The NCAA allows three "live" recruiting periods during July, 12th-16th, 19th-23th, and 26th-30th. These live periods allow D1 coaches (along with D2, D3, and all others) to go watch players, as long as the event they are at are "NCAA certified." Many high major coaches are criss-crossing the country trying to "babysit" their top targets, while lower levels are doing some of that along with evaluating players to make their player pool bigger, or trying unearth the next CJ McCollum.
With all of that being said, how many games are these kids playing during each live period? First, it depends on how good the team is. Second, how "bad" is the tournament. The better teams usually play the most amount of games because they make it to the championship. If the team is good, they are looking at eight or nine games in the tournament. That's over a three or four day period. Think about that a second...
We, as adults, are asking kids to perform to their best of their abilities eight or nine times in a short period of time in order to help the team and more importantly (during this time frame) be seen by college coaches. That's insane. There is no way that the kids will be able to perform to their best of their abilities this many times in that short period of time. Wait, there's more. They potentially have to do it three times in July.
Playing games is fun, but playing 24 games over the course of 15 days (usually less) is KILLING their bodies. And I haven't mentioned that these same kids are also traveling all over the country to go to these tournaments to be seen. For example, Howard Pulley (local EYBL team) was in Augusta, GA last week, is in Lawrence, KS this week, and off to Vegas for the final period. That's a lot of travel for anyone, let alone kids trying to get a scholarship or be seen by any college coach. Pulley's travel is the norm for almost all sneaker affiliated teams as well as the next tier of AAU programs.
The next issue we have is that HS coaches are trying to get these same kids to participate in their own workouts/practices/tournaments (myself included). It makes it unbelievably taxing on these kids' bodies. They need rest. And WAY more of it.
We've heard the debate over and over in the NBA about players getting rest during the regular season to help prepare their bodies for the playoffs. The Spurs have been resting players since at least 2011 and have gotten fined by the NBA because of it. Here is Coach Pop talking about it.
Think about this for a second. NBA franchises are giving their players rest during the regular season while kids playing AAU can't afford to. Almost all NBA players are physically mature and can take come close to taking on 82-100 games in a eight month stretch. We are asking 14-18 year olds to play 25 games in a total of 19 days (theoretically speaking, usually shorter time frame) while their bodies aren't even close to being mature (for just about all of them). Please read this article by Tim Grover about injuries in the NBA.
The next and final question is, how do we fix it? My best solution would be to make a "live" period in May and then the last week of June, and take out the first week of April and the middle week of July. Helps the evaluation process gives the kids more rest between the craziness. Another possible solution would be a six game limit at tournaments. It's still a lot of games but it isn't eight or nine (which is only in the best interest of the tournament directors).
And bringing back the evaluation process to high school season isn't feasible anymore. AAU is way more efficient for college coaches. They get to see more players in a much shorter period of time and against each other.
Any other thoughts on this? And solutions?
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Building/Re-Building a College Program
I've heard a lot of rumblings over the past year about a certain program not living up to expectations. I live in Minnesota, take a guess who it is. I truly believe any new coach needs six years in order to have a true evaluation as a head coach. There are way too many variables in building a program and I talk about a lot of them below.
Year 1 -
Recruiting - Lucky to get recruits and generally it's a last ditch effort to get decent kids. Put your small stamp on the program. Have to hit the local (if there are players) recruiting area hard and build relationships with local HS and AAU coaches. If there are young stud local players, have to start getting them on campus.
Playing - Hearing a different voice, sometimes success happens, especially with a veteran group.
Other - Building a staff, evaluate the current roster, and recruit (see above). Not to mention family situation, etc.
Year 2 -
Recruiting - Trying to figure out what you can and can't get in order to be successful. This class usually is an experiment. Continue to hit the local scene hard and get underclassmen to campus as many times as possible (this has to continue throughout your tenure).
Playing - Trying to figure out how to mesh current players with your recruits. If you win in Year 1, then expectations will be high and unrealistic.
Year 3 -
Recruiting - Truly figure out what you can get in order to be successful. This should be your statement class.
Playing - This year is tough. A lot of it depends on what the previous brought in for his/her last few classes. Those players aren't yours but they are upperclassmen and this is their third year playing under you. "Your players" are only freshmen and will take their lumps, especially in a high major conference.
Year 4 -
Recruiting - Another year of getting your guys that you know will be successful.
Playing - This is when you feel you can make a move in the standings. "Your guys" are in their second year and your first class is now upperclassmen. Might not win a ton of games, especially on the road but you will play a ton of close games. This is probably the last year with the previous coach's recruits even though they have played longer for you than the previous coach, you still didn't recruit them.
Year 5 -
Recruiting - This might be the year you go after that top tier recruit that can take you to the next level. All the same things from above.
Playing - Now "your guys" are upperclassmen. There is now no excuses for you not to win. They still aren't seniors but having a bunch of upperclassmen with experience win you games...at any level (unless they stink).
Year 6 -
Recruiting - All of the Above
Playing - This is your signature season. Your first true recruiting class are seniors and every single player on the roster was one you recruited. If you can't win in Year 6 I'm not sure you should have a job.
In closing, a coach needed six years to truly show their worth. Six years is void unless they violate NCAA rules or bring in players that continually are in the police blotter.
ATTENTION Gopher Fans - The last time the Men's Basketball team won, they cheated. The program has been a mess for years. Give Pitino some time because Tubby's last few recruiting classes were awful.
Year 1 -
Recruiting - Lucky to get recruits and generally it's a last ditch effort to get decent kids. Put your small stamp on the program. Have to hit the local (if there are players) recruiting area hard and build relationships with local HS and AAU coaches. If there are young stud local players, have to start getting them on campus.
Playing - Hearing a different voice, sometimes success happens, especially with a veteran group.
Other - Building a staff, evaluate the current roster, and recruit (see above). Not to mention family situation, etc.
Year 2 -
Recruiting - Trying to figure out what you can and can't get in order to be successful. This class usually is an experiment. Continue to hit the local scene hard and get underclassmen to campus as many times as possible (this has to continue throughout your tenure).
Playing - Trying to figure out how to mesh current players with your recruits. If you win in Year 1, then expectations will be high and unrealistic.
Year 3 -
Recruiting - Truly figure out what you can get in order to be successful. This should be your statement class.
Playing - This year is tough. A lot of it depends on what the previous brought in for his/her last few classes. Those players aren't yours but they are upperclassmen and this is their third year playing under you. "Your players" are only freshmen and will take their lumps, especially in a high major conference.
Year 4 -
Recruiting - Another year of getting your guys that you know will be successful.
Playing - This is when you feel you can make a move in the standings. "Your guys" are in their second year and your first class is now upperclassmen. Might not win a ton of games, especially on the road but you will play a ton of close games. This is probably the last year with the previous coach's recruits even though they have played longer for you than the previous coach, you still didn't recruit them.
Year 5 -
Recruiting - This might be the year you go after that top tier recruit that can take you to the next level. All the same things from above.
Playing - Now "your guys" are upperclassmen. There is now no excuses for you not to win. They still aren't seniors but having a bunch of upperclassmen with experience win you games...at any level (unless they stink).
Year 6 -
Recruiting - All of the Above
Playing - This is your signature season. Your first true recruiting class are seniors and every single player on the roster was one you recruited. If you can't win in Year 6 I'm not sure you should have a job.
In closing, a coach needed six years to truly show their worth. Six years is void unless they violate NCAA rules or bring in players that continually are in the police blotter.
ATTENTION Gopher Fans - The last time the Men's Basketball team won, they cheated. The program has been a mess for years. Give Pitino some time because Tubby's last few recruiting classes were awful.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Overspending in College Athletics
Just the other day a report came out regarding the happening of the University of Minnesota and their athletic department over the past several years. It was hoping to find more sexual harassment issues and overspending by the previous leadership. It didn't find any sexual harassment issues but it did find that the several staff members spent money on things they "shouldn't have" according to the report.
Most people will look at the numbers that the athletic department has spent and say those numbers ridiculous and they didn't have to spend that much. I just want to put some things into perspective and let everyone know how much spending is done at the high major D1 level.
First thing I'll talk about is working with boosters. The idea behind fundraising for college athletics is that you have to spend money to make money. Athletic department staff CAN NOT go to Chipotle to meet with a perspective booster. They have to a go to a nice restaurant or steak house. Why? That is where the boosters normally eat. You HAVE to get a $100 bottle of wine because that is what the booster drinks. The hope is that those staff members can seal the deal at some point in order for that specific person to donate a significant amount of money to the department. Imagine if the development department has five dinners with the same booster in order to "seal the deal." That might cost the athletic department well over a $1,000. It's not like the staff member is going to say, "Sorry, we can't pay for your alcohol, it's against school policy." That's bad business.
While I worked at West Virginia there are many instances of overspending by the athletic department. During the Big East Tournament in New York City, the program stayed in The Roosevelt Hotel for four days. On top of the players, coaches, and support staff were taken care of, many people in the athletic department came as well. Essentially as a paid vacation. All of their meals and accommodations were taken care of. We were eating breakfast one morning, at the hotel, and they didn't have something that was pretty common for breakfast and this is what was said, "We are paying $40 per person for breakfast, you better go find it...and quickly." There was about 40 people eating that morning. And that was the norm for the three mornings we ate breakfast there. Yep...that's $4800 in three days, just for breakfast.
I'll take another example during my second year at West Virginia. The team played in the Sweet 16 in Phoenix, AZ vs. Xavier. The athletic department got a charter flight for the trip. The team, coaches, support staff as well as their families (kids included) made the trip. The band, the cheerleaders, and just about half of the athletic staff (and their spouses) that weren't associated with a specific team. We basically took over a hotel and had two or three charter buses for the whole crew. The NCAA only pays for the players and coaches. Again, a paid vacation for many of the people on the trip.
Now onto the football bowl system. I could easily write a whole blog on this but I'll try to be short. Teams will usually travel to the game a week in advance in order to get acclimated to the weather they are playing in. Just think about that a second. The whole football and support staff get a charter flight to a specific destination and then stay in a hotel for a week. The team and the support staff is around 150 people (that might be low). The really nice hotel they stay in costs $150 per night. Let's say that's 75 rooms for six nights at $150 for a total of roughly $67,500 just for the football team. If the game is in a nice location more members of the athletic department will come along with their spouses. The coaching staffs' spouses and kids will travel as well as the cheerleaders and the band. That's another charter flight and another set of hotel rooms at the same cost. That's a total of $135,000 in hotel costs for the week.
At Minnesota the athletes and staff get $40 per day for meals on away trips. Imagine if everyone got that amount. Each person gets $240 and you have roughly 250 people on the trip. That's another $60,000 right there. We can even lower that to $50,000. Can't forget about the charter flights for all those people too. That's probably close to $300,000, $150,000 of it completely unnecessary.
Last thing I'll talk about in regards to the bowl game is how it's set up as far as tickets go. Each school is required to sell a certain amount of tickets for the game. If the school doesn't sell ALL of those tickets they are "forced" to buy them and give them back to the bowl. The bowl then says the tickets will go to "local charities." When I was at WVU, the football team made the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. The school sold around 10,000 tickets of their 17,500 allotment. They were forced to pay for those extra 7,500 tickets. Those extra tickets cost around $80-$100 each. Another unnecessary and significant expense for the athletic department.
I could probably go on and on about this stuff. Most people don't know about this stuff. Last thing, when I was in college we got $17 per day from the athletic department for meals for the whole day. We generally didn't stay at hotels that had a free breakfast. It wasn't ideal but we were fortunate enough to have a coach that did a lot of fundraising to help us get good meals whenever we were on the road. And that is one of the big differences between big time D1 and D3.
Most people will look at the numbers that the athletic department has spent and say those numbers ridiculous and they didn't have to spend that much. I just want to put some things into perspective and let everyone know how much spending is done at the high major D1 level.
