What I Learned at Camp
8 Late-Game Scenarios & 2 SSGs from Montana Team Camp
🤔 Thought Starter: Guy Stephan
🏀 What I Learned at Camp
All Grit, No Quit, Close-Knit
Late-Game Scenarios
Lady Griz SSGs
🎼 The Playlist: New Wilco!
🤔 Thought Starter: Guy Stephan
“I’m not saying he retains everything I say, but he listens and exchanges. I put different arguments to him. He’s the one who makes the decision. If an assistant is there to just lay out the cones on the pitch, that’s no good.”
- Guy Stephan on French National Team Coach Didier Deschamps
The secrets of Didier Deschamps’ France – by the man who knows him best
🏀 Team Camp Tidbits (2024 version)
At last year’s Gonzaga Team Camp, we finished 8-1. This year at Montana Team Camp, we finished 1-5.
Funny thing is I feel a lot better about the 1-5 record. A number of reasons that I won’t go into factored into that final tally. But what isn’t measured in the record is some intangibles that I’ve seen play a role into the success of different teams I’ve coached.
You wouldn’t have known our team finished with just one win. (I will mention that one win came against the team that ended up winning the top division championship. It was their only loss of the weekend.) Instead, the 3-day camp provided our girls to demonstrate three pillars we are emphasizing this next year.
All Grit. No Quit. Close Knit.
We stole this phrase from the New York Knicks. But the year after being upset in the regional finals and losing three seniors who helped us win our first-ever state title, we have a young group that I believe will end up being really good. What they needed this summer, however, was time together and an environment built around positive growth.
State championships are given out in the summer, but with the right approach given your team’s situation, the course toward success on and off the court can be established.
Here’s a few more tidbits from Team Camp …
🏀 Late-Game Situations
Gonzaga coach Stephen Gentry recently posted a great activity for coaches during the offseason — Solve a late-game situation each morning.
The Montana Team Camp offered a session where teams faced 8 different late-game scenarios against other teams from the camp. Specialized situations is an area where we struggled both at the varsity & JV level this summer. It’s definitely something we emphasize in practice this winter.
Here are the situations the Montana Team Camp offered …
Scenarios
15 Seconds. Down 1. Ball on Sideline Hash Mark.
8 Seconds. Up 1. Ball on Sideline at Half Court.
12 Seconds. Down 2. Ball at Far End Line.
7 Seconds. Down 2. Ball Under Your Own Basket.
4 Seconds. Down 1. Ball Under Your Own Basket.
20 Seconds. Down 1. Ball on Sideline at Halfcourt.
17 Seconds. Tie Game. Ball Under Your Own Basket.
10 Seconds. Down 3. Ball on Sideline at Halfcourt.
Side note: I had a coach reach out about having a joint summer practice where we go through these types of scenarios. We will definitely plan a scenario practice against the team next summer.
🏀 Lady Griz SSGs
Montana was one of the top 3-point shooting programs in the nation last season. Essentially, you have to be able to shoot if you want to play for the Griz. Besides recruiting shooters, the coaches emphasize a “catch to shoot” mentality.
Here are a couple of SSG scenarios that Montana Associate Head Coach Nate Harris shared with coaches and players during the camp. I think they call the first scenario 1-Series, but I gave the names you see here.
A point Harris makes in one of the videos is that basketball is a game of mistakes. The team that capitalizes most in these situations typically wins. The underlying factor in these cases is decision making. These SSG scenarios create an environment where players have to make decisions.
Catch-to-Shoot 1v1
A catch-to-shoot situation with a close-out defender that works as a competitive SSG. The demonstration used a coach to pass, but we typically will use a player as the passer.
Turning this into a 2v1 drill makes it a great opportunity to teach your off-ball principles after the pass. Incentives the defense by creating scoring options for them. One idea is to think about individualizing points based off the offensive players shooting ability. The defense wants to have good shooters to drive and bad shooters to shoot. Create a scoring system to teach your Principles of Play.
Catch-to-Shoot 3v3 (4v3) SSG
Let the build-up begin! Montana demonstrated with players at the post and opposite corner, but the thing to remember is what you see in this scenario is adaptable to your Principles of Play.
Put your players in the situations they will most likely see in your offense. In the video below, you will see the post move from the opposite block in the reps to the ball side. Be creative in how you play out of the structure.
An important point that Coach Harris makes in the video is to understand the purpose of what you are doing. He says in these situations, they limit second-chance opportunities to a put back or an open kickout & shoot. If players start dribbling around, they quickly reset or bring on a new group, so they can focus on the intent of the SSG situation.
🏀 Quick-hitters
A mentor coach once told me: “Summer is 100 percent developmental, while winter is 100 percent competitive.” The essence of the statement has been a guide for me over the years. An injury here and a girl not showing up there is definitely a bummer. But it happens. Always seek and embrace the potential positives in these situations — especially in the summer.
The high school girls game is being played at such a fast pace these days, you have to have depth. Especially in a team-camp situation. We essentially played two games with 7 girls on the second day. The players never quit, but they ran out of gas in the second half of our afternoon game.
Really appreciate Montana associate head coach Nate Harris. Great person who helped us out a ton before and after the event.
The quality of food between last year’s Gonzaga camp and this year’s Montana camp was night & day. Montana does a great job of feeding players … and their coaches.
St. Regis had one of the best skits I’ve seen at a team camp. Amazing!
Montana’s Team Camp includes a mini-tournament after pool play. Appreciate the opportunity for the this-game-has-meaning environment it creates
Love summer basketball. And I appreciate what the Idaho High School Activities Association allows us to do after the spring state tournament. I know that’s one reason why Idaho has so many girls move on to the next level. But now that it is July, it is time to go fly fishing!
🎼 The Playlist: Wilco
New song from a new EP from the legends. Happy summer!
