Is Your Transition Defense Holding Your Basketball Team Back?

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Guest Blog Author Matt Hackenberg @CoachHackGO

The first thing we have to nail down is WHY. And there is a couple reasons WHY your transition defense might be bad:

  • The emotional state of the players.
  • The technique being used.

The emotional state of the players breaks down a bit further: 

  • They are too frustrated to react properly.
  • They are not motivated to react properly.

Players being too frustrated or not motivated enough to get back on defense is an all too common occurrence. A player makes a turnover or misses layup, and they jog back on defense. They want to show everyone in the gym they are disappointed in themselves, making the mistake a “look at me” moment. 

To fix this issue, we need to start to drill down on and demand a proper mistake response from our players. It is the constant messaging to our players that no one cares that you just made a mistake, and we need to, as Coach K would say, get on to the “next play.” 

We emphasize quick transitions from making a mistake to moving on to the next thing. And in this case, the next thing is getting back to build a strong team defense.

This all comes down to building PRIDE to compete for something bigger than any individual player. If players don’t have pride to get a stop, they won’t have any urgency to join their teammates in trying to get a stop when the odds don’t look favorable to do so, which is a common occurrence after a turnover or a missed layup.

Your messaging should be consistent on having pride to get stops and moving on to the “next play.”

Then, you reinforce those habits. 

As the coach, you can reinforce those habits using a carrot or a stick. I always prefer to use the carrot first. 

The carrot is simply a reward for the proper behaviors.

You can reward your team to get back by setting a team goal of 10 or fewer transition points given up in game. If they reach the goal, they get a reward – maybe donuts the next morning at practice.

If the carrot doesn’t work to get them to do what you need them to do, then you use the stick.

The stick is simply negative consequences for improper behaviors.

The best stick you have as a coach is the bench. By stating, and following through on the messaging, that players that don’t run back on defense will be immediately pulled out of the game, you are deploying the stick method.

You now have methods to control the emotional state of your players in the moment of truth in converting from offense to defense. Now, let’s look at the techniques:

First, you need to break down on a granular level what you’re looking for in transition defense. This involves outlining the expectation to SPRINT back and get matched 5v5, and what kind of communication they should be having with their teammates

You can break down disadvantage situations, and how you want the protect the basket and play from the basket out.

Even though it seems basic, a lot of players don’t know until you show them and set the expectation for how they should react in transition defense.

Obviously, conversion defense is a part of every full court basketball game, so you have plenty of chances to work on it. If you’re looking for a drill, my favorite drill for training the transition phase of defense is called “Louisville.”

Using “Louisville,” you can isolate the transition phase of the game so that it does not get lost among all the other facets of the game of basketball. “Louisville” looks like this:

To see video of “Louisville” being used as a small sided game, ​CLICK HERE​.

So there you have it, addressing transition defense through the emotional and the technical side of things.

Best of luck coaches,

-Coach Hack

The diagrams for this email were pulled from my guide on the ​“Wolfpack Defense System.”​ It’s the defensive system I’ve used most of my coaching career. It is a heavy ball pressure and heavy help gap defensive system. It covers the defense in great detail, as well as connected elements to defense like rebounding and transition defense. If you’re interested in installing the defensive system, ​CLICK HERE​.

10,000+ coaches are subscribed to “The Starting 5” newsletter by Matt Hackenberg. You should too

Frequency: Every 2 weeks

Content: Basketball tactics, culture, strategy, links, memes

Join for free ⬇️

https://matthackenbergbasketball.ck.page/7c67154ef9

High School Basketball: Preseason Scrimmages

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

The process of becoming a team starts on day one of tryouts and continues until the final whistle blows. We are breaking down a high school basketball season week by week to help players, parents, and fans understand the intricacies of each week. 

The 1st week is an emotional rollercoaster for players, coaches, and parents. The transition into the season is a challenge. Hearts are broken with cuts and player placements. Conditioning is a huge part of the 1st week, so players will be hurting both physically and mentally. 

