This was a phrase that several coaches taught me over the years and it helped me immensely in not getting beat by cutters. Let’s breakdown some scenarios:

Once the ballhandler passes the ball the defense should jump to the side that the pass was made to. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic literal jump but make sure that you are solidly between the ball and your man so that your man can’t just run in front of you and get a return pass and have you stuck behind him. That’s a bad position to be in. This also puts you in an excellent position to help a number of spots on the floor if you have to and forces you to pay attention to everything else going on. Teams like the Utah Jazz run the ‘rub’ all the time where Deron Williams passes the ball to the wing and then tries to rub his defender off the high pick. If the defender doesn’t jump to the ball he gets picked and the Jazz get a layup and at least once a game this happens. If the defense gets in front Williams then he can’t get picked and the 2nd option of the offense plays out.

Practice this by running a simple shell drill with no shots involved. Have 5 offensive players be guarded loosely by 5 defensive players. Once the offense passes the ball make sure that the players are correctly jumping to the ball. Once the motion is correct then start to involve some simple cuts from the players who pass the ball. Don’t let the team go to fast at first until they truly understand the concept and why it is beneficial. If you are coaching young players or young teams then this shell drill will give them a strong sense of team defense.

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I grew up as a 2 guard trapped in a point guard’s body so stuff that i should’ve learned when I was younger didn’t happen until I was in high school and playing the point position. It is a completely different mindset for players to go from being a scorer to a distributor and I had to learn on the fly about the point position and how to get everyone involved.

One thing that I learned was how important dribble penetration is from the point guard position. If you want a real life example then look no further than Chris Paul. He causes teams nightmares with his ability to drive to the basket and get open shots for players. He does 2 things very well that I want to cover here:

1. Penetrate with a purpose: Don’t go into the key blindly and without a thought process in place. Many young point guards just think about beating the defender without thinking about what will happen if/when the help defense comes. You can get away with these things when you are younger but as you mature you have to have a plan for 1, 2, 3 steps along the way.

2. Be able to finish/Be a scoring threat: Great point guards are scoring threats when they get into the key. If they aren’t then the defense will slack off and not take the penetration seriously enough to stop the dribble. The entire point of penetration is to get the defense to move and shift making lanes open and players open so that offense is easier.

Let’s look at some scenarios: Chris Paul has Peja Stojakovic as a spot up shooter and he’s arguably the best shooter in the entire game. Chris Paul gets past his man and is on the same side as Peja. Peja’s defender has been taught since elementary school that he needs to stop the ball and help out whenever he can. As soon as Paul sees this he waits until the defense has committed to stopping him before he passes to Peja for the shot. If the player decides not to help them Paul can shoot a short jumper or try to go all the way to the basket. Either way, his penetration caused the defense to make some choices and he makes them pay. That’s why Paul coming off a pick and roll is so deadly…it creates instant penetration and opens up lanes all over the court. If the big man comes out on him he knows where the mismatches are. If the big man lays off then he knows what to do and he always has spot up shooters ready to launch when called upon.

Penetrate with a plan and be able to finish are the two lessons for today.

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I’m of the opinion that the pick and roll has no real defense against it if it is done correctly. It reminds me of Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid when he says “if do right, no can defense” when describing the unstoppable crane technique. However, you can do some things to slow down the pick and roll or at least make some defensive choices and let’s discuss those.

1. Know the offense: If I’m guarding the ball I need to know that the pick and roll is coming. I need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the player that I’m guarding. Does he like to shoot off his right hand? Does he like to take the ball to the basket? Does he only dribble with one hand? Can he create his own shot? These thoughts should be going through your mind before the play comes at you.

2. Know your defensive strategy: A very common ploy being used today is the defensive hedge. This is done when the man guarding the picker steps out in an attempt to slow down the ballhandler and give the primary defender a chance to catch up to the ball. Offenses are scheming around this now and taking advantage of the hedge so it is key to understanding what your strategy is before the pick and roll come at you. If you are waiting until it happens to decide how you will defend it then it will be too late and someone will be getting a layup.

3. Understand defensive principles: Every good defensive coach understands that a layup is the highest percentage shot in the game and the toughest shot in the game is a contested shot with a player on the move. I coach defense as being physical and to not be afraid to make contact with the ball handler. Make every move hard, make it difficult to be picked and when a shot is going up do everything you can to contest it and make it more difficult.

Scenarios: I’m guarding the ball and I know the ball handler isn’t a great shooter and has limited range. When the pick comes I will go underneath the pick and challenge the ball handler to now shoot the ball. This is ideal for me because I know he’s not a great shooter and this is not the first option. The 1st option is always a layup for any offense.

