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Four-time National Coach of the Year Bob Knight is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. Now in this week’s coaching feature of the week, get advice from Knight on three different coaching topics, including ways to set goals for your team, general philosophy regarding team drills, plus understanding team roles. Look to improve your own program by taking some concepts and wisdom from the three-time NCAA championship coach.
Coach Knight has always tried to set goals for his players. Knight would use a grade card after every game that included the following criteria:
Defense
-Hold opponent to 65 points per game.
-Limit opponent to shooting 42% or less from the field.
-Have 12 more shots per game than opponent.
-Never give up 16 personal fouls in a game.
Offense
-Field goal percentage should be at 52% or higher.
-Free throw percentage should be at least 75%.
- Have 10 turnovers or fewer.
-Score first in each half.
-Get 58% of all rebounds.
Coach Knight determined that if his team hit everything on the scorecard, then it was impossible for them to lose. Meanwhile, after each game, he would run through each area and make assessments with the team and determine which areas needed work for the days ahead.
When it comes to practice drills, Knight believes in the Pete Newell philosophy called the “Part-Whole Method” where you break practices down into parts and then put the whole thing together. For instance with offense, you had to work on passing, cutting, screening, driving, posting, driving with shot, faking and driving, three-point attempts, and so on. Knight’s teams tried to work on each area in different ways in practice, sometimes combining multiple areas together as well, liking cuts and screens. His teams built their whole from their parts, areas like help and recover, blocking out and pressuring passing lanes.
When it comes to understanding team roles, Knight believes that everyone on the team has different roles, yet collectively there are a few things the entire squad must follow.
For instance, the entire squad must play defense and everyone must block out. However, the shooters are going to shoot the ball. This area is not an equal opportunity proposition. If there are better shooters than everyone else, then the goal is to try and get the ball in their hands as much as possible. These players won’t screen as much as they cut, as they’ll look to get into positions where they can get open, turn and shoot.
Overall, you try to take the individual skills of the players and utilize them, and that especially comes into play during the season with match-ups and opponent strengths/weaknesses where you hope to gain an advantage.
The following clips can be found on the Championship Productions DVD “Knight School: Teaching Coaches How to Coach.” Look for more exclusive videos featuring Coach Knight in our extensive catalog.
It’s a different era for basketball players these days, even at the youth and high school level. With team rankings, influences of the internet and advances of television as just a few examples, there’s so much information coming at young players today that it’s easy for them to be influenced in a negative way.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We have currently released two new football DVDs featuring Bill Dee and Corby Meekins.
Bill Deeis an assistant football coach at Christopher Newport University. Previously, Dee was the head coach at Phoebus High School (VA), where he led the Phantoms to four state titles in the last eight years. Dee posted an overall record of 243-76-1 (.761 winning percentage) during his 24-year tenure at Phoebus and guided the Phantoms to nine district championships and seven regional championships.
Corby Meekins is the head football coach at Westfield High School (TX). Meekins has guided the Mustangs to five straight playoff births and holds an overall record of 52-11. Coach Meekins won the Touchdown Club of Houston “Coach of the Year” award in 2004, was 1 of 7 finalists’ for the Adams U.S.A. “National Coach of the Year” award in 2005, and was named District “Coach of the Year” in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The football DVDs are titled:
Building a Championship 2-Pack
Worst to First: Football System for Success
Building a Championship Program
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