor shooting. In that regard, remember Coach Eastman teaching similar to the Davis' quote at Washington State and suggesting that a player go 3-4 possessions on offense without a shot to get his mind off of the mini slump.

Here are 10 things players can do when they aren't "playing well":
1. Become the best passer - Distribute the ball to teammates. It gets the entire team in a flow and can allow you to feed off that flow.
2. Become the best screener - Get others open with solid screens. You will find that you will be open for easier looks as a result.
3. Be the hardest cutter - Cut hard and draw the defense with you. This will contribute to the team flow but may also allow for an easy basket.
4. Go after every offensive rebound - Gain another possession for the team. You may even find yourself scoring chippies.
5. Be the first down the floor in transition - Both on offense and defense. Offensively you can get a lay-up to break the slump. Defensively you can thwart easy baskets by opponents.
6. Become the best box out player - Concentrate on not letting your man get rebounds.
7. Be the best helpside defender - Turn your attention to getting stops as a team.
8. Get deflections - Work to hit the pass when on the defensive end.
9. Become the best communicator - Talk loud, talk early, and talk often. Put everyone on the same page.
10. Become the most positive highest energy player - Bring the juice! Bring some enthusiasm to the entire team. It is contagious and the rest of the team will feed off it.

Principles & Laws of Learning

This post is one of those unexpected and unplanned joys. I was looking through some old notes trying to find some inspiration and creative ways to get my post player to stay in a defensive stance. Just like "mystery money", you know... that $5 bill you find in the pocket of your pants before you throw it in the washer, I was excited to find this brilliant piece from Fred Litzenberger.

PRINCIPLES AND LAWS OF LEARNING

1. We learn better when we are "ready to learn". Have an open mind. Have the "will or desire to learn". Recognize a problem and see the need to learn.

2. We learn better when the subject is presented: in small bitesize doses and in logical order.

3. We learn better when we: Go from simple to complex. Don't move on until it becomes a habit. Hear the same terminology every time.

4. We learn by doing - Learn technique first then add speed and quickness. First in practice. Then in game situations (Drills must be game-like). Mental learning helps physical learning - Understand the subject.

5. We can only develop skill through perfect practice. Perfect repetitions. Helps when you learn it right the first time. Fixes your learning.

6. We learn better and fast when: We have some success (Build success into all drills). We feel good about ourselves (Which comes from success). We feel we are learning something that will help us.

7. We retain our learning better when: It has time to "soak in" / it becomes habit. We can see some success.

8. You can evaluate progress (skills) when: Everyone is taught the same technique (With some allowance for individual ability). The teaching is in a logical progression.

Three - Is A Magic Number

I'm not talking about the Schoolhouse Rock song. Although, just as an aside, it is a very catchy tune and there's a great cover version done by the band Blind Melon. Sorry. Moving on. Three is a powerful number, no question about that.

This past week, during practice, I talked with our players about the power of three. I mentioned how the US Marine Corps uses the power of three in their daily lives. I talked about how their communication will be much more effective if they employ echoing calls 3 times. The power of three can be just as effective for us as coaches.

We can really keep things simple for ourselves and our players. Take every aspect of the game and break it down into three teaching points for each. I found this to be a great exercise to edit out useless information and get to the bare-bones of my philosophy. If you haven’t done this before, or are a younger coach hell-bent on using every ounce of information you picked up from clinics this summer, you may find this task somewhat daunting. I had to write down anything and everything I wanted done and edit the list from there; whittling things down to the most important by crossing off the unnecessary and monotonous.

This task ultimately came in extremely handy recently. We hadn’t spent a lot of time on guarding the ball screen on the wing. Because we use the ball screen quite often, in a live 5-on-5 situation we got exposed on defense. So, to the Power of Three drawing board we go.

We told the defender guarding the screener that he had 3 responsibilities:

1) Communicate the screen (name & direction 3 times)
2) Make the ball handler take at least 1-2 dribbles toward half court
3) Trust the help on the roll

The on-ball defender has 3 responsibilities:
1) Do not let the screener get into your body
2) Get the top foot and hip above the screeners
3) beat the dribbler to the spot going underneath the hedge

Ever since, we have done a terrific job of defending the ball screen on the wing. Players a less confused and their roles are clearly defined. Now that they understand the basic concepts, we can begin to tweek the details into sub-groupings of three.

