The Art of Passing

Great passing is so vital to the game of basketball. A great passer can sometimes be hard to come by and when you find one or develope one on your team there are more possibilities of weapons within your playbook. How to look for a great passer and how can you develope someone to be a good passer?

How to look for a good passer? 3 tips: 

1. Look for a high basketball IQ player and one who understands the highs and lows of a basketball game.

2. Look for a player who exploits some creativity on the basketball court.

3. Look for a player with the ability to pass the ball with both right and left hand and also can be explosive with a chest or overhead pass.

How to develope someone to be a good passer? 3 tips:

1. Have the player watch footage of other great passers in the game of basketball.

2. Have the player watch film of themselves passing the ball during the act of play and really disect their decision making.

3. Create good passing drills with tough angles and tough decision making situations the player can think and react to. 

Mental Toughness

Life and sports are one in the same.  You can learn so much through sports about how to adjust, adapt and achieve high success that apply directly to life. Basic skills include communication, being competitive, working within a team, commitment, leadership, diligence, sacrifice and my favorite - mental toughness.  

To be mentally tough is much more valuable than being physically strong on the court. Anybody can be strong and muscle themselves around to achieve some success. Keep in mind, that as a player or coach someone will always be stronger, faster, taller etc. so you must find a way to overcome the adversity.

"You can be strong individually but you must develop mental toughness as a team to sustain long term success." 

-Brenita Jackson

How can one develop mental toughness?

Each and every work out should include disadvantage drills to create adversity such as 5 on 4 shell drill or 11 man break (constant 3 on 2) so that players can learn how to overcome adversity. In an individual setting, you should condition and weight train first then do skill work so you are fatigued and really focusing on fundamentals.  Conditioning and weight training themselves can create adversity especially when you get to that last set and once players over come these battles consistently they wll have more confidence and gain mental toughness.  

Each work out should be challenging mentally and physically and running a mile is a great test of mental toughness.  We all know that during that mile you hear negative thoughts that make you want to quit and give up. Once you train your body and mind to fight through something as basic as finishing the run, then you are ready for competition! If you can't compete with yourself to get better, hang it up trying to beat anyone else. 

If you train yourself to overcome the negative thoughts and push yourself beyond your limits, you will be successful!  That is the ultimate definition of mental toughness!

Defense

     DEFENSE!! Who thinks defense doesn't win championships? Everyone knows that saying "offense sale's tickets and puts people in the stands." Although that may be true and all but let's not forget that the game of basketball has allways been about buckets and if defense stops a team from getting buckets, how could a team win or how would that saying "offense sale's tickets and puts people in the stands " apply. If the score of a game was 115 - 116, one team got a defensive stop at some point to help their team have an opportunity to score one more point then the other team. As you can see, that's an example of a little defense probably at the right time of the game helping to win the game. 

      I hear people debating all the time about defense vs offense and which one they would rather have. Both sides of the ball definitely has it's benefits separately and to one another. I have to say I would choose DEFENSE everytime. Defense, when taught properly to players as far as their body position, hands and feet activity, eye coordination, IQ, and mentality about defense within your defensive philosophy is a beautiful thing to watch. When all those defensive skills are getting steals, rebounds, and other 50/50 balls to set up your offense to get easy transition buckets fueling your team's confidence on offense and igniting the crowd, how could you not love defense? Some of the greatest players to play the game, killed you on offense and then would stop their opponent from scoring by playing defense. 

     When you think about it, when you can stop the other team from scoring by playing good defense, and you score points on offense that's the true meaning of out scoring the other team. DEFENSE would be a great ground base to start a game plan incase you would ever have to wonder. Defense can pull you through ugly games when all else fells. What's your prospective on defense? Which side of of the ball are you for, offense or defense?

Creating Space

As the offensive player in basketball, you must create space to shoot a high percentage shot. There is a difference between a good shot and a bad shot.  Which makes shot selection a top priority for athletes to study and understand. 

So how do you create space for a shot?

*watch film to evaluate the quality of shots you are taking

*develop your game to go to the ball on the catch and in triple threat position

*be ready at all times to shoot first, pass second and dribble third

*improve your moving without the ball - must be in shape to do this consistently
*cut off screens low and squared up to the goal
*screen & roll/screen & pop scenarios
*slip screens
*using cuts (L, V, flare, back door)
*1 on 1 moves to get around defense should be developed daily!
*pump fakes
*jab steps
*pass fakes
*step backs

*combination moves will be beneficial once defenses adjust to the moves your making

Every player should have these basic skills developed daily in some type of way. Players that shoot the ball with a defender already in their face should not be surprised by a blocked shot or missed jumper. Make a move and get around the defense to shoot a wide open shot. Get to the rim with authority around the defense and not through bodies.

