Always Throw the Ball to Your Own Team
A few years ago, Winning Hoops magazine ran an article that was adapted from a book called “There’s Only One Way to Win – Modern Success Principles of an Old Fashioned Coach.”
The book was written by Dick DeVenzio about his father, Chuck DeVenzio and his unique coaching style. The article was called DeVenzio’s 4 Rules for Winning Basketball. Here is an excerpt from Rule #2:
Whenever Coach D offered this rule at a coaching clinic, the response from attending coaches was always laughter. However, throwing the ball to your own team was indeed one of his four rules and it was not said for amusement.
“Yeah, you may laugh,” he would say. “But the problem is, I’ve seen your teams play. You have all those fancy offenses and special plays but then your team gets in a real game and your guys panic and throw the ball tot he wrong team. That’s how you lose games!”
Sure it’s a simple rule, but if it’s not followed then the negative results snowball downhill. Not only does your team lose a chance to score but throwing the ball away results in a scoring opportunity for the other team before your defense can recover and set up.
It really is a simple game!
