Great BLOB by Wichita State

Currently watching Wichita State Play Northern Iowa on ESPN3. ESPN3 is my saving grace as I don't have cable!

Anyway, Wichita State ran this BLOB play and I thought it was pretty slick. It's not fancy or complicated, but it gets the job done and I bet it'll fool at least a few opponents this year. The announcers on ESPN even talked about how UNI covered this play during their walk-through today and it still worked!

The play starts with two players stacked at and just below the free throw line. A scorer (3) starts in the three spot, just below the stack. A shooter (2) stands on the ballside corner to occupy a defender. The scorer (3) comes off the double screen by circling around the first and squeezing between the screeners back to the spot he came. Might get an easy lay up here, but chances are that 3s guy will sag.

As the scorer (3) clears the screen he continues to head to the backside of the rim. The second guy in the stack (5) screens the first guy in the stack (4). The first guy in the stack (4) cuts to the ball and recieves the pass for a shot. If the player coming off the screen (4) is denied by the corner player's (2) defender, then the shooter (2) is wide open for a three.

Possible Counters

If the defense starts to sag off of 4 and blow up the play, then 5 can pin down 4's guy. 4 pops out to the free throw line extended for an easy three.

The stud (3) can start to come off the screen bu instead backscreen for 5.

Put the shooter in the 5 spot if they sag off you and have him pop to the free throw line extended after setting the three, or the corner spot (2) can flair for him.

Where Have I Been? And being Blessed at 0-5.

Well, I have not posted for an embarassingly long time! What have I been doing you ask? Nope, not on a secret mission to save America, didn't take a mission trip, and definitely wasn't on a trip around the world.

What I was doing, however was trying my best to be a great teacher for St. Paul Humboldt, a great husband to my wife Desiree, a great coach for St. Thomas Academy, along with buying a house, moving,  and being a first time homebuyer with no internet.

With that said, I am going to try to update this more often, as well as start a free basketball website where I can post all of my handouts, videos, thoughts, materials, links, etc. Coming soon - but not up and running yet.

At St. Thomas we've had a rough start to the year on the scoreboard - we've started out 0-5, but could easily be 4-1. Lost a game in triple overtime, lost a game by 5 (and had 25 turnovers), lost by 8 (had a lead), and lost, and lost by 5 and had a lead.

Some would be down about this - how are we losing? But there are are a couple of reasons that we are blessed:
1. We are blessed with a great head coach who is going to get us pointed in the right direction/
2. We are blessed with great player who are going to work hard and get better each day.
3. We are blessed with the knowledge of  what we need to improve on.
4. We are blessed that everyone is on board.

Because of this, we are going to turn it around. With the exception of the first game where John Marshall kicked our butts, we've competed in every game and given ourselves chances to win. Honestly, I would rather be 0-5 than 4-1 because our practices are more focused.


Happy holidays to everyone, whatever you celebrate, and remember to give thanks for the important things in life - family, friends, and the abilities you do have!

The Rubishko Files: Greece 2008 Olympic Horns Sets

Editors Note: Several weeks ago I was helping my head coach move and aquired several boxes of scouting reports, game film, and scouting tapes. The Rubishko Files are information from there. As a courtesy to the coaches I am not going to list the school and also out of respect I am not going to share any information from coaches who have helped me in the past.
Introduction
These sets come from a breakdown of the 2008 Greek Olympic Team's Horn Sets. These clips were actually put together by DeLaSalle's Coach Thorson who watches obscene amounts of tape each year! And I'm not a horns fan by any means, but I am impressed with what they do out of these sets. Simple, yet effective.

Set 1 - Swing and Slip
This is an interesting set, and a great compliment to the horns set published below. Also, in these sets Greece starts their posts higher than the other team did, which I like better - more room to operate.

The point guard (1) comes off the 4's side. The other post (5) slips to the rim and then the block. Look to get him the ball. The 4 who set the screen flairs to the opposite slot off the screen.