These are some basic ways of creating space and will benefit players and coaches to develop these skills.

Passion, Determination and Faith

We all are blessed to be able to do something that we love which is play or coach the game of basketball.  What makes the game fun for our fans is seeing that passion when we step out on the court!  They love to see teams working together, coaches competing and waiting to see who will finish as the winner.  The fight and determination that we show during games proves how much faith we have in our ability to win!  When everyone on the team truly believes that they can win then they will play hard, fight longer and show their passion for basketball. 



If you feel like you have lacked in either of these areas, then challenge yourself to determine if you truly have faith in your ability to win?  If you don't first have faith, then you will not persevere through adversity and you will quit when things don't go your way.  Every championship winner knows that adversity will come, but if you have faith, then your determination and passion will fuel you through anything that comes your way!  #BeBlessed

Appreciation is the Answer

There are so many issues with "entitlement" when dealing with this generation.  After having some true highs and lows with your team, you may be wondering how you can get them to stay hungry and work hard for what they want in life.  So many times, players seem to forget to focus on what they have and be appreciative of that.  It may be because they don't know the sacrifices that were made to create the opportunities they have today.

Webster’s Dictionary defines appreciation as an ability to understand worth, quality, or importance of something.  After thinking about the definition, maybe the problem is players do not understand the worth of their opportunity to play basketball.  So when you hear someone say they are depressed, miserable or just unhappy with their circumstances, try shedding some light on the things they can be thankful for .  Reflect on the history that so many people fought so that they can be where they are today.  To take the appreciation a step further, take some time to engage in a selfless cause that will help someone else.

With today being such a special day of celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. life's work, it is the perfect opportunity to remind players of our nation’s history.  The battles fought and won so that they may have equal opportunity to do what they love to do which is play basketball.  Think about the people who died so that we may live a better life than them.  The war is still not over and I wonder if players think about what they can do today that may one day pave the way for the next generation.  If you only live to better yourself, your works will not last.  Ask your players to answer this question:  "What legacy are you leaving that will benefit someone else?"

Love of The Game

A lot of people say that they love this game but do they really?? One who says they love the game should really sat and ask themselves if they do or not player or coach. As the years go by I hear more and more of that statement "I love the game of basketball" I look at them when they say it and in their eyes they don't really understand the work ethic that goes into having success as a player or coach in this game. Sometimes once they realize the hard work it takes some people go toward a different path or direction. 

Hard work and dedication to what you believe in within the game of basketball is what brings you success. The next time you are sitting there thinking about the game or even when you are discussing the game with another person, ask yourself,"Do I really love this game like I say I do?" If you really can't answer that question then you might need a different direction but if you can please keep the love and respect for this game and never take it for granted. This will keep you humble and hungry and not get caught up in the glame and fame that comes with it. Always remember the work it takes to get to that point. 

Teaching Humility

Teaching Humility

A lot of people take their lives for granted and forget just how precious the opportunity of life is.  As basketball players, we have the unique opportunity to play a sport we love and pursue education at the same time.  Both are a privilege. 

 

San Jacinto College Women's Basketball Team at Children's Hospital 10-25-13

How do I teach my players humility?

One way to teach humility is through community service.  Not just getting into the community to show face, instead to engage people around you to learn their story.  We like to take our team to different types of environments to show them that everyone does not get to wake up and do something they love everyday.  Some people have not had that opportunity or are in the hospital fighting for their lives.  Anything involved with kids is always nice because we get to give some inspiration to the up and coming generation.  We always tell our players to get their name and talk to them.  Learn something about them that you could relate to like "Do you both have an older brother?" or "Is your favorite food pizza?"  This makes the conversation more personal and gives a connection.

Why teach humility?

We all should feel humility each day that we wake up to see another day.  If we are not giving back to someone else and engulfing ourselves with helping others, then we are not doing our society any justice.  We cannot sit back and wait on someone else to initiate change.  I like to inspire my players with: "If you want change, then you have to change something you are doing"