Unfortunately it seems that as many teams are defeated from within their own program as there are teams who are defeated by actual opponents. It only takes one or two “cancers” on a team to completely destroy a season and sometimes an entire program! The following list was put together from a series of tweets posted by Pure Sweat. Hopefully none of them sound familiar.

Players that care about individual rankings more than they care about improvement shouldn’t be on the team. #cancers

Players that don’t cheer on their teammates and don’t celebrate their teammates’ successes shouldn’t be on the team. #cancers

Players that care more about stats than wins shouldn’t be on the team. #cancers

Players that complain about playing time but refuse to put in extra work to earn more minutes shouldn’t be on the team. #cancers

Players that are more concerned about their image instead of doing what it takes to win shouldn’t be on the team. #cancers

Parents that tell their kids everything they WANT to hear instead of everything they NEED to hear are #cancers

With such a great emphasis being placed on getting to the rim it is more important than ever to have a wide variety of finishing shots at your disposal. The following drill can be done as a team or in your individual workouts. Youth and middle school players could easily work on this drill every day.

1. Start by standing on the baseline and flipping the ball out in front of you to the opposite elbow.
2. Catch the ball, square up and then drive down the lane line and shoot an underhand layup.
3. Rebound the ball out of the net and the flip it out in front of you to the other elbow.
4. Again, square up, drive down the lane line and shoot an underhand layup with your other hand.
5. Repeat the sequence until you have shot 6 different layups with each hand for a total of 12 layups.

Suggested layups:

1. Underhand
2. Overhand
3. Reverse
4. Jump stop and cross over
5. Baseline crab step and power dribble
6. Floater down the middle.

If you do this drill with your team, start in your regular two- line layup formation and play “follow the leader.” Every time the first player in line changes shots then everyone else changes as well.

Here are the 5 defensive “MUSTS” that current Florida State’s Head Coach, Leonard Hamilton, preaches to his team:

1. Must Prevent Easy Transition Baskets

a. Take care of the basketball

b. Sprint back & get into “attack stance & mentality”

c. Communicate, find & stop ball

d. Establish position in relation to ball

2. Must Keep Ball Out of the Red Zone

a. Stop dribble penetration

• Guard ball
• Shrink the gaps (up line principles)
• Early help and recover
• Execute closeouts

b. Take away the post pass

• Pressure ball
• Front post: take away flashers and cutters
• Swarm to help on lob

3. Must Contest Every Shot

a. Defeat screens

• Communicate
• Man guarding screener responsible for stopping ball
• “Fight Like Hell” when screened
• Eliminate penetrate and pitch
• Contain dribbler

b. Shrink gaps (help and recover)

c. Execute closeouts & pressure the ball

4. Must Allow Only One Shot Opportunity

a. Block out at every position

b. Eliminate penetration into “Red Zone” which weaken your block out schemes

5. Must Create Offense with Defense

a. Ball pressure

b. Develop a “Swarm to Help” mentality

According to authors Don Shula and Ken Blanchard in their book “Everyone’s A Coach,” there are four main ways to respond to nearly every situation involving the actions of others: (For those of you too young to remember Don Shula used to coach the Miami Dolphins where they appeared in six Super Bowls and won two of them.

Shula also holds the NFL record for most career wins by a coach and coached the Dolphins to the only perfect season in the history of the NFL.)

Praise. What gets praised gets done! It’s been said that some extrinsic rewards have little value to some people but those same people will crawl a mile over broken glass in order to hear just one sincere compliment.

Redirection.  We in the profession call this “coaching” – all the instruction, encouragement, reasoning, etc. given with the goal of getting the athlete or team to change or improve performance.

Reprimand.  While redirection is basketball related, reprimands are behavior related. Lack of effort, refusing to follow directions, and bad attitudes would all call for a reprimand.

Silence.  This is a common response when a coach becomes frustrated but unfortunately it is usually interpreted by the players as acceptance. For example, If one of my role players continues to take bad shots and I don’t say anything, he will think that I am fine with his shot selection. When it comes to behavior issues, silence can be interpreted as apathy.

All four of these responses are necessary at various times, but coaches should make a conscious effort to use Praise and Redirection much more than Reprimand and Silence.

I just finished reading “Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable” by Tim Grover, and I must admit that it’s one of the best books that I have read in a long time.

Grover, who got his start by being Michael Jordan’s personal trainer, now works with athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and dozens of others.

Over the years he has discovered that there are some very distinct personality traits that separate the good, the great , and the unstoppable and this book is essentially a description of those traits.

Although it is not written solely for the basketball community, I really believe it is a book that should be read by every basketball coach and player who has aspirations of taking their careers to another level.

The language is a little rough in spots but that shouldn’t overshadow any of the ideas or principles in the book.

