Things to know to be a Better Team.

Hi Girls,

***This is a repeat of something I posted for one of my prior teams. You all need to read it and take it to heart. ****

1- Always Hustle and Play Hard! By playing hard all the time and playing hard Together it greatly increases our chances.

2- Always pay attention in practice to what I say. In a game always pay extra attention to what I say. If I am hollering to put your hands up it is for a reason. Maybe I can see the official is getting ready to call a reaching foul on you. Listen and be in tune.

3- Always be prepared to line up in Press Offense and Sideout/Baseline situations. By not lining up we give the other team an advantage. Some Coaches coach their players to look to steal the ball when a team plays unorganized. The Cary Christian Coach is one of them.

4- We need to become a better rebounding team. Period! Work harder on the glass, box out, try to get inside position, anticipate the shot and attack the ball aggressively.

5- Little Things to Note:

a- Learn to look down the court while starting your dribble or even before. Your teammate if she is running the court is only open usually for about 1 second. Don't miss the opportunity to get an easy basket by not looking ahead.

b- If an opposing player is in the corner, Trap Her. One player can do it by themselves by being agrressive and alert. Make that player make a play from a bad situation.

c- See your man and the ball. If you do not know where the ball is when you are on defense you are at a serous disadvantage.

d- Sprint the court and turn to face the opposing offense quickly on fast breaks. Make the opponent make a play.

e- Always be ready to receive the ball. Your hands and your mind should always be looking for a pass from anywhere at any time. Many times your teammate might see you open and Not Pass you the ball because they see you are not looking.

f- On defense make sure you do not let your opposition squeeze down the sideline. If you put your food on the edge of the court they can only go one way. Anticipate that move and take advantage of it. Try to make her use her off hand(left is she prefers her right).

g- Understand the game. Get players the ball in positions they are most likely to be successful. This is double true in key situations.

h- Make the easy pass. Long crosscourt passes thru many hands are seldom effective and usually two point for the other team. A good skip pass is entirely different against a zone defense that an outfront cross court pass. Learn the difference.

I- Move the ball quickly with crisp accurate passes. Do not telegraph your pass. Do not force passes into a crowd wishing the ball will get there. If there is nothing there we need to swing the ball back around making the easy quick pass and give the defense a chance to get out of position. Have good judgement and value the ball. Always have a plan on what options you have with the ball after you have received it.

j- Play defense with your feet and you hands. Square up on your opponent and take away the dribbling lanes to the basket. Force a player to use their dribble and pick it up then increase the defensive pressure on the ball while your teammates work on taking away the passing lanes creating a steal opportunity. Do not reach across the body of a player dribbling by you with your opposite hand. It is an automatic foul call in most games.

k- Practice does not make Perfect. Prefect Practice makes Perfect. Give all skill drills your full effort. Make every pass as close to perfect as you possibly can. The little things make a difference.

l- Pay attention to detail. Know your job!

m- Be strong with the ball and value the ball. Every time we turn the ball over it is 2 points we cannot score and 2 points they can score. Thus it can create a 4 point swing in a close game.

n- Execute it the way we practice it. Do not re-invent the wheel. You can sometimes use common sense such as if your man forgot to guard you go to the rim and call for the ball but in general everyone needs to do their jobs the same way so your teammates know where to look.

o- Defensively try to force you opponent to use their weak hand. Many players just cannot go left(if right handed) by forcing her left it greatly increases our chances of forcing a turnover.

p- Work hard to improve your skills. Take what we work on and say in practice and spend some time developing your talents. Every player should always be working on something to make them better. It could be as simple as dribbling to the left, making a perfect pass every time that hits your target in the chest or in stride without having to slow down.

q- Box out. Get your player on your back, work to get inside position on rebounds. We are a pretty good rebounding team but we could and should be a dominant rebounding team both defensively and on the offensive glass.

r- Never stop to pout. If you miss a shot don't let it affect the following defensive opportunity. While you are mad at yourself your opponent might be breaking down the court for a lay up. Hustle back extra hard.

s- Always be in the game if you are not in. When I send you to the scorers table hopefully you know who you are subbing for was guarding and what defense we are playing. When you sub in ask who you are replacing if you are not positive. You never know when your opportunity will come up. Always be ready. It could be your finest time ever on the court. Be prepared to play your best.

t- 50 -50 lose balls. Always win the majority of them.

u- Defensive Position- Square up to your man, put your left foot out further than your right to force your man to go left if they are right handed, reverse if left handed. If beat sprint in front of your man and then turn around and square up and force your man to make a play. Slide your feet if you need to move laterally.

We have 5 or 6 girls on this team that have had quite a bit of game experience. This should mean we do not make many mistakes. Offensively or defensively. If we are going to be good this is what we need to do. We need to make certain we are never out hustled or out worked on the court.

Thought: Hustle, Determination and Focus make up for many disadvantages in a Basketball game.
John Wooden, UCLA

2nd Thought: If Hustle, Determination and Focus make up for disadvantages in a basketball game what does it do for a team that is more talented than the opposition?

Perfect Execution plus Playing Hard, Playing Smart and Playing Together equals championships.

Coach May