I’m guarding the ball and he is a great shooter. I can’t go underneath or he will shoot the ball uncontested and more than likely make it. Great shooters will hit between 70%-80% when left alone and that’s too high. In this case i get right up on the ball handler and make him go to his weak hand. If i know he can’t dribble left handed then I want to set him up where he goes away from his strength. I have my pick defender hedge a bit to slow down the ball handler and I make other defenders aware that I may need help if my hedge man leaves too early or doesn’t slow down the ball. All good defenders are told to stop the ball.

The ball handler is great with both hands and an excellent shooter. When this happens you have to take the entire team into account and look to see what side the best shooters are on. Good point guards are taught to drive into the defense to get them to collapse so they can kick the ball to shooters. I want to try to force the pick and roll to a side without a great shooter so that if i get beat and I need help then the ball handler will kick the ball out to a shooter who isn’t great. Again, not the first option.

NO MATTER WHAT….When defending the pick and roll be the kind that makes a decision and does it immediately. Don’t get caught floating or trying to decide what to do because when that happens someone gets a layup or dunk.

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I watched the Illinois Penn St game last night and it was the most brutal display of basketball I’ve ever seen. Besides the fact that the ref let them play basic tackle basketball it was atrocious. The halftime score was 17-15 which is bad enough.

I was watching and asking if it was just good defense and a lot of times it was just good defense but bad offense was really what it was. Illinois settled for guarded shots and wasn’t patient enough to get the ball inside consistently and they didn’t shoot a foul shot the entire game. That’s a testament to simply not taking the ball strong to the basket. Nothing was easy and what was easy was made difficult with missed layups and turnovers.

At one point in the 2nd half Illinois went up 29-20 but only scored 4 points the last 8 minutes of the game. I was literally sick inside.

Have you ever found yourself watching videos of people getting hurt and you can’t turn away? I can’t turn away a lot of times and I even find myself searching for those types of videos. I know it is horrible of me. That was Illinois last night. They were the train wreck, the kickboxer breaking his leg and the skateboard crash where the guy snaps his leg all rolled into one.

I have watched literally thousands of games in my career and the only thing I could compare it to was jr. high girls basketball. It was that bad.

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Tonight, Pittsburgh plays UConn and has to go to UConn to play them. UConn is the current #1 team in the country and plays in the toughest conference in the land and still only has 1 loss this season. They recently lost one of their top players to an injury and are susceptible tonight against a very solid Pitt team that is ranked #4. Pitt will lose.

UConn has one of the most intimidating big men that we’ve seen in college hoops for years and the kid is only getting better. Hasheem Thabeet is the Husky’s 7*3 center who is averaging a double double and half. He scores nearly 14 a game, rebounds to the tune of 11 a game and averages nearly 5 blocks a game. He is a defensive nightmare when teams try to score within 10 feet of him. If he blocks 5 a game he alters at least a dozen more and that isn’t an exaggeration. Watch tonight and when Pitt drives into the key all eyes will be on the big man as they think of creative ways to try to get the ball up and around him. Thabeet used to be more foul prone but this season he’s gotten even better at knowing what shots to go after and when to use his size to intimidate. The last game alone he had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 blocks. That’s impressive.

He’s the perfect collegiate example of how shotblocking effects each game and how important a shot blocker can be. Shot blocking is really just a missed shot attempt when it comes down to it but nobody likes getting their shot blocked. Shot blocking builds momentum and demoralizes the offense in so many ways. Imagine driving past your defender and pulling up 10 feet from the hoop and you’ve done everything right only to have a big 7 footer a few feet away from you. You raise up to shoot it and he puts it back in your face or worse yet he throws it out of bounds. That leaves a lasting impression.

What Thabeet does well is keep his blocks in play or try to get them the ball in a chance to have a fast break opportunity. If the shot isn’t blocked then he knows well enough that he can probably get the rebound. It’s amazing how much this one player can do for one team.

If I’m Jaime Dixon I go right at Thabeet and try to get him in foul trouble. If he’s out of the game then UConn is beatable, but if Thabeet sticks around for 35 minutes he’s going to give Pitt fits and UConn will still be at #1 at nights end.

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Creating your own shot is something that not a lot of players can do but the best players can do it whenever. I know that most guys can throw stuff up while being guarded but I’m talking about doing moves that allow you to have a chance to make the shot and make it part of your game. Here are 2 moves that can be practiced that will allow to get more shots off and make you a more well rounded offensive player.

