Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)

https://teachhoops.com/

Pressure, fatigue, and a routine that holds up when the gym gets loud.

Coach Steve Collins once had a team that shot seventy six percent from the line in practice and fifty eight percent in games. The players were not the problem. The practice was. Ten in a row, fresh legs, a quiet gym, and nobody watching had trained a skill his players would never actually use on a Friday night.

In this deep dive, Steve rebuilds free throw practice from the ground up for the opening weeks of the season. He explains why the only free throws worth counting are the tired ones, why the first shot is the one that matters, how to build a routine short enough to survive an icing timeout, and how to bring real pressure into the gym without turning it into fear. He closes with the story of a point guard, an early career loss by one, and the lesson Steve took from it.

Part 1: Making Practice Look Like the Game

• The seventy six to fifty eight percent gap, and why it is a practice problem, not a shooting problem
• Shooting free throws right after your hardest segment, with no rest and no water
• Why honest numbers are the only numbers you can coach
• One shot, then back into the drill: training the cold first free throw instead of the groove
• Tracking first shot percentage separately from everything else

Part 2: Routine and Pressure

• Why long routines fall apart after an icing timeout
• The three part routine: a breath, the same dribbles every time, and one word the player owns
• Using the routine on every single practice free throw, so it looks the same in an empty gym and a packed one
• Practicing getting iced: the fake timeout, thirty seconds on the bench, and starting the routine over
• The end of practice team free throw game, where one make sends everybody home
• Adding bench noise, towels, and loud music behind the basket
• Pressure without shame: stepping in when teammates groan, and choosing which kid gets the shot
• The point guard at the line with eight seconds left, and the lesson his coach took from it

Chapters

• 00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
• 00:16 Opening scenario: eight seconds left at the line
• 01:18 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com shooting drills and practice plans
• 01:39 Seventy six in practice, fifty eight in games
• 02:31 Takeaway 1: Shoot them tired
• 03:46 Takeaway 2: One shot, then walk away
• 05:50 Takeaway 3: A routine short enough to survive a timeout
• 07:44 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com pressure games and the coaching community
• 08:08 Takeaway 4: Put something on the line
• 09:48 The point guard, revisited
• 10:14 This week's challenge
• 10:26 Post roll: TeachHoops.com pressure free throw games

This week's challenge: Every free throw your team shoots in practice comes right after your hardest drill, one shot at a time, with the full routine.

Format: Deep Dive, two parts.

Resources: Free throw pressure games, shooting drills, end of game situation drills, practice plans, and courses at https://teachhoops.com/

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

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⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠⁠

Some of the best coaching education never happens at a clinic. It happens in a hallway after practice, in a parking lot after a tough loss, or over a cup of coffee when two coaches finally stop talking about plays and start talking about the work.

That is what this episode is. Steve Collins sits down with Coach Sebert for a real conversation, coach to coach. There is no script and no agenda here. Just two people who have spent a lot of hours in a gym, comparing notes on what they have learned, what they got wrong, and what they would tell a younger version of themselves.

If you have ever wished you could just sit down and pick another coach’s brain for half an hour, this is that conversation.

What we cover:

Why it matters: Coaching can be a lonely job. You make a hundred decisions a day and most of the time nobody sees the reasoning behind them. Hearing how another coach thinks, struggles, and keeps going is one of the fastest ways to get better, and one of the best reminders that you are not doing this alone.

This week’s challenge: Call one coach you respect this week. Not to ask for a play. Just ask them what they have learned lately, then listen.

Resources: Practice plans, drills, courses, on court clinics, and a community of coaches who love talking about this stuff at ⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

⁠https://teachhoops.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠⁠

Some of the best coaching education never happens at a clinic. It happens in a hallway after practice, in a parking lot after a tough loss, or over a cup of coffee when two coaches finally stop talking about plays and start talking about the work.

That is what this episode is. Steve Collins sits down with Coach Sebert for a real conversation, coach to coach. There is no script and no agenda here. Just two people who have spent a lot of hours in a gym, comparing notes on what they have learned, what they got wrong, and what they would tell a younger version of themselves.

If you have ever wished you could just sit down and pick another coach’s brain for half an hour, this is that conversation.