First thing I'll talk about is working with boosters. The idea behind fundraising for college athletics is that you have to spend money to make money. Athletic department staff CAN NOT go to Chipotle to meet with a perspective booster. They have to a go to a nice restaurant or steak house. Why? That is where the boosters normally eat. You HAVE to get a $100 bottle of wine because that is what the booster drinks. The hope is that those staff members can seal the deal at some point in order for that specific person to donate a significant amount of money to the department. Imagine if the development department has five dinners with the same booster in order to "seal the deal." That might cost the athletic department well over a $1,000. It's not like the staff member is going to say, "Sorry, we can't pay for your alcohol, it's against school policy." That's bad business.
While I worked at West Virginia there are many instances of overspending by the athletic department. During the Big East Tournament in New York City, the program stayed in The Roosevelt Hotel for four days. On top of the players, coaches, and support staff were taken care of, many people in the athletic department came as well. Essentially as a paid vacation. All of their meals and accommodations were taken care of. We were eating breakfast one morning, at the hotel, and they didn't have something that was pretty common for breakfast and this is what was said, "We are paying $40 per person for breakfast, you better go find it...and quickly." There was about 40 people eating that morning. And that was the norm for the three mornings we ate breakfast there. Yep...that's $4800 in three days, just for breakfast.
I'll take another example during my second year at West Virginia. The team played in the Sweet 16 in Phoenix, AZ vs. Xavier. The athletic department got a charter flight for the trip. The team, coaches, support staff as well as their families (kids included) made the trip. The band, the cheerleaders, and just about half of the athletic staff (and their spouses) that weren't associated with a specific team. We basically took over a hotel and had two or three charter buses for the whole crew. The NCAA only pays for the players and coaches. Again, a paid vacation for many of the people on the trip.
Now onto the football bowl system. I could easily write a whole blog on this but I'll try to be short. Teams will usually travel to the game a week in advance in order to get acclimated to the weather they are playing in. Just think about that a second. The whole football and support staff get a charter flight to a specific destination and then stay in a hotel for a week. The team and the support staff is around 150 people (that might be low). The really nice hotel they stay in costs $150 per night. Let's say that's 75 rooms for six nights at $150 for a total of roughly $67,500 just for the football team. If the game is in a nice location more members of the athletic department will come along with their spouses. The coaching staffs' spouses and kids will travel as well as the cheerleaders and the band. That's another charter flight and another set of hotel rooms at the same cost. That's a total of $135,000 in hotel costs for the week.
At Minnesota the athletes and staff get $40 per day for meals on away trips. Imagine if everyone got that amount. Each person gets $240 and you have roughly 250 people on the trip. That's another $60,000 right there. We can even lower that to $50,000. Can't forget about the charter flights for all those people too. That's probably close to $300,000, $150,000 of it completely unnecessary.
Last thing I'll talk about in regards to the bowl game is how it's set up as far as tickets go. Each school is required to sell a certain amount of tickets for the game. If the school doesn't sell ALL of those tickets they are "forced" to buy them and give them back to the bowl. The bowl then says the tickets will go to "local charities." When I was at WVU, the football team made the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. The school sold around 10,000 tickets of their 17,500 allotment. They were forced to pay for those extra 7,500 tickets. Those extra tickets cost around $80-$100 each. Another unnecessary and significant expense for the athletic department.
I could probably go on and on about this stuff. Most people don't know about this stuff. Last thing, when I was in college we got $17 per day from the athletic department for meals for the whole day. We generally didn't stay at hotels that had a free breakfast. It wasn't ideal but we were fortunate enough to have a coach that did a lot of fundraising to help us get good meals whenever we were on the road. And that is one of the big differences between big time D1 and D3.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Travel Basketball at the Highest Level and Perks of it
Here is a link to a great article regarding to travel basketball (mostly known as AAU). Has some great quotes from some prominent people in the travel basketball circuit.
Sunday Special: AAU basketball a necessary step
They mention one particular player in the article and the amount of gear he has gotten from participating in a few of these events. Naturally, I took a look and here are some photos. He played at a few Nike events and one adidas event.
Before taking a look at the photos, people will ask how is all this free gear not a NCAA violation. The kids all get the gear, wear it, and then buy it. How much does "used" gear cost? The shoe companies determine that they probably cost anywhere from $25 to $50. The kids wear them, "give the gear back," and then "pay" for it. My guess is their AAU team probably "pays" for the gear and nothing actually comes out of the kid and his family's pocket.
The reason I know this because a few years ago a friend of mine coached at a high school tournament sponsored by one of the shoe companies. When the kids got to their hotel room there was a huge duffel bag full of stuff for each kid. The package included sneakers, socks, a backpack, and a jacket. One of the players posted on social media what they got. The news spread the state association. The state association said the kids had to "give the items back." The kids then "gave" the items back then paid $25 for the "used" items.
Without further waiting, here are links to the photos:
Nike Global Games
Nike Skills Academy
Adidas Gauntlet
Sunday Special: AAU basketball a necessary step
They mention one particular player in the article and the amount of gear he has gotten from participating in a few of these events. Naturally, I took a look and here are some photos. He played at a few Nike events and one adidas event.
Before taking a look at the photos, people will ask how is all this free gear not a NCAA violation. The kids all get the gear, wear it, and then buy it. How much does "used" gear cost? The shoe companies determine that they probably cost anywhere from $25 to $50. The kids wear them, "give the gear back," and then "pay" for it. My guess is their AAU team probably "pays" for the gear and nothing actually comes out of the kid and his family's pocket.
The reason I know this because a few years ago a friend of mine coached at a high school tournament sponsored by one of the shoe companies. When the kids got to their hotel room there was a huge duffel bag full of stuff for each kid. The package included sneakers, socks, a backpack, and a jacket. One of the players posted on social media what they got. The news spread the state association. The state association said the kids had to "give the items back." The kids then "gave" the items back then paid $25 for the "used" items.
Without further waiting, here are links to the photos:
Nike Global Games
Nike Skills Academy
Adidas Gauntlet
Monday, June 29, 2015
Making the Adjustment to College Hoops
I've talked about transfers before and now I'm going to talk about some of the best ways to fit in once you get on campus at your respective college or university. I think this is the toughest part of adjusting from being a high school star to generally playing no role or a complimentary role on your new team.
At the high major level you'll see most recruits arrive on campus not too long after they graduate from high school. Summer school has different sessions and it depends on when you graduate when you can get on campus. The longer you are there, the more comfortable you will be with how things work.
It's a different world and the coaches that were extremely nice to you during the recruiting process don't seem to be the same person that recruited you. Why? Coaches are trying to push your buttons and see what exactly pushes you to get better. It isn't all fun and games. The strength coach will test your physical and mental limits and force you to become a better athlete. Be honest with coaches and trainers. You'll deal with soreness and being uncomfortable more than you've ever experienced. You'll have to get through things mentally that you never imagined that you'd have to.
There are some mid-major schools that get their guys on campus during the summer but it isn't quite as prominent as it is at the high major level. The mid-major level all the the way to D3, players are arriving once school starts. There are different rules at each level that I'll talk about what players need to do.
D1 and D2 programs are all allowed to have workouts with their players during the fall. The workouts can consist of eight total hours (two on floor and six in weight room) during each "preseason" week. During this time, players HAVE to soak in a lot of information. Each program is different but some will "babysit" you in those first couple of months and others will let you figure it out.
The biggest thing for everyone is to listen to your coaches. They might be doing a bunch of things completely different than you did in high school. The language will be different and you'll have to get use to it quickly if you want to contribute right away. Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander from Kansas saw this firsthand this year. Bill Self said they weren't ready to contribute because they didn't understand what it took to play at that level.
Another thing to keep in mind at the D1 and D2 level is that coaches can only work with their players for a total of 20 hours per week during the season. That is supposed to include practice, games, weight training, and film sessions. Games are supposed to count as three hours (that was the rule when I was at WVU). Shoot-a-arounds also counted as an hour, regardless of how long they actually were. Athletes are also forced to take one day off during the week. So, coaches are supposed to figure out how to get 20 hours of work into six days. Not easy considering all the things that the athletes need to do in order to reach their potential.
At the D3 level, coaches can't be in the gym with the players until October 15. What that means, you are on your own until practice officially starts. Yes, coaches will set up times to have open gym but they can't watch (although most figure out ways to watch a little bit here or there). Coaches then have one month to "mold" freshmen or newcomers to get what they are looking for before games begin. Most programs will have "voluntary" workouts in the weight room as well. There is nothing voluntary about them. Especially as a freshman, if you aren't in the weight room, you will lag behind.
At the D3 level, there are no rules as far as time used during the week. So, coaches could have you for 30-40 hours a week if they really wanted to. Athletes at D3 are also mandated to have a day off during the week but there is no limitation on how many hours coaches can work with players.
Regardless of how many hours coaches can work with you, you have to being willing to work on your game on your own. Most colleges will give their athletes a little preference to getting into the gym at weird hours, so make sure you get in the gym or the weight room on your own. Many colleges have a shooting gun as well. The shooting machine should become your boyfriend or girlfriend. If there is one thing that can get you on the floor, shooting is definitely one of them.
Last thing to keep in mind when getting onto a college campus is that you are a freshman. What that means is that you are on the lowest part of the totem pole. Things will not come easy like they did in high school or AAU. Playing time is determined by a lot of things and none of those include your accolades from high school.
Freshmen don't play unless they are better than upperclassmen. Freshmen have a steep learning curve. Freshmen are 18 or 19 years old, upperclassmen are 21 or 22 years old. There is a big physical difference. One thing players and parents don't want to hear is this. How many incoming freshmen started and/or played significant varsity minutes as a freshman in high school? Not many, so what makes people think a freshmen can come in right away to compete and thrive against guys or girls four or fives years older than them?
Things aren't always fun for people that don't play. Most incoming freshmen have played significant minutes since they can remember, so when they don't play they decide to transfer to decide to quit. Playing college basketball mirrors life. There will be ups and downs. Hopefully, the downs make you appreciate the ups way more.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Fixing HS Basketball
Yesterday I went on a rant in regards to AAU basketball and how to fix it. Today, it's fixing the high school game. There are so many issues in regards to high school basketball, the biggest of which is making the rules universal for ALL states. Having different rules in different states is beyond ridiculous. The reason there are different rules is because a certain coach stretched the rules that they did have and now the state association didn't want to deal with it, so they made a rule.
First thing first, either have a shot clock or don't. I love the shot clock and would prefer that the high school level should have it. It forces players and coaches to make quick decisions. Detractors will talk about how athletes will take over. Well, basketball is an athletic game. It will also force coaches to get more creative to find ways to get great shots. It'll be a bunch of bad basketball with a bunch of bad shots. And there isn't this now? Bad basketball is being played regardless if there is a shot clock or not. Last thing is, it makes the game universal globally. We might not go with a :24 shot clock but getting it to a :30 or :35 makes the game more universal and I think that should be the ultimate goal.
I believe Minnesota is the only state that has halves instead of quarters. I love the idea. Every other state has four eight minute quarters. Minnesota has 18 minutes halves. It also gives players four more game minutes by moving to 18 minute halves. It would definitely change the way many coaches coach. Although, I wouldn't mind going to four 10 minute quarters. It is how the game is played internationally and I again would love to have the game universal.
Something that I would like to see is giving program more time to practice BEFORE games start during the season. I'll use my Dad as an example. He has over a month before he plays his first game and fills in some gaps with some scrimmages. In Minnesota, we could potentially have less than ten days to have tryouts and then practice in anticipation of their first game. That's just terrible for the kids and as we know, adults always put the kids first.
The last thing I want to talk about is universal rules when it comes to having contact with the athletes. Certain states allow full access to the players ALL THE TIME and others have major restrictions. I have a friend who coaches in Virginia and he started workouts with his players a week and a half after his season ended. My Dad is a coach in New York and he has access to his players all the time with the exception of the two weeks before tryouts/practice starts. Here in Minnesota, we can only work with our players in June and July.
