Hang Up

Leaders are constantly in a state of communication.  Whether it’s in a meeting, on social media, text messages, live videos, or phone calls, we seem to always find ways to consistently stay in touch with our people and what is going on.  While thorough communication is good and necessary, sometimes what we perceive as good is hindering us in other ways.  One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to hang up. 

One of my favorite places to make phone calls is while I’m driving in my car.  It’s quiet and there is often enough time to have a valuable conversation with someone before I arrive at my destination.  But as a young leader I would find myself pulling into my driveway, deep in conversation with a recruit or a mentor with no end in sight.  Although my conversation on the phone was going well, I would fall into one of two traps.  I would walk inside, where my family was waiting to greet me, still on the phone, or I would stay talking in the car parked in the driveway for the next several minutes while my family waited inside for me to come in.  Both traps seem trivial, but they hindered my relationships with my family even though I was building relationships with others. 

“Anytime I’m having a phone conversation in the car I need to begin wrapping it up when I’m halfway home.”

— Andrew Wingreen

The advice I received to hang up looks like this:

Anytime I’m having a phone conversation in the car I need to begin wrapping it up when I’m halfway home (assuming it’s a local trip appx. 20 min or less).  We all know some phone calls can take a few minutes to talk through the final details and say goodbye, so knowing when you are halfway home is a good reminder to begin shutting it down.  Once I pull into my driveway, I always end the conversation and make sure to walk inside with my attention fully devoted to my family.  This transition is crucial and helps me go in with the best mindset possible.  It gives me time to decompress and get my emotions to a place where I will be the best I can be for my family, no matter how the phone call went.  I can schedule calls for later in the evening or the next day if there was some sort of topic we still needed to discuss.  I learned if I waited until I was home to start ending a conversation, it was too late.  This small piece of advice has allowed me to transition smoothly and be more present with whoever I am meeting at the destination. 

Next time you’re deep in conversation while you drive, make sure to begin ending the call halfway to your destination.  It will give you the clarity of mind to transition smoothly into your next phase of the day!

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If you have any questions or other advice regarding this, please send me an email at coachwingreen@gmail.com.

Deflections Matter

When measuring a successful defensive team, most people will look to common stats such as turnovers forced, blocked shots, defensive FG%, and opponents PPG.  However, there is one "unofficial" statistic that may prove more beneficial than any of those.  

DEFLECTIONS.

Coaches will have various definitions of what a deflection is.  Some will claim it is only when a player misdirects a pass by getting a hand on the ball and others will tell you that charges and shot-clock violations count as deflections too.  No matter what your definition of a deflection is, there is no doubt that it is a valuable statistic to track.  

Every good defensive team plays with energy and aggressiveness, and deflections are a sure way to tell if your team is carrying that passion.  Deflections will help you understand how active your team is defensively and whether or not they are applying appropriate pressure.  It has been said that 40 deflections per game is the benchmark for most teams looking to secure a win.  Obviously, you as a coach will need to find an appropriate number that works for your style of defense at your level.  Active feet and active hands will dictate the intensity of your defense and will ultimately lead to deflections which have been proven necessary to win on a consistent basis. 

“Deflections tells you how much energy you’re playing with and how active your hands are. If you lack deflections, then you’re probably not being a very aggressive team and you probably don’t have very active hands.”

— Eric Musselman; University of Nevada Head Coach

Your players are giving a lot of effort whether you think so or not, and telling them to play harder on defense isn't always the answer.  Deflections are a tangible goal that your players can strive for.  This  allows them to feel more in control of the circumstances than when you give the vague answer of, "play harder!"  

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Here are some drill ideas that we have used to emphasize the importance of deflections in our program:

QUICK HANDS 3 v 1

For this drill you will split your team into groups of four.   1, 2, & 3 will stand approximately 8 feet apart and pass the ball around in the triangle.  x1 will work to get as many deflections as he can.  x1 will be "in the middle" for a 30 second round and then a new player will rotate into the middle.   Each individual will keep track of his own points as follows: 1 point = deflection; 2 points = clean steal; -1 point = offensive player turns it over; 2 points = dive on the floor for a loose ball (we add this later on to make deflections "live loose balls").

Points of Emphasis: Offense must "catch and peek" and make strong rip throughs and passes.  Pass fakes are encouraged.  Defender must stay in a good stance and have active hands.  He should be applying "voice pressure" the entire time he is in the drill.