Scrimmages are a very important part of the high school basketball preseason. The first scrimmage usually happens towards the end of the first week of a basketball season. Some coaches prefer to have a scrimmage before making the final cut, so they can see players compete against a higher level of competition. In many cases, scrimmages happen after teams have been selected. The scrimmage is a chance for coaches to evaluate the skill level of the players individually. It also is the 1st chance to see the team compete as a unit to see how best to prepare the team for the 1st game and the season.

For players, it is important to remember that a scrimmage is not life or death. “It is just basketball.” If it is your first varsity scrimmage, don’t make a big deal about it. Just go out and play good fundamental basketball.

“They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.” Red Auerbach

Understand Your Role: There are several different roles on a high school basketball team. Each has value and players are needed to fill those rules. The best way for a player to earn a starting spot or get the most minutes is to know his skill set and focus on these skills. The MAJORITY of high school players have very limited skills. Self-aware players, can focus on what they do well and do this BETTER than any other player on the team. 

Some skills that most players do not focus on are defense, rebounding, setting screens, running the floor, and playing turnover-free basketball. Other skills that ALL players should be able to complete consistently but few do are: playing hard, talking on defense, having great body language, and having great shot selection. If a player chooses to REALLY focus on these aspects of basketball, they will increase the chance that they will be a contributing player on their team. 

Next Play Mentality (Do not worry about mistakes): Scrimmages are an ugly event. Players are coming off fall sports, playing together for the 1st time, and are very nervous. This is an awful combination for good fundamental basketball. There will be many mistakes during preseaon scrimmages. Even though players may have played together during a fall league high school basketball is a very different level. The officiating is tighter, the competition is better, the defense is intense, and the intensity is at a much higher level. 

Many fall athletes will be rusty. Do not get frustrated. Remember, it is the start of the season and the goal is to get better each day. When you do make a mistake, forget about it and focus on the next play. Sprint back on defense. Do not play in reverse. Do not let mistakes and turnovers impact how you play.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

Just Work: Work hard all the time. Players who make this a habit will have great long-term results. Play hard. Get on the floor. Take a charge. It is just work. If you work hard during preseason scrimmages and every day in practices, everything else will take car of itself.  

Line-ups & Depth Chart: A primary goal of preseason scrimmages for a coaching staff is to finalize the starting line-up and rotations. Coaches will try different lineups and different positions for players. The only concern a player should have is to try to do what the coach is asking to the best of his ability. Do not worry about whether you are playing with the 1st unit or the 3rd unit. Do not worry whether you are playing in the post or on the wing. Just play good fundamental basketball. Trust your teammates. And most importantly, work your tail off.   

Good luck and be ready for the next practice and the 1st game.

Basketball Coach of the Week

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Click on the links to read more:

North Carolina

  1. Brian Carter Guest Blog: NCBCA COACHES VS CANCER

Ohio

  1. Matt Hackenberg Guest Blog: Is Your Transition Defense Holding Your Basketball Team Back?

Brian Carver: Basketball Coach of the Week

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Guest Blog by Brian Carter: NCBCA COACHES VS CANCER

This is our 1st profile of out Basketball Coach of the Week.

A lifetime of excitement, thrills, memories and most importantly,
relationships. “Today, I consider myself to be the luckiest man in the world,” a
quote attributed to Yankee legend Lou Gehrig but I would certainly say applies
to me.

My name is Brian Carver, and I am the Head Basketball Coach and
Athletic Director at Enka High School in Asheville North Carolina. I am
currently in my 33rd season coaching high school basketball. As I look back at
the years spent on the sidelines, I also realize just how lucky I have been. I am
thankful for all the players and experiences that I have been fortunate to be
apart of.

Growing up in the Enka community as a high school player, fate intervened as
when I was in elementary school, someone new moved into our neighborhood.
The new Head Coach at Enka High School was now my neighbor. Over the
years, he watched me grow up in the driveway playing pick up. After an up and
down playing career of my own, he needed a coach to take the JV’s to team
camp the summer after I had graduated from high school. I was hooked! I have
been coaching ever since.

