We are fortunate to have Reid Ouse for this episode.

Ouse is a former college basketball coach who is now the owner / director of Catalyst Training, which is based out of Minnesota.

He has worked with some of basketball biggest names, but also offer development and training for coaches & players at all levels.

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EPISODE BREAKDOWN

2:00 - Definition of success in player development

5:00 - The mindset of top players

7:00 - The role of the coach in player development

9:30 - A mix between skill development & game enhancement

12:50 - Manufacturing the right chaotic environment

16:00 - Determining a workout plan for players

18:10 - Best practices for communication

20:10 - Incorporating multiple activities within a drill

22:25 - Approach to shooting

27:00 - What’s available at Catalyst Training

We are fortunate to have Chris Oliver return to the podcast for this episode.

Oliver, of course, is the basketball podfather with his own show, The Basketball Podcast, and website, Basketball Immersion, two of leading resources for coaches around the world.

He also is a consultant with Nike & the NBA involving their youth basketball initiative which we will talk about a little later.

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Episode Breakdown

1:45 - Changes in coaching philosophy over time

4:00 - Practice structure when installing a conceptual offense

6:00 - Teaching the game using coaching interventions

7:15 - What coaching interventions should look like

10:00 - Helping players develop their scanning skills

13:25 - Deeper conversations with players around development

14:15 - What teaching scanning looks like in practices

16:50 - The importance of playing 5v5

20:25 - The importance of connecting the different elements of play

21:15 - Ideas for developing a coaching filter for resources

23:05 - The importance of having a Principles of Play

24:30 - Partnership with Nike and the NBA

26:20 - Getting players to love practice

We are fortunate to have the return of Liam Jefferson on this episode. 

The episode focuses on how Jefferson develops his practices using CLA methods to introduce conceptual principles in his new position.

Jefferson was on earlier this year to talk about his role with the London Lions Youth Academy and installing a conceptual offense. It quickly became one of our most popular episodes.

A lot has changed since that time. Jefferson is now the head coach of the Oaklands Wolves and clinician for Transforming Basketball. 

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2:00 - Responsibilities with the Oaklands Wolves

3:50 - Working with inexperience basketball coaches

5:30 - Documenting offensive & defensive philosophies

6:50 - Introducing CLA & Conceptual offense to new coaches

8:30 - Evaluating success when taking over a new program

10:25 - Long haul vs. short haul when implementing a CLA & Conceptual approach

11:25 - Competition levels for basketball in England

12:50 - Structure of youth academy vs. senior team practices

14:00 - Keys to developing a practice plan

16:00 - Organizing practice activities over the season

17:30 - Practice planning for specific opponents

18:45 - Practice structure using the CLA

21:15 - The importance of pace in practices

22:30 - Individual development in practices

25:00 - Players response to this system

27:05 - Planning practice around intensity & workload

We are fortunate to have Ty Keck on this episode to discuss practice planning and structure. 

Keck is the head girls coach at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He led Skyline to a 4A state runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024 and has been a great resource for coaches like myself who have adopted a conceptual offense and CLA principles.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

2:00 - General approach to developing a practice plan

3:10 - What’s a practice philosophy that’s changed for you over the years

6:25 - Development w/ younger players vs. older players

8:00 - Practice structure from day to day

9:55 - Adapting focus within a practice

11:55 - Creating the environment for a secondary trigger

15:25 - Ratio between 2v2, 3v3 vs. 5v5

17:20 - Ratio of teaching offense vs. defense

19:45 - Factoring conditioning into practices

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We are fortunate to have John Adams on this episode.

In fact, I was fortunate to spend an evening with Adams in Kenmare, County Kerry during my trip to Ireland. Adams is a co-founder and current chair of the Kenmare Kestrels Basketball Club.

The club was founded in 2006 and boasts close to 350 members, with youth and adult teams competing in the KABB (Kerry Area Basketball Board).

Adams, who is originally from Maine and has degrees from Notre Dame and Harvard, managed to fit in some time between practices for a short interview at his home.

Our discussion focused on the history of the Kenmare Kestrels, how it fits a niche in a country dominated by other sports, and what he has learned as a coach to teams at various age levels.

We are fortunate to have Bill Himmelberg on this episode.

Himmelberg is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana. The Argos made their way to this year’s NAIA National Championship game, but fell to No. 1 Dordt University by 4 points.

Himmelberg is entering his 15 season as Providence’s head coach. He also has experience coaching at the high school level.