1. Shooting off the dribble: As a younger player I was able to drive past my defender often and get him in foul trouble. It was good until pretty soon I would drive and there would be other people standing there waiting for me. When the defender would lay off of me I was able to shoot the ball and put him in a tough position. I realized that I needed to work on something that would allow me to get a shot off without going all the way to the basket but also not just stand there and shoot it. I learned that if my defender was guarding me closely I could act as if I was going to drive right past him and then as I took one hard dribble or two hard dribbles I could pull up and catch the defense by surprise. It was a great addition to my offensive game and one that i still use today. To shoot off the dribble practice going right into a shot as the ball comes up off the bounce. Practice with both hands and start close to the basket to learn this. It will not feel natural originally but will get better as you get more and more comfortable. You will see Kobe do this move constantly as players guard him with such pressure and they are afraid that he’ll go around them. As he makes a hard move the defense makes a hard move to stop him and just then Kobe will pull up off the bounce and the defense can’t recover in time. 2 points.

2. Step Back Jump Shot: The step back is almost the same as shooting off the dribble but can be easier to get your feet set and creat space between yourself and the defense. A step back shot is created when driving a certain direction and immediately stepping back and shooting the ball just like it sounds. The spacing is created by a hard push back with the front leg and allows you to get your legs underneath you more easily than you would expect. Practice this move by starting at the top of the key and without shooting learn the footwork. Just get the footwork in place and even if it takes 50 times to feel comfortable go with it until it feels normal. If you worry too much about the shot you won’t be able to do the move fundamentally correct. Larry Bird was the king of the step back jump shot. One of the parts that has to be practiced is to make sure that you dribble when you do the step back or you’ll more than likely be called for traveling.

We are working on getting you some sample clips of these drills and shots so you can see them and we’ll have them soon.

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I have always played guard but I’ve been priviledged to be around some excellent coaches. I also am an avid student of the game of basketball so I’m not just ‘guard’ minded in my studies. I’ve loved studying the game on all levels including rebounding. I was never the best rebounder because I was always missing one of the key elements that I’m going to talk about, but others show all the traits necessary to cover here.

1. DESIRE: This is the best and most important one. This is also the one that I lacked completely. The best rebounders are players who want to be good at it and are willing to sacrifice to do well at it. I love watching players like Paul Millsap from the Jazz and even Reggie Evans from the 76ers. Those 2 guys want to get the basketball and they don’t give up. In Evans’ case he knows that rebounding keeps him in the league and that keeps him hungry. Millsap has a more polished offensive game but his desire to get the ball is what seperates him being only 6*6.

2. TECHNIQUE: Understand that the NBA isn’t the greatest place to watch to learn how to rebound so I point to the college game. In the NBA they allow a more physical style of play and that helps players be better rebounders. The one team that I love watching rebound is Michigan St. Tom Izzo has those guys so drilled on rebounding that they rarely lose the battle of the boards. Izzo preaches contact and not to shy away from it. His players all make contact with the player they are responsible for and then has them go get the ball. How they make contact is different then a lot of other coaches preach. Izzo has his guys face up and make contact with the man they are boxing out. This stops the offensive player from gaining momentum. Once they have made solid contact they turn immediately into the player and keep their body on them. Space creates opportunity for offensive rebounds and all State players know that. Michigan St. usually puts on a rebounding clinic and are very fun to watch on the glass. For teams that aren’t very physical they simply destroy them.

3. UNDERSTANDING THE GAME: What I mean here is angles, bounces, tendencies. Dennis Rodman talked about how he really studied players and what their tendencies were. How did they miss shots? Were they short or long? Did they like to shoot from the baseline and if so when they miss where does the ball go? All these things come into play. For instance, if a player is shooting a baseline jumpshot where is the rebound going to typically go? It will be short or long typically. It is near impossible for the ball to go into the middle of the key unless it is just a brick. Good rebounders know these angles and have a knack for always being in the right place.

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People always want to know how they can jump higher and while I believe jumping in a lot of cases is genetic, I know of 3 products that work and I’m proud to cover those with you today.

1. Jump Attack: Program by Tim Grover who trained Michael Jordan for years. Grover developed a program that has proven successful time and time again and has been on our best seller list for a long time. The plan can add 6 to 14 inches to your vertical leap in 12 weeks, and is based on exercise science and a unique sequence of explosiveness training. Many athletes have used the program and others continue to use it today. Many call it the Bible for increasing your jumping ability and maxing out your body’s potential.

