Quote of the Day:

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle" -Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the Day:

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be" -John Wooden

Sideline OOB Play for 3

Courtesy of FastModel and Maryland's Video Coordinator Mike Bowden (http://www.fastmodelsports.com/playoftheday/?article_id=277)

Book Giveaway!

I'm giving away "WHAT IT TAKES TO BE #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership". To enter, simply subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the box at the top of the page below the "Overtime" banner. Winner will be announced next Friday, 11/4.

Flip Saunder's Defensive Rules

Thanks to Forrest McKinnis for sending me these great points:

General rules followed by Coach Flip Saunders of the NBA's Washington Wizards, critical for building any defensive foundation.

We give the players these simple, general rules:

Never leave the dribbler alone.
Never let the offense penetrate the defense, either with a dribble or a pass.
Sag towards the ball, forming triangles on the help position.
Cover the low post player, fronting him or in a ¾ stance.
Drop as deep as the ball on the back defensive line.
Move the ball to the corners or away from the basket.
On the shallow cuts or cuts in front of you, switch.
Contest every shot.
Pressure the ball at the top of the lane, in a ball defensive stance.
The inside hand is up to deny any passing lane.
The guards pick up their assigned players five feet from the top of the key.
Move on every pass and dribble.
Sag as much as the defensive rules let you.
Try and make cuts to the ball go behind you to "kick him off." That’s our terminology for following a cutter and then giving him to another defender. 

If you're interested in more "40" Defense from Flip Saunders visit http://shop.coachmac-basketball.com/

Get Connected

There aren't many secrets in coaching. I heard the following story: at a coaches clinic years ago, a very successful coach from a BCS school was giving a presentation about their offense. In the crowd were opposing coaches from the same conference who were frantically writing down every BLOB play and quick hitter. The presenter paused, looked around the room and said "Coaches, you can write down my plays all day. The fact is, you just don't know how well we are going to run them".

Point of the story is...get out there and share what you know! Better yet, learn from others and see a different side of things. Here are a few sites I really enjoy:

www.HoopCoach.org

http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com/

www.CoachBobWalsh.com

Quote of the Day:

 "Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation."