New DVD - The Street Stops Here

Much has been written about Coach Bob Hurley Sr. and his teams at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Invariably, the stories revolve around the tremendous success achieved on and off the basketball court. Coach Hurley has developed some outstanding teams and players but, more importantly, some incredible young men and citizens. His graduation rate is excellent, his compassion is unquestionable, and his commitment knows no bounds.

Earlier this week, on many PBS affiliates, the new documentary that chronicles St. Anthony and Coach Hurley was shown in prime time. Given the impact of the film, especially considering how well it was done (Teamworks Media), it fits with the philosophy of this blog to share information on how you can see/obtain the movie. Simply click on the active links to:

• go to the St. Anthony School website to find out more about the school
• contact Kathleen Staudt to order copies of the DVD directly from the school
• watch a terrific interview on Chicago Tonight with Coach Hurley
  
• watch (on Expressvu) the documentary on the PBS East affiliate of WGBH Channel 2 on Sat. April 3rd at 6:30pm or Mon. April 5th at 2:30pm
• watch (again on Expressvu) the replay on PBS West (KCTS 9) on April 5th at 3am
• go to Amazon and order a copy online (for a reduced preview price)
• go to the Teamworks Media site to order a copy from the filmmaker
  

Shot form - expanded BEEF

There are plenty of resources available to coaches and players to help them teach/learn proper shooting techniques - books available at Barnes & Noble or online at Amazon or Indigo, dvd's listed at Championship Productions and Human Kinetics, to name a few. Coaches often use the acronym of B.E.E.F. to help simplify shooting instruction - what follows is an expanded version with some extra teaching:

• Before - you catch the ball, need to be ready to catch and shoot, legs loaded, fingers pointing to the sky
• Base - feet far enough apart so a coach could not tip you backwards if they pushed a finger at your forehead
• Balance - be centered in every way and not leaning (to a side or front/back)
• Behind - need to get it down low enough to use big powerful muscles in the legs
• Eyes - focus them at the rim (visualize the ball going in)
• Elbow - under ball for power and direction, holding a ball should look like a waiter balancing a tray of food
  
• Elevate - shot power comes from legs, up through the body to the arms, and the ball must use that power to go up with a good angle of arc (for entry into the hoop)
• Extend - shooting arm should take the ball up (over a defender's hand) NOT out (toward a defender)
  
• Every time - repetition, get in shots using the same routine on a daily basis, must develop the muscle memory
• Evaluate - be the master of your own shot, understand enough to know why a ball is missing left or right or coming up short
• Energy - do shooting drills on the move, simulate game conditions, transfer forward motion into upward energy
  
• Feet - need to be squared to the target every shot
• Fingers - last two to touch the ball on release should be the index and middle (fork)
• Follow through - when ball leaves the shooting hand, fingers need to be pointing at the target and held there (don't pull the shooting hand back)
• Free Throw - beyond shots from in close to the hoop, FT line is a great place to practice shot form (same distance, same form, routine, lots of reps)
• Feet moving - active feet, follow your shot, rebound the ball (you have the advantage over the other team as you took the shot and know the path)
• Far - take your shots from further away ONLY when you have mastered your technique and are shooting a high percentage closer to the hoop
• Fun - shooting is one of the most enjoyable aspects of basketball, do it properly, take plenty of shots
  

Strategy - plan for special situations

At all times, coaches should know which players need to be in the game and why. They should also have some deliberate and strategic play calls at their disposal. The following represent a small list of the many eventualities for which every coach must have a plan:

• who to put in if the best player/shooter/defender/ball-handler/rebounder is hurt or has too many fouls (for that stage of the game)
• a late game three pointer is needed
• end of shot clock or game clock out of bounds play (sideline and/or baseline)
• an intentional miss of a free throw (which side, where is positioning, what is movement, how to miss)
• up by three points with little time left on the game clock and the opponent has the ball (to foul or not)
• down by five with enough time for two expected possessions
• subbing offense for defense and vice versa (if possible based on stoppage of play)
• a small and fast lineup (which five players should be in the game)
• type of trap or defense to promote a turnover and recovery of the ball
  

End of game - the comeback

We've all experienced this scenario. It's late in the game, our team is trailing by a small margin, the game is exciting, the crowd is yelling, your team is battling, the game could be decided by a single late play. This situation should be fun, and will be if you are prepared and remain poised. This is the time when the hard work and preparation in practice should shine through in your team. As for the strategy of the moment, the coach has many tools available in order to craft a win out of the opportunity. Coaches need to be mindful of the following:

