In this exclusive interview, Sutton talks about his expectations for the ’11 squad, dishes out advice for players and coaches, and even reveals his rise as a prominent basketball coach from his days growing up in the Washington DC area and playing with the likes of Johnny Dawkins and Billy King.

Talk about your background and the transition to becoming a head basketball coach.
“I grew up in the Washington D.C. area of Falls Church, Virginia. I grew up in a basketball family. My uncle taught me the game and I loved it more than any other sport. I played against some outstanding players growing up, including Johnny Dawkins and Billy King. I grew up playing against some great talent and have always had a passion for the game. Including my father, who was my first coach for football, I’ve always been surrounded by coaches and they’ve all had a great impact on my life. They were great teachers and taught me life lessons through the game. After playing for Montrose Christain, I went to James Madison on a basketball scholarship and eventually became a student assistant coach in 1987, and that’s where it all began.”

How did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in basketball?
“Like everyone, you want to play at the highest level and I wanted to play pro. But that wasn’t a reality, so I wanted to stay and be part of the game. I thought that through coaching I could have an impact on players and on the game of basketball. I’ve been a student of the game. When I became a coach, I tried to impact the game as much as I could positively and give kids a chance to become productive students, athletes and citizens.”

How would you define your coaching philosophy and how do you implement the key parts with your teams?
“It stems from five coaches: Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, John Thompson, John Chaney, and Stu Vetter. As for Coach K, it’s about his relationships with his players, to be fair and demanding and yet hold them accountable. As for Thompson, I watched him build that Georgetown program by doing things the right way and standing up for what he believed in. As for Pitino, he’s influenced me through his system and style of shooting. I took into account what I liked and I implemented that into my own style. Meanwhile, Stu Vetter for his defensive ability. They have all had a lasting impact on my life and the philosophy of making my program the best it can be.”

You’ve put dozens of players into college basketball from the high school ranks. What’s been the key to sustaining talent over time, rather than just a year or two at a time?
“It’s all about consistency. In life, you have to be consistent. You must define who you are and what success is to you. I try to offer this advice to as many coaches who are willing to listen. What’s the definition to you? It could be different. To me, it’s about doing the right things over time and impacting lives through basketball. For other coaches, it may be winning titles. Then from there, try to implement your philosophy and the things you are most comfortable with as a person.”

With so many added distractions these days for high school athletes, particularly for ones who are hoping to make the college leap (with media, rankings, etc.), what’s the key to maintaining focus and discipline at a young age?
“Today’s student-athletes have a lot of outside distractions, so what we try to do is create a culture and environment where everything we do is the most important thing. We work hard as a staff at defining the culture and growing the culture. We do a great job of getting to know our players and we do our best to make sure they are comfortable and we eliminate as many distractions we can. Focus is key and we expect it on a daily basis.”

This year you were named head coach for USA Basketball’s 2011 Junior National Select Team. What does the position mean to you?
“It’s an honor. I was the assistant coach the past two summers for the U-16 team that won the gold medal in Argentina, and also for the U-17 team that won the world championships in Germany. It goes back to the byproduct of doing the right things over time. I think my body of work speaks for itself. I am passionate about the game and I think it was important that we kept continuity with the team and the overall initiative. I take a great deal of pride in the position.”

You will lead Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit April 9 at the Rose Garden in Portland. What are your expectations?
“I have high expectations. I have been in communication with the players all year long and I continue to develop a relationship with our new players. I think the guys are going to come out and work hard in preparation for the event and play to their potential in the game. This event will put an exclamation point on their high school careers. It’s their final game as high school students, so I tell them how it’s a great way to go out and for them to leave it all out at Nike before opening a brand new book at college.”

What’s some of the best advice you can give to a new coach at the youth or high school level?
“Define who you are as a coach. Define what is success and try to use the game of basketball to continue to teach life lessons to impact lives, and go out and develop young men into quality people. I believe that winning is a byproduct of doing the right things over time. Don’t sacrifice the fun just to win games and pad your record.”

What’s some of the best advice you can give to a young player who’s trying to improve his game?
“Develop a positive work ethic, allow yourself to be coached and become students of the game. I believe that basketball IQ is the newest talent. It’s not enough to be physically talented any more. Players must respect and study the game and respect the players before them. This will allow their own game to continue to grow. Make sure that you surround yourself with good people. You will be better served in the long run. Love the game and be passionate about it and don’t forget to give back to the game, too.”

What’s one of your all-time favorite drills?
“My all-time favorite one is the two-ball basketball series of drills. It’s where you use two balls and dribble in place. It’s a good drill that incorporates your ability to dribble and handle the ball with both hands, plus speed dribbling and using proper footwork. It’s practical and really improves a player in a number of areas.”

