The Hours

Join Mark and Tyler for a special Mailbag episode of The Hours podcast! Celebrating over 600 members in the Savvy Basketball community, they tackle listener-submitted "smart questions" that show effort and application. This episode dives deep into coaching philosophy, from youth development to high-level defensive strategy, emphasizing principles over prescribed plays and function over form.

Get ready for an in-depth discussion on how to teach modern basketball, why reacting to your opponent means you've already lost, and how to improve shooting effectively mid-season.

💡 Key Points & Timestamps

• Youth Coaching: Spacing with Non-Shooters (4:12)
  • Crucial Principle: Spacing is for passing, not for shooting at that level.
  • Third graders can shoot from distance, but they need to be taught a system that generates power and functionality over traditional form shooting.
• Head Coach Problem: Utilizing Capable Assistants (14:38)
  • Recommendation: Ask the assistants to write their own job descriptions and identify their "areas of genius".
  • Example roles: Scouts, running practice sections, shooting coordinator, game subs, driving competitiveness, extra work/gym-opening.
• Disruptive Defense: Guarding Stagger Screens in Lock Left (19:03)
  • A coach asks how to guard stagger screens in the "Lock Left" defense.
  • The Goal: Disrupt timing by making the ball "go to jail" (forcing the ball handler to the left side/sideline).
  • The 5-Step Savvy Coach Checklist:
    1. Why do you care? Focus on what you can do, not what they do.
    2. Check the math. Is this action truly hurting you, or did one play just feel bad? (Look at percentage of possessions and points per possession) .
    3. Rewind the tape. What happened before the stagger screen that allowed them to run it? (The on-ball defender didn't make the ball go) .
    4. Create your problems (e.g., getting better on the wall, rebounding) rather than fixing theirs (stagger screens).
• Shooting: Function Over Form (44:20)
  • Observation/Fix: Players often have feet that are too narrow and a ball load position (Position 1) that is too high (chin-level), limiting their ability to transfer force from the ground.

🎯 Action Items for Coaches

1. Redefine Winning: If you coach youth, evaluate your practice plans. Are you coaching for long-term development or short-term wins? Use the Big/Small/Big perspective.
2. Assign Autonomy to Assistants: Ask your assistant coaches to write their own job descriptions detailing their roles and areas of expertise to give them ownership.
3. Stop Reacting to Opponents: Apply the 5-step checklist. Before defending an opponent's specific action (like staggers), check the math to see if it's a real threat and rewind the tape to see what your team did (or failed to do) to allow the action to happen.
4. Teach Functional Shooting: Do not start with form shooting close to the rim. Adjust foot width and ball position to generate maximum power first. Do not move in if a player can't reach—force the functional adjustment by shooting from the desired range (or even further back).

Join Mark Cascio, Claire Murphy, and Tyler as they dissect what's wrong with most traditional coaching clinics and celebrate the success of their first-ever annual SAVI Coaching Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona! They share why their clinic was so impactful, from deep, intentional conversations to a focus on holistic, identity-based coaching over simple X's and O's.

Then, the "Dream Team" breaks down key takeaways from running a youth basketball practice together, offering immediate, high-value action items you can apply to make your practices more effective, engaging, and transformational. Learn how to be "messy" with high standards and why the preparation and debrief are the most important parts of your coaching week. #SAVIcoach

SAVI Basketball 7-Day Free Trial: https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

🛠️ Action Items for Coaches

Evaluate Your Clinics: Next time you attend a clinic, evaluate if it offers extended mentorship/follow-up, allows for interactive engagement, and has a connected, focused curriculum.

Hold High Standards for Response: Implement a clear, predetermined consequence (like a technical foul) for poor mistake responses (frustration, eye-rolling) to enforce the "next play" standard in your gym.

Apply the Plus-One Debrief: During practice, observe many mistakes but only coach one or two things in the post-activity debrief. Resist the urge to give concurrent feedback or address everything at once.

Prioritize Prep and Debrief: Cut practice short by 15 minutes if needed to establish a process where you spend time preparing objectives and debriefing with your staff after every session.

