I watched a Championship summary the other day of the Kansas Jayhawks and their remarkable journey this past season to become the 2008 National Champions. Watching the final game live and the way Kansas beat Memphis in overtime was of course unbelievable. But hearing Bill Self recount the moments and the pre-game and post-game speeches were really great to watch and listen to.
I put together the pre-game speech by Coach Bill Self, and a couple of clips Self describing his emotions and what he was telling his team during the comeback from 9 points down with 2 minutes to go, and finally the post-game speech. Here it is,
I know in the past, on some coaching staffs I've been on that went on to the Championship game where we've probably added more pressure than was necessary, that actually was a detriment and made the players more nervous. That is why I love the pre-game speech message by Coach Bill Self so much. Instead of filling up the players' heads with all kinds of hype, overly sentimental gestures, and piling on the pressure of winning, he simply thanked them, thanked them for fulfilling a coach's dream. I like how in this critical moment, just before the big game, Coach Self let his players know how much each of them meant to him and reminded them to simply have fun and cherish the moment. There's nothing worth laboring so hard for if you can't enjoy the process. After all, it is just a game.
In the commentaries in between, I completely agree with Coach Self. I believe that in order to win it all, especially in a one and done situation, it requires a measure of luck. When his team was down 9, he simply reminded everyone to relax. When they were within 4, there were no slumped shoulders, just a quiet confidence.
Finally, his post-game speech was terrific. I especially like where Coach Self said how winning isn't even the most important part. But what was important was to remember how tough the journey was that it took to get to the mountaintop. It was especially the case for the Kansas team with all starters being seniors, it wasn't a 1-year sideshow, it was a multi-year journey from freshman to senior. They certainly did it the right way.
Bill Self Speech at 2008 National Championship Game
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipI watched the first half of the game between the San Antonio Silver Stars and Phoenix Mercury tonight in the WNBA and it was a pretty good thumping by the Stars over the Mercury. The Mercury's defense had problems from the get go and they could never get on track the rest of the way.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've used a lot of zone defense on teams that I've coached. But the more and I think about it, I would not use the zone as my base. The Mercury use a matchup zone as their base, then they'll switch to a M2M on occasion (usually when the zone isn't working). But once they switch to M2M, you see them struggle with defending plays like the PNR. Watch this clip with the Mercury first in a zone, then twice in M2M, and the Silver Stars take advantage of the defensive weaknesses each time,
Zone Defense Breaks Down:
The Mercury use a 3-2 matchup zone mostly as their base. It's not a bad defense, but like most zones, there are inherent weaknesses. Here, the Silver Stars use a high-low to get the ball inside, then go back outside for the open 3-pointer. The way the zone is designed, ball-oriented, notice how both the top zone defenders turn and look at the offensive player with the ball,
M2M Problems on the PNR:
My theory, is that because the Mercury use a zone defense as base, when they switch to a M2M, they get all crossed up. On the PNR, the Mercury are trying to hedge the screen here, but on the backside they can't decide if they want to rotate or play straight up. If they're suppose to be straight up, as I've pointed out, the defense is playing to far out. If they're suppose to rotate, it comes too late.
The Silver Stars shot lights out tonight which is kind of out of character for them. I don't think it's a coincidence that they found their stroke against the confused Mercury defense, I think we all agree it's much easy to make shots when you're wide open.
Summary:
I've written about this before, but I think the Mercury have been scouted as to how they played last year. Teams know to force them to play half-court where they become impatient and take a lot of ill-advised 3-pointers. The zone defense they use as a base continues to be problematic. I'm not sure that there is time left in the season to correct their deficiencies.
For some more great M2M defensive drill info, check out Jamie Dixon's DVD on his 10 Point Shell Drill. Coach Dixon is the head coach at University of Pittsburgh. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.
One of the areas that we as coaches always look to improve on is how to handle pressure, whether it is full court presses in the open court, or half court traps on the perimeter. Because if your guards aren't ready to play against pressure, then your team won't even have the chance to get into all that stuff you've practiced for your half-court offense and early offense.
In this short video clip, Coach Tobin Anderson demonstrates how your guards can beat the double-teams and the pressure. Take the trap low, take the trap wide, then rip and pivot. 