Dealing With A Difficult Player

I know that all coaches can agree that they have, at one time or another, had a difficult player on their roster. Doc Rivers talks about wanting "character over characters. More R's than S's." The "S's" can range from the physically violent or threatening to the psychological. We all have experienced a player that we consider to be a "cancer" to our team. The following tips can aid your dealings with those players.

The Aggressor = This is the player that is intimidating, hostile and enjoys threatening others.

What to do: LISTEN! Listen to everything this player has to say. Avoid escalation and arguments. Be formal with the player, call them by name. Be concise and clear with your reactions.

The Underminer = This is the player who takes pride in criticizing others, is sarcastic, and devious.

What to do: Focus on the issues at hand. Do not acknowledge the sarcasm. Don't overreact. Most of the time the underminer is begging for the attention. Be direct and let them know his actions will not be tolerated.

The Unresponsive = This is the player that is difficult to talk to, defiant, and never reveals thoughts or ideas.

What to do: Ask them open ended questions; rich questions where "yes" or "no" are not the answers. Be silent with them and wait for an answer. Be patient and friendly. Many times, for the unresponsive, the silence can be like fingernails on a chalkboard and they will ultimately say something even if it isn't the answer to the question. Let them know that this is a start!

The Egotist = This is the player that knows it all, feels superior, and acts superior.

What to do: Make sure you know the facts. Agree when possible and try to find common ground. Disagree only when you know you are right. Back yourself up with stats and video.

In all of these cases, we've got to put into perspective how the behavior is detrimental to the TEAM. Ask them, "What is good for the team?" You've got to sell the loyalty to their team and teammates.

Ask yourself, "What is good for the team?" Of course we've got to know when to cut dead weight. Sometimes we can do everything in our power to get our message across but that message still won't be received. If you have tried and tried and tried, the TEAM's well-being outweighs the individual.

Planning Part II

I've had a few people contact me in regards to my "Have a Plan" posting last week. There has been some confusion as to what I was referring to. Just as we have game-plans for our teams, we must also have a life-plan. That life-plan must take into consideration all of the members of our programs. Some simple things to consider:

- Work with the women's team coach to come up with a master calendar of practice times.

- For college coaches, have a master recruiting calendar of games you or your staff would like to see. This is a simple task that can allow the rest of your staff to plan ahead. If you designate a recruiting coordinator, this should be one of his tasks.

- If you choose to proctor study hall sessions for your team, explore times and locations early so that your team and staff are able to plan around them.

- Share a team calendar with your staff, players, support staff, and other important people involved such as professors, academic advisors, tutors, library staff, janitors, etc. This will eliminate the need to improvise. If you employ the player notebook system, players can keep this calendar in their notebooks.

- Post your team calendar in places your team will see it. Outside your office and in the locker room are two very obvious places.

- Conduct individual player meetings to discuss time-management and organization weekly if possible. Include this in the players' calendar.

- Communicate changes in the schedule as early as possible. Have a plan of how to communicate changes and confirm that the message is received.

I think we can all agree that when plans are not made and "last-minute" rules the day, we become extremely frustrated. These are just a few ideas to get the wheels turning. The goal should be to eliminate as much of the "last-minute" through thorough preparation.

Defensive and Supportive Climates

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit with my very good friend, Dr. John Masterson. Dr. Masterson is the former provost at Texas Lutheran University, co-author of Communicating In Small Groups; Principles and Practices, and one heck of a lead guitar player (check out http://www.theharleys.org/). We were discussing how coaches communicate with their teams and he mentioned a book entitled Defensive Communication by Jack R. Gibb. The following is a quote from Dr. masterson's book giving a list of behaviors that Gibb describes in his book as fostering defensive and supporting climates:

DEFENSIVE CLIMATE (Dr. Masterson says, "Don't do this...")

• Evaluation: Use of "you" language calls into question the worth of another person
• Control: Efforts to get others to do what you want them to do.
• Strategy: Planned communication - for example, saying something nice before criticizing someone.
• Neutrality: Emotional indifference - the unspoken attitude that "you'll get over it."
• Superiority: Attitude that you're better than the other person.
• Certainty: Taking dogmatic, rigid positions; "Don't bother m with facts, my mind is made up." Those who behave this way are usually more interested in winning an argument than solving a problem.