 The ball gets throw back across to the 4. The 4 then looks to drive. The ball side corner (3) comes up and gets the ball if the drive is not there.

 The 4 dives off the pass out and the 5 pops to the elbow and gets the ball. He can shoot it, dump into the 4, or kick across to the other wing (2) who came up.



 

Set 2 - Flair

This is another great counter to the bread and butter post entry horns set a few posts back.

 

In this set, the point (1) again comes off the 4's side of the ball screen.

 The backside post (5) sets a flair screen for the 4 who flairs to the opposite slot. We throw the ball back across to the 4 who can immediately go.

If the 4 doesn't immediately go to the rack the 5 pseudo rolls and then sets a ball screen for the 4 to go baseline.



 

**Obviously you can't run this with an unskilled 4, but if you've got a 4 who can play, and run a 4 guard system, this would be a great set for you to run. I would say you even could run it with your stud wing at the 4.

 

 

Set 3 - Switch and Slip

A dirt simple play, but it's the simplicity I fell in love with. So the 1 comes off the 4s side again. The 5 works his way out between the slot and the wing.

 This time the 4 turns and rescreens, the 1 comes back across the top and the 5 backcuts for a layup.

 

Closing Thoughts

The simplicity of these Greek sets is what's beautiful about them.  If you are into the high pick and roll game, or you've got a good post and need creative ways to involve him in the offense, these could work very well for you.

 

 

 

 

The Rubishko Files: Simple, but Great, Horns Set

Editors Note: Several weeks ago I was helping my head coach move and aquired several boxes of scouting reports, game film, and scouting tapes. The Rubishko Files are information from there. As a courtesy to the coaches I am not going to list the school and also out of respect I am not going to share any information from coaches who have helped me in the past.

This was a horns set that was on a scouting tape. This team has a nice post and ran this set for him OVER AND OVER with success. It's simple, but every coach should add it to their tool belt - I know I have! It's pretty similar to what Spain was doing during the Olympics - although this film was from 2008.


This starts as a basic horns set with the point guard (1) coming off the high screen on the side of the stud post. The point (1) bounces out to the wing, stud post rolls (look inside), and the opposite post (4) pops high.

Throw the ball back to the high post (4) and go right into the stud post (5) who sealed off the roll if he didn't get it.

 



So again, it's a super simple set, but 

The Rubishko Files: Killer 1-4 High Set

Editors Note: Several weeks ago I was helping my head coach move and aquired several boxes of scouting reports, game film, and scouting tapes. The Rubishko Files are information from there. As a courtesy to the coaches I am not going to list the school and also out of respect I am not going to share any information from coaches who have helped me in the past.

The first thing I am going to share is a great 1-4 high set. It's got everything you'd want in a 1-4 high, backdoors, post ups, and backscreens. It's a really slick set to get the ball into your post.


The set starts with the 1-4 high, having the wings higher than free throw line extended. The play started in the clip out of the break and a full cour situation, but could be run in your regular half court set.

The guard (1) passes to the wing (2) and cuts through off the elevator screen with the posts at the elbows (4, 5). The pass should go to the opposite side of your better post (5). The point (1) cuts to the rim and then the block on his way out to the ballside corner.

As the point (1) fills to the corner, the backside post (5) pops up and recieves the pass from the wing (2).

The wing (2) cuts off a screen by the remining post (4) at the elbow to the rim. The backside wing (3) also runs a backcut as the post (5) catches the pass. If not going to get a layup breaks off and ends up in the corner.

The wing who came off the screen (2) fills out to the wing on the opposite side that he came from. The point fills up, and the high post (4) works his way to the block.

The post at the top (5) screens down for the other post (4) on the block. The low post (4) pops up and recieves the pass.

 

As the post (5) set the downscreen he seals and the post who popped (4) looks to go right inside for the post up and score.