Again, I want the rules universal. I think it would be great to have full access to your kids in both June and July. I also think that coaches should be able to use a week in both April and October to potentially coach/install different things for their players.
First thing first, either have a shot clock or don't. I love the shot clock and would prefer that the high school level should have it. It forces players and coaches to make quick decisions. Detractors will talk about how athletes will take over. Well, basketball is an athletic game. It will also force coaches to get more creative to find ways to get great shots. It'll be a bunch of bad basketball with a bunch of bad shots. And there isn't this now? Bad basketball is being played regardless if there is a shot clock or not. Last thing is, it makes the game universal globally. We might not go with a :24 shot clock but getting it to a :30 or :35 makes the game more universal and I think that should be the ultimate goal.
I believe Minnesota is the only state that has halves instead of quarters. I love the idea. Every other state has four eight minute quarters. Minnesota has 18 minutes halves. It also gives players four more game minutes by moving to 18 minute halves. It would definitely change the way many coaches coach. Although, I wouldn't mind going to four 10 minute quarters. It is how the game is played internationally and I again would love to have the game universal.
Something that I would like to see is giving program more time to practice BEFORE games start during the season. I'll use my Dad as an example. He has over a month before he plays his first game and fills in some gaps with some scrimmages. In Minnesota, we could potentially have less than ten days to have tryouts and then practice in anticipation of their first game. That's just terrible for the kids and as we know, adults always put the kids first.
The last thing I want to talk about is universal rules when it comes to having contact with the athletes. Certain states allow full access to the players ALL THE TIME and others have major restrictions. I have a friend who coaches in Virginia and he started workouts with his players a week and a half after his season ended. My Dad is a coach in New York and he has access to his players all the time with the exception of the two weeks before tryouts/practice starts. Here in Minnesota, we can only work with our players in June and July.
Again, I want the rules universal. I think it would be great to have full access to your kids in both June and July. I also think that coaches should be able to use a week in both April and October to potentially coach/install different things for their players.
I am sure there are other things that we can fix in high school basketball. Making the game similar in all states and then hopefully following all the FIBA rules would make the game better.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The Fix Is In: How To Fix AAU
Let it be known, I had a great experience playing AAU basketball and loved every minute of it. I'm sure there are lot of kids who feel the same way as I did. With that being said, there needs to be some reform and some type of control to get the non-sense out. There is just too many people trying to take advantage of the system and the kids are the ones that get the wrong of the stick. And as we know, adults ALWAYS make it about themselv...the kids.
Don't let kids play AAU until after they have completed middle school. I understand there is a market for it and some coaches do a great job with kids BUT they should be playing another sport during the spring and potentially the summer. If you have want to have a team consisting of kids that just completed middle school and they are playing in a few tournaments for the summer, that works. It becomes overload for the kids and a lot of times it becomes too much for the family to be traveling all over the place to play games. The kids' bodies are still developing and for them to play as many games as NBA players do from the winter to the summer, can't be good for their bodies.
How many AAU programs actually charge the bare minimum for a kid to participate? I know there are quite a few expenses to play including gym time, uniforms, and tournament entry fees but that doesn't add up to $1000. By charging more, the programs are making money thus not making it about the kids. By doing this, the system becomes a business model not a service model. When adults have a business model, they tend to screw it up for the kids.
Create a model of consistency with each tournament. Kids should be playing with their age group or above it. There shouldn't be kids who have already graduated high school playing during the spring and summer. They've had their time to shine, now let others take advantage of that opportunity. If they created more 18U and 19U tournaments, I'd be fine with it. Just don't allow a 2015 kid play against a bunch of 2016/2017's all spring and summer.
Rosters must be sent in a three weeks in advance. If roster has anything wrong with it then the team AND coach are banned from that particular tournament. If it happens again, it is reported to the NCAA and that coach's certification is taken away for 12 months. I know it potentially takes away opportunity from kids but the coaches have to get this right. It also takes away from the potential "free agent market" that we see at the MN AAU State Tournament every year (I know it happens elsewhere as well).
To go along with get the rosters correct, give the kids an opportunity to only play on two different teams throughout the spring and summer. I understand that there are times when there is an off weekend and you have the opportunity to play with some high school teammates but there shouldn't be any jumping from team to team EVERY weekend.
AAU directors need to make a stand. If one of their coaches gets ejected from a game, they are done for that particular tournament. If it happens again, they will not be coaching in that program for the rest of the year. How many high school coaches get ejected from games? Not very many because they understand how much it hurts their team. It happens a lot more in AAU and can potentially cost the kids a chance to play more games because the coach has made it all about themselves. I don't think AAU directors want to be coaching 30 games a weekend.
Stop charging high school coaches to get into tournaments. They are there watching their kids play. They are making an investment into their program. The least a tournament could do is let them in for free.
Do not charge college coaches for "recruiting packets." The college coaches are the reason why the kids are playing in the first place (for 95% of the kids). Get as many as you can into the door and give the kids as many opportunities as you can for them to be seen. It's not that big of an expense for a tournament director to print off a bunch. Make it simple, each college program gets one packet per tournament.
To go along with recruiting packets, give college coaches their own section to sit in EVERY tournament. Coaches shouldn't be having conversations with kids and their families during tournament play. I witnessed two different D3 coaches talking to kids directly in front of me this weekend while the kids were still in the tournament. That's a clear violation and shouldn't happen. They can talk AFTER the kid's tournament is over.
The NCAA needs to make a limit on how many events are certified during the open period. There are just too many events and it ends up costing many kids an opportunity to be seen by college coaches. Limit the number to 75 (or less) tournaments throughout the country. Then have an NCAA representative at each. That rep will then have an all access pass to the tournament to roam free and see what college coaches are doing to gain an advantage.
In the past the NCAA has brought a few of their reps to tournaments that I have been at. The two (both female) that came to a tournament in Vegas a few years ago essentially flirted with the college coaches the whole time and didn't do anything that I saw. Now, they could be doing something behind the scenes to scope out some issues but it clearly wasn't enough.
The NCAA would say that it costs too much for their organization to have that many reps as well as fly them all over the country to evaluate what is going on at each tournament. We all know that is not true with the money they make from the Final Four. They don't have to be full time employees, they just have to be able to work during the April and July recruiting periods. College coaches shouldn't know who the people are and won't be able to manipulate them in any way.
Like with so many things there are few people that are screwing it up for everyone else. 90-95% of the people are doing things the right way but we tend to focus on the people that aren't.
I'm sure there is more things to put out there but I believe this is a start.
Don't let kids play AAU until after they have completed middle school. I understand there is a market for it and some coaches do a great job with kids BUT they should be playing another sport during the spring and potentially the summer. If you have want to have a team consisting of kids that just completed middle school and they are playing in a few tournaments for the summer, that works. It becomes overload for the kids and a lot of times it becomes too much for the family to be traveling all over the place to play games. The kids' bodies are still developing and for them to play as many games as NBA players do from the winter to the summer, can't be good for their bodies.
How many AAU programs actually charge the bare minimum for a kid to participate? I know there are quite a few expenses to play including gym time, uniforms, and tournament entry fees but that doesn't add up to $1000. By charging more, the programs are making money thus not making it about the kids. By doing this, the system becomes a business model not a service model. When adults have a business model, they tend to screw it up for the kids.
Create a model of consistency with each tournament. Kids should be playing with their age group or above it. There shouldn't be kids who have already graduated high school playing during the spring and summer. They've had their time to shine, now let others take advantage of that opportunity. If they created more 18U and 19U tournaments, I'd be fine with it. Just don't allow a 2015 kid play against a bunch of 2016/2017's all spring and summer.
Rosters must be sent in a three weeks in advance. If roster has anything wrong with it then the team AND coach are banned from that particular tournament. If it happens again, it is reported to the NCAA and that coach's certification is taken away for 12 months. I know it potentially takes away opportunity from kids but the coaches have to get this right. It also takes away from the potential "free agent market" that we see at the MN AAU State Tournament every year (I know it happens elsewhere as well).
To go along with get the rosters correct, give the kids an opportunity to only play on two different teams throughout the spring and summer. I understand that there are times when there is an off weekend and you have the opportunity to play with some high school teammates but there shouldn't be any jumping from team to team EVERY weekend.
AAU directors need to make a stand. If one of their coaches gets ejected from a game, they are done for that particular tournament. If it happens again, they will not be coaching in that program for the rest of the year. How many high school coaches get ejected from games? Not very many because they understand how much it hurts their team. It happens a lot more in AAU and can potentially cost the kids a chance to play more games because the coach has made it all about themselves. I don't think AAU directors want to be coaching 30 games a weekend.
Stop charging high school coaches to get into tournaments. They are there watching their kids play. They are making an investment into their program. The least a tournament could do is let them in for free.
Do not charge college coaches for "recruiting packets." The college coaches are the reason why the kids are playing in the first place (for 95% of the kids). Get as many as you can into the door and give the kids as many opportunities as you can for them to be seen. It's not that big of an expense for a tournament director to print off a bunch. Make it simple, each college program gets one packet per tournament.
To go along with recruiting packets, give college coaches their own section to sit in EVERY tournament. Coaches shouldn't be having conversations with kids and their families during tournament play. I witnessed two different D3 coaches talking to kids directly in front of me this weekend while the kids were still in the tournament. That's a clear violation and shouldn't happen. They can talk AFTER the kid's tournament is over.
The NCAA needs to make a limit on how many events are certified during the open period. There are just too many events and it ends up costing many kids an opportunity to be seen by college coaches. Limit the number to 75 (or less) tournaments throughout the country. Then have an NCAA representative at each. That rep will then have an all access pass to the tournament to roam free and see what college coaches are doing to gain an advantage.
In the past the NCAA has brought a few of their reps to tournaments that I have been at. The two (both female) that came to a tournament in Vegas a few years ago essentially flirted with the college coaches the whole time and didn't do anything that I saw. Now, they could be doing something behind the scenes to scope out some issues but it clearly wasn't enough.
The NCAA would say that it costs too much for their organization to have that many reps as well as fly them all over the country to evaluate what is going on at each tournament. We all know that is not true with the money they make from the Final Four. They don't have to be full time employees, they just have to be able to work during the April and July recruiting periods. College coaches shouldn't know who the people are and won't be able to manipulate them in any way.
Like with so many things there are few people that are screwing it up for everyone else. 90-95% of the people are doing things the right way but we tend to focus on the people that aren't.
I'm sure there is more things to put out there but I believe this is a start.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Recruiting Rules
Most HS athletes and parents have no idea what the rules are as far as when and how Division One college coaches can contact their son or daughter. I am talking strictly in regards to basketball and their recruiting rules. The rules are a little bit different for every sport, so I'll be specific to just basketball. I'll go down the list of what is allowed for each year an athlete is in school.
Athletes can take unofficial visits at any point of time in high school. Athletes can take as many unofficial visits as they want or need to take (aka unlimited). An unofficial visit is when the athlete and their family provide the arrangements for the athlete to visit the school, aka the family pays for everything including travel expenses, food, etc.
Athletes are also allowed to contact coaches as much as they want. They can call or text a coach or coaches as much as they want. A coach can not return the call or text at any point (in their freshmen or sophomore year) or it's a violation.
As a freshmen, athletes can only receive a questionnaire and a camp brochure. So, if you hear that a freshman was invited to a school's camp then it usually means that the athlete received a camp brochure in the mail. Coaches are NOT allowed to a make a phone call or text message the athlete directly.
As a sophomore, the same rules apply as a freshmen. There are two legitimate differences is that once June 15th hits, coaches can have unlimited contact (calls and texts) with the athlete. Coaches can also send recruiting material in the mail once the June 15th date is hit. For most athletes, it's June 15th AFTER their sophomore year but some states haven't completed school by that date but it could be during their sophomore year if school is still in session.
If a college coach REALLY wants to talk to an athlete during their freshmen or sophomore year there are ways around this rule. The way to get around it is to contact the high school or AAU coach on the phone. The athlete just happens to "be around" when the call happens and is allowed to talk to the coaches because the call is not directly with the athlete.
