HoopTalk – Offense

Hoop Talk Day 1…For me, I like offense a lot, and without scorers, you cannot achieve your goals. Defense is everything; guarding one-on-one is crucial in certain late-clock situations.

Offense is flow, making the defense guard multiple actions, creating multiple reads for scorers to make plays. A go-to scorer is nice, but imagine a team full of specific options tailored to thier games. That is where creating a universal philosophy comes in.

I believe in terminological installation. There is so much that can be taught once players understand the words you are using. I have played for Ryan Cain, who is a psycho for having players develop a similar mindset, where players are all thinking and talking alike. Practice becomes the game; the mental and physical challenges the game demands must be instilled by the coaching staff.

Terminology tells you exactly what you need to know. There is a difference between “talking” and communicating – sending a message is communicating. Talking is just noise…

There have been a few great teams that have quiet gyms. On my 2022-2023 Keene State team, there was never a quiet day, and more importantly, days were stacked. One good day had to be followed by another, or we were simply wasting our time. You can’t teach toughness, but you can create an environment where toughness comes out.

Thanks for following along. There will be more of these HoopTalk’s soon!