Do you have any other goals as a basketball coach left to accomplish? What can we expect in the years to come?
“It’s to continue to grow the game and impact it in a positive way and hopefully, leave it better than I found it.”

Kevin Sutton has partnered with Championship Productions to produce a number of basketball videos. Check out Coach Sutton’s entire catalog by clicking here.

With that said, coaching the mind is just as important as coaching on the basketball court. Therefore, it’s key for players today to understand what’s coming at them in all directions – and it’s as influential as teaching a kid how to shoot a jumper. Check out these tips from University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari and see how you can make a difference with your own players.

Building Trust

According to Calipari, trust is very important between a coach and an athlete. It’s where you start with a player, and at the college level, it all begins at the recruiting process and the meetings you have with a particular young person. For instance at Kentucky, Calipari never promises minutes in the recruiting process and aims at under-selling and over-delivering. Meanwhile, it’s key to remember that their trust in you is also at stake.

It’s also important to create a family atmosphere on your team where the players know that everyone on the team is there for each other. This builds unity and chemistry over time.

Earning Respect

As a coach, you are always trying to earn respect, and you do that by being honest and making commitments you can stand by. If you are worried about affection and saying whatever you have to say to get the players to like you, then you’re not going to be long for this profession.

But by creating respect between you and a player, by doing the things you say you are going to do, by spending that extra time to communicate or figure out who a particular person is, that respect turns into affection over time. As far as trying to hold players accountable, you must be willing to say no as a coach.

Creating a Dialogue

The most critical aspect when sitting down with players is to create a dialogue and communicate openly, but it’s especially important that you listen to them. Remember, as a coach, that individual player wants to know first and foremost, “What’s in it for me?”

Meanwhile, don’t forget that a player’s perception is their reality. You must deal with that perception no matter what it is and address it.

Check out more tips from Coach Calipari in Championship Productions’ DVD “Coaching and Inspiring Today’s Athlete.” To browse the entire John Calipari collection, simply click here.

Two High-Efficiency Plays – By Ron Righter – Head Coach at Clarion University

Vs. Man-to-Man Defense

The Set-Up: This play allows for an effective set-up of a 3-point shot. The 1 player will inbound the ball while 2, 3, 4 and 5 set up in a box formation around the paint. 5 and 3 will set a double screen for 2 in the lane, while 2 sprints around the screens and across the foul line and flares out to the corner for a jumper.

The Finish: 1 pass-fakes to 4, who makes a fake cut to the hoop before sprinting out to the near corner, and 2 sets up the defense by cutting to the ball and then comes off the double screen for the corner jump shot. After 1 pass-fakes to 4, he hits 2 in the corner for the open look.

Vs. Zone Defense

The Set-Up: 1 inbounds the ball while the other players line up across the foul line. 3, 4 and 5 set screens for 2, who steps beyond the three-point arc for the jumper after receiving an over-the-top pass from 1. When the triple screen is made, 2 really must sell the fake in order to create the necessary separation.

The Finish: 1 passes the ball to the spot and 2 fakes cutting to the ball before ducking back out to the top of the key as 3,4 and 5 close the gap with screens. 2 receives the pass from 1 and takes the open jumper from up top.

Play America – By Gene Keady, Former Head Coach at Purdue University

The Set-Up: 1 has the ball on the baseline while 5 and 2 start out on the opposite low blocks. 4 is at the side of the foul line on the same side as the ball. 3 is at the top of the key. 2 then pops across the lane on a diagonal. 2 and 5 next set staggered screens for 4. 4 then uses both screens and breaks hard to the basket around the backside. After 4’s break, 2 then curls around 5 and looks for the ball while rolling backside to the hoop.

The Finish: 1 passes to either 4 on the initial backside roll or dishes off to 2, who curls around 5 after setting the screen. 4 and 2 are the top options here and 3 is the safety valve up at the top of the key.

The previous drills can be found on Championship Productions’ DVD “Over 70 Baseline and Under the Basket In-Bounds Plays” featuring Michael Podoll of Winning Hoops. Click here to see the entire “Best of the Best” Winning Hoops Set.

You’re now retired from coaching, what’s the feeling like being away from the bench?
I don’t really miss it at all because I just can’t do it anymore. I don’t have the physical stamina and emotional reserves to deal with it. When I got out of coaching, I realized just how much I put into it, and you don’t realize that until you retire. I said to myself, “How was I able to do that for so many years?”