Coaching Hard and Soft Skills

Image from thetalentcode.com

After months of anticipation and waiting, I finally got my hands on The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle. Coyle is also the author of one of my favorite books, The Talent Code. As I suspected, the book did not disappoint and it was well worth the wait! If you haven't yet, you need to get it. It is a must for every coach and player!

I'm not going to print all 52 tips on here, but one of the things that struck a chord with me was the idea of hard vs. soft skill and how different they are from each other. A hard skill is a skill that must be done right every time, in every situation. A soft skill, on the other hand, is the skill of being able to read and adapt to a situation on the go.

What does this have to do with coaching basketball you ask? Well basketball is a game that constantly combines hard and soft skill. Successful players have both. As a coach you need to understand how each is developed in order to properly coach it - and it's evident that some coaches do not understand the difference.

Many times coaches confuse hard skills with soft skills. Passing is a prime example. I understand the need for form passing drills at a young age, but is that really how you get better at passing? Of course not. Passing must be done against pressure, to a moving target, with defense. How many times in a game are you going to come down the floor, stop unpressured, and make a perfect pass to a guy standing wide open? If you do play a team that allows you to do that, let me know who it is so we can schedule them! Most teams you play are going to pressure the passer and maybe the cutter. Players are going to have to learn angles, leading their target, when a player is open, the type of pass to use,  how fast to throw it, etc. These are all soft skills that can't be taught properly in a structured drill.

How about fast break skills? We often hear coaches complain that players that are great in practice but struggle making the right decision in transition during a game. Why is that? Well many times players are told to take the ball to spot A, pass to player B, and then move to spot C. Well that may work in practice, but doesn't really apply to a real game when the situation is constantly changing. They might be great at a normal 3 on 2 situation but what happens when it's 3 on 3? 1 on 1? 3 on 2 and the defenders sag in the lane? 3 on 2 when the third defender is sprinting in behind? All of a sudden it isn't as easy as it was in practice - the skill has shifted to a soft skill.

Half court offense is another prime example of hard vs. soft skills. Yes shooting, passing skills, dribbling are important. Players need to know how to react to a given situation to take advantage of the defense - when to backcut, the angle to basket cut, etc. Even in set offenses such as SWING or Flex the teams that run it best have players who read the defense and make the right play. They still backcut pressure, attack the rim on the drive and read the defense, relocate on the pass inside for a better passing angle out,  etc. They see the patterns in the game and understand how to react and take advantage of the defense, instead of running around like robots.

Closeouts are yet another skill we all struggle getting our players to do correctly in a game. Why? Well, many times we practice closeouts 1 on 0 or with a dummy offense. It's great for the technique but translates poorly to game situations. How do they know how to use the skill in a game? How do they know what angle to take when closing out when the offense is in a variety of positions? How do they know how to read the offensive player's body language to see that he's going to drive? The answer is they do not have the knowledge, unless they've acquired the soft skills as well.

And how about 1 on 1 skills? How many players can do a move that is textbook on a chair and then get to the game and they seem lost on when to do the move, or they cross over right into the defender? The issue is that they have the hard skill down but they don't have the soft skill - the knowledge of when to use the crossover, the angle to take, etc.

I guess the labored point I am trying to make is that basketball is a lot of soft skills. But as a coach are you teaching it a soft skill setting? As you all know by now, I am a HUGE fan of the work that Brian McCormick does. Mainly because he teaches the game in a soft skill setting. He develops those kinds of skills in players, which are very important skills.

The question we as coaches have to ask ourselves is are we giving our players the correct teaching environment for the required skill? You want to teach the backcut, that's great! But running a drill with a passer at the point, a wing, and a defender where the defender dummies it isn't going to really help. It's a good way to start to learn the skill and build the technique (hard skill), but in order for the player to truly learn the concept they need to see it over and over again in a game type setting (soft skill).

