Stretch bigs in a Conceptual Offense

PLUS: Learning from other sports; preview of Episode 104 w/ Liam Jefferson

🤔 Thought Starter: Ettore Messina
🎧 The Next Episode: Liam Jefferson
⛹️‍♀️ ‘Stretch bigs‘ in a Conceptual Offense
📓 Basketball thought
📝 Learning from Other Sports
🎶 The Playlist

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🤔 Thought Starter

The most important concept in basketball — “While.” While something is ending, something else is beginning. We do something while something else is happening.

- Ettore Messina

🎧 Next Episode: Liam Jefferson

Good friend of the pod, Liam Jefferson, is the guest on the next episode of the podcast. His appearance last spring is the most listened to episode of the year and continues to climb up the all-time list.

I don’t normally have guests on for a second time this quickly, but a lot has changed for Jefferson. He now oversees the Oaklands Wolves mens program, so I was interested to hear about this new challenge and then dig deeper with him in regard to practice planning. Be on the lookout for Episode 104 of the podcast in the next day or two.

Also …

The basketball coaching podfather, Chris Oliver, is scheduled to be on next week. If you have a question for Chris, please leave a comment.

⛹️‍♀️ ‘Stretch 4s‘ in a Conceptual Offense

We have a freshmen joining the program with some talent. She’s 5-11 and has a decent handle and outside shot. She’s a multisport athlete, but if she chooses basketball as a focus, she has the opportunity to be a solid college player.

I’ve thought about how she might early success in our version of a conceptual offense as a “stretch big.” (I’m a high school coach.) We have some really good players returning, so right now, her role is still to be determined. But, with her skillset, she could be a difference maker for us as the season progresses. And it’s the coaching staff’s job to put her in a position of success.

Ideas on how to do that came this weekend when I watched a EuroCup game between BC Yerevan Foxes and La Molisana Campobassa. I loved how “Magnolia CB” used their “bigs” within their offensive framework. The important role of “Connectors” in the a conceptual offense has come up in the podcast and past newsletters. I was impressed with how Magnolia used these forwards - #20 Sara Madera & #3 Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah — as connectors. Some of our best teams have had players like this.

I grabbed several clips to share with my team, especially our freshman, to demonstrate how effective a connector can be keeping the offense moving and how often good scoring opportunities come their way after doing some “dirty work.”

Ghost against the Zone

I selected this as the first clip because it demonstrates the importance of Madera to Magnolia’s offense as both a connector and a scorer. Love how the team works together when Madera aborts the on-ball screen for the pop 3 against the zone. If X2 covers, it’s an easy 1-more to the wing.

Horns post-up

In this Horns set, both Madera and Kunaiyi-Akpanah get touches. But Kunaiyi-Akpanah becomes the focal point in a play that’s well defended to start. Good recognition by both players at the end of the possession to recognize that Kunaiyi-Akpanah has established great position for the post-up. Great idea for a drill.

Pindown → On-Ball

The first of a couple clips where Madera and Kunaiyi-Akpanah create scoring opportunities for their teammates. (Foxes aren’t the most ambitious defenders when screened. 🤣) In this case, Madera follows a pindown with a ball screen.

On-Ball → Pindown

Same actions, different sequence. Like this action from Kunaiyi-Akpanah, especially against wing defenders that like to be screened. Basic example of how these players connect the offense to keep things moving.

Late shot-clock Ghost

Yes, Madera makes a high difficulty shot. But given the shot clock situation, you can understand why it went up. Plus, she made it. Never underestimate the value of a made bucket near the end of the shot clock. And, I LOVE the ghost screen action, especially considering she had just set the screen at the beginning of the clip. As Coach Ward says, “Train the dogs.”

📓 Coaching Notes Entry

Recent entry from the Notes app on my phone …

The heart of our offense is about creating an advantage and developing that advantage until we create the opportunity to take a high-valued shot for a player.

We will introduce triggers and entries, but at the end of the day, this offense succeeds if players are willing to continuously execute these elements: proper spacing, simple actions, and a willingness to play unselfish basketball. * Remind players that in some cases, shooting the basketball is an unselfish act.

📝 Learning from Other Sports

I had the opportunity last week to produce the broadcast for Idaho 6A Girls Soccer Championship for the NFHS Network. It was incredible watching the speed, strength, and skill of the young women competing over the 3-day tournament.

Besides the high-level competition at one of the most beautiful high school venues in the country, a highlight came on Saturday when I joined Conor Baranski to commentate the trophy games. Baranski teaches with me at Sandpoint High School and was the long-time girls soccer coach. We’ve shared a lot of athletes over the years and spent a lot hours talking about coaching. With four state titles during his career, I’m usually the one learning.

Saturday was a treat because it was a lot like my podcast. I asked the expert a lot of questions and he gave insightful responses. But what made this experience so dynamic is that questions came during the flow of the game. I was able to ask Baranski about situations that just happened or get insight on how he might approach the final 10 minutes of a half.

I learned so much, including how much of a “players game” soccer actually is when the clock is running. It’s something we try to replicate on the basketball court. One aspect of our state title run that coaching staff was most proud of is that we maybe called 2 or 3 halfcourt plays throughout the whole game. Our job as coaches came during the practices. Come game time, we trusted our players to figure out what they needed to do come game time. Of course, we made adjustments during timeouts and halftime, but we let the players do the heavy lifting when the clock was running.

This is just one example from the 7-hour coaching clinic I had on Saturday. I realize we all don’t get the opportunity to sit next to a 4-time state championship coach on a state trophy Saturday, but it did get me thinking about the next best thing. Ask a coach from another sport to watch one of their games with you and then let the questions fly!

🎶 The Playlist

14 songs that helped this newsletter come together. Shout out to Damien Jurado who is a Pacific Northwest treasure and has a fun newsletter. Enjoy!