After spending seven years as an assistant at Enka, fate again intervened and I
landed at a local rival high school and had the chance to spend a few years as an
assistant for one of our state’s all time great high school coaches. Those
formative years under those two legends has meant more than any classroom
lesson I could have ever had.

Eventually, I ended up back at my high school as the Head Coach, a dream
come true for me. This is a place that I love dearly, and have devoted my life
too. Along the way, I have had some successes and had some tough defeats but
it’s the players and love of this school that keeps me energized and ready for
another season of Enka Basketball.

The game of basketball has given me so much in my life, I am honored to try
and give back to the game. Now in my 22nd year as the head coach, I have
become the schools all time leader in wins, led our teams to the first ever back
to back 20 win seasons, and made the deepest run into the state playoffs in
school history in 2022. I have been named conference coach of the year (23), 2x
district coach of the year, the North Carolina Coaches vs Cancer State Coach of
the Year (13). I have been selected as coach in the historical Blue/White All Star
game 3 times, selected as assistant coach of the North Carolina East/West All
Star game played in the Greensboro Coliseum. Most recently I have been
selected as the Head Coach of the North Carolina All Star team in the annual
North Carolina/South Carolina Carolinas Classic.

At the conclusion of last

season, I was blown away as I was named the NABC National High School
Champion Coach of the Year. Attending the Final Four in Houston and being
recognized while sitting with multiple Hall of Fame college coaches such as
Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, and Tubby Smith among many others was
certainly a thrill of a lifetime and a memory that I will cherish for the rest of
my life.

I truly believe in servant leadership and one thing that my career has afforded
me is the opportunity to serve and give back! I am proud to serve as an
Executive Board Member of the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association
(NCBCA), Board Member of the North Carolina Coaches Association, and I am
on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina High School Athletic
Association. I am the founder of the NCBCA Coaches vs Cancer Shootout, an
event that has raised over $185,000 for fight against cancer. However, none of
these experiences can replace the relationships and connections that I have
over a 30 year coaching career, for that, I am truly thankful and blessed.

High School Basketball: Tips for a Successful Basketball Season

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Time management find management is one of the most important life skills that a student athlete can learn. It will be helpful in college, in a career, as well as being a parent. One “the drives this point home is

How are you going to spend your day? Hi school basketball player school and academics will take up the majority of your day. Basketball will be another few hours, and the rest is going to be up to you. Cell phones have become an increasing problem with teenagers Spending an average of hours a day in hours a week. If you can eliminate or reduce cell phone use during the basketball season you’ll have more time to focus on things that will put you in a position for success.

Rest and recovery if you are a competitive high school basketball player, you probably have been exposed to strength training. Rest and recovery is critical to build muscle mass. Rest rest is critical for a growing adolescent. It is recommended by experts to teenagers get between eight and 10 hours of sleep. However most teenagers fail and this will result in decreased performance and mental awareness. It will impact your school performance, as well as your performance on the court. If you can make rest a priority this will significantly increase your chances of having the basketball season you have worked for.

Sleep studies have shown that in catching up on sleep during the weekend can also be beneficial. Parents may not be pleased with this however if you can get additional sleep on the weekends that will prepare you better for the week and will help your body recover.

Eat healthy this probably sounds familiar and you’ve been hearing it from your pediatrician, parents, coaches, health teachers, and grandparents. Cookie Monster has even changed them on this one over the years. Be sure to eat as healthy as possible. It is tempting to have candy soda and other sweets that might not help with your performance. Include fruits, salads, and other healthy options. Drink milk with meals. Eat breakfast every morning. Make eating healthy during the season is top priority. This should be a top priority all year, and can be a great life habit.

Make school and homework take care of your academics once again this is advice that you have heard from many different people over the years. Your basketball career will end one day. For many student athletes that day will be in high school. If you are fortunate enough to play in college or professionally they’re still moving into your career, and you would like to have as many skills as possible to have a career after your playing days are over. So pay attention in class. I don’t wander the halls during school. Take it vantage of study periods. Seek extra help when necessary. Raise your hand and participate in class. Make eye contact with teachers. Say thank you at the end of each class.

