Side ballscreen teaching points

Some good reinforcement, especially given current popularity, on teaching side ballscreen. Presenters at this past weekend's UDM coach clinic provided solid reminders and instruction:

• angle of the screen is ALWAYS important, think where the ball is going next (get to the paint)
  
• space is required for the screen action, ball needs room to work all directions
• location of the screen is ideally foul line extended, between elbow and 3 point line
• awareness of not screening too far out, don't want ballhandler to step out of bounds with a pivot
• screener needs room to work too, must be able to flare, roll, step back, or pop
• other 3 players need to be spaced (and ready) far enough away that screen has room to execute
  

Quick hits at the UDM clinic

Some brief insights from featured coaches at Saturday's University of Detroit Mercy clinic (thanks again to Coach McCallum and his staff for hosting our coaches, plus allowing our players to work with coaches Sullivan, Sampson, and Coles):

• "on out of bounds plays, Coach Dean Smith taught that action was initiated by the ref handing the ball to our player - slapping the ball was a loss of valuable time" (Pat Sullivan, Detroit Pistons Asst. Coach)
• "bringing energy to practice, and never having an 'off day', three people need to be on the same page - point guard, best player, head coach" (Kelvin Sampson, Milwaukee Bucks Asst. Coach)
• "always have cutters finish their cuts beyond the 3 point line - don't live in 'no man's land', don't clog up middle" (Fran Fraschilla, ESPN analyst)
• "positive body language is essential - show coaches you are ready to play, show teammates you want the ball, give others energy from your energy" (John Kuester, Detroit Pistons Head Coach)
• "do you use assistants to track different stats such as ball touches - not simply a tip or deflection of pass, also a hand on an offensive rebound?" (Kelvin Sampson, Milwaukee Bucks Asst. Coach)
  

Basketball, football alike

Driving back from University of Detroit Mercy coaching clinic (hosted by Coaches Ray McCallum, Jay Smith and staff - thanks again!), the Arkansas vs. Alabama football game was on ESPN radio. Listening to the game, it became crystal clear how much football is like basketball. Some parallels:

• countless hours of scripting and game planning go into the preparation of each game
• especially in an away game in adverse conditions, teams try to maintain calm and give themselves an opportunity to succeed
• on the court or field, body language needs to display confidence and poise
• on the sidelines, show no panic, act like you have been in a difficult game before
• leaders need to prove their worth and "walk their talk" while support players need to find a way to contribute and make plays
• the game will be decided by defense disrupting opposition, creating energy, making stops
• as they have practiced, offense will be required to execute with efficiency