As a junior, contact with coaches is unlimited. Once January 1 hits of this year, athletes are allowed to take official visits to a university. It is not always the case, but that option is available if the athlete AND the university want it. An official visit is when the university pays for all the expenses for a visit.
As a senior, this is usually the time that athletes take their official visits (after Jan. 1 of junior year is an option but most, if not all, are done during senior year). You only get FIVE official visits before choosing a school. If an athlete's school list is at seven schools, they can only make five official visits and the other two visits have to be unofficial.
Coaches are now allowed to make home visits with athletes and their families starting in the spring of their junior year (after January 1). They can meet with the athlete at school or at their home. This is considered a contact. Coaches are only allowed to have a total of seven contacts and evaluations (just watching the player play but no talking) anyway they want.
Freshmen - 7 Evaluations
Sophomore - 7 Evaluations
Junior - 7 Total with both Contacts and Evaluations (Contacts can start Jan. 1)
Senior - 7 Total between Contacts and Evaluations (any combination of the two)
Division One college coaches only get 130 "days" per academic year to go out and recruit. That means they have less than 20 recruits they are recruiting in ALL classes in order for all players to get seven contacts and evaluations. If a coaching staff comes and sees you seven times in one calendar year then they REALLY want you. Even if they see you and/or meet with you more than twice, you have to think you are considered a priority for that particular program. Not all schools can be as selective in their recruiting as Kentucky or Duke.
In closing, know the rules regarding coaches contacting athletes. You don't want to be a part of a NCAA investigation and you don't want to put your eligibility in jeopardy.
Athletes can take unofficial visits at any point of time in high school. Athletes can take as many unofficial visits as they want or need to take (aka unlimited). An unofficial visit is when the athlete and their family provide the arrangements for the athlete to visit the school, aka the family pays for everything including travel expenses, food, etc.
Athletes are also allowed to contact coaches as much as they want. They can call or text a coach or coaches as much as they want. A coach can not return the call or text at any point (in their freshmen or sophomore year) or it's a violation.
As a freshmen, athletes can only receive a questionnaire and a camp brochure. So, if you hear that a freshman was invited to a school's camp then it usually means that the athlete received a camp brochure in the mail. Coaches are NOT allowed to a make a phone call or text message the athlete directly.
As a sophomore, the same rules apply as a freshmen. There are two legitimate differences is that once June 15th hits, coaches can have unlimited contact (calls and texts) with the athlete. Coaches can also send recruiting material in the mail once the June 15th date is hit. For most athletes, it's June 15th AFTER their sophomore year but some states haven't completed school by that date but it could be during their sophomore year if school is still in session.
If a college coach REALLY wants to talk to an athlete during their freshmen or sophomore year there are ways around this rule. The way to get around it is to contact the high school or AAU coach on the phone. The athlete just happens to "be around" when the call happens and is allowed to talk to the coaches because the call is not directly with the athlete.
As a junior, contact with coaches is unlimited. Once January 1 hits of this year, athletes are allowed to take official visits to a university. It is not always the case, but that option is available if the athlete AND the university want it. An official visit is when the university pays for all the expenses for a visit.
As a senior, this is usually the time that athletes take their official visits (after Jan. 1 of junior year is an option but most, if not all, are done during senior year). You only get FIVE official visits before choosing a school. If an athlete's school list is at seven schools, they can only make five official visits and the other two visits have to be unofficial.
Coaches are now allowed to make home visits with athletes and their families starting in the spring of their junior year (after January 1). They can meet with the athlete at school or at their home. This is considered a contact. Coaches are only allowed to have a total of seven contacts and evaluations (just watching the player play but no talking) anyway they want.
Freshmen - 7 Evaluations
Sophomore - 7 Evaluations
Junior - 7 Total with both Contacts and Evaluations (Contacts can start Jan. 1)
Senior - 7 Total between Contacts and Evaluations (any combination of the two)
Division One college coaches only get 130 "days" per academic year to go out and recruit. That means they have less than 20 recruits they are recruiting in ALL classes in order for all players to get seven contacts and evaluations. If a coaching staff comes and sees you seven times in one calendar year then they REALLY want you. Even if they see you and/or meet with you more than twice, you have to think you are considered a priority for that particular program. Not all schools can be as selective in their recruiting as Kentucky or Duke.
In closing, know the rules regarding coaches contacting athletes. You don't want to be a part of a NCAA investigation and you don't want to put your eligibility in jeopardy.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Bad Scheduling Leads to Bad Basketball at HS/AAU levels
Most states have different restrictions when it comes to practice starting, when games start, how many games you can play, etc. Every place is a little different and I want to look into how some states do it completely wrong. I say they do it wrong and they'll say everyone is in the same situation so there is no advantage. It's not advantageous for the coaches AND the kids.
In Minnesota, we have approximately two weeks (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more) of practice before our first game. Puts coaches and players at a huge disadvantage if the coach was hired after July. Coaches only have access to coach in June and July for the offseason. They can have open gym throughout the offseason but can't specifically work the kids during those open gyms.
Minnesota is actually somewhat similar to the AAU season. Two weeks of limited practice and then play games. It rarely gives the coaches and the kids an opportunity to learn about each other and to install some sort of offense and defense in order for everyone to be on the same page.
The third week is generally the live period. So college coaches are seeing coaches and players still trying to figure each other out. It just doesn't make sense. Wouldn't it be great for the college coaches to see the the kids and their teams at their best or close to it? Wouldn't it be great if the live period for college coaches got moved to the end of April and the beginning of May? More times for teams to practice together and get on the same page. Those first couple of weekends of play are usually nothing but bad basketball. In bad basketball, how exactly do college coaches evaluate properly?
One top of bad basketball, kids generally don't get a break that their body needs. All basketball players should take a week off between their high school and AAU seasons. Their body AND mind need it.
So what do we need to do to fix these issues?
In high school, I think it's a simple solution. Give the teams more times to practice before playing their first game, which would mean taking away a few games. Imagine if all coaches had three to four weeks to practice before their first game. The games would be better and the kids would be more prepared. Two weeks isn't enough time to install man offense, zone offense, man defense, zone defense, press, how to handle different presses, and everything else. Another option is to give schools two different scrimmage dates where schools can scrimmage each other and go through a bunch of different situations that they'll see over the first couple of weeks of the season.
In AAU, give each player a complete week off after the high school season. All teams have to have at least 8-10 practices before playing in their first tournament. An idea that would be good for all is to have teams play single games against each other at a neutral site. It's basically essentially scrimmaging against each other but also forces teams to play against other teams as work on the same things HS teams have to work on. Wouldn't it be fun if the sneaker company teams would play each other as well as other teams?
All in all, two weeks isn't enough time for high school and AAU to have the kids be where they should be. It's a huge disservice to the kids and isn't all of this "all about the kids?"
In Minnesota, we have approximately two weeks (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more) of practice before our first game. Puts coaches and players at a huge disadvantage if the coach was hired after July. Coaches only have access to coach in June and July for the offseason. They can have open gym throughout the offseason but can't specifically work the kids during those open gyms.
Minnesota is actually somewhat similar to the AAU season. Two weeks of limited practice and then play games. It rarely gives the coaches and the kids an opportunity to learn about each other and to install some sort of offense and defense in order for everyone to be on the same page.
The third week is generally the live period. So college coaches are seeing coaches and players still trying to figure each other out. It just doesn't make sense. Wouldn't it be great for the college coaches to see the the kids and their teams at their best or close to it? Wouldn't it be great if the live period for college coaches got moved to the end of April and the beginning of May? More times for teams to practice together and get on the same page. Those first couple of weekends of play are usually nothing but bad basketball. In bad basketball, how exactly do college coaches evaluate properly?
One top of bad basketball, kids generally don't get a break that their body needs. All basketball players should take a week off between their high school and AAU seasons. Their body AND mind need it.
So what do we need to do to fix these issues?
In high school, I think it's a simple solution. Give the teams more times to practice before playing their first game, which would mean taking away a few games. Imagine if all coaches had three to four weeks to practice before their first game. The games would be better and the kids would be more prepared. Two weeks isn't enough time to install man offense, zone offense, man defense, zone defense, press, how to handle different presses, and everything else. Another option is to give schools two different scrimmage dates where schools can scrimmage each other and go through a bunch of different situations that they'll see over the first couple of weeks of the season.
In AAU, give each player a complete week off after the high school season. All teams have to have at least 8-10 practices before playing in their first tournament. An idea that would be good for all is to have teams play single games against each other at a neutral site. It's basically essentially scrimmaging against each other but also forces teams to play against other teams as work on the same things HS teams have to work on. Wouldn't it be fun if the sneaker company teams would play each other as well as other teams?
All in all, two weeks isn't enough time for high school and AAU to have the kids be where they should be. It's a huge disservice to the kids and isn't all of this "all about the kids?"
Friday, April 3, 2015
Why we can't score????
There has been a ton of talk lately in regards to scoring or the lack thereof in college basketball. There are a ton of problems but there are very simple solutions to these problems. The solutions are simple but they aren't easy to implement because huge changes have to occur at all levels.
There is very little emphasis on shooting at the lower levels. With the limited practice times these travel teams and school ball teams have there coaches are most concerned about putting in sets and defense rather than fixing or refining shooting mechanics. Every player at the lower levels should should get at least 200 shots in a practice. It's such an important part of the game that many youth coaches neglect. What happens when someone is just as athletic as you and you can't get to the rim? Have to be able to make an open jump shot.
There is very little emphasis on shooting at the lower levels. With the limited practice times these travel teams and school ball teams have there coaches are most concerned about putting in sets and defense rather than fixing or refining shooting mechanics. Every player at the lower levels should should get at least 200 shots in a practice. It's such an important part of the game that many youth coaches neglect. What happens when someone is just as athletic as you and you can't get to the rim? Have to be able to make an open jump shot.
Offenses aren't creative enough. In some instances this is the case. As the US' scoring doctor Jay Bilas says that teams like Virginia are killing scoring. I think Virginia's offense is very creative and quite a few teams run similar stuff including Notre Dame and Ohio State. I wouldn't say that either of those teams are killing scoring. Virginia is probably a little more deliberate with the action they run.
The biggest issue when it comes to scoring with different offenses is that teams tend to get directly into isolation plays for their best players. I really like isolation basketball, but not the way most people see it. I think isolation is the key to good basketball. You have to be able to find ways to put your best players into isolation positions to score. What I mean by this is, run action to get a player some type of isolation. Basically, what every set is meant to do. I just think players and coaches want to get to the isolation play right away and I don't think that's good basketball. You have to have moving parts that could potentially lead to scores with the idea that the final action is what you are looking for.
More players are taking harder shots and that's why field goal percentages are down and why scoring is down. Players are taking pull-up jump shots off of no passes, threes that aren't inside-out, and off balance shots when they aren't necessary. Basically, players are taking shots that can get anytime they want and forcing them early in the shot clock (if there is one) rather than waiting for a great shot. Why do players take these shots? They see the best players in the world take these shots in NBA games. The difference is, the NBA players that are taking these shots actually practice them while non-NBA players jokingly take them in their spare time.
I think that pull-up jumps shots can be a good shot. I just don't like them early in a possession. Usually by the end of a possession the defense has shifted enough to get an uncontested pull-up rather than a contest shot early in a possession. A lot of it depends on who is shooting as well. Some players you never want them to take a pull-up, others more because they've consistently knocked down the shot during practice.
Over the last several years we've looked at inside-out stats for the team I coach. We shoot a little over 60% from the floor when we get the ball in the paint at some point in the possession. We have shot under 30% each of the last years when we didn't. Simple solution would be to make sure more shots are inside-out, percentages would go up. On top of that, most teams practice shooting while passing from near the hoop. It's what you practice, and it would make more sense to shoot that way during games.