There are many great Division III basketball programs that have great academics. Do you want to have as high GPA as possible, good SAT test scores, and positive teacher recommendations so that playing at a challenging academic institution is a viable option. Many division two and Division I athletes forgo a scholarship to play at in an excellent academic institution at the Division III level. This will be a goal of many high school players. Having good grades will give a player many more options than being a mediocre or poor student.

Have a positive attitude in the documentary survive and advance Jim Valvano sites to call “by Ralph Waldo Emerson nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Be the most enthusiastic person you know. Be the most enthusiastic person in your grade. Be the most enthusiastic person in your program.

Understand the meaning of success authors and philosophers have often grappled with the question what is success? as a call as a high school basketball player you should familiarize and analyze John wooden pyramid of success. This was a life long mission of coach wooden to figure out how to define success, and how to achieve it there are many blocks to achieving greatness and his definition of success is one that makes a lot of sense to a high school basketball player.

Wouldn’t carefully selected to cornerstones industriousness and enthusiasm. Make these cornerstones a part of your basketball season and he will be pleased with the results.

NCBCA COACHES VS CANCER

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

Leadership, maybe one of the most over-used terms in coaching today. Every team needs it, every coach wants it, every player thinks they are a leader. The question is really, how do we teach leadership? How do we model that leadership as coaches? Are we developing leaders for tomorrow or more worried about winning in the moment. The North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association firmly believes that leadership is far deeper than winning a game or even a championship. Leadership is preparing our youth, our players, for a better tomorrow and how to be better, more productive citizens! We promote servant leadership with our coaches and our athletes. 

After several years of dipping our toes in the waters with our servant leadership model, we decided to put our name to it and promote it. Along the way, we were partnering with Coaches vs Cancer for some small events and donations across our state. In 2013 we launched an event unlike any other in the country, The NCBCA Coaches vs Cancer Shootout. The event is hosted in the beautiful mountains of Asheville North Carolina. This two-day event has brought high school basketball teams from across our state together for one cause, to help the fight against cancer. To date we have raised over $185,000 for Coaches vs Cancer and The American Cancer Society. Cancer is an opponent that we are familiar with and that has no loyalty. Everyone in their lifetime has been or will be affected by this disease. We hope that by inspiring the current generation to get behind this cause it may eventually lead to a cure.  

Each year of the event, we select a large number of schools to participate in this event and invite them to Asheville, North Carolina.  We have the teams participate in a formal banquet where they will hear how they can be a part of the team in the fight against cancer. We ask each school participating to engage in some form of fundraising at their school level over the course of the fall sport season and be prepared to make a donation to Coaches vs Cancer on the night of the banquet. Each school is also asked to select a “hero” that is someone from their respective communities that has or is currently battling cancer. We honor those heroes at the banquet and ask the schools to discuss what their hero means to them, the ways that they raised money in their honor, and most importantly, the lessons that have been learned along the way. Its an evening filled with lots of smiles, lot’s of laughs, and not to mention, a lot of tears are shed. The next day, we have the teams come back to play a game vs an opponent that that would not really ever see in any other format. We have used the amazing facilities at UNC-Asheville with the Sherrill Center formally known as Kimmel Arena. 

Like most things, Covid wreaked havoc on our event causing a two-year shutdown of the event. After those two years, we decided to relaunch the event and rebrand the event. We have now moved the event to a two-day event where each team plays two games at a local high school in the Asheville area, and we are very proud that the NCBCA Coaches vs Cancer Shootout is now back up and running and as successful as it was pre-pandemic. We are most proud of the impact we have made in the lives of student athletes across our state and the communities that they live in. We would encourage all coaches, state associations at all levels to get in some event or association, be more about the life lessons you can teach your athletes. If you would like more information, please contact coachesvscancer.org or contact your local American Cancer Society. 

High School: The Winter “Basketball” Season

Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.

The high school basketball season is what every player works for. The whole year is designed to get to the point where a player can have a successful season and team can reach it’s potentional.

It is still important to focus on one week at a time. We will try to provide with some key points for each week of the season.