I watch the games and I see mistakes and they make me upset sometimes. But I know basketball can’t be played perfectly and it’s none of my business, but I still watch and enjoy seeing the game played. I don’t go to practice anymore. It’s not the right thing to do, especially with a new coach and a new program. In my last few years, I knew I didn’t have it, and I knew retiring was the best thing for the team.

When did you know that you wanted to be a coach?
When I knew I wasn’t good enough to go pro. I also liked teaching. I had a baseball job at Western St. College and was also an assistant basketball coach. I received my masters at Northern Colorado when I finished playing. Although I thought I did, I didn’t understand basketball yet. I was lucky to get into the game and learned a lot under Bill Foster at Utah. I also liked coaching at the college level more than at the high school level, so I knew that was the right place for me. There’s less parental influence and more teaching. Everything changes though, but that’s the only constant thing, the teaching in coaching.

What do you think is the greatest aspect about being a coach?
The most fun was to see kids develop into a team, become team players, play team basketball and just team everything — players that look out for each other and help one another on and off the floor.

Over 38 years, I only had one player who didn’t graduate. That talks about what you do on and off the floor. You work with a kid individually on how he can execute or help the team win a game. I enjoyed seeing the team play hard, smart, together and having fun while doing it.

How do you think you’ve changed as a coach over the years?
You get humbler the longer you coach. I don’t think I ever looked the other way. I used to sleep on problems a bit and then come back the next day having thought things over. But some things you have to deal with immediately, like if players fight, things like that. There’s a lot of facts you need in situations before you make a decision. And as a young coach, you can’t have procrastination. You have to deal with things as soon as it’s wise to do so.

How would you define your coaching philosophy?
After a while, it’s less about the on-paper stuff and more about feeling it in your gut. You have to have a concept in your mind about how you want kids to behave before you worry about how you want them to play. How they behave is how they end up playing.

I’m a big believer in courtesy, concentration, communication, competing and consistency. The ability for kids today to concentrate is tough. You snap your fingers and they are gone and so teaching them to concentrate is doing a great service.

With courtesy, it’s about please and thank you, things like picking up trash and cleaning up hallways and cleaning up after other people. Communication is about teaching on the floor and off the floor and resolving problems before they become a big deal. Meanwhile, people that don’t compete, complain. True competitors are too busy looking to win and don’t have the time to complain. And all of these things lead to consistency. It’s about doing the right thing and the next right thing right. We will always make mistakes, but the next thing must be right.

Also, treat people right who can’t do anything to you or for you. We far too often ignore those who can’t do things for us.

As a coach, where did you draw inspiration from?
Coach (Bob) Knight was a great teacher. Dick Bennett, Pat Summitt, Rick Majerus and Mike Krzyzewski are all great teachers. More often than not, the biggest inspiration comes from the small-time coaches, the one’s that are really into teaching and have it figured it out, like Bob Hurley and Morgan Wootten.

What’s the best advice you can give to a new coach?
Don’t ever take a job for the money. Also, you can expect to get fired. There are two types of coaches: been fired or about to be fired. Actually, the best coaches get fired because they take a stand, especially at high school or college.

Can you talk about one of the most successful plays you’ve used throughout your career? What was it called and what made it so effective?
You need an inside game and an outside game. You need to get to the rim on offense and also be able to hit the pull-up shot. If you can do all four, you will be impossible to guard. How good you are defensively determines whether you’ll be good offensively. If you’re bad at defense, you have no chance. It starts with the stop and then the score.

We modified a drill from coach (Gregg) Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs where “Team A” goes up against “Team B.” Basically, if you get a stop and a score, you win the game. You can’t win big games without stopping the other team and if you can’t defend, you won’t be playing in March.

Is there a particular drill you’ve always used throughout your career?
Joe Paterno once said that a coach’s job is to replicate game situations in practice. My son (Jerry) also has a good saying, “Make practices like games and games like practices.”

To me, it’s about being a skill coach and not a drill coach. It’s about learning how to play the game and then properly execute the fundamentals that are part of the game. Just look at the game itself, it’s all about passing, catching, dribbling and shooting. Then you add moving without the ball and screening. That’s when you work on one of those things at a game tempo once you’ve taught them in order to get good at them. Our practices were always geared to make everything game-like.

Talk about some of the in-season conditioning programs/routines you instituted over the years. Why did you choose them and why were they effective?
I believe there’s too much preseason training and plyometrics. That’s why there are so many injures to athletes now. We have trainers looking for injuries everywhere. I believe the best way to get in basketball shape is to just play basketball.

Talk about some of the most common mistakes you see being made in the game today.
It’s no different from when I was coaching. The pros often set a bad example for college players and college players set a bad example for high school players, and so on. It’s the disintegration of playing the game through class.