Defenses have adjusted to all the new dribble drive type offenses by going to the pack line defense in hopes of keeping players out of the paint. This might be where Virginia decreases scoring. What they do is, force the offense to really work and take early and easy shots away. Thus forcing more shots later in the shot clock. A simple fix to the pack line is skip passes. The skip passes forces the defense into having longer close-outs which makes it easier for the offense to get in the lane.
One of the last reasons why scoring is down is because of officiating. There are uniform rules in the US without uniform interpretation of those rules. Some games are wrestling matches while others every time down the floor there is a whistle. If you want scoring to go up, referees will have to make foul calls consistently. And by consistently, I don't mean just at the beginning of the year. Last season all referees called a hand check every time a defender put both of their hands on the dribbler. By the end of the year, it wasn't called anymore. If it was consistently called for a whole year, the players would have to adjust, thus making the game more free flowing, which usually leads to higher scoring games. Players will adjust as long as the referees are consistent EVERY time they go on the floor. Players and coaches don't know what a foul or what a travel truly are because those violations are interpreted differently every game and by every official.
More players are taking harder shots and that's why field goal percentages are down and why scoring is down. Players are taking pull-up jump shots off of no passes, threes that aren't inside-out, and off balance shots when they aren't necessary. Basically, players are taking shots that can get anytime they want and forcing them early in the shot clock (if there is one) rather than waiting for a great shot. Why do players take these shots? They see the best players in the world take these shots in NBA games. The difference is, the NBA players that are taking these shots actually practice them while non-NBA players jokingly take them in their spare time.
I think that pull-up jumps shots can be a good shot. I just don't like them early in a possession. Usually by the end of a possession the defense has shifted enough to get an uncontested pull-up rather than a contest shot early in a possession. A lot of it depends on who is shooting as well. Some players you never want them to take a pull-up, others more because they've consistently knocked down the shot during practice.
Over the last several years we've looked at inside-out stats for the team I coach. We shoot a little over 60% from the floor when we get the ball in the paint at some point in the possession. We have shot under 30% each of the last years when we didn't. Simple solution would be to make sure more shots are inside-out, percentages would go up. On top of that, most teams practice shooting while passing from near the hoop. It's what you practice, and it would make more sense to shoot that way during games.
Defenses have adjusted to all the new dribble drive type offenses by going to the pack line defense in hopes of keeping players out of the paint. This might be where Virginia decreases scoring. What they do is, force the offense to really work and take early and easy shots away. Thus forcing more shots later in the shot clock. A simple fix to the pack line is skip passes. The skip passes forces the defense into having longer close-outs which makes it easier for the offense to get in the lane.
One of the last reasons why scoring is down is because of officiating. There are uniform rules in the US without uniform interpretation of those rules. Some games are wrestling matches while others every time down the floor there is a whistle. If you want scoring to go up, referees will have to make foul calls consistently. And by consistently, I don't mean just at the beginning of the year. Last season all referees called a hand check every time a defender put both of their hands on the dribbler. By the end of the year, it wasn't called anymore. If it was consistently called for a whole year, the players would have to adjust, thus making the game more free flowing, which usually leads to higher scoring games. Players will adjust as long as the referees are consistent EVERY time they go on the floor. Players and coaches don't know what a foul or what a travel truly are because those violations are interpreted differently every game and by every official.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
The Coaching Carousel and How it Affects Recruiting
We live in a world where everyone wants things to happen right away. Players transfer when things don't go their way instead of toughing it out. Athletic directors don't give coaches enough time to legitimately build their program. To add to the instability, many coaches are looking to move jobs in order to win more and/or make more money.
Coaches like any human want to better themselves and their families. When an opportunity arises after being really good at what they currently do, they would be doing themselves a disservice by not at least looking into another position at another school that would be willing to give the coach more resources to recruit and win. This potential new position usually offers more money as well. You as a recruit or a recruit's parent, have to understand that this is part of the business and it happens EVERY year.
From a recruiting standpoint you have to look at a lot of things. When a coaching staff is young and has been successful they are prime candidates to move on to "the next level." That is definitely something to think about before making your college decision. And it happens at all levels as well.
Another thing to look at is the changing of assistant coaches. Assistants are much more likely to be on the move than the head coach. Head coaches' contracts are generally long term (more than three years) while most assistants are on a year to year contract. So, the (assistant) coach that you developed the best relationship with could easily be at another place by the time you make it to campus.
You'll see this type of movement a little more in football where coaches won't leave for another opportunity until after the signing period. It makes it really tough for the recruits because they've spent a ton of time communicating with that assistant and by them leaving, the comfort isn't there as much.
All of these different scenarios are some of the reasons why I believe it is the best for a recruit to decide later in the process. I understand if a "dream school" offers you a spot and you have to take it immediately but I don't think that happens as often as people believe. As a recruit, you have to protect yourself and put yourself in the best situation possible.
To go along with all of this I'll tell a story. My first staff meeting while working at WVU. Coach Beilein told all of us that we should be looking for new jobs every year. His contract was the only one that was guaranteed. If he was to get fired, he would get the remaining amount of his contract (or most of it) and we would be out of luck. If he was to leave, there were no guarantees that he would take all of us with him. And then he didn't when he left for Michigan. Pretty eye opening for a young assistant that thought he knew it all.
Coaches like any human want to better themselves and their families. When an opportunity arises after being really good at what they currently do, they would be doing themselves a disservice by not at least looking into another position at another school that would be willing to give the coach more resources to recruit and win. This potential new position usually offers more money as well. You as a recruit or a recruit's parent, have to understand that this is part of the business and it happens EVERY year.
From a recruiting standpoint you have to look at a lot of things. When a coaching staff is young and has been successful they are prime candidates to move on to "the next level." That is definitely something to think about before making your college decision. And it happens at all levels as well.
Another thing to look at is the changing of assistant coaches. Assistants are much more likely to be on the move than the head coach. Head coaches' contracts are generally long term (more than three years) while most assistants are on a year to year contract. So, the (assistant) coach that you developed the best relationship with could easily be at another place by the time you make it to campus.
You'll see this type of movement a little more in football where coaches won't leave for another opportunity until after the signing period. It makes it really tough for the recruits because they've spent a ton of time communicating with that assistant and by them leaving, the comfort isn't there as much.
All of these different scenarios are some of the reasons why I believe it is the best for a recruit to decide later in the process. I understand if a "dream school" offers you a spot and you have to take it immediately but I don't think that happens as often as people believe. As a recruit, you have to protect yourself and put yourself in the best situation possible.
To go along with all of this I'll tell a story. My first staff meeting while working at WVU. Coach Beilein told all of us that we should be looking for new jobs every year. His contract was the only one that was guaranteed. If he was to get fired, he would get the remaining amount of his contract (or most of it) and we would be out of luck. If he was to leave, there were no guarantees that he would take all of us with him. And then he didn't when he left for Michigan. Pretty eye opening for a young assistant that thought he knew it all.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Code Word "Exposure"
Name a spring and summer team that doesn't talk about "exposure" and I'd call you a liar. The word exposure is a be all, end all by players and parents that want to feel important. Parents believe that you get exposure by going to a tournament out of state when the players are 12 or 13 years old. Smaller AAU programs will sell the exposure in order to get players but none of those players will never play in college or leave the state to play in college.
It can be really frustrating for people in the know when programs sell "exposure." Exposure means you play in front of college coaches and if you think that college coaches are going to go out of their way to see 12 or 13 year olds you are completely out of your mind. Are there times when they sit down and watch a game? Yes. That's because the game they are supposed to watch is starting late.
The out of town trip for any AAU team is always an adventure. It can be a lot of fun and you get to spend a lot of time together. Definitely a good time. While I was coaching AAU, we went on a trip to Iowa during the "live period." There was one college coach that stayed for less than a half of one of our games. Even one of my players, who had hopes of playing college ball, tweeted out some of his frustration. Not exactly a great way to get "exposure."
There are a lot of AAU programs that decide that it's a good idea to have half of their tournaments be out of the state where they are located. Some of these programs have a whole team of guys/girls that will basketball out of state in college. It makes sense for them to travel and I don't blame these programs at all.
Then there are the other teams. The other teams "sell" that going out of state gets their kids "exposure." Exposure to what? Exposure to another program that does the same thing. They end up getting put in the same pool and or play in the first round of the silver "championship" division. On top of that, none of the kids on the team will ever leave the state to play college ball. What sense does it make to have families spend a boatload of money on travel, food, and lodging for no other reason than to play someplace different?
But keep selling "exposure." Great marketing.
It can be really frustrating for people in the know when programs sell "exposure." Exposure means you play in front of college coaches and if you think that college coaches are going to go out of their way to see 12 or 13 year olds you are completely out of your mind. Are there times when they sit down and watch a game? Yes. That's because the game they are supposed to watch is starting late.
The out of town trip for any AAU team is always an adventure. It can be a lot of fun and you get to spend a lot of time together. Definitely a good time. While I was coaching AAU, we went on a trip to Iowa during the "live period." There was one college coach that stayed for less than a half of one of our games. Even one of my players, who had hopes of playing college ball, tweeted out some of his frustration. Not exactly a great way to get "exposure."
There are a lot of AAU programs that decide that it's a good idea to have half of their tournaments be out of the state where they are located. Some of these programs have a whole team of guys/girls that will basketball out of state in college. It makes sense for them to travel and I don't blame these programs at all.
Then there are the other teams. The other teams "sell" that going out of state gets their kids "exposure." Exposure to what? Exposure to another program that does the same thing. They end up getting put in the same pool and or play in the first round of the silver "championship" division. On top of that, none of the kids on the team will ever leave the state to play college ball. What sense does it make to have families spend a boatload of money on travel, food, and lodging for no other reason than to play someplace different?
But keep selling "exposure." Great marketing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
College Decision Days Ahead
Right about now is when a lot of kids will be making their decisions to attend a (one, hopefully) college or university for the next four or five years. There are many things that go into the decision making process. There is a list of things that should be priorities for you and your family before making a decision.
1) The top priority for most families is cost. How many money can the family afford per year and/or over the course of four years? What kind of financial aid can the school provided? It's good to find out how much each school's endowment is, because that usually translates to better (high endowment) or worse (low endowment) financial aid packages. Basically, does the school meet 100% of need or is the percentage much lower.
Some schools do a pretty good job of getting out academic scholarship packages after the application process. Others schools wait until they've gathered all of their applicants and then send out financial aid packages all at the same time. Knowing what the timeline looks like is very important. Sometimes, the school that you want to go to the most will make you wait the most.
There are also other times that money isn't an issue. If that's the case, the admission process is a bit different. Why? The family doesn't have to worry about comparing financial aid packages from different schools. What also could happen is the admission department knows the applicant is a "full pay" applicant and they will get into school even if their grades/test scores aren't what they need to normally get into school. That's called "private school economics." More on this in a bit.
While I was coaching in college there was a prominent "recruiting guru" that came and spoke. He had some really useful information and some really interesting ideas. One thing he said that if the financial aid package came out $4,000 on the wrong end (another school had a better package) and the recruit didn't come then the coach didn't sell the school hard enough. I laughed out loud when he said that. $4,000 is a lot money over the course of four years. That's a mid-size car or $16,000. When families are making decisions based off $1,000-$2,000 then $4,000 is going to be a big deal (for most families).
1) The top priority for most families is cost. How many money can the family afford per year and/or over the course of four years? What kind of financial aid can the school provided? It's good to find out how much each school's endowment is, because that usually translates to better (high endowment) or worse (low endowment) financial aid packages. Basically, does the school meet 100% of need or is the percentage much lower.
Some schools do a pretty good job of getting out academic scholarship packages after the application process. Others schools wait until they've gathered all of their applicants and then send out financial aid packages all at the same time. Knowing what the timeline looks like is very important. Sometimes, the school that you want to go to the most will make you wait the most.