Week #1 November 27th – December 3rd High School Basketball: Tryout Week

Week #2 December 4th – December 10th High School Basketball: Preseason and Scrimmages

  1. High School Basketball: Preseason Scrimmages

Week #3 December 11th – December 17th Let the Games Begin (Week #3)

  1. High School Basketball: FIVE First Game Facts

Week #4 December 18th – December 24th Last Week Before Christmas Break (Basketball Jokes for Christmas)

Week #5 December 25th to December 31st: High School Basketball: Christmas Vacation Week

Week #6 January 1st to January 7th

  1. New Year’s Day Practice
  2. High School Basketball: Back to School Week

Week #6 January 2nd to January 14th

High School Basketball: 13 Tryout Secrets

For tryouts it is important to have a great mental approach. You determine what type of player the coaches see. Remember it is everything other than offensive scoring that will help you make the team.

  1. Relax: It is just basketball. Basketball is very important, but remember it is not life and death. Just go out and play the best basketball you can. Play within yourself. Don’t try to do too much. KISS keep it simple stupid.
  2. Be early: Get to a side hoop and do Mikans and form shoot if you can. This will show coaches you know fundamentals and will be a great warmup.
  3. Be up front when coach is talking: Listen with you eyes and ears.
  4. Be first or last in drills: When you do drills if you know it, be in the front. If it is a new drill, be towards the back to see how the drill is done correctly.
  5. Want it: Give it all you got. You have worked hard for this. If you are fighting for a loose ball fight for your life. That player is trying to take your spot. Get on the floor.
  6. Sprint all the time: Don’t stop sprinting on offense, defense, when the coach call everyone in.
  7. Great Shot Selection: Scoring is not critical. Good overall fundamentals are. Get to your baseline front and reverse.
  8. Box Out and Rebound: Coaches love players who box out and rebound.
  9. GREAT body language no matter what, have great body language.
  10. Next play: Always play in the present. Do not worry about the previous play. Play in the present.
  11. Talk on defense. Be the most talkative player. This will separate you from others. The majority of players are mutes on defense.
  12. Move without the ball. Set screens on offense OFF THE BALL. Raise your hand with a fist and say “use me use me.” Another thing no one else will do.
  13. Thank coach at the end of each practice. Not all players will do this. Little things are the big things.

High School Basketball: “Time Will Tell”

The final full week of the basketball off-season is here. “time will tell.” is a common saying that seems very appropriate for this point in the basketball year. From a high school basketball standpoint, this is a great quote just before the start of tryouts and the season.

A player’s performance, improvement, and skills will be evaluated very closely during the 2 – 5 day high school basketball tryout period. The results of how a player prepared for the season will be very clear to teammates, and more importantly coaches,  It is a scary but critical question for all high school basketball players: “What have you done with your time this off-season?” 

The basketball off-season is an incredibly long time. It is a minimum of 36 weeks and 252 days. Realistically how much time can be spent working on improving as a basketball player – probably 252 – 504 hours on basketball skills. One to two hours per day seems to be a reasonable amount of time to commit to baskeball workout. It is certainly more than most high school players will commit. Players will miss workouts, go on vacations, work, get a driver’s license, etc. So even committed players will probably not come close to reaching 252 hours.  

What a player has done during the hours of the off-season working on basketball will determine his fate for the upcoming season. 

According to our calculations, with 14 days left, a player has somewhere between 14 and 28 hours of basketball left in the off-season (1 – 2 hour workouts per day). Not much time. Right now, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about what you have done during the previous weeks of off-season. So whether you’ve worked out religiously, or hardly picked up a ball, it is time for you to face the music.

Fom this day forward, make a commitment to knowing your role, embracing your role, and mastering your role. Now is not the time to do anything out of the ordinary. If you have not been lifting during the off-season. Don’t start lifting, it will probably hurt your chances of playing well at tryouts.

What Can A Player Do? 

Set effort and repetition goals. We never like to set up players for failure. Setting a goal of averaging 22 points per game is a recipe for failure. Teams can play a box in one and deny a player every inch of the court. A player may get hurt. A player may be on the team with an incredible scorer who will take the majority of shots.

