Georgia Tarheel Sports is a non-profit athletic organization designed to provide young athletes (ages 8-17) with a forum to develop and display their athletic skills and talents. The league is structured around and emphasizes the importance of continuing education, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Another very valuable asset to the positive interaction that the organization continually has with local school, neighborhoods, city management and the business community.
March Shooting Tip-- Day 18: ARE YOU A BADD COACH?
MARCH SHOOTING TIP-- DAY 18: ARE YOU A BADD COACH?
Dear Coaches, Parents and Players,
I'm a BADD coach and I hope everyone reading this is a BADD coach. The BADD that I am speaking about today is an acronym that stands for: Believe Apply Detail Discipline
Shooters need to be BADD, but I also believe coaches need to have these qualities as well. This especially works when teaching shooting. If you lack any of these aspects while teaching the art of shooting, chances are your players will revert back to their old shooting form.
Let's focus on each of these aspects of BADD and see if you are currently using them in your day to day coaching. Please understand that BADD is not just about the Pro Shot Shooting System, but it can also be used for any basketball fundamental or everyday functions in life (marriage, raising children or your job).
BELIEVE: To take from an often used quote: "If you don't believe it, you can't achieve it." Belief is huge in coaching and nowhere is it more important than in the art of shooting. Here are the four areas that you must believe in if you want your players to be accurate shooters: 1) Shooting is important. 2) Shooting mechanics are important. 3) Players CAN improve in shooting. 4) The shooting aspects that you are teaching is working.
If you don't believe in any of the four aspects above, it will be impossible to teach your players to be accurate shooters. As a coach, you must "buy in" 100% and believe.
True belief is not about "buying in" half the time. Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley once said, ""There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either IN or you're OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between." I also believe this can be said in regards to believing as well.
APPLY: Once you are a true believer in what you are teaching, it is now time to teach the Shooting System and components. If you need information on the Pro Shot System, I have a free 150 page book "Pro Shooting Secrets" available online and also have 60 plus videos that explains the Pro Shot System in detail. I am also available for questions on how to teach a component or certain aspect in the Pro Shot System through email (proshotsystem@yahoo.com) or phone (866-892-NETS).
DETAILED: The best coaches are detailed oriented. I once asked former UCLA point guard Andre McCarter what made John Wooden so great as a coach. Andre smiled and said, "That's easy. His attention to detail. When we ran the break we had to do it perfectly. Six inches one way or the other way and few would notice, but Wooden would."
When you look at the greatest coaches over time, you will notice that one characteristic is always noticeable. Think of the greatest coaches and managers of all-time-Tony Larusso, Bob Knight, Pat Summit, Mike Krzyzewski, Vince Lombardi, Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson and you will clearly see that they were all detailed as a leader.
When teaching the Pro Shot System or any other system (offense or defense), a coach must be detailed about how he/she is teaching the skill. As important, when a player is doing it wrong it is crucial for that coach to immediately identify the problem and correct it. Having great attention to detail is an important quality that coaches need to have.
DISCIPLINE Last but definitely not least is discipline. This may be as big or bigger than any component listed. A coach that lacks discipline is basically allowing the "inmates to run the asylum."
We have had some coaches that have implemented the Pro Shot System with their teams and many programs have gone on to break team shooting and scoring records. I get emails all the time that speak of incredible shooting improvement. Then there are other teams that don't improve like they should.
So why does one team improve more than the other team. Is our instruction different? Are we teaching shooting aspects differently to one team than to the other? Of course not.
The main reason for one team showing great improvement and the other NOT showing great improvement is usually based on discipline from the coach. Players will generally only change a habit over time if they realize by not doing it correctly there will be disciple and possible further ramifications.
Recently I spoke with various coaches who are BADD, use the Pro Shot System and have excellent shooting teams. I asked, "So why do you have so much success in teaching this?" They all responded that they believe in the System, they teach the System, they are detailed, but the biggest factor was that they stayed on their players constantly. Many mentioned, "If they don't shoot it how we teach it, they run or do push ups." Some even went so far to say, "If they don't do it our way, they don't play."
