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Get Your Team Ready For The Stretch Run!
By Michael Podoll, Managing Editor
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article is a continuation from an article that appeared in the February 2004 issue of Winning Hoops (page 4). To order this issue, or to become a subscriber to Winning Hoops, double-click the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page.
IN WHAT HAS become a popular yearly tradition in our February issue, Winning Hoops brings you game-tested tournament tips and ideas from some of the best coaching minds in the world.
This exclusive annual feature will help you prepare your team for the rigors of post-season tournament competition.
"Run short, intense practices. At this time in the season, it's important motivate your second team to play harder than ever."
"Have quick starts to your practices, not long leisurely ones. Keep your "coach-talk" to a minimum and make the players do most of the communicating during these practices. Get them out of the gym FAST after practice."
Dick Bennett, Head Mens Coach, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.
"Here in Canada, our boys' Provincial Championships are a weekend event. After coming to the end of a long regular-season schedule, league finals, and regional playoffs, if we are still in a position to compete in the championships, we prepare just as hard during this week as with any other game.
"One season, however, my assistant asked if I'd consider taking Wednesday off during this week of preparation to give the kids a physical and mental rest before our final Thursday practice. After some hesitation, we finally tried it. Without telling the players, we worked really hard Monday and Tuesday and then surprised them with an off-day that Wednesday. We came back and worked on fine-tuning things on Thursday. As our team left for the championships that season, the kids were rested, morale was high and we came home with a tournament championship! Is taking a key practice day off risky? Very. But since then, we've been to the championships each season and have instituted this 'day-off' into our preparation plans with continued success."
Gib Hinz, Head Boys Coach, Caronport High School, Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada
"Spend extra time on special situations at practices. Many playoff games come down to one or two critical offensive or defensive possessions. Your team will be better prepared to handle these situations if you have recently practiced them."
Dave Fuhrman, Boys Varsity Coach, Bradford Area High School, Bradford, Pa.
"By the post-season, your practices should be efficient, crisp and short. Breaking up these practices should include games that focus on the fundamentals, such as shooting games and passing keep-away games. These practices should also emphasize situations with leads and deficits. Last-second plays should be practiced as well as third and fourth options in your offenses.
"Teaching your players and continuing to work on jump balls, securing loose balls and taking charges in a way that is fun can make a big difference to your team's performance. Using quotes and sayings to motivate your team can also provide benefit."
Scott Columbo, Basketball Coach, Canon-McMillan High School, Canonsburg, Pa.
"Here are the main tips that I emphasize to my team during the tournament:
- Don't let anyone outwork you.
- Stay in the moment ó focus on each play.
- Step it up in the fourth quarter.
- Support your teammates 100 percent.
- Play with a sense of invincibility.
- Create offense by playing hard-nosed defense.
- Allow no let-ups ó play hard all the time.
For my junior teams, I limit it to four general points:
- Stay in the moment and be mentally in the game all the time.
- Always play team defense and offense.
- No turnovers.
- Don't get rattled out there if things aren't going your way.
Chris Bischoff, Professional Basketball Coach, GHP, Bamberg, Germany
"When the post-season approaches, 'normalcy' is the key. Prepare for the games as you would any other. Don't underplay or overstate the importance of the upcoming events. The goal is to win the whole thing, so celebrating the first win as if it is the championship exhausts critical emotion that your team will need at the end. Play the game one possession at a time."
Carolyn Peck, Head Womens Coach, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
"If you're going to use a press in the tournament, it's important that you spend time working on the press and you should do some pressing in the final games of the regular season. You need to be ready to press if you get down in the post-season and have no other options. And if you aren't ready, then it's game over ó and season over!"
Eddie Andrist, Head Mens Coach, University of Wisconsin óStout, Menomonie, Wis.
"Prior to the tournament, make time to fine-tune your offense and set plays. Execution is the critical key that time of year. More importantly, make sure that everyone ó including the coaches ó has fun!"
Kristy Curry, Head Womens Coach, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.
"It's important that your players are fresh mentally and physically heading into tourney play. Your season will be over soon if your team is tired or has no legs. Keep practices short, working hard for a shorter amount of time. Stress fundamentals and emphasize what it will take to keep on winning in the tournament. Defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball are all important points of emphasis.†Make practices fun while working hard ó remember that these players have been in the gym for 6 months now."
