Hoopsalytics Basketball Blog

Getting prepared for the upcoming season means being able to answer the questions that make the difference between winning or not.

Here are a few ideas.  Coaches; feel free to write in with your answers or own questions to help level up all of us.

-What’s your best Offense for different lineups; say for your small ball team?  Or if you have size, what is the best O to run? What about against certain types of Defense?  For example, what’s the best O to run for a small team against a good-sized, 1-3-1 half court trap?

-What’s the best D against a motion and attack Offense?

-I believe in having multiple offenses because each opponent has different talent.  If we’re playing against a bigger, faster team we’ll slow it down.  Smaller, slower, let’s push the tempo.  There are several iterations of this concept in the college game especially at the U. of Alabama but what about a set offense called L3. Only Layups or 3’s. 4 out. 1 in. 1 is crafty; good post player. Plays from the baseline out. NO mid range shots. Shoot the 3, get to the rim or pass for layup.

-At certain points of the game I like to be able to run a play.  What is the Best Offensive Play for each position 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. We have plays called A, B, C, D, E. Upon leaving the huddle and after substitutions players call out their number 1-5. Then, for example, if we call D it’s because we see or create a matchup advantage for our 4 player.

-No Middle Defense. As a weapon – to start the game or 2H, after a timeout, free throw.

-Also play mix and match zone, and v. opponent best player can play the box and one or triangle and two defender(s) switch on screens so non-stop, unrelenting denial and overplay – then all out lock down scramble and box out like crazy. That’s three defenses that can give team’s fits – at the right time.

-How do you determine your best O or D team?

Using Hoopsalytics over the course of a season or multiple seasons will allow a coach to accrue the data that will provide the answers to those questions.

In high school as a sophomore my Holy Trinity jv team competed against a St. Agnes team featuring a very young Billy ‘The Kid’ Donovan along with 4-6 future D1 players who couldn’t crack the insanely talented St. Agnes varsity team that competed for a NY state championship that year. We beat Billy’s team twice during the regular season in league play by one point each game, home and away before packed stands, 51-50, 53-52. I averaged about 17 per game . Super fun. In the championship finals in front of 2,000 students and friends and family and hoop fans at neutral site St. Dominic’s, we lost to Agnes by 1 pt., 52-51. I had 21 pts. but missed a follow-up on a contested fast break layup in the last few minutes that still haunts me.

But look at those scores (pre-3, mind you). The teaching point is, if we utilize and maximize our athleticism, a team can compete with anyone. As coaches, do we set the goal of “X” points allowed in a game – does that help motivate a D? I think so. It keeps a game-long defensive points allowed goal constantly on the front burner of each player and is available as a tangible short term goal. “Team, we’re at our average max pts allowed for this quarter – LETS GET 3 STOPS IN A ROW! and close the quarter with some hoops.”  I think setting short-term tangible defensive goals puts healthy, organized pressure / consciousness on the offense to score.

Coaches, what do you think about that?