Take for example all the chest bumping, arguing with refs or tapping chests. For myself, if I went back and coached, I would try to be sounder about how the game was taught. We’d play the way that was the best way to win and we’d be more solid in terms of integrity, academics and behavior. We’d also be simpler. The sounder we play, the better we play. Things have taken a funny path and have changed a lot over the past 30 years, and that’s not too long ago. It’s all a microcosm of society and a reflection of how people are today.

Besides talent, what are some of the most important key ingredients needed to have a championship-caliber team?
First is humility. Then you need players that are willing to listen and can play the game together as a team. Butler was a great example of this last year. It was a team that wasn’t as talented as the others, but they enjoyed playing together, had a system and believed in it. They played team ball and did the little things they had to do in order to make the team successful.

Also, I’m a believer that you should lean toward the defensive side of things as a coach. It’s remains true in every sport: You must be able to defend.

What do you look for in an ideal basketball player?
Toughness. Being mentally and physically tough is so important. You can’t put a value on that. After that, if they are athletic, that helps. Also, it’s important that they have the ability to learn and pick up skills. It’s impossible to know for sure with any player at the onset the way recruiting is structured. As a coach, it often comes down to a gut feeling you have about an athlete. You ask yourself, “Will I like or dislike coaching this kid?” Then comes the reality of coaching and finding out for real.

Looking back on your career, is there a feat or accomplishment you are most proud of?
If you like what you are doing and if you work with great kids, that’s a great blessing. I’ve been fortunate.

The other thing is serving other people. Being a servant leader is what life is all about. Our guys would get shirts with T.E.A.M.S. written across them. The T is for toughness, E is for effort, A is for attitude, M is for motive and S is for servant leaders. If you could be servant leaders, that said it all, and all the other things would lead into that.

What do you want people to remember most about your coaching days?
It’s my hope that the kids who played for us can help others and held some of those values that we held into our coaching and went out and used them. Your legacy as a coach is what kids accomplished when you worked with them. I give the kids all of the credit. They came in with great values and hopefully they were okay when they left. And you accept that.

The whole legacy of a coach is his players. Hopefully, you can also have an impact on the game, the way it was played and the treatment of others. Wins and losses do not mean a whole lot in the big picture, but you do have to win if you want to keep on coaching. But the accumulation of wins doesn’t mean much. It’s all about how kids come out of the program and what they do down the road.

Don Meyer has partnered with Championship Productions to produce multiple instructional basketball DVDs. Click here to view more videos in the Don Meyer catalog.

These simple and effective drills — which work on improving balance, hand-eye coordination, overall dribbling ability and risk-taking — can be done at any level and only require a basketball and a tennis ball.

Pound Dribble

The pound dribble is a terrific way to begin ball control workouts. Players start by pounding the basketball hard at shoulder height with their right hand. Players should stay stationary and eyes should be looking straight ahead. After about 15-20 seconds, players can proceed to pound dribble at waist level, then followed by knee and ankle levels. Next, players should switch to their opposite hand and repeat the previous steps.

Keys: Remember to keep your opposite hand protecting the ball at all times. Keep your body low and knees bent with the backside down. Also, shoulders should stay square and your body should have proper posture.

Next, players should begin a high-alternating crossover dribble, going back and forth with the ball using just one hand. Begin with shoulder height dribbles before proceeding to the waist, knees and ankles. To finish, when players get to dribble at ankle length, they should touch the floor with their opposite hand.

Keys: This is an effective drill as the dribblers can move the ball side to side very quickly. And it’s okay if mistakes are made and the ball scoots away. The goal here is for players to take risks, too.

Finally, players should commence a rhythm dribble called “Push-Pull.” This is where the player pushes the ball forward and back on one side while in a stationary position. Their feet should be apart during this drill and always maintain good balance. To finish up, players can use their left hand and switch to a push-pull out in front for both right and left hands.

Tennis Ball Toss

This drill is great for hand-eye coordination. Players should remember to stay down on the ball (which forces a low center of gravity) and maintain their dribble at all times during the toss.

In the basic dribble toss, players dribble in place with one hand and use their opposite hand to toss and catch the tennis ball. Players should never surrender their dribble. After this, switch to the opposite hand. Remember, it’s okay to dribble through the legs or behind the back if it means maintaining your dribble.

Another variation of the tennis ball toss is the partner toss. Two players dribble about 10-15 feet from each other and then toss their tennis balls to each other while maintaining their dribble. This drill requires constant communication between teammates and improves one’s hand-eye coordination.