SUPPORTIVE CLIMATE (He says, "Do this.")

• Description: "I" language describes your own feelings and ideas.
• Problem Orientation: Communication aimed at solving problems: "Let's find a solution that works for both of us."
• Spontaneity: Here-and-now orientation; being honest rather than planning how to manipulate.
• Empathy: Emotional involvement; nonverbal behavior is important.
• Equality: Communication based on mutual respect; "I'm okay, you're okay."
• Provisionalism: Openness to receiving new information; showing some flexibility in the positions you take.

I think this is important to understand that our communication with our respective teams can and should utilize these techniques. Your players will take ownership in the program. Most coaches refer to their teams as family, then if we are true to our word, we must treat them in that same regard when communicating with them.

Dr. Donald Christian "People who drive me crazy"

I think we can all agree that in coaching, we find people whether they are players, fellow coaches, administrators, or parents that drive us nuts. We spend a considerable amount of time with the people in our respective programs that we get to know their idiosyncrasies so well they can push us to the point of insanity. I mentioned Dr. Donald Christian in my previous post. Don is the Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University Texas and is an instructor of the freshman orientation course at CTX, Life and Leadership. He wrote in his blog (I highly recommend it: http://www.thinkingaboutleadership.blogspot.com/) about this very subject:

Think about the people who drive you crazy...not the TYPE of people who drive you crazy, but the ACTUAL people who drive you crazy. Go ahead and name them out loud for a moment (or not, depending on where you are reading this...it could get you in trouble). But for a moment, consider a few thoughts on the people who drive you crazy:

• WHY do these people drive me crazy?


• Are they REALLY so different from me - or maybe too much alike?


• Does their BEHAVIOR push me out of my comfort zone?


• Is it a VALUE issue...or is it a PERSONALITY issue?


• What can I LEARN from these people?


• What are the PATTERNS among the different people who drive me crazy - both today and in the past?
  

As I consider the different people who drive me crazy, several things become apparent very quickly:

1. their strengths are very different from mine


2. they tend to not back away from conflict


3. they seem to spend more time at their desks than walking around and talking with people


4. they would rather talk about operational approaches rather than strategic approaches


5. they tend to see the glass as half-empty rather than half-full


6. they would rather blame others than take on the responsibility for change


7. they make more statements than they ask questions

The difficult part of making this list is that I have to come to the realization that each of the above behaviors can be a great advantage to an organization:

1. different strengths allow for different ways of looking at the same issue


2. ideas need to be challenged in a strong manner


3. data needs to be collected and shared, which takes time to put together


4. things need to get done - vision without action is only a dream


5. the realities of the organization need to be named and talked about


6. people who mess up need to take responsibility for their bad work


7. decisions need to be made after asking the right questions

OK, I get the point. I understand that it's good if there are people in the organization who drive me crazy. I may not understand how they think...I may not like how they act...I can disagree with their behaviors and attitudes...but I need to embrace them as important to the organization and try my hardest to work with them. Here's to those who drive me - and you - crazy!

Have A Plan

As a coach, we are given the ultimate in leadership responsibility. John Maxwell describes leadership as "influence. Nothing more. nothing less." I tend to agree more with Dr. Donald Christian, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University Texas, when he describes that leadership "is about two words: people and influence. Of course, the other aspect of that is that one needs to influence people toward something, i.e. shared goals." The most important part of leading, or in our cases coaching, is people. We must not forget the people that play for us and work with us on a daily basis.

"Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now."
-Alan Lakein, Author

The personal touch is just the reason that planning becomes even more important. We must remember that our players at the collegiate, high school, and middle school levels have lives outside of athletics. They are in school to get an education first and foremost. That education is in the classroom and time spent hitting the books, studying, reviewing notes, etc..., but it is also in their social development; spending time with friends and family, developing relationships. We have a tremendous opportunity to teach these young people the value of time management in order to fit all of these things into a busy day. This opportunity carries with it the responsibility to be well organized and have a plan that our players are able to schedule around.