• remain patient - based upon the time and score, understand how many possessions remain for your team
• in order to get into your offence quickly, have some full court quick hit plays ready
• philosophically, players must attack the rim and put themselves at the free throw line (in both the attack and the free throw, importance is just as much mental as physical)
• use your assistants - have a clear understanding of team and player foul counts for both teams
  
• to help with setting up pressure, sub players at free throws and dead balls
• in FIBA play, remember the clock stops after made baskets under two minutes
• if expecting full court defensive pressure, an option is to have a time out pre-called after being scored upon - if under two minutes in a FIBA game, your team inbounds the ball from midcourt and can enter the ball either front or back court (hence reducing pressure and advancing the ball half the distance)
• know what the other team is likely to do if they are up or down by a few points (think, what would you do if you were them?)
• do you have a plan for the scenario of having just scored to go up by 3 points - are you fouling in order to get the ball back after opposition free throws?

Learning from BIG games

Big games are part of every team's schedule. You have to prepare for them. Kentucky and Louisville had a well publicized one yesterday. As much as it was not necessarily the best game ever, in a way it was - because it was real. Yesterday's big game in Lexington proved that sports are played by people, not robots. There may have been moments during the game when the two coaches wished they had robots on the court executing, but the learning and teaching of young men would not have happened.

Yesterday's much-hyped game between two historic rivals provided many lessons for coaches and players alike:

• there is no such thing as TOO MUCH work on individual fundamentals such as shots from in close, layups, footwork (offence and defence), passing, box-outs, close-outs, staying on your feet when defending up fakes, etc.
• players are NOT robots, emotions play a role in their games and those emotions need to be self-controlled (so that their coach is not forced to remove a player 8 seconds in to the game in order to have a nose to nose discussion about maintaining a cool head)
• teams can NEVER GIVE UP, whether they are down 13-1, 25-12 or any other score, there is always an opportunity to fight back and be up 42-41 after plenty of dedicated play
• teams need to always be working on small and large group concepts of spacing, talking, proper rotations, defending ballscreens, group rebounding, trapping, etc.
• given the pace of play and expended energy, proper hydration becomes even more important (to maintain energy, prevent cramps, etc.), especially for the players that will log the most minutes
  
• in order to best replicate a high stakes game versus a tough opponent/traditional rival in an away gym with an unfriendly crowd, practices must resemble chaos with multiple odds stacked against a group of five players that they must then battle through with poise
• a disruptive full court defence must be practiced - yesterday's game proved that a tough D is effective against even the most highly rated and determined point guards (in practice, it also serves to better prepare your own point guard for what they should expect to see from tough opposition - in that way, it is mutually rewarding)
• you don't always have to buy professional dvd's about certain aspects of the sport - taping an important game for your own viewing pleasure and analysis is equally, if not more, beneficial
  

Preparation is the key

This point of the season brings many challenges. Athletes are coming back to competitive practices and games after a brief layoff. Some have been disciplined enough to maintain a level of fitness, others have perhaps let their training slide. Coaches are getting ready for conference play, the meat of their schedule, intense tournaments, the bulk of the season. One question to ask, especially long before any important challenges between the lines begin, is "are we ready?"

The journey to the ultimate tournament of any season is a collective marathon of short sprints and teams need to be ready for both aspects. Preparation is the key to successful execution. Many clinics have preached it, many coaches have written about it. Coaches need to ask themselves if their team is ready to handle the adversity that it will no doubt face. The challenges will come - physical fatigue, mental readiness, an unfriendly gym away from home court familiarity, a tough call by an official, a tight schedule, a relentless pressing defence, an unexpected travel delay, etc. The question remains, is your team ready for all that it may face? Have you limited or eliminated the risks? Have you prepared in practice using an unfair advantage to simulate extraordinary pressure? Have you allowed for extra travel time due to unpredictable weather? Has your team tried to play when it can't hear you because of incredible crowd noise? Have you provided your players with the mental training that will allow them to find cues that will keep them calm and focused? There are so many variables. As successful coaches have suggested, in order to NOT be surprised by something, your team needs to have already experienced it. The responsibility of preparation, among many, belongs to the coach. It's never too late to make an improvement.