A Pen And A Napkin

If you don't know what you stand for, you don't know what you're going to emphasize, right? In today's episode, we discuss your defensive pillars, the non-negotiable, always enforced rules of your team or program on the defensive end. Directly inspired by Jim Boone, we discuss why it is important to clearly define your pillars, how to implement and I share my seven defensive pillars with you. In addition, we have another great quote from Kevin Eastman, while we discuss one of the all time great coaches (and former APAAN guest) Roy Williams.

I was at Snow Valley Basketball School a couple of weeks ago, and while there, I got the chance to sit down with Karen Self (of "The Karen Self A Pen And A Napkin Moment"), Cam Schuknecht, the new Midland University Women's Basketball Coach and Joel Lincoln, the director of "Game Shots 3 on 3" out of Charlotte, North Carolina to discuss a variety of topics, including Snow Valley and why it works! We also discuss the importance of 3 on 3, improving as a coach and much more!

One of the greatest examples of basketball's "Special Teams" is your baseline out of bounds philosophy and execution on both sides of the ball. In today's podcast, we discuss goals that you should have for your playbook, who the ball should go to, formations, counters and selling the importance of baseline out of bounds to your team! We also have a great quote from USA Basketball, and we also discuss today in our Coaches Study one of my friends in the business who made his name nationally via USA Basketball!

We are 1/4th of the way through this crazy idea! Around a week ago, we discussed the struggles of handling success, so today, we flip that on its head and discuss what to do and how to handle failure. Our lives are not linear; life (and basketball) will trip us up, so today is all about why failure is necessary for growth, how to react to it and the mental approach we need to take even before the season starts. In addition, we have a great quote from Marcus Aurelius and a discussion on perhaps the greatest coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich.

One of the great skills of the game (which, in my opinion, is the most important skill) that we often push off in practice is shooting, and it's a huge mistake! In today's podcast, we talk about the importance of getting shots up in practice, HOW to get more shots up and tips to help develop shooters. We also have a video with my favorite shooting drills, but you'll have to go to "The Opening Tip" newsletter to get that . . . In addition, we got a great quote to help with shooting, and a study of one of my favorite people that I've ever talked to on "A Pen And A Napkin", Coach Mike Neighbors!

We can't do this job (or any job) for a long time without knowing WHY we're doing the job, and coaching basketball is no different. With its long hours, intense nights and tough days, coaching basketball is a mission, but you have to know why you're doing it. What do you enjoy? That's what we want you to answer in today's podcast, while also discussing a little Leo Tolstoy and pushing you to research and learn about one of the great coaches of the 1980s and 1990s, Dale Brown.

Every second counts on game day, and organizing your bench is one way to save those precious seconds. In today's podcast, we breakdown thoughts on game day management of your bench, how to practice it before games even start and tips on be as efficient as possible during timeouts and quarter breaks. In addition, we've got a great quote from John Maxwell, while we discuss one of the great early coaches of the game, Clair Bee! Enjoy today's podcast!

As we get closer to the start of the season, what are ways that you can get your team into optimal shape before your first practice? That's the topic of discussion in today's podcast, where we break down various options, both on and off the floor, to help build toughness, chemistry, camaraderie and skill before your first day of practice. In addition, we've got a great quote from Jerry Rice and some research points of interest for one of our best modern coaches, Billy Donovan. Enjoy!

It was a blast to have on three great coaches for this month's Zoom roundtable! Rob Brost, John Carrier and Jake Nannen jumped on the pod to discuss how to be a great teacher of the game, what their focus is on for this fall to improve upon, things that they've learned this summer and one favorite drill of each coach! This was a blast to do, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

We love X's and O's. I mean, we really love them, right????? One of the biggest draws for coaches to the game is drawing up plays, and watching our team run a set to perfection is extremely gratifying for most of us. In today's podcast, we discuss what we should and should not be doing with our set plays, suggestions on how to install them, the ideal number you should have in your portfolio and other tips! In addition, we've got a very appropriate quote from Mike Neighbors, and a study of one of our most popular and successful coaches of the last decade.