Pam Borton, Head Womens Coach, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
"Starting in early February, begin to practice with timed game-like situations. Be creative by telling your team the score, the time on the clock and the game situation. For instance, practice several sideline inbounds scoring plays, free-throws, fast breaks, creating dead-ball fouls during end-line inbounds plays, immediate scoring opportunities off jump-ball situations, denial or fouling on an inbounds pass, using non-verbal communication (colors, symbols, etc.) or any other situation you can think of.
"Your team needs enough repetitions in those kinds of situations so that when you face them during the tournament, your players will execute the options with confidence. Be open-minded to your players' observations and suggestions."
Glenn Eichstedt, Head Boys Coach, Kewaskum High School, Kewaskum, Wis.
"Keep things simple. There's a reason you've made the post-season , so don't try to change too many things. Try to continue to do the things that got you this far and limit the reasons teams lose, such as free throws, turnovers, and poor team defense and rebounding. Our team shoots free throws every day. We use game-type situations and drills to make them realistic. We emphasize turnovers by running whenever there is a turnover in a practice drill or install consequences for sloppy play (push-ups or sit-ups). We try to make rebounds realistic as possible, as opposed to isolated drills. Rebounds are part of our fast-break and free-throw drills. With team defense, we're constantly stressing the idea of trust. You must trust your teammate to help on defense because you must trust that the helper will be helped as well.
"Do all the little things that got your team to the post-season. Get your players to believe that they deserve to be here ó so they can focus on playing, not proving."
Eric Brand, Head Girls Coach, John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, Somers, N.Y.
"As the season wears on, cut down your practice time to prevent your players from becoming fatigued. We usually practice no more than 90 minutes while preparing for the post-season. Stress defense and shooting in practices. If you know who your opponent(s) will be, work on stopping their offensive tendencies."
Bill Agronin, Head Womens Coach, Niagara University, Niagara, N.Y.
"In younger players and first-time tournament participants (players and coaches), it's important to overtly stress discipline and focus ó especially after a successful regular season. Players and coaches must be clear that everyone must support each other and maintain a high level of focus as it pertains to on-the-court play, consistency and game-time strategy. This focus must come during practice and preparation, as well as in 'the heat of the battle.'
"With all of this to consider, you also need to maintain a certain level of calm and maintain a relaxed atmosphere. This offsets the anxiety and pressure that accompanies competing and being successful in 'important' games."
Charles Brown, Head Girls Coach, Lady Lions Maryland AAU, Baltimore, Md.
"Heading into the tournament, every player should be assigned one or two key things to focus on, with one or two themes for the team as a whole to focus on. In other words, have a focused plan. After you make assignments, have the players repeat it out loud to prove that they have a focus and understand their responsibilities. This helps you lead them and helps them to lead themselves."
Tom Endersbe, Head Coach, Seventh Grade Traveling Boy's Team, Eagan Minn.
"Heading into the stretch run during February, we want to have two things going for us. First, at all costs, we're going to keep our legs fresh. Second, we try to have a trick up our sleeve in the form of a new offensive or defensive set, inbounds play or gimmick defense."
Andy Hamilton, Head Womens Coach, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
"We stress that the cumulative effect of each game preparation becomes more and more valuable as the season winds down. Attention to detail for each game makes you more tournament-ready because you'll have assimilated essential details throughout the year.
"In concert with this, we also shorten the physical part of practice because fresh legs make for fresh minds to accept the preparation. Although the physical portion of practice is shortened, the intensity of practice must never diminish."
Pat Sullivan, Head Mens Coach, St. Francis University, Joliet, Ill
"Don't try to change things too much ó stick to a routine that your players are comfortable with. Get your team to realize that you've prepared well all-year long and that they've made a commitment to excellence on both ends of the floor."
John Jones, Head Boys Coach, Spanish River Community High School, Boca Raton, Fla.
"To prepare for the tournament, during the last four weeks of the season, we spend 30 minutes a week working on special situations. For example, we'll set our team up and use the following scenarios:
- Down 1 with 7 seconds to go, they need to bring the ball up the full length of the court to score.
- Down 3 with 10 seconds left vs. 1-2-2 zone defense.
- Down 2 with 5 seconds to go and inbounding the ball from the side line.
- Down 8 with 2 minutes on the clock and we put them into 10 to 12 different situations and then have them run special plays or quick hitters to try to cut into the margin.
"Giving your team repetitions under these tough situations will help your team become successful because they'll be prepared and accustomed to the pressure of a tournament setting."
Dennis Koester, Basketball Coach, Teutopolis High School, Teutopolis Ill .
