John Beilein: Our Culture and Drills

with John Beilein,Detroit Pistons (NBA) Senior Player Development Advisor;
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) Head Coach - 2019 to 2021;
University of Michigan Head Coach - 2007 to 2019;
2019 Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award;
2018 CBS Sports National Coach of the Year;
2018 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Runner-up;
2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year;
2x Final Four appearances (2013, 2018);
2x Big Ten Regular Season Champions (2012, 2014);
2x Big Ten Tournament Champions (2017, 2018);
University of Richmond Head Coach - 1997 to 2002;
1998 CAA Coach of the Year (University of Richmond);
Canisius College Head Coach - 1992 to 1997;
1994 MAAC Coach of the Year (at Canisius College; inducted into the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame in September 2019)

As a coach at the high school, junior college and four-year college levels, John Beilein has a proven track record of success at every level of basketball. The underlying factors of his success are the drills that have been proven to work for his teams and the culture that he has developed at every coaching stop. This fantastic video will provide you the chance to learn those very exercises and approach to running a successful program.

Change as a Constant

As Coach Beilein stresses throughout the video, "There's a lot of ways to win a game." Throughout the entirety of his head coaching career, Beilein has had to adapt and change to the different strategies and tactics in basketball. The biggest of these he mentions is the pick & roll and its increase in usage in the game. The tactic has forced him to incorporate it in his offense while also forcing him to put in more time defending it.

Another change that is discussed is strength training and how it has been incorporated into the game. With the right program, bodies can change to improve strength and leaping ability. However, the wrong program can result in the wrong outcomes that can hinder performance.

One last aspect that Coach Beilein has been forced to adjust to was in transitioning conferences when he was the head coach at Richmond. It was during that time he began to utilize the 1-3-1 zone and adjusting it to his opponents. He also discusses the use of the defense when he was at West Virginia and Michigan.

Things That Don't Change

While there are many areas where things change, there are those that will never change. The first is the importance of skill development. This includes ball-handling and shooting on offense - two skills that will forever be critical in developing quality players. To illustrate, Coach Beilein showcases a two-player drill designed to improve dribbling and one-handed passing that goes for two minutes.

Another drill that is demonstrated is the "Double Mikan Drill." In this drill, a player will do the traditional Mikan Drill, but will do it with two basketballs. The goal is to make 20 in 20 seconds or less, something that can be developed with three weeks of continuous work. A third drill demonstrated is "3 Taps and In." This drill has a post player tap the ball off of the backboard three times before tapping the ball into the basket. In 20 seconds, a proficient post player should be able to complete six sides.

Finally, Coach Beilein teaches shooting with the drill "60 in 5." The shooter in the drill has a goal of making 60 shots in five minutes with a goal of shooting at least 85 shots in the time frame. The shooter must move around on the perimeter and is not allowed to shoot from the same spot twice.

Culture is Going to Win

To build the culture of a basketball program, Beilein believes in having the coaching staff project an image. More important than being reactionary is to explain and develop why it is important to teach the values you want in your program and why they are good values.

As Coach Beilein believes, "If you don't have a good culture, you ain't never going to win."

Developing a Pivot Foot

What sets Beilein apart from other coaches is his attention to detail. One of the areas where he pays extra attention is on footwork and in establishing a pivot foot. The first aspect that gets attention is catching with feet in the air and coming down with both feet at the same time. This prevents traveling when establishing and using a pivot foot.

One way to teach how to properly establish and utilize a pivot foot is "5-Star Passing." Here, players are in a five-player circle where they will simply step and pass to each other, but all catches are with feet in the air and coming down in a jump stop. This drill will progress from air passes to bounce passes before adding in jump stops and attacking off of the bounce before making a pass.

If anyone ever needed to know why Coach Beilein has been successful at every stop during his career, this video explains why and gives you a blueprint for success on your own!

153 minutes. 2019.