What we cover:

Why it matters: Coaching can be a lonely job. You make a hundred decisions a day and most of the time nobody sees the reasoning behind them. Hearing how another coach thinks, struggles, and keeps going is one of the fastest ways to get better, and one of the best reminders that you are not doing this alone.

This week’s challenge: Call one coach you respect this week. Not to ask for a play. Just ask them what they have learned lately, then listen.

Resources: Practice plans, drills, courses, on court clinics, and a community of coaches who love talking about this stuff at ⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

⁠https://teachhoops.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠

Some of the best coaching education never happens at a clinic. It happens in a hallway after practice, in a parking lot after a tough loss, or over a cup of coffee when two coaches finally stop talking about plays and start talking about the work.

That is what this episode is. Steve Collins sits down with Coach Sebert for a real conversation, coach to coach. There is no script and no agenda here. Just two people who have spent a lot of hours in a gym, comparing notes on what they have learned, what they got wrong, and what they would tell a younger version of themselves.

If you have ever wished you could just sit down and pick another coach’s brain for half an hour, this is that conversation.

What we cover:

Why it matters: Coaching can be a lonely job. You make a hundred decisions a day and most of the time nobody sees the reasoning behind them. Hearing how another coach thinks, struggles, and keeps going is one of the fastest ways to get better, and one of the best reminders that you are not doing this alone.

This week’s challenge: Call one coach you respect this week. Not to ask for a play. Just ask them what they have learned lately, then listen.

Resources: Practice plans, drills, courses, on court clinics, and a community of coaches who love talking about this stuff at https://teachhoops.com/

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

https://teachhoops.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

https://teachhoops.com/

Making practice better. Can high school coaches and youth coaches make practices better? Let us know at [email protected] about what you need or what you're looking for in terms of practices, practice planning, and practice drills.

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https://teachhoops.com/

Late game situations, up three or down two, and practicing the moments you will face in January.

Early in his career, Coach Steve Collins did not really practice the end of games. He figured his team would deal with it when it came up. Then it came up: January, on the road, down two with nineteen seconds left and no timeouts. Five kids looked at the bench, and he looked back with nothing to give them.

That night changed how he used October. The last two minutes of a January game get decided in the first weeks of practice, because whatever a team has rehearsed is what shows up when the gym is loud and the clock is moving. In this two part deep dive, Steve walks through deciding your late game answers while it is still quiet, building a clear up three plan, knowing your shot when you are down two, and turning practice into something that actually feels like January.

Part 1: Deciding Before It Matters

• Why the end of a January game gets decided in the first weeks of the season
• The questions to answer now: foul or guard up three, two or three down two, the one and one lineup, the last shot when tied
• Sitting down with your staff in October to decide twenty situations, and why a decided answer beats a perfect answer invented in a panic
• The one page clipboard sheet, and the five situation version every player should be able to recite
• Up three: why fouling and guarding can both win, but a team that does not know which one it is doing loses
• Clear rules for guarding, how to foul early and with a designated fouler, and why a late foul on a three point shooter is the worst play in basketball
• The player who hesitated for half a second, and why players have to rehearse it with noise, a clock, and a score

Part 2: Down Two and Practicing Pressure

• Down two: deciding ahead of time whether you play for the tie or the win
• One late game play with a second option, and telling the shooter on Monday instead of at the timeout
• A no timeout call the point guard can yell
• Teaching clock awareness so players know what eight seconds really feels like
• Ending practice once a week with live situations, a real clock, a loud bench, and real consequences
• Calling the situation only when the whistle blows, and why chaos in October is a good thing
• Coaching the drill live yourself, because coaches need late game reps too
• The Friday situations that showed up in a sectional game, and the point guard who said, "Coach, that felt like practice"
• Why the last two minutes are about calm, and calm comes from having been there before

Chapters

• 00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
• 00:16 Opening: the confession
• 01:19 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com special situations practice plans and situation sheets
• 01:41 Why October decides January
• 02:15 Takeaway 1: Decide your answers while it is quiet
• 04:03 Takeaway 2: Up three, and the half second hesitation
• 06:35 Takeaway 3: Down two, know your shot
• 08:12 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com late game sets and the coaching community
• 08:30 Takeaway 4: Make practice feel like January
• 10:10 The last two minutes are about calm
• 10:30 The challenge and post roll

This week's challenge: Write down your up three and down two plans tonight, and finish one practice this week with both situations on a real clock.