"You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan."
-Zig Ziglar

We must also take into consideration those that work with us and our own relationships. Without a clear plan or schedule, our families and the families of the staff will suffer. You may have a plan, but if it is not clearly communicated early, it will seem to those around you like you don't have a plan at all. This goes back to the definition of leadership by Dr. Christian above, it is about people. Coaching carries with it numerous responsibilities to lives other than your own. Early organization and communication of your plan is a critical component to serving the others in your program.

"Planning is a process of choosing among many options. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us."
-Richard I. Winwood

I definitely understand that situations "pop up" and we must be able to be flexible. That is not the point of this. The point is to organize, plan, communicate, and execute a course of action within your control as early as possible. This breeds less contempt and frustration within the program. The members of the team are more likely to learn the value of time and be able to manage it. The byproduct of all of this is respect from those involved in your program from support staff to coaches to players and all of their families.

"At first, we couldn't be establishment, because we didn't have any money. We were guerrilla marketers, and we still are, a little bit. But, as we became number one in out industry, we've had to modify our culture and become a little bit more planned."
-Phil Knight, Nike founder

As you and your program become more successful, it is even more important to plan ahead. Flying by the seat of your pants will end up biting you in that same location. When you're on top, you've got to have a strategy to stay on top. A foundation is good, but what you build upon it must be structurally sound in order for it to stay standing. An absence of a plan can produce a sense of confusion, leading to discontent, which ultimately can tear down what you have built.

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
-Benjamin Franklin

Terminology

Friends in basketball, I once again apologize for not posting last week. We were on the road, my laptop battery was dead, and I left my charger at home. Doesn't mean I couldn't post another day of the week, but I like to reserve Wednesdays for right now as a posting day. The day before the first game of the week is a great time to reflect on what I feel is important in my own philosophy and to share with you.

That stated, I don't remember where I was reading about the use of terminology in the past week, but this past weekend it really hit home. One of our young, less experienced assistant coaches had the responsibility of scouting and doing walk-through on one of our opponents. During the course of the walk-through, he used terminology that was inconsistent with terminology used in our program as well as just flat out incorrect terminology. I could sense that this young coach was losing the team; slowly but surely. The team was trying hard to listen, but I could see that this coach was losing credibility with every misspoken word. Without any fanfare or drama, I quickly alerted this young coach to his mistake.

So my best suggestion is to meet as a staff, especially early in the season, and determine what terminology the staff will be using. Come up with a glossary of terms that will be frequently used in teaching your own team. Case in point: some coaches prefer the term "pick-the-picker"while others prefer "screen-the-screener". Both have the same meaning, but can lead to confusion when one member of the staff uses the former and another member of the staff uses the latter.

It is also important to define other terminology. One of the big mistakes this young coach made last week with our team was that he was calling a stagger screen on the baseline, a "double ball screen." The players KNEW it wasn't even a ball screen, but the coach continued to use the term. Because of this coach's inexperience, he was nervous and just picked a random term. When I notified him, he was embarrassed, but realized his mistake and remembered our terminology.

Some things to think about when putting your glossary together:

Keep it consistent. Once you choose your terminology, stick with it. Don't deviate. You don't want to confuse your players.

Keep it simple. Don't over complicate it. Stick to simple words; the fewer syllables, the better.

Define areas of the court. As with the "screen" or "pick" situation above, determine what you and your staff will call parts of the floor. Is it the "key", the "lane", or the "paint"? Is it the "hash mark" or the "28-foot line"?

Share your glossary with your players. Make sure that they know what it is you are trying to communicate.

These are only a few ideas. I challenge you to think about the terminology you wish to use with your players and staff.

Mental Discipline by Coach Meyer

As the season hits the "home stretch", mental discipline becomes the separator of the good teams and the great teams. I am very proud of my post players in regards to this as they have really taken to the idea that it takes something special between the ears to accomplish great things. We have discussed this frequently and they have truly responded in a major way. Many of the 12 points Coach Meyer mentions in the following, our posts have bought in to.

It's How You Play the Game: Mental Discipline
1. Communicate with teammates vs. talk with opponent (or officials, opposing school crowd, opposing coaches, etc... They all have the same mental effect.)