The previous drills are featured in Championship Productions’ DVD “30 Drills for Building a Complete Guard.” To view more videos featuring basketball drills and workouts, click here.

With Championship Productions’ new basketball newsletter, readers can now anticipate features and helpful guides on a variety of topics. For starters, each newsletter will be highlighted by an in-depth feature article of the week, plus several other stories, tips, videos and guides.

Subscribers can expect features like “Coach Q&A Sessions” with the biggest names in the game. Other pieces may include “Player Development” features and “How-To Guides” breaking down specific drills, plays and workouts. Readers will also discover additional exclusive content like in-depth video reviews, all-access practice previews and other sneak peaks on upcoming or current Championship Productions videos.

Now we’d like to know more about you. What would you like to read about in this newsletter? What kind of content are you most interested in and what are some topics you’d like to see covered? Send the editors a note at info@championshipproductions.com and we will strive to give you the exact information and resources that matter to you most.

We look forward to this opportunity to keep you up-to-date on a wide range of training development news, media and features. Be sure to follow us via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and at ChampionshipProductions.com to get the latest updates on new products, news, special deals and offers, plus many other resources.

We hope you like what you see and look forward to hearing from you in the coming weeks and months ahead.

Play A

The Set-Up: In Play A, the 1 guard starts on the left side and dribbles off of 4’s high screen at the top of the arc. Following the pick, 4 then rolls off into the left corner. The 5 player, who started out on the right low block, sets a high screen for the 3 player, who was at the top of the key just to the right.

The Finish: The play finishes by the 1 guard passing to 4 in the corner or 3 in the low post for a backdoor layup.

Play B

The Set-Up: In Play B, the 1 guard starts on the left side of the court and then dribbles off of 4’s high pick at the top of the arc. Following his screen, 4 then rolls off to the left. The 3 player moves from the right wing of the court and into the near corner. Then, 5 starts out on the low right block before setting a high screen for the 2 guard, who was in the right corner to start. The 2 guard then cuts backdoor toward the basket.

The Finish: The play finishes by the 1 guard passing to 4 in the corner or 2 for the backdoor layup.

Play C

The Set-Up: In Play C, the 1 guard starts on the left side and dribbles off the high screen set by 5. 5 then sets another screen under the basket near the baseline, this time for 3, who had started out in the right corner. Now, 3 is running the baseline. The 4 player comes up from the right low block and sets a screen for the 2 guard up high. The 2 guard, who had started out at the top of the key, then cuts to the off-side right wing.

The Finish: The play finishes by the 1 guard passing to 3 in the left corner/baseline or to 2 for a long jumper on the wing.

Play D

The Set-Up: In Play D, the 1 guard starts out on the left side and dribbles right off of a high screen set by 5. Then, 5 moves into the lane and sets a pick for 3 under the basket. 3 started out on the right low block before running baseline to the left corner. Meanwhile, 4 starts out on the right low block as well before setting a high screen at the top of the key for 2. The 2 guard then cuts to the right wing off of the pick.

The Finish: The play finishes by the 1 guard passing to 3 for a 15-foot jumper in the corner or passing to the 2 guard for a 3-point attempt. This play is similar to Play C, but this time the players are starting out in different spots on the court.

Play E

The Set-Up: In Play E, the 1 guard starts out on the left side and dribbles off of a high pick set by 5. 5 then sets another pick, this time for 3 on the left low block. 3 is now running baseline after starting out on the weakside low block. Meanwhile, 4, who started out beyond the arc on the right side, sets a high screen for 2, who moves from the top of the key to the right wing.

The Finish: 4 then cuts into the lane off of the high screen and the 1 guard hits 4 while he’s cutting into the lane.

Play F

The Set-Up: In play F, the 1 guard dribbles off 5’s high pick up top and 1 cuts to the right towards the top of the key. After the screen, 5 then rolls to the left corner/baseline area. 4 then cuts from the weakside low block to the center of the lane.

The Finish: The play finishes by 1 passing to 5 for a short jumper on the baseline or by passing to 4 who is cutting into the lane.

These plays are featured in Championship Productions’ DVD “50 Game-Winning Quick Hitters.”  To see similar DVD collections featuring basketball drills and plays, click here.

Sean Miller: Attacking Zone Defenses
Darrin Horn: Core Drills to Build Your Defense
Bobby Lutz: Game Ready Practice Drills
On the Attack: Mastering the Secondary Break

Davis, the 2008 AP Coach of the Year at Drake, guided Providence to a 19-14 overall record — and a 10-8 Big East mark. The win total was the most by a Providence coach in his first season.

The extension announced Tuesday will keep Davis at Providence through the 2015-16 season.