Here are 10 more behaviors that many coaches use to alienate their players and destroy their relationships with colleagues, other coaches, and administrators. They are adapted from “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith. How many of them apply to you? Eliminate just one destructive behavior and become a much better coach!

1. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve.
   
2. Making excuses.
   
3. Clinging to the past.
   
4. Playing favorites.
   
5. Refusing to express regret.
   
6. Not listening.
   
7. Failing to express gratitude.
   
8. Punishing the messenger.
   
9. Passing the buck.
   
10. An excessive need to be “me.”
    

Goldsmith claims that correcting these 20 behaviors is “the best way to enlist people as our allies, which in the long run are a much more promising success strategy than defending behavior that alienates people.”

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There are 20 behaviors that we as coaches often unintentionally use to alienate our players and destroy our working relationships with other coaches, colleagues, and administrators. Here are the first 10. Do any of them apply to you?

1. Winning too much. The need to “win” every conversation, every encounter, every relationship at all costs and in all situations.
   
2. Adding too much value. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion
   
3. Passing judgment. The need to impose our standards on others.
   
4. Making destructive comments. Those needless sarcasms that we think make us sound witty.
   
5. Starting sentences with “No,” “But,” or “However.” Overusing these negative qualifiers tells everyone that “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
   
6. Telling the world how smart we are. We want them to know that we are even smarter than they think we are.
   
7. Speaking when angry.
   
8. Negativity such as “Let me tell you why that won’t work.” Sharing our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
   
9. Withholding information. Refusing to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
   
10. Failing to give proper recognition.
    

The above was adapted from Marshall Goldsmith and his book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”

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When executing a pick and roll most of the emphasis is placed on the ball handler but the responsibilities of the screener are just as important. Here are seven tips to be followed when setting an on ball screen.

1. Always sprint to set the screen. Getting there before the defender will eliminate an effective hedge.
2. Jump stop and straddle the near leg of the ball handler’s defensive player.
3. Once the screen is set remain stationary until the ball handler has cleared. Don’t stick a knee out and get an offensive foul
4. If you want to draw a foul on the ball handler’s defender, set the screen on your heels. This will ensure that even the slighest contact will knock you off balance without having to “flop.”
5. When rolling, point your chest to the ball and roll hard to force a defensive adjustment or rotation.
6. If both defenders go with the ball handler pop back for a jump shot.
7. If your defensive player commits too early then slip the screen and dive hard to the basket.

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The picture on the right was in the Hartford Courant a few weeks ago, and while it certainly is worth a thousand words, it was the caption under the picture that really caught my attention. The caption read, “UConn’s Lauren Engeln and Heather Buck sit in the locker room after the 83-75 overtime loss to Notre Dame in the 2012 Women’s Final Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver Sunday. Neither played in the game. (John Woike, Hartford Courant / April 1, 2012)

Did you notice what I noticed?

Neither played in the game!

Throughout both the men’s and women’s tournaments we’ve been able to see and listen to each team’s best players interviewed after the games and have vicariously felt both joy and sorrow. Many of the “losers” have been emotionally distraught because they felt that they had let their teammates and coaches down when everyone was counting on them to step up.

But this picture is entirely different. These two women aren’t UCONN’s best players. They didn’t make one mistake, commit one turnover, miss one shot, or blow one defensive rotation. In fact, neither played in the game! Yet they are still obviously heartbroken to see the game and season end the way it did.

We all know “star” players at every level who are more concerned with their stat line than with the outcome of the game. We also know bench players who just aren’t emotionally involved because they don’t play as much as they would like. The two players above are obviously emotionally involved and it is equally obvious that the only stat they cared about was the final score.

It’s no wonder that UCONN reached the Final Four once again and was one defensive rebound from playing for another NCAA Championship. When the outcome of the game means as much to the players on the bench as it does to the ones on the floor, teams have a chance to be very special.

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The final few minutes of the UCONN – Notre Dame Women’s Final Four game that was played recently in Denver, Colorado was a roller coaster of excitement and emotions.