There are also other times that money isn't an issue. If that's the case, the admission process is a bit different. Why? The family doesn't have to worry about comparing financial aid packages from different schools. What also could happen is the admission department knows the applicant is a "full pay" applicant and they will get into school even if their grades/test scores aren't what they need to normally get into school. That's called "private school economics." More on this in a bit.
While I was coaching in college there was a prominent "recruiting guru" that came and spoke. He had some really useful information and some really interesting ideas. One thing he said that if the financial aid package came out $4,000 on the wrong end (another school had a better package) and the recruit didn't come then the coach didn't sell the school hard enough. I laughed out loud when he said that. $4,000 is a lot money over the course of four years. That's a mid-size car or $16,000. When families are making decisions based off $1,000-$2,000 then $4,000 is going to be a big deal (for most families).
2) You are going to college to get an education, why would you go to a college that doesn't have your preferred major? When kids transfer and say "they didn't have my major," didn't the kid know that going in? The education is the reason why you are going to school, even though athletics are a big reason why you are interested in a certain school. 18-22 year olds change their minds on a daily basis, it would be a good idea to go somewhere that has a lot of options as far as majors, if your original thoughts on the major you want isn't what you thought it would be.
There are some schools that give you the option to "major" in multiple things. Not exactly a double major but the school gives you opportunities in multiple disciplines to figure out what you are truly looking for. Some schools will have "interdisciplinary studies" as a major, which is code word for having three minors that you emphasize in because the full major doesn't make a ton of sense in what you want to do.
3) If a coach tells you that they play fast, look at the team's box scores. There aren't many players in high school that want to go to college and play in a grind it out type offense and defense. Coaches will say, "we want to play fast," and then call out plays every time down the floor. Majority of the coaches don't play fast and don't want to play fast because they don't have control.
Teams that play fast have the tendency to turn the ball over (on offense) a good amount and they also score a lot. If you watch West Virginia play, they play fast but they generally don't score a ton. If you can't watch a team that is recruiting you in person, watch them on a webcast since most schools have that capability now.
4) A head or assistant coach tells you they play a lot of players and in reality they only play seven or eight players. Please look at the team's box scores in their perceived rivalry games and/or postseason games (if they've made it) to see if they play that many players. Playing five players 30+ minutes and then having one player play 15 minutes and two more guys play between 5 and 8 minutes means they don't play a lot of players. If they have 9 or 10 guys average above 12 minutes a game, that means the coach plays a lot of players.
Coaches tend to shorten their bench toward the end of the year because they want to win and they'll only play the players they trust. If you look at stats at the beginning of the year, more players will play. Why? The coaching staff is trying to figure out who fits where, who plays better with other players, and who does better with the lights on.
5) Know the recruiting philosophy of the school and the program. There are certain schools that want coaches to recruit and get as many players as they can. This is another example of "private school economics." The more bodies the better the bottom line is for the school. So they'll have a lot of players on their roster but very few play, even with a JV team.
There are many schools that have the ability to give out good financial aid packages to a lot of kids. It will give the coaches the ability to "load up" in consecutive years in order to make a run at a championship. What happens ends up being a disservice to the kids. Why? There are a lot of very good players that could probably start or play significant minutes at other schools, get stuck on the bench of the school those chose. Basically, it's buyer beware when you are choosing a school.
When push comes to shove, cost and academics should be the number 1 and 1a when it comes to picking a school. The athletic side is super important but shouldn't be the priority because what happens when the "ball stops bouncing?" You and your family have to make the correct decision for life.
There are some schools that give you the option to "major" in multiple things. Not exactly a double major but the school gives you opportunities in multiple disciplines to figure out what you are truly looking for. Some schools will have "interdisciplinary studies" as a major, which is code word for having three minors that you emphasize in because the full major doesn't make a ton of sense in what you want to do.
3) If a coach tells you that they play fast, look at the team's box scores. There aren't many players in high school that want to go to college and play in a grind it out type offense and defense. Coaches will say, "we want to play fast," and then call out plays every time down the floor. Majority of the coaches don't play fast and don't want to play fast because they don't have control.
Teams that play fast have the tendency to turn the ball over (on offense) a good amount and they also score a lot. If you watch West Virginia play, they play fast but they generally don't score a ton. If you can't watch a team that is recruiting you in person, watch them on a webcast since most schools have that capability now.
4) A head or assistant coach tells you they play a lot of players and in reality they only play seven or eight players. Please look at the team's box scores in their perceived rivalry games and/or postseason games (if they've made it) to see if they play that many players. Playing five players 30+ minutes and then having one player play 15 minutes and two more guys play between 5 and 8 minutes means they don't play a lot of players. If they have 9 or 10 guys average above 12 minutes a game, that means the coach plays a lot of players.
Coaches tend to shorten their bench toward the end of the year because they want to win and they'll only play the players they trust. If you look at stats at the beginning of the year, more players will play. Why? The coaching staff is trying to figure out who fits where, who plays better with other players, and who does better with the lights on.
5) Know the recruiting philosophy of the school and the program. There are certain schools that want coaches to recruit and get as many players as they can. This is another example of "private school economics." The more bodies the better the bottom line is for the school. So they'll have a lot of players on their roster but very few play, even with a JV team.
There are many schools that have the ability to give out good financial aid packages to a lot of kids. It will give the coaches the ability to "load up" in consecutive years in order to make a run at a championship. What happens ends up being a disservice to the kids. Why? There are a lot of very good players that could probably start or play significant minutes at other schools, get stuck on the bench of the school those chose. Basically, it's buyer beware when you are choosing a school.
When push comes to shove, cost and academics should be the number 1 and 1a when it comes to picking a school. The athletic side is super important but shouldn't be the priority because what happens when the "ball stops bouncing?" You and your family have to make the correct decision for life.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Exploited Student-Athlete, I Think Not
As I am sitting here watching the NCAA Tourney I am thinking about all the student-athletes on all these teams and how hard it is to juggle being a student and being an athlete with all the time that these guys are away from campus. These networks (particularly CBS) are paying an absurd amount of money to the NCAA to televise these games.
For many of the players at the high major level they are traveling all the time and it takes it's toll. Let's take a look at the Big 12 and their conference tournament. Iowa State and Kansas both played in the championship game on Saturday, March 14 after playing on the 12th and the 13th. They probably arrived on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning for the tournament. Unless they were on spring break they've missed class Wednesday through Friday. All because their games need to be on TV.
The above is typical for most high major teams. If they make the NCAA tourney then there is more missed classes because the NCAA mandates that teams arrive two days before games start. An example is that teams that play in the Thursday/Saturday set have to arrive on Tuesday all for the TV and media. Friday/Sunday games will miss Thursday and Friday class but will have another dilemma because they'll probably miss class on Monday depending on where they travel to/from.
With all of that being said, these student-athletes don't have a lot of opportunities to be students and whose fault is it? I will go with TV and college presidents. TV does what they want because all the college presidents want more money. The more the games are on tv, the bottom line looks A LOT better for college presidents. That is why you'll see football games on all throughout the week during the fall.
Hang with me here:
I've sent out some feelers to a bunch of different college coaches at a bunch of different levels and this is what I've gathered. Student-athletes that are on a full scholarship will get various levels of scholarships based off of what level school each coach is at.
High Major Mid Major
*Roughly $1200 check every month *$840 check every month
Unlimited meals meals/snacks 30 meals per semester in dining hall + snacks
Free Tutoring Free Tutoring
Potential free iPads Postseason gifts (budget won't allow $500, but get something)
Postseason gifts (up to $500)
Free printing for papers, etc
*If student-athletes live off campus they'll get that amount. Not sure what the amount they are given if they live on campus.
A Pell Grant is available for all students if their family qualifies financially. A full Pell Grant for the year is $5,500. If the athlete is on full scholarship they'll get a $5,500 every year without having to pay it back. Yes, that's potentially $22,000 over the course of four years. That number could be a lot less or nothing at all depending on the finances of the family.
On top of all of that the student-athletes get major exposure through TV and everything that potentially goes with it. Looking at a high major "non-revenue" sport the school spent roughly $32,000 per year per athlete (walk-ons included) on top of any athletic scholarship. This money includes athletic training, medical costs, sport psychologists, tutoring/advising, massage/chiropractic, travel, gear, meals, and coaching. If you want to look at some "revenue" sports, that number is WAY higher because of charter flights, nicer hotels, more (and nicer) gear, and more meals.
If you look in the closets of these same student-athletes you'll see about two weeks of wardrobes given to them EVERY year through the contract the school has with an apparel company. Let's take a look at Oregon (I know they are different than everyone else but it's fun). Every one of their players have received four pairs of Kevin Durant's signature shoes (retail $150, customized $195) in different colors. Here is a link showing their different jersey combos as well as some of the shoes that are available to them. I could show you a bunch of pictures from all the gear my wife's team gets but I don't want to be a creeper through their Twitter and Instagram.
Did I mention that these same student-athletes get their education paid for as well? Tuition at these schools range anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 (just tuition, not tuition & room and board). With that being said, athletic department probably are spending over $100,000 per athlete per year in certain sports.
I'll ask this question to my four regular readers, Would you be willing to "be exploited" by the NCAA and college presidents to get all the things that you get by being a student-athlete? I would say an extreme majority would say, "Where do I sign?"
For many of the players at the high major level they are traveling all the time and it takes it's toll. Let's take a look at the Big 12 and their conference tournament. Iowa State and Kansas both played in the championship game on Saturday, March 14 after playing on the 12th and the 13th. They probably arrived on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning for the tournament. Unless they were on spring break they've missed class Wednesday through Friday. All because their games need to be on TV.
The above is typical for most high major teams. If they make the NCAA tourney then there is more missed classes because the NCAA mandates that teams arrive two days before games start. An example is that teams that play in the Thursday/Saturday set have to arrive on Tuesday all for the TV and media. Friday/Sunday games will miss Thursday and Friday class but will have another dilemma because they'll probably miss class on Monday depending on where they travel to/from.
With all of that being said, these student-athletes don't have a lot of opportunities to be students and whose fault is it? I will go with TV and college presidents. TV does what they want because all the college presidents want more money. The more the games are on tv, the bottom line looks A LOT better for college presidents. That is why you'll see football games on all throughout the week during the fall.
Hang with me here:
I've sent out some feelers to a bunch of different college coaches at a bunch of different levels and this is what I've gathered. Student-athletes that are on a full scholarship will get various levels of scholarships based off of what level school each coach is at.
High Major Mid Major
*Roughly $1200 check every month *$840 check every month
Unlimited meals meals/snacks 30 meals per semester in dining hall + snacks
Free Tutoring Free Tutoring
Potential free iPads Postseason gifts (budget won't allow $500, but get something)
Postseason gifts (up to $500)
Free printing for papers, etc
*If student-athletes live off campus they'll get that amount. Not sure what the amount they are given if they live on campus.
A Pell Grant is available for all students if their family qualifies financially. A full Pell Grant for the year is $5,500. If the athlete is on full scholarship they'll get a $5,500 every year without having to pay it back. Yes, that's potentially $22,000 over the course of four years. That number could be a lot less or nothing at all depending on the finances of the family.
On top of all of that the student-athletes get major exposure through TV and everything that potentially goes with it. Looking at a high major "non-revenue" sport the school spent roughly $32,000 per year per athlete (walk-ons included) on top of any athletic scholarship. This money includes athletic training, medical costs, sport psychologists, tutoring/advising, massage/chiropractic, travel, gear, meals, and coaching. If you want to look at some "revenue" sports, that number is WAY higher because of charter flights, nicer hotels, more (and nicer) gear, and more meals.
If you look in the closets of these same student-athletes you'll see about two weeks of wardrobes given to them EVERY year through the contract the school has with an apparel company. Let's take a look at Oregon (I know they are different than everyone else but it's fun). Every one of their players have received four pairs of Kevin Durant's signature shoes (retail $150, customized $195) in different colors. Here is a link showing their different jersey combos as well as some of the shoes that are available to them. I could show you a bunch of pictures from all the gear my wife's team gets but I don't want to be a creeper through their Twitter and Instagram.