I think it might take a few blog posts to share all the highlights of the book, but I’m certainly going to try. here are the first several takeaways:

1. Being the best means engineering your life so you never stop until you get what you want, and then you keep going until you get what’s next. And then you go for even more.
2. It’s time to stop listening to what everyone else says about you. Let them judge you by your results and nothing else. If you’re relentless, there is no halfway, no could or should or maybe.
3. Decide. Commit. Act. Succeed. Repeat.
4. Being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you, knowing that every time you stop, you can still do more. You must do more.
5. Success isn’t the same as talent. The world is full of incredibly talented people who never succeed at anything. They show up, do what they do, and if it doesn’t work out, they blame everyone else because they believe talent should be enough. It’s not. If you want to be truly successful, you can’t be content with “pretty good.” You need to find an extra gear.

These ideas came from the first half of the first chapter – there’s lots of great stuff in there!

Here’s a unique ball handling drill that can be adapted and used by beginning, intermediate, and advanced players.

1. Grab a basketball and face an unobstructed wall.
2. Start dribbling the ball with the fingertips of your right hand. Look straight ahead at the wall and keep dribbling the ball at eye level for 1 minute. After 1 minute move the ball up higher until your arm is fully extended and dribble off the wall for another minute.
3. Repeat the drill using your left hand.

If you consider yourself to already be an above average ball handler try dribbling off the wall using both hands at the same time.

If you are an intermediate level player, work on your ball handling by dribbling off the wall while running or sliding along the length of the wall.

Advanced level players can challenge themselves by running or sliding the length of the wall while dribbling off the wall with both hands at the same time.

Here’s a competitive shooting game that you can play by yourself and with a little imagination “beat” Miami’s Ray Allen, who is one of the best outside shooters in the history of the NBA.

1. Pick a spot on the floor, spin the ball out to yourself  and shoot it.

2. Each shot you make gives you 1 point. Each shot you miss gives Ray Allen 1 point. First one to 5 points wins the first game.

3. Shoot a 1 and 1 free throw. If you make both you win the second game. If you miss one of the free throws then Ray Allen wins.

4. Repeat the sequences until either you or Ray Allen wins 10 games. (Pick a different spot on the floor for each set of jump shots.)

It’s hard not to root for Mark Jackson and his Golden State Warriors. I also love watching Steph Curry shoot the ball.

With that said, I’ve always been a big fan of Denver’s long time coach George Karl.

He doesn’t try to control every possession, is not boastful when he wins and is always gracious when he loses.

I was really hoping the Nuggets would complete their comeback last night and force a game 7.

After losing in the first round I’m sure there will be some who will want to see the Nuggets get a new coach but I hope that doesn’t happen.

Here’s some timeless advice from Coach Karl that was published in The Ultimate Coaches’ Career Manual by Pat Williams:

1. Communicate and connect. There is a difference. If you can connect you have an edge over just communication. Connecting involves a heart to heart relationship. It involves the human side of your involvement with your players.
2. Associate with people who will make you better.
3. Have a positive attitude every day. Forget what happened the day before and focus on the new day. All of your players are members of your family and they will be whatever your attitude is

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry came into the NBA as a highly touted guard with the natural ability to shoot the basketball. Still, there were questions about Curry, son of former NBA veteran Dell Curry.

He put up big numbers in college at Division I Mid-Major Davidson and led the Wildcats on a magical run in the NCAA tournament, but would those skills translate to the daily grind of the NBA? Was Curry ultimately more suited to be an NBA shooting guard or a point guard?

Since being drafted by the Warriors in 2009, he has rapidly answered most, if not all the questions concerning his potential as an elite NBA player and shooter.

Other than a lockout-shortened and injury plagued 2011-12, Curry’s numbers have consistently progressed in his four seasons in the NBA. The 2012-13 campaign was his best so far. Taking on the role of Warriors point guard, he averaged career highs in points (22.9) and assists (6.9). He also set a new NBA season record for 3-pointers made with 272, shooting 45 percent from downtown.

What makes Curry an elite shooter and scorer in the NBA?

1. Strong Fundamentals

The most important thing about being a good shooter is proper fundamentals. It goes beyond putting the ball in the basket. Proper mechanics helps a player simplify their shot and get it off quickly. It also conserves energy and allows the player to shoot as well in the final minutes as he does in the first quarter.

Curry’s mechanics are as good as anyone’s. His feet are always squared up and aligned toward the hoop, even when coming off the dribble. His shooting motion is fluid and just as important it’s consistent. Having the same release point, the proper elbow position, his fingers, not his palm, guiding the ball each time allows him to develop a shooter’s touch and almost unlimited range.