Identify 3 Objectives: For your next practice, identify 3 clear, measurable objectives (e.g., "get open in space," "rebounding," "hunting nines") based on your game data, and let your staff (or use the Savvy community) suggest drills to achieve them (631, 636).

Simplify and Clarify: Check if your players can articulate your offensive objective in a clear, concise phrase. Also, ensure your players can trigger an action/play with speed and on their own; otherwise, it's a useless play.

Mark and Tyler from are back to finish the "Building the Best Coach" tournament bracket and decide which attribute is the undisputed champion of coaching excellence! In this jam-packed finale, the hosts complete the first round with debates that pit System Design against High Energy, and Recruiting against Player Roles.

The competition quickly whittles down to the "Core Four" of coaching excellence—a grouping that shifts the conversation from bracket fun to a serious discussion about the foundations of a powerful program culture. Get ready for a controversial upset where Relationships challenge High Standards, and an intense championship debate that separates the short game from the long game. Don't miss the final, hard-fought pick for the single most valuable skill a coach can possess!

📝 Action Items for Coaches

Identify Your Weakness: Use the "Core Four" (Relationships, High Energy, Communication, High Standards) to identify your most prominent area of weakness and commit to intentional development in that area.

Implement the Rule of 3, 10, 30: Challenge yourself to give players no more than 3 instructions in any setup, keep the explanation under 10 minutes, and get them moving in 30 seconds or less.

Choose Your Champion: Listen to the final verdict, then head to the comments to tell Mark and Tyler who you would pick as the ultimate winner!

SAVI Basketball Community 7 Day Free Trial https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

TOC Coach Community 7 Day Free Trial https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about

Welcome into The Hours! Mark and Tyler of SAVI Basketball are back with another bracket tournament, this time tackling the monumental task of building the "Perfect Coach." In Part 1 of this two-part special, the hosts kick off the 16-attribute bracket by seeding and debating the most crucial skills and qualities a successful basketball coach must possess, ranging from Practice Design to Communication and High Standards.

Tyler shares an incredible anecdote about their 7th/8th-grade girls' squad's 60-point swing in two months, highlighting the power of SAVI Basketball's process-driven approach over mere outcomes. The discussion emphasizes that skills like system design and relationship building are the critical inputs that ultimately transform a program's culture and success—the outputs. Tune in to see the initial seeds, the intense debates, and Mark and Tyler's takes on the most undervalued coaching attributes.

📝 Action Items for Coaches

Reflect on Your Inputs: Assess your coaching program's "inputs" (practice design, communication, systems, relationships) rather than dwelling on the "output" (wins, losses, or culture).

Define Player Roles Concisely: Practice communicating a player's core role and superpower to them in a clear, concise way, emphasizing how that role serves the team.

Audit Your Community Engagement: Consider what you've done in the last nine months to build community support with parents, admin, and boosters. If the answer is "nothing," start right now.

Join the Conversation: Comment on who you think is the early favorite to win the bracket after listening to Part 1!

SAVI Basketball Community (7 day free trial): https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

TOC Coach Community (7 day free trial): https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about

Join Tyler in this episode of The Hours Podcast as he sits down with renowned basketball teacher Edward Leblanc! Edward is an innovative mind known for helping players and coaches achieve their full potential, and in this episode, he shares his revolutionary insights on player development, skill acquisition, and what really moves the needle for young athletes.

Edward Leblanc brings a game-changing perspective to the court, challenging the conventional wisdom of chasing constant AAU tournament participation. We dive into the most effective ways young players can spend their time for maximum personal growth. Leblanc argues that time is a player’s greatest asset, and often, that time is better spent on deliberate individual skill work (like shooting & ball handling), free-play/pick-up games, & expanding basketball knowledge through film, books, and podcasts, rather than the extensive travel and downtime associated with many tournaments.

This episode is a masterclass in separating high-impact activities from low-impact participation. It’s an essential listen for coaches and parents who want to foster resilience, coachability, and a high Basketball IQ—the non-tangible skills that are the foundation for long-term success. Learn which core skills truly pay off at the next level and hear the inspiring story of a seemingly unassuming janitor who profoundly shaped Edward's journey.