We prefer sitting effort goals. We also firmly believes that all goals right now should be no longer than a week or two. It is a short season. And we like to break it down into manageable time periods. One of the most exciting and important days of a basketball season is the first day of tryouts.

  • Set a goal to be early.
  • Work as hard as you can.
  • Listen with your eyes and ears.
  • Take more pride in your defense than anyone else on your team.
  • Have fun.
  • Be a supportive teammate.

Conditioning: It is not too late to improve your conditioning for basketball, but don’t overdo it. If you haven’t run a mile in over a month don’t try and run three. If you haven’t done, any basketball conditioning drills, start slow. Be reasonable. Only do conditioning that will not result in pain or injury. But being in shape is a critical factor in having a great tryout.

Shoot Free Throws:

Many coaches like to place players on the free-throw line with a chance to make one free throw or the team will run during tryouts. This gives the coach an opportunity to see who can shoot the ball under pressure. He can look at the players free-throw routine, and get a good sense of if the player is a shooter or not. And lastly, he can see who is capable of making a big shot, down one with five seconds left in a game that will determine the state championship, a league title, or simply a win. So a player never can waste time shooting free throws.

Play Basketball: Ultimately, being able to play team basketball well is what coaches are looking for during tryouts. Playing 1 v. 1, 2 v. 2. 3 v. 3. and 5 v. 5  will help you to start to get into the mentality of what it means to play team basketball. When you play these games, focus on talking on defense, playing hard, and moving without the ball. At some point during tryouts you will be playing basketball, so this is probably the best use of your time this week if you are playing competition at your level.

Know Your Range: Having great shot selection at tryouts is such an underated aspect of tryouts. If you are not a good shooter, shooting the ball and missing more shots than you make will not help you make the team. I would like to repeat “If you’re not a GOOD shooter, don’t shoot the ball!” Take hug percentage shots. For some players this may mean only shooting wide open layups.

Define Shooting Range: One of the craziest things is that most basketball players at all levels do not know what their range is. The definition of shooting range we use is the spot where a player can consistently make five shots in a row. 

If you can find a rebounder, this makes this drill a lot easier. But it can be completed with one player as well. Simply start under the basket and shoot the basketball. Stay at one spot until you make five in a row. Continue working your way back to a spot where you can no longer make five in a row. This spot is out of your range. 

To be a good shooter, a player must have good shooting fundamentals. A shot develops over a career and cannot be significant changed in 7 to 14 days. So the shot is what it is. Continue to work on your shot and make minor adjustments, and try to get as many repetitions as you can. 

Take a step in to completely recognize what your range is. do yourself a favor take another step in. During tryouts do not take a shot that is further back than this location. One little known fact for players trying out for a team is that players who shoot often and miss often have exes put next to their name. Players who shoot rarely and make shots while doing the other little things often get noticed.

Players who are guaranteed a spot on the team should also follow and shoot only in their range. Because now, if you have made a team must find a way to get on the four and get quality minutes. You will only do this by knowing your role and knowing what a good shot for you is. One of the biggest reasons a basketball player will get pulled from a game. He’s poor shot selection. Do not let this happen to you.

Set effort and repetition goals. We never like to set up players for failure. Setting a goal of averaging 22 points per game is a recipe for failure. Teams can play a box in one and deny a player every inch of the court. A player may get hurt. A player may be on the team with an incredible scorer who will take the majority of shots.

We prefer sitting effort goals. We also firmly believes that all goals right now should be no longer than a week or two. It is a short season. And we like to break it down into manageable time periods. One of the most exciting and important days of a basketball season is the first day of tryouts.

  • Set a goal to be early.
  • Work as hard as you can.
  • Listen with your eyes and ears.
  • Take more pride in your defense than anyone else on your team.
  • Have fun.
  • Be a supportive teammate.

At the end of practice go up to coach look him in the eye apps give Max a handshake and say thanks Coach. Looking forward to tomorrow. Go home get your rest and get up again the next day or