As I've talked about in other posts, this year I spent a lot of time experimenting with teaching the game using small sided games. What we found was that small sided games of  3 on 3, 2 on 2, and 1 on 1 where the ultimate way to build skills, habits, and the ability to adapt to and read situations. Reading this book now solidifies my theory on the topic - you have to spend a lot of time on the soft skills. You want players to really learn how to play and how to use a skill during the game then you need to teach in an environment that develops soft skill learning. Other wise you are going to be frustrated. 

Now don't get me wrong, we still need drills to teach the hard skills. Players need to know the technical aspects of closing out, making a crossover dribble, or making a push pass. But many times we as coaches, myself included, spend too much time teaching the hard skill and not enough on the soft skill aspect and it's evident that the soft skill aspect is far more important. It doesn't matter if a player has picture perfect passing form if he's throwing it to the other team every time. Teaching soft skills is the missing piece to basketball development in my opinion and why not enough players "know how to play".

It's All About Trust

Today I made the two hour drive to Upsala, Minnesota to meet with Coach Vern Capelle to talk coaching and it was well worth it! Coach Capelle has a great wealth of knowledge about the game. One of the things I really wanted to talk to him about was his 4 Out Drive Motion, which he has a video on. Along with the 4 out stuff, which was great, he shared a great insight on what makes him a successful head coach. He kept talking about trusting his players. He talked about trusting players to shoot even when they are having a bad night (and letting them know you trust them), trusting players to make the right reads/plays even when they've screwed up, and trusting players to do what you are asking. He discussed how that makes players play harder and more aggressive - because they know you trust them and have their back no matter the outcome. The faith is a motivator for players.

Coincidentally, today I started reading The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner. One of the first chapters talked about when Turner Broadcasting (TBS) wanted to launch The Cartoon Network. They needed immediate programming so they bought Hanna-Barbera Cartoons (Flintstones, Scooby Doo, etc) because they had all the classic cartoons. Hanna-Barbera also had a studio, but the studio had struggled in recent years coming up with any hip, new, creative programs. Ted Turner gave the studio 2 years to turn it around or it would be shut down. The man he appointed to help with the turn around, Alan Keith, devoted all his time to switching the mindset of the animation team. When it was acquired, the Hanna-Barbera philosophy centered around churning out product as cheaply and quickly as possible. So Keith made the effort to change that mindset. Designers were given the freedom to be creative and take more time, explore more options, try different things, and come up with innovative, quality work. The managers were there to help the designers in the creative process not drive them. The process was long but what do you know, Cartoon Network eventually took off because of it!

What do these two stories have in common? As Coach Capelle does with his players, Cartoon Network's Keith TRUSTED his employees to do their best. Both men gave their people the freedom to be themselves and do what they were supposed to do, and do it well. It ended up with Capelle's team's being successful and Keith's TV network taking off. Same principle in both.

This whole thing also directly ties in with one of my favorite blogs of the last few weeks from Coach Sefu Bernard. In his blog, coach talks about great coaches being "guides in the side" and not a "Sage on the Stage". There are a lot of great Minnesota high school coaches who I have been privileged to watch them practice; coaches such as Coach Novak, Coach McKenzie, Coach Thorson, Coach Miller, Coach Klingsporn, Coach Liesener, Coach Fore, Coach Linton, etc. None of these coaches are a "Sage on the Stage" all the time, constantly doing a lot of talking and repeating. They are all the "guides on the side" for the most part, giving a little advice and then moving on and letting the players go. They are moving through the communication levels. They are teaching in bullets, not paragraphs. They are facilitators not lecturers. And they coach like this, again, because they trust their players. I would assume that Coach Capelle and TBS's Alan Keith are cut from that mold as well.

The last few days have really reinforced the importance of having trust in players. As coach Capelle said, it makes them player harder, and better. As people we all want to be trusted. I think it's one of the world's best feelings. I love that my wife trusts me and I trust her, it's why our marriage works. But I now wonder if I trust the players I coach enough? Do they know I trust them? I'm going to go back and ask some former players over the next week and see what they have to say on the subject. Should make for some interesting conversations.