⏱️ Key Points & Time Stamps

(0:00): Introduction to Edward Leblanc—PGC Basketball Director and innovative teacher of the game.

(4:15): Time as a Player’s Greatest Asset—Why the ROI on early, constant tournament play is often low.

(7:30): High-Impact Activities for Young Players—Prioritizing individual skill work (shooting, ball handling) & free play over structured games.

(12:50): The "Free Play" Advantage—Creating a low-pressure environment for skill mastery & decision-making without fear of substitution.

(17:05): The Timeless Skills That Matter—Identifying shooting, reading the floor, and ball security as keys for advancing to higher levels.

(21:40): The Foundation of Success—Discussing the importance of coachability, leadership, and resilience as critical non-tangible skills.

(31:15): Curriculum Development Insights—How PGC designs its teaching to provide secret 1% enhancements that unlock breakthroughs for athletes and coaches.

✅ Action Items for Coaches

Re-Evaluate Tournament Time: Encourage players (especially those below the Sophomore/Junior year) to trade some tournament weekends for individual skill-building blocks focusing on high-rep shooting and ball-handling.

Facilitate Free Play: Actively promote or organize open-gym/pick-up opportunities. This builds player creativity and decision-making without the pressure of a team environment.

Prioritize Fundamentals: Dedicate practice time to the "timeless skills" like teaching players to read the floor and improving position-specific ball security.

Teach Resilience: Develop drills and culture that treat mistakes as learning opportunities, emphasizing that bouncing back with determination is a crucial skill.

Learn More about Edward & Court Sessions: https://www.skool.com/courtsessions-basketball-8784/about

SAVI Basketball Community Membership: https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

TOC Coach Community Membership: https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about

Welcome back to The Hours Podcast, presented by SAVI Basketball! Hosts Mark and Tyler are fresh off program clinics and dive straight into the trenches of coaching philosophy and defensive installation.

In this must-listen episode, they break down the common barriers coaches face when transitioning to a conceptual system like the Lock Left Defense (which they successfully installed in just 90 minutes!). They tackle the critical challenge of unlearning deeply ingrained defensive habits—from the archaic "choppy feet close-out" to the ineffective "hands up" mantra.

Discover the difference between playing man-to-man and executing a system, why your players must genuinely love your defense, and the true power of holding a seemingly small standard like "Knees and Noise." This episode is a masterclass in intentional coaching, offering practical ways to elevate your practice standards, teach with clarity (Show, Don't Tell), and empower your defense to force turnovers and bad shots by strategically "making the ball go."

Welcome back to The Hours Podcast, presented by SAVI Basketball! In this special episode, hosts Mark and Tyler ditch the lecture hall for the court as they go head-to-head in an exhilarating

16-Action Bracket challenge. Coming out of the development of their new

RDS Offensive Course (Race & Driving Space), the hosts aim to rank their favorite basketball actions in a single-elimination tournament to find the ultimate #1 action to build an offense around.

They break down the essential components of 16 top actions—from the versatility of

Fan and the direct attack of a Step Up Ball Screen, to the deceptive effectiveness of a Ghost Screen and the simplicity of a Burn Cut. This episode is a masterclass in coaching philosophy, revealing that the key to an anti-fragile offense is simplicity, intentionality, and prioritizing player reads over complicated sets.

Tune in to discover which action wins the Championship, why "less is more" leads to millions of unique offensive variations, and how to use the "Often Simple, Never" decision-making matrix to build your own winning system.

RDS Offensive Course https://savicoach.com/savi-store/product/681b57b47e0d984134dad0fa

SAVI Community (7 day Free Trial) https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

Lock Left Course: https://savicoach.com/savi-store/product/681b579168829870711ebc61

In this episode, Mark and Clare flip the script on traditional coaching. They reveal why the "fix-it" mentality is a trap and how the most transformative coaches empower their players to lead. Drawing on their experiences as teachers and coaches, they discuss how to build a program that is truly bigger than any one person. They cover practical strategies like asking better questions, creating a psychologically safe environment, and co-creating your team's culture. Tune in to learn how to move from being the "sage on the stage" to a "guide on the side" and unlock your team's full potential.