QUICK HANDS 4 v 2

This drill is similar to Quick Hands 3 v 1, but it adds an element of "team" and creates more energy.  You will have your players select a partner and then place them in groups of six (three teams of 2 players in each group).  The drill will proceed the same way as  3 v 1, except now you are competing as teams and your points count for both players.  The team with the most points wins.

Points of Emphasis: Offense (see above).  Defense must adhere to same emphasis as 3 v 1 and must work together as a team.  Constant communication should be encouraged between teammates.  

Eliminating Baskets in Defensive Transition

In the article, Factors to Successful Pack Line Defense, I briefly wrote about three characteristics that make our Pack Line defense successful for our program at Bob Jones University.  I would like to take each of those factors and go more in depth with them.

TRANSITION DEFENSE

Our transition defense always begins when we take a shot or turn the ball over on offense.  On the shot, it is our practice to aggressively send THREE offensive players to the glass, while our 1 & 2 guards GET BACK.  Obviously, if we get the offensive rebound we will continue to execute our offense.  However, if we do not secure the ball we will need to immediately get back in transition and stop the ball.  In a turnover scenario, everyone will just immediately get back.  In order to successfully accomplish this, we will need each one of our players to perform their role at a high level.  Note: each of these role descriptions should be performed with the three MUST-DO'S at the end of this article.

Roles Defined

It is the duty of the point guard to initially STOP THE BALL!  He is the first line of defense and his role is crucial in eliminating easy baskets in transition.  His job is to engage the ball handler by the time he reaches half court. He needs to slow down the ball handler, eliminating any passes up the sideline.  He will do this by attempting to turn the opposing player 2-3 times.  By doing this, our point guard is limiting the ball handlers options to either retreating or making an ill-advised cross court pass. 

Our 2 guard is SPRINTING immediately to the paint.  His primary responsibility is to eliminate anything that comes near the rim.  Whether it is by dribble penetration, a pass ahead, or a post feed, it is this players responsibility to take away any baskets in the paint.  He will perform this role until his teammates get back in position at which point he will closeout to the perimeter player.  

The other three players need to GET BACK as quickly as possible by SPRINTING.  A tendency of many inexperienced players is to be content in "buddy running," which basically means they run even with the player they are guarding.  To be successful in transition, this can't happen!  We need our post players to recover to the paint to relieve our 2 guard of his duties.  They will then need to fulfill the responsibility of protecting the rim.  The last guy back will need to sprint to the weak side of the floor and eliminate any ball reversal that takes place.

After successfully eliminating the primary break many teams will ease up.  Great teams understand that their job, however, is never done and the real fun now begins!  Players will now need to instinctively go from a "transition" mindset to a "half court" mindset.  This is the time that our defense can now make a statement.  

Championship Habits in Transition

Realistically, many teams perform their roles that are listed above, but still find ways to give up easy baskets in transition.  Why?  Because they do not perform the minor details that great teams demonstrate.  These following habits are MUST-DO'S for any team that wants to become great in defensive transition:

1. Proper Floor Balance - When each player performs their role correctly, proper floor balance comes naturally.  However, there are still times when one or two players will run to the wrong area, leaving an opposing player wide open.  Great teams make it second nature to be in the correct place to keep the defense balanced.
2. Exceptional Effort - Effort is 100% controllable by each member of your team.  If anyone lacks desire to sprint or communicate properly, one would have to question why that player is in the game.  Players will NEVER (yes, that's an absolute) be able to to perform their roles to the best of their ability without exceptional effort.  Transition defense is something to take pride in at all times.
3. Clear and Precise Communication - Verbal and non-verbal communication is crucial to successful transition defense.  Not only should each player be verbally talking through what their role is, but they should also be non-verbally giving their teammates cues about where to go and who to pick up. 

All three of those MUST-DO'S go hand in hand and will only be successful if they are habitually ingrained in your player's minds.  

Factors to Successful Pack Line Defense

There are many factors that go into playing great pack line defense, but there are three in particular that are of the utmost importance and need to be stressed.  

