The Most Beautiful Offense in Basketball....

The Triangle Offense. Fundamentally sound, difficult to defend and an equal opportunity offense, Tex Winter's triangle has won NBA coach Phil Jackson 11 Championships and has also been a part of collegiate women's basketball programs at Stanford, Tennessee, Connecticut, Hartford and countless others.

What makes the Triangle Offense so good? It's a detailed system that requires all 5 players on the court to know each position in the offense so that when the defense takes something away (for example, high pressure on the perimeter or sagging onto your posts) there is an automatic counter to expose what the defense is giving up.

I've spent a lot of time reading and watching the Triangle (sometimes called the Triple-Post offense or Sideline triangle) and also seeing elements of it in most offenses.

Below are a series of videos to give you an overview of this great system. I have 2 pages of detailed notes on these videos as well as diagrams, principles and vocabulary. If you would like me to pass them on to you please send me an email at ChrisPassmore@uri.edu

I think you'll enjoy!

Quote of the Day:

“I would tell players to relax and never think about what’s at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you’ve lost your focus”. -Michael Jordan

Quote of the Day:

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot .. and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why... I succeed." -Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan & 7 Ways to Listen

Pat Williams is an author, motivational speaker and senior vice president of the Orlando Magic who wrote a book called "How to Be Like Mike: Life Lessons About Basketball's Best" (link to Amazon).

I knew Michael Jordan was unusual from the second day of practice his freshman year. I was teaching some pressure defense principles and saw Michael was doing it incorrectly. I went over it with him. I thought it would take him two weeks to learn it. The next day, Michael had it down perfectly. I said, "What did you do, stay up all night studying?". He said, "Coach, I'm a good listener. I do what I'm supposed to do." -Dean Smith

There is no use even bothering with conversation if we are only preoccupied with our own concerns. The problem is that most of us don't utilize conversation the way we should- to absorb and consider the knowledge and view point of others. Instead, we filter everything through the lens of our own concerns, we worry about formulating an appropriate reply and we don't really listen.

Some simple solutions for listening more effectively:

1) Keep quiet. It signals your receptiveness.
2) Show positive non-verbal communication. Make eye contact and nod your head affirmatively.
3) Don't lead. Asking leading questions is a way of directing the conversation.
4) Resist giving advice unless they ask directly. Often, people are not searching for solutions to their problems; they just want someone to engage them.
5) Remain neutral. Don't agree or disagree, approve or disapprove.
6) Don't react defensively. If you hear something that bothers you, avoid showing it.
7) Avoid cliches. This only leads people to think you're anxious to get away from them.