2. Strength Shoes: I’ve talked about these a number of times and these shoes work if used. There are plenty of people out there who talk of how these shoes helped them personally and I’m one of them. These shoes helped me in a number of areas including speed and quickness. I love these and can’t speak highly enough about them. The key to making them work is to use them. It sounds funny, but when you mix these with hard work you will see results.

3. Jumpsoles: Jumpsoles work the same way Strength Shoes do but have some advantage and disadvantages when compared to the Strength Shoe. The Jumpsoles simply attach to the shoes you are currently wearing. They are less expensive so if you want to save 40 dollars you can. However, others like the Strength Shoes because they are solidly built and the sole and shoe are attached. They also like the fact that the shoe is built just for that purpose. I found it to be the preference of each person because both will get solid results if used.

I’ve included a few videos that you can see that may go into a little more detail on how the products can best be utilized.

STRENGTH SHOE VIDEO

JUMPSOLES VIDEO

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I have to make it clear that defense was not my strong point but I’ve worked with plenty of excellent defensive coaches. Defense is a mindset and players that play defense with a sense of pride and hustle are fun to watch. I’ve picked up a few man to man tips over the years but one of them I see used daily in college basketball and figured I would share it today.

Understand that what i’m telling you is technically a foul but nonetheless it won’t be called much if done correctly. College coaches teach this all the time and it is a great strategy for teams that play a tight man to man defense.

When guarding the ball handler it is extremely important to not get caught with your hands down. Defenders that keep both hands down while trying to stop a dribbler either get beat or get called for a foul. The reason they get called for a foul is because they drop their hands and inevitably try to use them to stop the man from going past them. Refs see this and call this many times a game. What refs don’t see is that the defender guarding the ball should have one hand up and the other forearm should be on the chest or stomach of the ball handler. The one hand up makes it appear that you are using your feet but your hand on the chest of the offense slows down the defense and gives you a chance to maintain defensive position.

Practice this by doing a typical 1-1 but have the defender be close enough that his forearm is on the offense with his off hand in the air. If the ball handler changes directions simply change hands with accordance to the direction the ball is going. It will work and will allow you to play a tight man to man defense while avoiding needless foul calls.

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I was an excellent foul shooter and i can still shoot them pretty well. My record for consecutive made is 178 straight and I’m proud of that because it isn’t easy at all. It always came natural to me because I had some great teachers and always had good shot form. I’ve taught these to a number of people but since foul shooting is something everyone should do well I figured I’d go into my strategy.

1. Rhythm and Routine: Get into a rhythm and routine when shooting foul shots and don’t waiver. I don’t sit there and hold the ball for ten seconds and then go into a quick shot. I get the ball and dribble once, set my feet and shoot. I believe that if I focus on the routine that I forget about the pressure or stress of the shot and it works. You’ve heard it a hundred times, but do the same thing each time you shoot the ball. Get in a rhythm.

2. Clear your mind: This one is overlooked and not really talked about, but clear your mind by getting rid of negative feelings. Take a second once you get the ball to take a deep breath and clear out feelings about being fouled or missing a previous shot or a turnover. Take the breath and put it all behind you. I once heard Michael Jordan talk about how important it was for him to clear his mind before a foul shot because he got fouled hard a lot and had a lot of pressure so he used the foul shot to put everything behind him that had happened already and be done with it. Great strategy.

3. Understand basic shooting principles: A few basics will make all the difference in the world here. If your elbow is straight the ball will travel straight. If you are lined up straight on the foul line then the issue becomes short or long and that’s always the best way to go. Second, point your toe where you want the ball to go. Your feet help align your shoulders so if your feet are pointed straight then it helps the ball stay on a straight course. These sound simple but they must be practiced. Players that are good foul shooters practice foul shots until they are great foul shooters.

I tell players all the time that your feet should point the way you are aiming your shot. So if your feet are pointed away from the hoop then that’s really where your body is trying to aim. This is a key for shooters who want distance on their shot as well if you are a 3 point shooter because when your feet are pointed correctly and when they aren’t you shoot against your body and it limits your range and makes your shot flat. There are times I can play defense on someone and tell if they are going to make a shot or miss it based solely on the position of their elbow and feet when they shoot a ball.

Examples of good foul shooters : Jose Calderon of the Raptors
Examples of what not to do: Tim Duncan…He hits in the 60’s but he violates everything I teach young players about the art of the foul shot. His feet are pointed in, he holds the ball too long and goes right into his shot and it looks rushed. He hasn’t improved over the years either like most players do.

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