2. High Basketball IQ

Even during his days at Davidson, Curry was known for having a high basketball IQ. It helped him to make the transition from shooting guard to point guard during his college career. Many pre-draft scouting reports questioned if he could continue his growth at point guard in the NBA, but he has proven that he can still maintain his scoring average while successfully running the offense. He knows how to shake defenders by coming off ball screens and changing speeds. He also has the ability to play with poise while playing against different defensive looks and rotating defenders.

3. Athletic Ability

Some scouts considered Curry slender and undersized coming out of college and questioned his stamina and ability to be anything more than a spot-up shooter. Not only can he get his shot off over defenders, has the quickness to drive into the lane if they face him up too closely. His athletic ability combined with his knowledge of the game makes him dangerous from anywhere on the floor. It has made Curry one of the NBA’s most entertaining players.

Personally, I have seen Stephen Curry emerge as an elite player. Guarding him in practice convinced me that he could shoot the basketball better than anyone in the country. Being considered as one of the quickest and best defenders, Curry’s release was un-guardable. His work-ethic consisted of not compromising on his shooting form but shooting the basketball the same way each time. He had to shoot a thousand shots per day in college. This kind of work-ethic is what makes players unique.

About the author: Lamar Hull is a former NCAA college basketball player who also played on the European professional circuit. He now writes for Direct2tv. He also has a huge interest in teaching basketball to others. You can also find out more information about Lamar at inspirationalbasketball.com. 

Dealing with parents, especially at the middle school level, is something that every coach must face. Often times dealing with the parents is more challenging than coaching your players. There are so many personalities clashing together and all of them want the same thing, their child to play.

It can become a very frustrating and stressful part of the job. Some coaches tell the parents not to interfere and try to minimize the amount of time they have contact with the parents. Nowadays that philosophy is more detrimental than helpful.

Instead, be proactive with your parents and educate them on how you do things, what your expectations are of the players and the parents, and appropriate methods of communicating with you.

First things first…

One of the first things a coach should do is have a parent meeting at the start of the year. It can be very helpful, especially to new coaches. It will help minimize potential problems in the future by answering questions on the front-end instead of having to answer the same question later.

It may seem like a lot of extra time, but it will lessen the discussions you have to have with individual parents. The topics of the meetings should be planned out and followed. When planning the meeting, be sure to set aside ample time for a question and answer session for the parents.

Making the meeting productive

The key to having a quality Q&A session is to be honest with the parents and promote an environment of fairness. It’s important that parents understand that the parent meetings are not a time to discuss playing time, game plans, or other players. It also needs to be understood that questions should be asked in a proper manner in regard to language and conduct.

Finally, every parent should exhibit emotional control and be willing to listen to the questions of other parents and the responses from coaches. The first meeting of the year should lay out your team rules, your coaching philosophy, and inform the parents of their expectations and responsibilities in regard to themselves and their child. The following are the responsibilities that you need to make each parent aware of and explain in your first parent meeting.

Parents’ Responsibilities and Expectations

1. Be a fan of everyone (other players, cheerleaders, etc.)

2. Respect the officials and everyone on the other team

3. Talk to your child if they have questions

4. Don’t create conflicts with your child and their coaches and teammates by your conversations

5. Address your complaints to coaches at an appropriate time

6. Understand the goal is to make each player better and not to win every game

7. Be supportive of your child

Everyone’s reputation is on the line

It’s vital that the parents realize that they are not only representing themselves and their child, but also the community and the school. Therefore, you need to be proactive when addressing parent and fan behavior during games. It is a lot easier to create a bad reputation among other schools and officials than it is to build a good reputation.

Fans and players are often a reflection of their coach and his behavior. If you complain to referees and blame them for loses then don’t be surprised when your players start blaming other people and your fans begin to disrespect the officials and eventually you.

Summing it all up

If you choose to conduct parent meetings during the year, be prepared for a lot of parent questions, especially if you are struggling in your season at the time. Remind the parents that you will not answer questions about playing time, game strategy, or other players and every question needs to be asked in an appropriate manner.

You will inevitably have a parent that questions everything you do, challenge you, and try to create problems with you and other parents. It’s best to deal with them in a one-on-one discussion rather than at a parent meeting. It will allow them to voice their opinion to you and will allow you to answer their specific questions.

Parents are going to disagree with you and talk about you to other people, but if you offer an atmosphere where they can voice those concerns then at least you know what they are saying and can defend yourself. Being questioned in an honest manner can be a growing process for coaches. Coaches that try to avoid potential disagreements from parents are missing out on an opportunity to learn and become a better coach.

Coaching youth basketball can be one of the most rewarding experiences life has to offer. Don’t let difficult parents keep you away from the enjoyment of helping kids accomplish their goals. Instead confront the issue head-on and demand that parents respect your boundaries, for the betterment of all the kids on your team.