Format: Deep Dive, two parts.

Resources: Special situations practice plans, end of game drills, late game sets, printable situation sheets, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

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TeachHoops.com

Thirty days into the season, the hard conversations start. In Part 2 of The First Thirty Days, Coach Collins covers the first parent email, how to settle your rotation, what to cut from everything you installed, and how to take care of the one person on your team nobody is coaching.

In this episode:

• The first parent email and why you should never debate playing time over text
• Settling your rotation with practice scores, film, and clear roles
• The Keep, Drop, and Save for January audit for your playbook
• Coach the coach: your staff, your family, and a weekly reset
• The Day Thirty Audit: three sentences, one name, one change

For more practice plans, drills, and coaching systems, visit TeachHoops.com

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The season has started and it already feels like too much. Too many things to teach, too many kids who need something from you, and a practice plan that fell apart by the third drill. In Part 1 of The First Thirty Days, Coach Collins walks through what matters most once the season tips off, and why the answer is not doing more.

In this episode:

• The one question every coach should be asking right now
• Why your first three practices set your standards for the whole year
• How to have the role conversation before game one, with every player, including your stars
• Why practice looks good and games look bad, and how to close the gap with pressure instead of more plays
• How to handle the first loss: the locker room, the film, and the next practice

Your homework: write your three sentences. What must your team be by February?

For more practice plans, drills, and coaching systems, visit TeachHoops.com

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https://teachhoops.com/

Things that basketball players need at practice. Simplicity wins practice. Everything you need to know to become a better basketball coach today and tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions. At [email protected]. #BasketballCoach #Basketball #coaching

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https://teachhoops.com/

What your players learn from how you treat the referee, and how to ask a question that actually gets answered.

Four minutes left in the opener, down three, and the whistle goes the other way. Coach Steve Collins knows that feeling in your chest, and he knows the moment that comes right after it, when every kid on the bench turns to see what the head coach does next. Early in his career he thought working the officials was part of the job. Then he watched film of his own bench and saw his players copying every arm wave and every frustrated face while the other team ran back for layups.

In this deep dive for opening week, Steve breaks down how to talk to officials in a way that actually helps your team. He covers why your players borrow your emotions, how to ask a question an official can answer, when to speak and who should do the talking, and how to give your players a real plan for officials that holds up when they are angry. It is about respect, it is about modeling, and it is about keeping good officials in our gyms for years to come.

Part 1: The Mindset

• The opening scenario: a late charge call in game one and the five seconds that teach your bench more than a week of practice
• Steve's confession about working the officials, and the bench film that changed his approach
• Why your players borrow your face, and the two claps and a point that tell them "next play"
• The difference between a verdict and a question, with three questions an official can actually answer
• The official who told Steve his driver was leading with his off arm, and how that fixed a problem

Part 2: The Timing and the Plan

• Waiting for the dead ball, free throws, and timeouts before you speak, and asking only one question
• Why only the head coach talks to officials and assistants never do
• Teaching players a plan instead of a rule: captains greet officials, captains ask questions, everyone else plays the next play
• Practicing bad calls in scrimmages so the reaction is trained before November
• The fiery senior who took a breath, sprinted back, and took a charge on the next possession
• Shaking every official's hand, raising real concerns through your athletic director, and being the reason officials stay in the game

Chapters

• 00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
• 00:16 Opening scenario: the late charge call
• 01:18 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com bench management and game day checklists
• 01:40 Watching film of my own bench
• 02:29 Takeaway 1: Your players borrow your face
• 03:39 Takeaway 2: Ask a question that can be answered
• 05:51 Takeaway 3: Pick your moment and one voice
• 06:57 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com game management library and community
• 07:20 Takeaway 4: Teach your players a plan for officials
• 09:07 Takeaway 5: Let it go before the handshake line
• 10:10 The opening week challenge
• 10:29 Post roll: TeachHoops.com

This week's challenge: Before your first game, decide your one signal for a bad call and teach it to your team at practice.

Format: Deep Dive, two parts.

Resources: Bench management guides, game day checklists, game management resources, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/

Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

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