Obviously if the player is a forward or center and is much taller than the players trying to double-team, he should look to go over the top. But if it's a guard who is of equal or lower height, get low and pivot. Move the defense, then look to either pass out or split the double team,
The absolute worst thing is to turn your back. Once you do that, you have no way of seeing the players in front of you. Also, if you still have your dribble, make sure your players know how to effectively use change of speed to crab dribble then explode.
Summary:
I've seen teams spend a whole week of practice on their press offense, but zero on the fundamentals of playing against pressure. Press offense is great when you know exactly what your opponent will use. What happens when you play against a team with a different trap or press? Spend another week preparing another press offense? More than any press break, teaching your players how to react to pressure, what to do when they see a double-team coming and making good decisions will ultimately lower your turnover rate more than any press offense.
For more drills and skill development info specific to guard play against pressure, check out Bruce Weber's DVD on press break fundamentals. Head over to the X's and O's Basketball forum to discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics.
I went through some video from this past college season and one of the things that came up more than a few times was the flex offense that Tennessee used especially late in games like in the win over then number one Memphis and that thrilling win over Butler to get to the sweet sixteen. I remember Chris Lofton getting a lot of 3-pointers and Tyler Smith getting some great low post position. I also went through some notes and came across a detailed breakdown of what Assistant Coach Jason Shay was calling their "Modified Version of the Flex Offense". Here is an edited version of the notes:
The University of Tennessee's fast break wants to put 3 players on the baseline as fast as we can so that we can put maximum pressure on the opponents transition defense after a made or missed shot. As we get set into our 4-out 1-in modified flex offense, and player movement. The result of this offense should lead to penetrating passes to cutters and screener step-ins for scores. The key is to occupy help defenders through ball movement and keep them busy chasing their man, eventually losing sight of the ball.
Early Offense:
To get into the offense, 3 players in this case 2, 3, and 5 sprint to the baseline as fast as they can with a post rim run to the ball side block. The 1 can push the ball up either side of the floor. 5 fills the ball-side block. Passing will help teams advance the ball up the floor quicker than dribbling it. The trail post will fill opposite the point guard. The first option is to advance pass the ball to the 5 if he can beat the other team down the floor,
With the 2 wings out wide and below the free throw line, the 1 can advance pass to 3 or skip pass to 2 for a shot, a post entry or a drive,
Ball Reversal:
This offense is predicated on the ball changing sides of the floor. The ball must be swung from side-to-side. If he cannot advance the ball up the floor, 1 drives the ball into scoring range and quickly reverses it to 4 or skips it to 2,
Another way to reverse the ball is for 4 to set a transitional ball screen or v-cut into the key area. When the ball changes from one side of the floor to the other, there is a baseline flex screen in which the 5 will set a backscreen for 3. When he catches the ball, the 4 will look for the cutter (3) or screener (5). The screener has the option to step-in and seal, or step-out. If he doesn't receive the ball, 5 must step-out to keep the floor balanced and stay within the framework of the offense.
After making the pass, the 1 will step out behind the ball for an outlet and a quick ball reversal. By stepping 1 out immediately, 4 has four available receivers. In theory, 1 and 4 should pass back and forth up front while 2, 3 and 5 could set the baseline screens,
Down Screen:
1 also can down screen like true flex. If the screener is your best shooter or playmaker and a post is up top, he can downscreen for the guard to come up and look to attack,
On a forward to guard pass, 4 to 2, there is a backside exchange, occupying the help-side defenders. The 4 steps out towards the sideline for the outlet and a quick ball reversal. 3 has a primary post isolation opportunity with no weak-side help,
Summary:
I'm a big fan of the flex offense as a base offense to use for any team as it both reinforces the basic offensive fundamentals and because it is as true of an equal opportunity offense as it gets. Now obviously, at the higher levels you want to adjust it to your team's offensive strengths, whether that is in the post or on the perimeter.
As for Tennessee, with the loss of Chris Lofton I think Coach Bruce Pearl will continue to use the Flex offense and probably even more now that Lofton is gone. Their biggest weakness will be their backcourt, so the flex will allow them to get into their offense quickly without depending on a playmaking guard to initiate.
