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PostPosted: 10 Dec 2012, 12:18 

Posts: 176
Been away for a while. I'm going to post this as a parent, because in this situation that is what I am. Son's 7th grade team is, to put it nicely, "vertically challenged." The coach preaches "get the ball inside for the layup." The problem is that every time we do so (especially against big teams), it isn't a layup. More like a blocked shot, funbled ball, deflection and usually a turnover. Teams play a typical "over agressive" help defense and the middle is all clogged up.

We have several good shooters on the team. I understand the percentages, but IMO that assumes an even matchup. I'd take a good look from an open outside shooter over a contested layup from an overmatched "big." So why won't the coaches get the ball to our outside shooters and let them shoot? What am I missing? Frustrated.


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PostPosted: 10 Dec 2012, 13:07 
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Sitting on the outside it's hard to tell what the coach is thinking. He might have good reason. He might not.

At the HS level I preach getting the ball inside, ball reversals, player movement. Real simple stuff. Getting the ball inside is a critical component to our offense because...

- sometimes it will turn into an easy high percentage shot
- sometimes it will get us to the free throw line and get the other team in foul trouble (many advantages to getting to the free throw line but I'm coaching HS, not youth where who knows what gets called)
- when the ball gets inside (whether it's via pass, post up, or dribble drive) and then kicks out, defenders are chasing and closing out. makes the defense very susceptible to poor close outs, getting out of help position, etc.
- it opens up outside shooters

Maybe the coach has a grand plan? Or maybe this is what the coach was taught when he played. I have found that a large number of coaches teach and coach the way they were coached. Maybe in HS his coach constantly told players to get lay ups.

Maybe after kids get good at getting to the basket he'll teach them to make reads and decision when to take it into the big and when to kick it out.

Anyway, those are just a few thoughts that come to mind. Hard to tell what the grand plan is. On the bright side, if players go to the hole often enough, hopefully they'll start learning how to make better decisions and start finishing versus the bigs (with maybe a runner, second move, etc). I personally want players that can both shoot out and finish inside against big help defenders. That makes you tough to stop offensively.

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Jeff Haefner
http://www.BreakthroughBasketball.com


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PostPosted: 10 Dec 2012, 14:43 
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Jeff pretty much says it all Golfman.....

There are so many reasons or ideas to think about...... When I got to the HS level we were an inside oritented school... 8 years later when I became the varsity coach, the Bigs began to go South... in a few years, we were lucky to have one big IF 6'2 or 6'3 is considered big.... so we became an outside shooting team... but I HAD shooters and kids that could take it to the basket.

There is a few sayings... " You life and die by the jumper or 3 point shot " And I think its Don Kelbick that says.... he doesn't want to get beat by layups... thats coming from the defensive side.

Those kids are young, they need to learn the skills - taking it to the hole, force the contact and make the ref call something.... ball handling, drive in, jump stop, dump it or kick it out... just a few of the things.

Like Jeff said, its hard for us to get inside the coaches head and wonder why he is doing certain things.
Good luck and I hope things work out for you and your son.


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