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1:45 - Was playing for an NAIA title expected at the beginning of the season

2:40 - Determining when your team might be a championship-level team

4:15 - Discussing championship possiblities with your team

7:45 - Where owning restaurant franchises and college basketball meet

12:50 - Developing an offensive identity through early offense and   player freedom

18:15 - Building confidence in younger players in a conceptual system

22:35 - Flowing from 5-out to 4-out seamlessly

31:05 - Packaging actions and naming them for easy communication

35:15 - Introducing concepts throughout the season

37:35 - The benefits for two-way teaching

40:00 - Using a 5-out to attack a zone defense

42:15 - Percentage of time practicing against a zone defense

44:05 - Area of study as a coach for the upcoming season

We are fortunate to have Ryan Josephson on this episode. 

Josephson is the head boys coach at Camas High School near Vancouver, Washington.

Since starting as an assistant coach for the boys, the Papermakers have enjoyed unprecedented success in their school’s basketball history, including a sixth place finish in the 2023 4A State Tournament. 

Over the last 4 years, Camas has averaged more than 70 points per game.

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SHOW NOTES

2:05 - Path toward a conceptual offense and using CLA concepts

4:55 - Main principles of the Camas offense

11:00 - Identifying primary triggers for a conceptual offense

19:15 - Using Ghost Screens as a secondary action

23:10 - Other secondary actions to keep flow

27:25 - SSGs that lead to secondary actions

31:40 - Conceptual offense with multiple talented players

33:50 - Identifying good shots in a conceptual offense

37:25 - CLA’s impact on player shot selection

39:00 - Forecasting for the future with a conceptual offense

47:30 - Working with your coaching staff in implementation

51:05 - Growth areas as a coach

We are fortunate to have Kirby Schepp on this podcast.

Schepp is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Manitoba. Schepp has coached at all levels in his more than 3 decade of coaching, including stints with national teams of Canada and Egypt.

Most people know Schepp from his online coaching clinics, including the presentation “Don’t Teach Them Plays, Teach Them “How to Play,” which has more than 1 million views on YouTube.

Schepp covers a lot for coaches to consider throughout this episode. The main focus of the discussion is Zone Offense Concepts.

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SHOW NOTES

1:30 - Coaching at a national team level

3:40 - Coach Schepp’s basketball journey

5:30 - Putting in the time as a coach

10:40 - Breaking down concepts for players

13:30 - Growing as a coach

14:50 - Building player’s knowledge of zone offense

21:15 - Offense that zones don’t like

23:15 - Concepts that will distort a zone

27:25 - Game planning & adjusting to a zone

31:50 - Teaching shot selection in zone offense

36:35 - A system vs. player strengths

41:10 - Blobs vs. a zone defense

45:05 - Finding inspiration for zone offense

48:20 - Olympic basketball breakdown

51:10 - Growth areas as a coach

53:15 - Keys to re-evaluating your system

We are fortunate to have 2 guests for this episode. 

The first guest is James Anderson, who has appeared on two episodes of the podcast. Anderson is the head boys coach at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Our second guest is new to the podcast. Adam DeGroot is the head coach at Joliet Catholic in Joliet, Illinois.

Both coaches run conceptual offense, and in many ways, run conceptual defense. The episode is a mid-summer check-in to discuss what we've learned.

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3:15 - Developing a long-term plan for program building

5:00 - Reasons for leaning toward conceptual play

7:20 - The role of the “Connector” position

10:30 - Developing the “Connector” in practice

13:20 - Second-year development of offense

15:40 - Distribution of triggers and shots

18:40 - Stacking triggers together

21:55 - Introducing Conceptual Offense to younger players

27:45 - Summer surprises - good & bad

31:45 - Describing a conceputal defense

36:50 - How players have picked up the conceptual defense 

39:35 - Getting your coaching staff up to speed

We are fortunate to have Brian McCormick on this episode. McCormick name is probably familiar to you. He has coached players at all levels all over the world for several decades, and his impact on the game is remarkable.  

McCormick, who has a PhD in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah, released his 27th book for basketball coaches in March. NADA is his first book to focus on defense.

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SHOW NOTES

1:55 - The evolution of NADA

5:45 - 3 differentiators between NADA & traditional systems

20:40 - No Advantage vs. Defensive Advantage

30:10 - Antiquated Defensive Principles

41:40 - When incorrect decisions are the preferred decisions

45:20 - Using NADA in your program

51:10 - 1v1's Role in Improving Defense

56:50 - Offseason focuses