3 Things That Make a Good Coach
Good coaches are all over the place and all levels of basketball. There is nothing I like watching more than a well coached basketball team. I watched Duke last night and as much as I hope they lose every game, you have to respect the way that team is coached. Coach K clearly outcoached Paul Hewitt on every level. Georgia Tech came out and gave their best shot but Coach K adjusted and Paul Hewitt didn’t. I decided to list my 3 obvious things that make a good coach:
1. Preparation: Rick Majerus was famous for saying that if you gave him time to prepare for a game he could beat anyone and I believed it. When he was in his prime at Utah they were a well prepared team and got far every year in the tourney. He knew his opponent and what their strengths and weaknesses were and attacked them. He went after matchups and mismatches and coached that way. Good coaches always understand what they have in their cupboard and how to get at everyone else.
2. Adjustments: This is probably the thing that sets coaches apart and it is the ability to make adjustments on the fly based on what the team is doing against you. When teams play Syracuse they know they will see the 2-3 zone and when teams play Illinois they know they are getting man to man the entire game but it is the different wrinkles that coaches throw in there as the game goes that sets them apart. Last night I watched Illinois vs Michigan and the first half was ugly but in the 2nd half Illinois adjusted well to what Michigan was trying to do against them. Instead of going small to match Michigan, Bruce Weber decided to stay big and went with his 7 footer. As a result, MIke Tisdale scored 24 points en route to an Illini victory. Weber adjusted in a subtle way that was the exact right move.
3. Understand situations: Inbound plays from all angles, shot clock situations, foul trouble. All these things play into how a game turns out. Inbound plays can get easy shots and easy points in certain cases. When the shot clock is running down does a coach have a solution for that? When the player gets 2 fouls does the coach leave him in with the chance to get the 3rd before the half ends. These things are all real and happy every game. Coaches should break the game down to possessions and understand how precious each opportunity is. When the game is broken down this way the best coaches truly shine.