If you're a Tennessee or Bruce Pearl fan like me, then you'll want to check out the Tennessee 2-pack DVD on Player Development. Assistant Coach Jason Shay goes through a lot of their skill development drills that they use in Tennessee. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.
What a final match. It had everything, drama, suspense, passion, both teams played unbelievable, put everything out there and in the end, Team USA was just a little better, barely. Though defensively, both teams could've have played better, I felt that Spain really couldn't have done any more to stop Team USA, and Team Spain were hitting some unbelievable shots that Team USA couldn't have defended any better.
Obviously, the big plays in the 4th quarter were the 4-point play by Kobe Bryant and 3-pointer by Dwyane Wade with 2 minutes to go and up by 4. Though in my opinion I thought Lebron James was the key to the win. Bryant got the scores, but I felt Lebron made all the big clutch plays even though they probably didn't get noticed much.
Hustle on Defense and Offense:
With 5 minutes to go and Team USA up by 9, this was one of those sequences where you look back and say, this could've been a potential 4 point swing either way. Thankfully for Team USA it went their way. First, after a Team Spain miss, and a battle for the defensive board, the ball is tipped by Dwight Howard. It should've gone out of bounds but Lebron chases the loose ball and saves it to his teammate,
Then Lebron runs the floor, gets the ball and goes up for the laypup. He misses, but gets the offensive rebound and goes up strong and scores, Team USA stretches the lead to 11,
High Post Zone Offense:
When Coach K put Lebron in the game at that high post position against the zone, that was a key tactical substitution. Once Lebron got the ball in the high post, the defense must respect his ability to attack the rim with 1 dribble or less. Watch as 3 Spanish defenders converge on Lebron, he gets one dribble off then pitches it out to an open Dwyane Wade who hit that huge 3-pointer that put the game away,
Defensive Rebounding:
Rebounding wins games. In a game where the bigger Spanish team actually outrebounded Team USA 37-31, it's WHEN you get the rebounds that matter. After Team Spain misses a 3-pointer, you can see Pao Gasol actually try to push Lebron who has position to get the rebound. Lebron doesn't budge, skys for the rebound and pulls it down. Danger averted, 
Summary:
Team USA were never really in a tight game going into the 4th quarter prior to this game so we never knew how they would respond or who they would go to. Now we know. Kobe and Lebron made the big plays down the stretch and one has to wonder if they win this game without them. It was a well-deserved win for Team USA and Team Spain played their guts out, fighting and clawing their way for every basket. It was fitting that the best game of the tournament was also the Gold medal game, the way it's supposed to be.
For more great winning strategies from a truly great basketball mind, take a look at Hubie Brown's DVD on Playbook for Success. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to discuss this and other basketball topics.
Many of you have heard a lot of buzz recently about the new Read and React Offensive System, which was created by Rick Torbett from Better Basketball. Some very respectable coaches, including 2008 NCAA Champion Bill Self from Kansas University, have been raving about it. Coach Torbett has written some articles on the offense, and I wanted to share with you three very interesting points from one of his articles. Here's the excerpt:
"In the mid-to-late-90’s, after nearly twenty years in coaching, three incidents came together to create a turning point in my entire approach towards offense, developing players, and building teams:To read this entire article or learn about the Read and React DVDs, you can visit: http://www.betterbasketball.com/readandreact/articles.html
1. Using the previous season’s videotapes, I charted all the points we scored from free throws, offensive rebounds, fast breaks, set plays, broken plays, etc., and found an unsettlingly ratio. 80% of our points came from broken plays, transition, and other PRINCIPLED basketball. We only scored the way our set plays were designed about 20% of the time. But in practice, the ratio was the opposite: we spent 80% of our offensive time on set plays and less than 20% of the time on PRINCIPLED basketball. I had to ask myself why I was spending 80% of our time on only 20% of our point production?