Did I mention that these same student-athletes get their education paid for as well? Tuition at these schools range anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 (just tuition, not tuition & room and board). With that being said, athletic department probably are spending over $100,000 per athlete per year in certain sports.
I'll ask this question to my four regular readers, Would you be willing to "be exploited" by the NCAA and college presidents to get all the things that you get by being a student-athlete? I would say an extreme majority would say, "Where do I sign?"
How to Fix the NCAA Tournament
As I've watched the NCAA Tournament over the past three days I've noticed some things that I think would make the tournament better.
Step 1: Change it back to 64 teams.
It makes ZERO sense to have the four added teams. Why? These play-in games are for the lowered seeded teams. Why not give them all a chance to shine on the weekend. They are at a huge disadvantage and at times go from playing a night game on Tuesday to an afternoon game on Thursday with a decent amount of travel in between. 64 is also a perfect number for a tournament, 68 just doesn't make sense.
Step 2: East Coast Games that start after 9PM need to stop
I understand if a game is being played in Seattle or Los Angeles and it has a late start. If a game is being played in Pittsburgh there is absolutely no reason to have a game start after 9PM eastern time. Some of the games this year have started past 10PM eastern time. That's a huge disservice to the kids and their families (for those that travel).
Step 3: Each side of the bracket play on the same days
An example for this year would be the West and Midwest both play on Thursday and Saturday while the East and the South both play on Friday and Sunday. It doesn't make sense to have teams in the same bracket have more or less rest. Makes it more of a level playing field for all.
Step 4: Get rid of teams playing close to home
Games should all be neutral site and one team shouldn't have a huge crowd advantage unless they are Kentucky (they always travel). They should lower the ticket prices and get more fans in the seats rather than playing in half empty arenas. Families should be able to go to games and not have to take out a loan for tickets, parking, and snacks. Remember, we are watching amateurs play. Examples of this would be don't allow Duke, North Carolina, or NC State state play in the state of North Carolina. Syracuse should never play in Albany. Many more examples can be made.
Step 5: CBS Please Pay Attention
Thursday and Friday are like heaven for a lot of hoops fans. The Saturday and Sunday should be the same way. There is no need to showcase two games each day. Get the day moving and then teams wouldn't have games starting past 9PM eastern time. Take Grant Hill off the main broadcast. Two man booth is all that is needed. Give me Verne Lundquist and Bill Rafferty or Ian Eagle and Jim Spinarkel and I'll be happy.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Fast or Slow
Over the last month or so, a lot of talk has been how scoring in college basketball has gone down and how basketball is more like a football game. That it's bad for the game and less people want to watch. Scoring is definitely down for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include lack of shooting, defensive schemes, control by the coaches, more teams playing zone, and officiating.
Lets talk about shooting. If you look at the three point shooting leaders this year (HERE) you'll see that only 35 players throughout Division One shoot over 40% from the three point line (there is probably more but you need a certain amount of attempts to be on the list). That's not a very high number considering there is about 340 Division One teams. Heck, there are only 22 in the NBA that are shooting 40% and above this year. Although, there are certain players that shoot higher percentages from the corners, which is big in the NBA game. The lack of shooting allows defenses to collapse more (more on this below).
As you watch games by teams like Virginia and Wisconsin you'll notice that they like to "muck it up." What I mean by this is, they get physical and do not make anything easy for the offense. The idea behind how they play is to not allow penetration into the paint. Why? Teams shoot a much higher percentage when they get a paint touch through penetration, cutting, or post catches. By playing this way, the offense tends to score a lot less and are also forced to take tough shots later in the shot clock. Forcing teams to take shots near the end of the shot clock also forces their offense to get less possessions, which leads to less scoring for both teams. Examples are HERE, HERE, and HERE.
This defense is also known as the "pack-line defense." What this means is that there is rarely extended ball pressure. So, the offense doesn't have as much space to operate, especially when they need it, late in the shot clock. Also, you'll rarely see the players off the ball try to deny their man the ball. What this does is make the reversal pass easy but the potential drive doesn't look like it is there because that is where the help is positioned.
There are very few teams at the Division One level that really try to extend their defense and have ball pressure at all times. What the ball pressure does is put the defensive player on a island and if they get beat then the rest of the defense is at a huge disadvantage. In closing, why would coaches want to put their players at a huge disadvantage by pressuring the ball at half court?
Many of the basketball "experts" are saying that all coaches feel the need to have control and that is why offenses aren't scoring at all. I believe it's harder to get in the paint early in a shot clock and that is forcing offenses to needle their way into the paint near the end of the shot clock. So, most possessions are taking 20-30 seconds off the clock trying to get the defense to make a mistake. When teams settle for shots and make them, it looks like great offense but in reality it's not very good. Coaches definitely want control but their idea of control is getting great shots and not settling for bad or average shots.
Much like college football when it was very run oriented, basketball has become a physical mess and scoring has gone down. Now, coaches need to figure out ways to adjust to defenses like the pack-line and it's taking them a while. What is the best way to get their best players the ball in space? That's the magic question and every coach and team is different.
You'll see more teams playing zone now knowing that teams don't shoot the ball very well. Playing zone almost always slows the game down. The offense usually takes a bit longer to get shots especially when the zone has a lot of length. Yes, there are times when teams can get good looks early in a possession but much like pack-line the offense is waiting for the defense to make a mistake.
The last thing I will talk about is the officiating. Games have become physical messes because the officials allow it. Perfect example is last year when it was made a rule that officials HAD to call a foul when the defender would put two hands on the offensive player. That was called very early in the year and scoring went up. By the time conference play started, the physical play was back. If a rule is made, it needs to be enforced. With that being said, if play is consistently called a certain way for an extended period of time, players will adjust and the game will automatically become faster. Until then, scoring will continue to decrease.
Yes, everyone wants to see a lot of scoring but many coaches realize that they want to slow it down in hopes of giving them a better chance of winning the game by giving the other team less possessions. And as we've seen since many teams seasons have ended, coaches want to have a job.
Lets talk about shooting. If you look at the three point shooting leaders this year (HERE) you'll see that only 35 players throughout Division One shoot over 40% from the three point line (there is probably more but you need a certain amount of attempts to be on the list). That's not a very high number considering there is about 340 Division One teams. Heck, there are only 22 in the NBA that are shooting 40% and above this year. Although, there are certain players that shoot higher percentages from the corners, which is big in the NBA game. The lack of shooting allows defenses to collapse more (more on this below).
As you watch games by teams like Virginia and Wisconsin you'll notice that they like to "muck it up." What I mean by this is, they get physical and do not make anything easy for the offense. The idea behind how they play is to not allow penetration into the paint. Why? Teams shoot a much higher percentage when they get a paint touch through penetration, cutting, or post catches. By playing this way, the offense tends to score a lot less and are also forced to take tough shots later in the shot clock. Forcing teams to take shots near the end of the shot clock also forces their offense to get less possessions, which leads to less scoring for both teams. Examples are HERE, HERE, and HERE.
This defense is also known as the "pack-line defense." What this means is that there is rarely extended ball pressure. So, the offense doesn't have as much space to operate, especially when they need it, late in the shot clock. Also, you'll rarely see the players off the ball try to deny their man the ball. What this does is make the reversal pass easy but the potential drive doesn't look like it is there because that is where the help is positioned.
There are very few teams at the Division One level that really try to extend their defense and have ball pressure at all times. What the ball pressure does is put the defensive player on a island and if they get beat then the rest of the defense is at a huge disadvantage. In closing, why would coaches want to put their players at a huge disadvantage by pressuring the ball at half court?
Many of the basketball "experts" are saying that all coaches feel the need to have control and that is why offenses aren't scoring at all. I believe it's harder to get in the paint early in a shot clock and that is forcing offenses to needle their way into the paint near the end of the shot clock. So, most possessions are taking 20-30 seconds off the clock trying to get the defense to make a mistake. When teams settle for shots and make them, it looks like great offense but in reality it's not very good. Coaches definitely want control but their idea of control is getting great shots and not settling for bad or average shots.
Much like college football when it was very run oriented, basketball has become a physical mess and scoring has gone down. Now, coaches need to figure out ways to adjust to defenses like the pack-line and it's taking them a while. What is the best way to get their best players the ball in space? That's the magic question and every coach and team is different.
You'll see more teams playing zone now knowing that teams don't shoot the ball very well. Playing zone almost always slows the game down. The offense usually takes a bit longer to get shots especially when the zone has a lot of length. Yes, there are times when teams can get good looks early in a possession but much like pack-line the offense is waiting for the defense to make a mistake.
The last thing I will talk about is the officiating. Games have become physical messes because the officials allow it. Perfect example is last year when it was made a rule that officials HAD to call a foul when the defender would put two hands on the offensive player. That was called very early in the year and scoring went up. By the time conference play started, the physical play was back. If a rule is made, it needs to be enforced. With that being said, if play is consistently called a certain way for an extended period of time, players will adjust and the game will automatically become faster. Until then, scoring will continue to decrease.
Yes, everyone wants to see a lot of scoring but many coaches realize that they want to slow it down in hopes of giving them a better chance of winning the game by giving the other team less possessions. And as we've seen since many teams seasons have ended, coaches want to have a job.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Weight Training
As we get into the "offseason" a lot of high school coaches will stress to their players about getting in the weight room this spring, summer, and fall. Players that get into the weight room generally play with more confidence and can play harder for longer compared to players that don't.
The one thing for the weight room is that many coaches don't have a plan for their players. Basketball coaches generally aren't certified strength coaches and don't truly know how their guys have to approach hitting the weights. A lot of the time there really isn't a plan and they'll say "get to the weight room." Getting stronger doesn't just come by osmosis (look it up for those that don't know what it is).
I'm not a strength coach and don't pretend to be but I do know some things when it comes to getting stronger. You don't have to gain weight in order to get stronger. You can do a bunch of exercises that will get you stronger and make you a better player. You can do these exercises anywhere so there is no excuse for not doing them. Here are a bunch of exercises that will guarantee to make you stronger if you push yourself while doing them;
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Dips
Lunges
Squats
The only exercise that can be difficult to do are pull-ups. There aren't pull-up bars all over the place but you could easily find a tree branch or a jungle gym that you can get a couple of sets in every day if you can't make it to a gym. All the other exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home or at a hotel. You can do a bunch before you go to school, a bunch when you get home, and a bunch before you head to bed.
Here is an example of a simple workout for the day:
50 pull-ups
250 push-ups
100 dips
3 sets of 20 on each leg for lunges
200 squats
After you get good at these you can start to get creative (to help keep the exercises from getting boring). Try push-ups and pull-ups with different grip widths. Lunges and squats can be done with your body turned or your arms in different directions (having both arms straight up are good).
Imagine if you did that workout every day for the spring and summer. Not only will you get stronger but your confidence will go up and everyone will notice. After a while those numbers from above won't be that hard anymore and you'll push yourself to do more of each exercise.
Again, these exercises aren't going to make you huge but they will get you stronger and that's ultimately the goal. Ultimately the decision to get stronger is up to you just like working on your game.
The one thing for the weight room is that many coaches don't have a plan for their players. Basketball coaches generally aren't certified strength coaches and don't truly know how their guys have to approach hitting the weights. A lot of the time there really isn't a plan and they'll say "get to the weight room." Getting stronger doesn't just come by osmosis (look it up for those that don't know what it is).
I'm not a strength coach and don't pretend to be but I do know some things when it comes to getting stronger. You don't have to gain weight in order to get stronger. You can do a bunch of exercises that will get you stronger and make you a better player. You can do these exercises anywhere so there is no excuse for not doing them. Here are a bunch of exercises that will guarantee to make you stronger if you push yourself while doing them;
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Dips
Lunges
Squats
The only exercise that can be difficult to do are pull-ups. There aren't pull-up bars all over the place but you could easily find a tree branch or a jungle gym that you can get a couple of sets in every day if you can't make it to a gym. All the other exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home or at a hotel. You can do a bunch before you go to school, a bunch when you get home, and a bunch before you head to bed.