ELIMINATE EASY TRANSITION BASKETS

We feel very confident in our ability to defend.  We need to make certain that we force our opponents to play vs. our pack line defense in the half court.  Ways we can achieve this are:

1. Offensive rebound with 3 players and send 2 back to defend the initial break.
2. On turnovers, every player needs to SPRINT back and recover.
3. Communication.  We need to use both our VOICES and SIGNALS to let each other know what we are doing (use NITE).
4. Build a wall and always STOP THE BALL first.
5. Do not allow passes ahead and do not allow post touches in transition.

I heard a statistic one time (I can't remember where) that 95% of defensive transition mistakes are because of either 1. Poor Floor Balance, 2. Poor Effort, or 3. Poor Communication.

PROTECT THE PAINT

Paint touches are the #1 killer of any pack line defense.  As an offense, we thrive on attacking the paint, so we understand the importance of protecting the paint from a defensive perspective.  Ways we can consistently protect the paint are:

1. Never give up a baseline drive.  In pack line, there is NO help on the baseline.  We need to make every effort to eliminate the baseline from our opponent.
2. Pressure the ball handler.  We want to apply as much ball pressure as we can without getting beat.  This will be different for every player and team, but we need to communicate this in our scouting reports.  
3. Level off the ball handler on drives.  Never let your opponent attack the rim in a straight line.
4. Build a wall in the gaps.  The ball handler should never see the light if he is thinking about getting into the paint.
5. Closeout on shooters.  Know your personnel and closeout at the right distance.  Every offensive player is told to "attack the closeout," so we need to make sure we don't allow opponents to get past us.  We have three types of closeouts that we do depending on the skill set of the offensive player.  

CRASH THE GLASS

Lastly, we cannot give up 2nd chance opportunities.  When we play defense we need to make sure we secure every loose ball that comes off the rim.  Here are a couple ways to make this happen:

1. All FIVE guys need to properly box out and crash the glass.  Be aggressive and have the mindset of getting every ball.
2. Be in proper gap/help positions.  If we are always in position to defend, we will always be in position to box out and rebound.  

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Obviously, there is a lot more that goes into the pack line defense than these factors.  However, I firmly believe that if we can execute and perform the basics, we will be laying a solid foundation to build on.  As with anything coaching related, I am always learning and seeking out wisdom from other coaches in this area.  Many of these principles I have talked about stem from the knowledge of guys like Jim Boone, Tony Bennett, Richie McKay, and Sean Miller.  There are so many great pack line coaches out there, so I would encourage you to seek these guys out.  If you have any questions regarding our pack line defense that we run, please don't hesitate to contact me!  Good luck as you implement this tremendous defense into your program!

N.I.T.E. - Keys to Great Communication

A few years ago I attended a clinic and heard PGC Basketball's, TJ Rosene, talk about communication and the acronym NITE.  Ever since then, we have adopted it within our program and use it daily with our players.  It has been a wonderful addition to our success and has helped improve our communication both on and off the court.

N - NAMES
Anytime we communicate with another person we should always include their name.  Not only does it confirm whose attention we are trying to get, but it also gives affirmation to the other person that what we are about to say is meaningful.  Receivers of our communication are much more likely to listen if they hear their name associated within the context of the message.

I - INFORMATION
Words and/or actions should always carry meaning.  It is always easy to convey information over a long period of time, but it takes a special skill to communicate important information with as few words as possible.  Whether it's a timeout or during play on the floor, there is limited time to communicate what needs to be communicated.  We need to work on simplifying our words so that we can give necessary information in the allotted amount of time.  This information should be direct and to the point, allowing the receiver to process what needs to be done quickly. 

T - TONE OF VOICE
The way we say something is just as important as the actual words being said.  A monotone or lackadaisical voice conveys negativity and a lack of trust.  Our tone of voice should be enthusiastic and energetic, which allows the person you are talking to to establish trust and a sense of urgency in the situation.  Positive words will encourage a positive tone of voice.  Always keep your attitude upbeat and optimistic, even when adversity is present. 

E - EYE CONTACT
On the court during play, eye contact cannot always happen (such as playing defense).  But anytime you have the opportunity to look someone in the eye you must take advantage of that and do it!  The eyes are associated with the ears.  When you establish eye contact you are accomplishing two things. 1. You are letting the person you are talking to know that you care and you mean what you say and 2. You can be confident that the other person is listening and hearing what you say.  People who maintain eye contact are perceived as being confident and trustworthy.