2. After a rather average season, my assistant coach asked me if I was happy. I replied, “Not particularly.” He asked what I would do differently if I could scrap our entire program and start all over. I said that I would teach our kids how to play the entire game by principle. He then asked, “Why don’t you do it?” The honest answer was: I didn’t know how. I had a lot of pieces, a lot of 2-man and 3-man principles, but not the entire thing. The whole thing seemed like a pretty tall order: to create a seamless offensive system that would encompass transition offense, man-to-man offense, and zone offense without contradiction, and without being limited to only one “set” (5-Out or 4-Out or 3-Out), and without needing a certain type of players, or players ideal for a particular style of play. (Stay tuned, the Read and React Offense does it!)
3. At about the same time, I experienced some success with a team built around six players who played together from 7th grade to 12th grade. We went to the Final 4 their last two years. Were they talented? Yes, but not to the extent you might think. Only two went on to play on the college level. Their real talent was their coordinated effort. They “knew” each other. They moved like a school of fish. Was I responsible for this? Had I suddenly become a coaching genius? No. Our success was due mostly to the fact that they had played together for six years. In fact, each year they were in the program was characterized by fewer plays and more principles."
Two terrific games at the Olympics today in Beijing. First, Spain with the gutsy win over Lithuania in the early game. Then Team USA beating a resilient Argentinian team that almost took it to the Americans without Manu Ginobili who went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
A lot of people will point to the apparent phantom foul call by the referee on the 3-point shot by Carmelo Anthony to close out the half as the play that changed the game. Certainly from a momentum standpoint, that halted the ferocious 2nd quarter surge by the Argentinians. But I felt that Team USA came out of halftime with a different mentality on attacking the zone that frustrated them so much in that 2nd quarter. Credit to Coach K for making the necessary adjustments during halftime. Really, the Americans didn't do anything special scheme wise. I saw 1 or 2 nice BLOB plays they used against the zone inbounds, but other than that Team USA just kept to basics to beat the zone.
Early Postup:
Just because it is a zone defense doesn't mean you can't fast break or run an early offense. In fact, one of the best ways to beat the zone is for your forwards to go key to key and gain an early postup advantage. That is exactly what Dwight Howard does here getting very deep postup position in the lane,
Skip Passes:
Probably the most significant change Team USA made coming out of halftime was moving the ball side to side. It's that old hoosiers line "3 passes before you shoot". Nothing fancy here, Team USA is spread in a 4-out 1-in, and they just move the ball from side to side and Dwight Howard is going from block to block. Eventually, there is a breakdown in the zone defense with all the side to side action and allows Howard inside position for the dunk,
Use Pump Fakes:
This is probably just lack of preparation and scouting by Argentina who from what I understand don't like running the zone defense. Here, Scola goes back to play the ball after the pass out from the post to the wing. Kidd receives the ball and gives a head fake, Scola bites on the fake and jumps at him (bad mistake as we all know Kidd can't shoot well), Kidd dumps off a nice bounce pass to Chris Bosh who nails the shot from the short corner,
Offensive Rebounding:
Last but not least, you can almost single handily beat a zone defense if you have great offensive rebounding. Because the defense is playing the ball, it is elementary for your forwards to get underneath the defense and grab the rebounds. In fact Team USA outrebounded Argentina 16-9 on the offensive glass and 43 to 32 overall. Off the 3-pointer miss, Dwyane Wade flies into the open lane and skies to tap the ball back to his teammates,
Summary:
Zone defenses can work extremely when used by a less athletic team trying to nullify the athletic advantage. Zone defenses can become a killer to beat offensively if your team is undisciplined and makes bad decisions no matter how athletic you are. In the first half, when Argentina reluctantly switched to the zone, that is exactly what happened. Team USA settled for 3-pointers, didn't share the ball and just didn't play smart overall. In the second half, they started to pass the ball, get offensive rebounds, and make smart decisions, and it worked.
Tomorrow, Team USA faces Spain in a rematch of their round robin game. The difference I felt in that game was the toughness factor. Team USA bullied the Spanish players around for 40 minutes and they didn't know quite how to respond. We'll see if Team Spain is up for the challenge. They seemed able to toughen it out against a solid Lithuanian team so who knows.
More info for you coaches on zone offense, this is Ronnie Arrow's DVD on his Inside/Outside Zone Offense. Coach Arrow is the head coach of the University of South Alabama. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk about this and your favorite basketball topics.