Here is an example of a simple workout for the day:
50 pull-ups
250 push-ups
100 dips
3 sets of 20 on each leg for lunges
200 squats
After you get good at these you can start to get creative (to help keep the exercises from getting boring). Try push-ups and pull-ups with different grip widths. Lunges and squats can be done with your body turned or your arms in different directions (having both arms straight up are good).
Imagine if you did that workout every day for the spring and summer. Not only will you get stronger but your confidence will go up and everyone will notice. After a while those numbers from above won't be that hard anymore and you'll push yourself to do more of each exercise.
Again, these exercises aren't going to make you huge but they will get you stronger and that's ultimately the goal. Ultimately the decision to get stronger is up to you just like working on your game.
Selection Sunday - My Story
Tonight we'll see some teams feel great about themselves and others that won't. If you ask any college player, one of their goals is to play in the NCAA tournament. I was fortunate enough to play in three (or be on the roster for two of them). It's such a cool thing to see your name on the big screen and now that you "finally" made it.
Here is a story from ESPN regarding what it's like when you are on the bubble.
Very rarely, do high school players have any idea what's it's like to sit on pins and needles to see if they made the playoffs of any type. Yes, there are some places that only allow teams above .500 to make the postseason but for the most part it's everybody gets in and everybody is happy. You might not be happy where you are seeded but you still get to go to the postseason.
College is a whole different story. Only 68 teams (should be 64) make the NCAA tourney that we watch on tv. It's actually about a 20% of a team making the tourney every year. D3 has the lowest percentage and it's really hard to get an at large bid to the the D3 national tourney. There are 43 conferences and each of their champions get automatic bids there are only 19 at large bids for about 400 teams.
My first two years in college we were fortunate enough to win our conference tournament and get automatic bids to the NCAA tourney. During my senior year had a average start to the year and then finished the year on a 15 game winning streak. We ended up losing in the conference championship game. We were crushed. We didn't think there was anyway we were getting a bid to the tournament. It wasn't exactly the way any of us seniors wanted to end our careers.
That Sunday night, I was on the computer chatting up with a bunch of (chicks) people preparing for student teaching in the morning. I didn't even bother going to the d3hoops website. I got a phone call from a teammate saying that we were in. I told him to not mess with me and probably a bunch of expletives and hung up. I then got a call from my college coach, Nelson Whitmore, and he told me we were in. I couldn't believe it. On top of getting in, we actually got a bye because we had the 5th toughest schedule in the country that year (our only home games were conference games).
So...we got to fulfill our dream and made it to the Sweet 16 once again. While there we got smacked by defending national champion Williams (coached by now Bucknell coach, Dave Paulsen) to finish our career. It was a great run and lots of fun.
Anybody else have a Selection Sunday story???
Here is a story from ESPN regarding what it's like when you are on the bubble.
Very rarely, do high school players have any idea what's it's like to sit on pins and needles to see if they made the playoffs of any type. Yes, there are some places that only allow teams above .500 to make the postseason but for the most part it's everybody gets in and everybody is happy. You might not be happy where you are seeded but you still get to go to the postseason.
College is a whole different story. Only 68 teams (should be 64) make the NCAA tourney that we watch on tv. It's actually about a 20% of a team making the tourney every year. D3 has the lowest percentage and it's really hard to get an at large bid to the the D3 national tourney. There are 43 conferences and each of their champions get automatic bids there are only 19 at large bids for about 400 teams.
My first two years in college we were fortunate enough to win our conference tournament and get automatic bids to the NCAA tourney. During my senior year had a average start to the year and then finished the year on a 15 game winning streak. We ended up losing in the conference championship game. We were crushed. We didn't think there was anyway we were getting a bid to the tournament. It wasn't exactly the way any of us seniors wanted to end our careers.
That Sunday night, I was on the computer chatting up with a bunch of (chicks) people preparing for student teaching in the morning. I didn't even bother going to the d3hoops website. I got a phone call from a teammate saying that we were in. I told him to not mess with me and probably a bunch of expletives and hung up. I then got a call from my college coach, Nelson Whitmore, and he told me we were in. I couldn't believe it. On top of getting in, we actually got a bye because we had the 5th toughest schedule in the country that year (our only home games were conference games).
So...we got to fulfill our dream and made it to the Sweet 16 once again. While there we got smacked by defending national champion Williams (coached by now Bucknell coach, Dave Paulsen) to finish our career. It was a great run and lots of fun.
Anybody else have a Selection Sunday story???
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Getting Better During AAU
As everyone knows, AAU has a completely different format than the high school season. It actually mimics youth travel basketball a lot. Not a ton of practice but more games. Any way you look at it, as a player, you should get better.
Let's talk about getting better during games first. The idea behind playing AAU is that you will play with and against better players consistently throughout the spring and summer. Any time you can play against better players, it's beneficial to your game. You will probably have to play at a faster pace and speed than you are accustomed to. That alone will force you to make adjustments to your game in order to succeed.
With practices only being a few days a week, it's difficult to get better from practice. I don't mean this in a bad way. You can get better by learning to practice at game speed. You can get better by practicing against better players (generally speaking). Just like games, you have the opportunity to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Hopefully, your coaches put you into positions that you aren't use to by challenging you athletically and most importantly mentally.
This last part is the most important. Working out on your own. This is where you will see the biggest gains. YOU must find time to get better on your own. YOU must find a gym or court to get better. YOU have to figure out a way to get hundreds of game shots at game speed on a weekly basis. YOU have to figure out what works best for you to reach your potential.
Obviously, working out with someone else is ideal. They can rebound for you and vice versa. Giving you a chance to take a ton of inside out game shots, which is a much higher percentage shot. You can sprint around getting rebounds, thus forcing you to be fatigued while shooting. Hopefully, while fatigued you can be consistent with everything involved in your shot, which will help from being fatigued during games. You can play one on one to work on individual moves. You can defend each other and force each other to work on each person's weaknesses.
What it all boils down to is that YOU have to work to get better. There is no one else that can truly force you to get better. Regardless of what your HS or AAU coach says, YOU have to want it.
Let's talk about getting better during games first. The idea behind playing AAU is that you will play with and against better players consistently throughout the spring and summer. Any time you can play against better players, it's beneficial to your game. You will probably have to play at a faster pace and speed than you are accustomed to. That alone will force you to make adjustments to your game in order to succeed.
With practices only being a few days a week, it's difficult to get better from practice. I don't mean this in a bad way. You can get better by learning to practice at game speed. You can get better by practicing against better players (generally speaking). Just like games, you have the opportunity to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Hopefully, your coaches put you into positions that you aren't use to by challenging you athletically and most importantly mentally.
This last part is the most important. Working out on your own. This is where you will see the biggest gains. YOU must find time to get better on your own. YOU must find a gym or court to get better. YOU have to figure out a way to get hundreds of game shots at game speed on a weekly basis. YOU have to figure out what works best for you to reach your potential.
Obviously, working out with someone else is ideal. They can rebound for you and vice versa. Giving you a chance to take a ton of inside out game shots, which is a much higher percentage shot. You can sprint around getting rebounds, thus forcing you to be fatigued while shooting. Hopefully, while fatigued you can be consistent with everything involved in your shot, which will help from being fatigued during games. You can play one on one to work on individual moves. You can defend each other and force each other to work on each person's weaknesses.
What it all boils down to is that YOU have to work to get better. There is no one else that can truly force you to get better. Regardless of what your HS or AAU coach says, YOU have to want it.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Elite Camps
Right about now is when parents and players are looking at their spring and summer plans besides playing AAU. One of those plans should be to attend a college or university's "Elite Camp." These camps are generally where the college or university will bring in their recruits or potential recruits to campus and have them compete with each other. It's a way for the coaches to have complete access to potential recruits for a couple of days.
According to NCAA rules, programs are not allowed to limit the participants to just their recruits. They are allowed to limit numbers but if a kid wants to come and pay, then they have to let that athlete participate. Programs also have to charge money for the camp. Some camps will charge the bare minimum because they want their best kids to come to camp and make sure the expenses aren't very high, especially when many are flying in for the weekend. For other programs, it's a way to see their potential recruits as well as a way to make money. Camp fees will range from $50-$400.
One of the best parts of having an elite camp for a college coach is to have full access to the potential recruits. They get to see them work in drills, they get to watch them play, they get to see how they treat teammates, and they get to see the recruits compete. Coaches also get to coach them and potentially get to see them play with their guys to see how they fit. One thing that is overlooked is that coaches get to see how the recruits treat managers, support staff, the servers at the dining hall, or anyone else that doesn't seem to help the recruit. This is a huge character thing that could be a make or break opportunity for a recruit without them really knowing.
For players, the elite camp is a great tool to gain information. It's good to see how the coaches treat the players, it's good to see how the players interact with each other, and it's good to see how the coaches coach you. It's essentially a "day in the life" of a college basketball player minus the classes. Even if it doesn't go well, it should give an idea of what you need to work on because you will play against some pretty good players.
At a few of the Ivy League school elite camps, coaches from lower levels (D2 and D3) will actually be instructors or will be there evaluating recruits. So, if you don't impress the D1 coaches, hopefully you'll impress another coach that'll give you another opportunity to play college basketball at another high end academic school.
Many of the Ivy schools will host "elite" camps on the same weekend and you'll have to choose which one to go to if that is what you are interested in. There are many more schools that offer them and you'll have to look at the Camps/Clinics section of each school's athletics' website. They aren't always called Elite camps either. Some will be "Prospect" or "Practice" camps.
DISCLAIMER: If another entity (not a school but an organization) says they are hosting an "elite" camp please be aware that these are generally moneymakers and there is nothing "elite" about them. If you have any questions regarding which camps are good or bad to attend, I can definitely answer any questions on Twitter: @coachhop21 or my email: cwhop03@yahoo.com
According to NCAA rules, programs are not allowed to limit the participants to just their recruits. They are allowed to limit numbers but if a kid wants to come and pay, then they have to let that athlete participate. Programs also have to charge money for the camp. Some camps will charge the bare minimum because they want their best kids to come to camp and make sure the expenses aren't very high, especially when many are flying in for the weekend. For other programs, it's a way to see their potential recruits as well as a way to make money. Camp fees will range from $50-$400.
One of the best parts of having an elite camp for a college coach is to have full access to the potential recruits. They get to see them work in drills, they get to watch them play, they get to see how they treat teammates, and they get to see the recruits compete. Coaches also get to coach them and potentially get to see them play with their guys to see how they fit. One thing that is overlooked is that coaches get to see how the recruits treat managers, support staff, the servers at the dining hall, or anyone else that doesn't seem to help the recruit. This is a huge character thing that could be a make or break opportunity for a recruit without them really knowing.
For players, the elite camp is a great tool to gain information. It's good to see how the coaches treat the players, it's good to see how the players interact with each other, and it's good to see how the coaches coach you. It's essentially a "day in the life" of a college basketball player minus the classes. Even if it doesn't go well, it should give an idea of what you need to work on because you will play against some pretty good players.
At a few of the Ivy League school elite camps, coaches from lower levels (D2 and D3) will actually be instructors or will be there evaluating recruits. So, if you don't impress the D1 coaches, hopefully you'll impress another coach that'll give you another opportunity to play college basketball at another high end academic school.
Many of the Ivy schools will host "elite" camps on the same weekend and you'll have to choose which one to go to if that is what you are interested in. There are many more schools that offer them and you'll have to look at the Camps/Clinics section of each school's athletics' website. They aren't always called Elite camps either. Some will be "Prospect" or "Practice" camps.
DISCLAIMER: If another entity (not a school but an organization) says they are hosting an "elite" camp please be aware that these are generally moneymakers and there is nothing "elite" about them. If you have any questions regarding which camps are good or bad to attend, I can definitely answer any questions on Twitter: @coachhop21 or my email: cwhop03@yahoo.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)