Key Points & Timestamps

(2:49) What It Means to be a "Guide on the Side"

(4:26) The Power of the Pause: Giving Players a Voice

(6:06) Lead with Questions, Not Answers

(11:22) Using Feedback for Measurement and Motivation

(15:31) Changing "Why" to "What" in Your Questions

(17:56) Co-Creating Your Team's Core Values

(22:26) The System: From Opportunities to Frameworks

(26:26) Eliminating Clicks Through Environmental Design

(28:37) Free Community Trial & Other Resources Mentioned

Action Items for Coaches

Lead with a question: The next time you see something your team is doing incorrectly, resist the urge to fix it. Instead, ask an open-ended question to get them to think about the problem themselves.

Use "powerful pauses": After you ask a question, wait longer than you think you should for a response. Give your players time to process and formulate their own answers.

Conduct a "thumbs up/thumbs down" check with eyes closed: To get an honest assessment of your team's understanding of a concept, have them close their eyes before giving a thumbs up or down. This removes the influence of peer pressure.

Create a space for small groups: Find a way to have your players talk in small groups of 3 or 4 during practice or film sessions. This creates a safe environment for them to share their thoughts and ideas.

Note to the Editor

Join the TOC Coach community: https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about

SAVI Basketball website: https://savicoach.com/home

SAVI Basketball community: https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

New RDS course: https://savicoach.com/savi-store/product/681b57b47e0d984134dad0fa

LockLeft course: https://savicoach.com/savi-store/product/681b579168829870711ebc61

In this episode of The Hours Podcast, Mark and Tyler of SAVI Basketball dive into Part 2 of their series on special situations in coaching. They challenge coaches to not only have a pre-determined philosophy for these critical moments but also to actively "test and teach" it to their teams. This episode moves beyond late-game scenarios to cover situations that happen every single game, including pre-game, halftime, and post-game management. They use real-world examples to illustrate how small, well-prepared adjustments can make the difference between a win and a loss, emphasizing the importance of staying true to your team's core principles.

Key Points

(0:23) Test and Teach Your Philosophy

(7:02) Pre-Game Special Situations

(12:16) Halftime Management

(14:45) Post-Game Routine

(17:47) Why Teams Lose Big Leads

(20:50) How to Play When You're Down

(23:40) When to Call a Timeout

(26:51) In-Game Substitutions

Action Items for Coaches

💥Document Your Philosophy: Create a clear, written philosophy for common special situations, including pre-game, halftime, and late-game scenarios.

💥Practice with Purpose: Don't just walk through plays. Run them in a way that simulates the pressure and competition of a real game.

💥Use Frameworks & Routines: Implement a consistent framework for your pre-game and halftime speeches (e.g., "Start, Stop, Keep"). Establish a predictable routine for players to follow before, during, and after games.

💥Get Your Sub Plan Ready: Know in advance who you'll sub in for different end-of-game situations (when you are up vs. when you are down).

SAVI Fall Coaches Retreat https://www.thatpickleballstore.com/products/fall-retreat-2025-savi-x-tps

Join the SAVI Basketball Community- 7-day free trial https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about

Are you leaving opportunities on the court? Most coaches are great at preparing for "first-order" situations like transition and half-court offense, but fail to properly train for "second-order" situations that happen frequently but are rarely practiced. In this episode, Tyler and Mark dive deep into two major special situations: free throws and baseline out-of-bounds plays. They challenge traditional coaching methods and provide a fresh perspective on how to turn these moments into a competitive advantage. From developing a proper free-throw routine to intentional fouling, this episode is packed with tips and strategies that will make your team more prepared and more dangerous in every moment of the game.

• SAVI Basketball Membership: [Link to SAVI Basketball Membership]
• The Lock Left Course: [Link to Lock Left Course]
• TOC Coach Membership: [Link to TOC Coach]
• SAVI Basketball Newsletter: [Link to SAVI Newsletter]