2. Taking a charge vs. backing away from a charge.

3. Calling out and communicating assignments on the freethrow lane vs. violations at the freethrow line.

4. Take charge or block shot to a teammate vs. wild leaping or goal tending.

5. Smart foul vs. dumb foul

6. Intense position pressure defense vs. wild lunging defense.

7. Poised offense vs. anxious offense.

8. Use the glass or grab the ball vs. don't use the glass or tip.

9. Inside game vs. outside game perimeter lapse.

10. Make lay-ups vs. miss lay-up and they score.

11. Positive one; look for ways to win vs. negative one.

12. Great effort each possession vs. great play syndrome.

Don't let weak people bring out the weakness in you.
Intensity and technique lead to hustle plays.
Play against the game.

Team attitude: Philippians 2:1-5

Communication

How many times do you hear coaches exclaim, "You've got to talk!" or even simply, "Communicate!"? It happens frequently; probably more times than not. Talking, especially on defense, is often demanded but seldom ever taught. We preach, but don't teach.

After spending the last week with a good amount of new players to our program, I am realizing that players just don't know HOW to talk or communicate.

Communication is critical to success. It brings unity and a sense of purpose to the team. Proper communication means assuring all of the players on the floor that they are on the same page. Communication can increase intensity and energy while becoming an intimidating factor for the opponent. Players may talk or communicate, but as we are all different, we also communicate in different ways and even interpret messages in as many different ways.

To this end, I have taken it upon myself to teach our team, new and returning players, exactly HOW to talk to each other on the floor. This will eliminate sending mixed messages, interpreting messages incorrectly, and keep us all on the same page specifically on defense.

- Name First - Any time a player is directing talk at a specific player, the name must come first. I have seen too often where a screen is communicated, but the action came first. By the time a player's name was spoken, it was too late and he got caught on the screen.

- Be Specific - While a player communicates "Screen coming!", it does not communicate where the screen is coming from. In our defensive system it is imperative to know where that screen is originating to determine how we are going to play it. Have players tell their teammates where they are on the floor in help situations. Define it for them.

- SSS - Short, sweet, and simple. This may sound like I'm contradicting myself from the above statement, but I have had players get hung up in wordy, detailed talk. They are so concerned with painting a picture that they lose focus themselves.

- 3 is the Key - Repeating what is communicated 3 times gives better odds that the message will be received.

- Daily Emphasis - As Don Meyer says, "It is not so much what we teach, it is what we emphasize." Incorporate communication into every drill from warm-ups to conditioning.

Defending a ball screen, for example, will sound like this to the on-ball defender: "Kenny, Screen right! Kenny, screen right! Kenny, screen right!" Being an on ball screen, Kenny would respond with: "Brad, jump it! Brad, jump it! Brad, jump it!"

One thing I will always take with me from my time working for Kevin Eastman is "Talk loud. Talk early. Talk often." Once players have a common system that everyone understands, talking becomes a powerful weapon!

I encourage you to explore a simple communication style that works for your team.

5 Steps of Character Coaching

Had the opportunity to listen to Rob Miller from Proactive Coaching this week. He was gracious enough to come to campus and speak to our student athletes and the following day spent time with our coaching staff. Rob is fantastic! He did a great job and was very informative. Here are the 5 Steps of Character Coaching:

1. Clear and Concise Vision - Make sure it is abundantly clear to everyone in your program what direction you are headed in. Communication break downs can be as cancerous to the team as anything.

2. Words and Actions Must Align - Do not send mixed messages. You can no longer practice the "do as I say, not as I do". Take a self assessment. Be truthful to yourself. Ask a trusted colleague or friend to observe and report.

3. Know Exactly What Your Team Stands For - A quick gauge of this is to ask your conference opponents what they think your team stands for. If you don't know, your team won't know. What are the things you want to be known for?

4. Be A Coach of Significance - Do not settle for teaching the game and worrying about wins and losses. Have a deeper impact. As Frosty Westering, former Pacific Lutheran football coach, once said (and I've hear John Maxwell say many times as well), "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

5. Be A Leader, Not A Manager - Don't be a boss or a buddy. As I phrase it, be firm but fair. Leaders innovate, develop, inspire, have a long-term view, answer the questions "what?" and "why?", originate, and challenge the status quo. Managers on the other hand administer, maintain, control, have a short-term view, answer the questions "how?" and "when?", imitate, and are satisfied with status quo.