However, much of the excitement was created because both teams made several crunch time mistakes; mistakes that weren’t made in the early parts of the game. Did the teams choke? Or did they panic? Is there a difference between the two? Read the article below by four time Olympian Bo Hanson to find out.

Here’s the link

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1. When you start as a new coach you have to show visual change and create the atmosphere that things will be improved.
2. Surround yourself with people you can count on, who are on the same page as you are. You wasn’t associates who are mature, trustworthy, and teachable.
3. Your players don’t care about what you know until they know you care about them as individuals. You have to connect with them at different levels and really get to know who they are.
4. You can have all the success in the world, but your players still want to know, “What’s in it for me? If I do everything you ask of me, how do I benefit from it?”

The above advice was taken from “The Ultimate Coaches Career Manual” written by Pat Williams.

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1. Have a philosophy and stick to it  
2. You are judged by how hard your team plays.
3. Be yourself and communicate with your team.
4. Your mood affects your team. They feed off of your energy.
5. Continue to learn from everyone.
6. Network to develop relationships.
7. Work every day to achieve your goals
8. Get involved in the community

The advice above was taken from “The Ultimate Coaches Career Manual” written by Pat Williams

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If you watched Kansas and North Carolina play yesterday in the Elite 8 you know that Kansas closed out the game with a 12-0 run to win the game and advance to the Final Four. How did they do it? In the last eight and a half minutes of the game they switched from the man to man defense that they had been playing the whole game to a zone defense (Triangle and 2). Carolina never scored off their offense again.

Today’s posting is a very small excerpt from an eBook sold on Hoopskills.com called Zone Busters, which is the definitive work on zone offenses and zone quick hitters. Regardless of what type of zone defense your opponents play, even if it’s a Triangle and 2, this book has an offensive attack that can absolutely destroy it!

Offensive Fronts

While there are many different zone defenses, all of them can be categorized into one of two types: zones with a one-defender front and zones with a two-defender front. When facing teams with a one-defender front, such as a 1-2-2 or a 1-3-1, it is usually best to use an offense that begins with a two-guard attack. Against defenses that use a two-guard front, such as a 2-3 or a 2-1-2, it is usually best to start off with a one-guard attack. Using this strategy allows you to create driving and shooting gaps right from the beginning.

If you want to see the other 9 important concepts to consider when attacking the zone click on the link below!

Zone Busters – 18 Proven Zone Offense Strategies and Plays That Will Bust Any Zone Defense.

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It’s hard to accurately estimate how many games I have watched the last couple weeks. The Men’s NCAA Tournament, the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and theMen’s NIT have kept me pretty much glued to the television. It wasn’t too long ago when most teams used the pick and roll set as a quick hitter or in a need to score situation but now it seems to be a primary staple in every offensive game plan.

According to Ted Anderson of Andale High School, there are six main responsibilities for the ball handler when executing a pick and roll:

1. Catch the ball and square up to the basket
2. Fake away from the direction of the screen
3. Wait for the screen to be set and prepare to read the defender
4. Dribble off the screen with his shoulder at hip level of the screener.
5. Take two hard dribbles off the screen – and go somewhere – don’t waste them
6. Read the defense and make the proper play

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The coaching staff of the University of Central Florida Women’s Basketball Team encourage their players to use the 10/50 Rule to improve their lives both on and off the court. This rule takes into consideration that you should always play to your strengths yet continue to work on your weaknesses. To implement the 10/50 Rule you should strive to improve those things that you already do well by 10% and decrease your weaknesses by 50%.

The players are taught that the first thing they must do is to make an honest evaluation of all their strengths and weaknesses. Then they are left with the following thoughts and ideas:

1. There are certain things within their control and they must control the controllables.
2. No one has to do anything incredible
3. Everyone knows what they can get better at, and what they need to do less of or eliminate altogether.
4. Do what we are asked to do 10% better.
5. Don’t let the things that keep you from doing what you need to do occupy your mind.
6. Make it happen before it happens.
7. It takes work, not luck.
8. As you start to think about organizing your spring and individual workouts consider using the 10/50 Rule to get a huge advantage over your competititon.

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