I truly believe disciplined coaches succeed in teaching and implementing the System and "nice guys" that lack discipline don't succeed. Last year I had a coach from Texas called me and said, "My girls aren't doing the System. I responded, "What are their penalties if they don't do it?" He paused and finally said, "There are no penalties. I just remind them." That coach unfortunately didn't understand that his players would not change because he lacked discipline.
WRAP UP I really like the acronym BADD because you can have fun with it (go up to a good shooter on your team and say, "You know what, you are a BADD shooter) and it's easy to remember. I truly believe all great coaches have these four qualities AND being BADD is what it takes to make your team into great shooters.
FREE 2014 SHOOTING EBOOK (150 pages)--GET IT TODAY!!!
Pro Shooting Secrets had just been updated in February. The largest and most detailed shooting book to date, Pro Shooting Secrets will get a coach, parent and player into the inner workings of the brain and biomechanics of the shot.
This is FREE for all coaches, players and parents.
Do your players have time for 3-4 hour Pro Shot Shooting Camp in your gym this summer? We are affordable and will give your players and coaches a great introduction to the Pro Shot System. We guarantee this will be the best instructional camp you can find!!!
Many of the most frequent shooting questions that I receive is about the sweep and sway. Today, we try to answer the 4 most frequently asked questions about the sweep and sway?
During the past five years, Pro Shot has hosted thousands of instructional clinics and camps across the United States and currently rank the #1 shooting instruction in the United States.
Pro Shot has instructed hundreds of NBA, Professional and Collegiate players in shooting as well. Pro Shot coaches have held shooting camps/clinics in 45 States and throughout Canada and Mexico as well.
We personally guarantee that if you adopt the PS System, your shooting percentages will be raised dramatically and your win total will increase as well.
Pro Shot camps are affordable, offer a $ back guarantee and can help you in fundraising while developing your players into quicker and more accurate shooters.
We have our first 29-0 team since Deron Williams was still a collegian.
On Saturday, No. 3 Wichita State got 21 points from Tekele Cotton and 15 points from Darius Carter off the bench as they steamrolled Drake, 83-54.
The Shockers cut down the nets after the win, because with just two games left in the regular season, WSU has already clinched the Missouri Valley title.
It’s the first time that anyone has been 29-0 since Illinois pulled off the feat in 2004-2005. That season was Bruce Weber’s first in Champaign, and he rode the talented back court of Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown to the national title game. Their first loss came in the final game of the regular season to Ohio State.
The Shockers are currently ranked No. 3 in the country, but with No. 2 Florida struggling in their two wins and No. 1 Syracuse taking two losses, don’t be surprised to see the Shockers get quite a few votes for No. 1 in the country on Monday morning.
Here is our National Competitive Travel Basketball Tournament Schedule (GIRLS & BOYS). We are the Directors in the Southeast with National Travel Basketball Association. We are a must stop on the AAU Basketball Travel Schedule. In 2013 we hosted teams from over 33 States. Also visit our website (www.georgiatarheelsports.com) for NTBA insurance benefits for your individual and gym insuranceour website. Please Share this with your facebook friends. For more information on us please visit: www.GeorgiaTarheelSports.com facebook.com/GeorgiaTarheelSports www.twitter.com/GeorgiaTarheels
When trying to frame the national title conversation in college basketball, there's always a splinter group that insists we disregard every team outside the Power Six
Never mind that Butler came within a half-inch of winning the national championship, or that St. Joe's missed the Final Four by a similar margin, or that the CAA has produced as many Final Four programs since the millenium began as the Pac-12 (two each).
And it seems, in a paradoxical sort of way, that anti-mid-major sentiment metastasizes when the team in question has a gaudy win-loss record—as if winning one's games is a referendum on the opposition rather than an endorsement of one's worth.
So it should come as no surprise that Gonzaga—27-2 and ranked second in the nation—is facing the "fraud" charge from some fairly prominent critics.
When trying to frame the national title conversation in college basketball, there's always a splinter group that insists we disregard every team outside the Power Six
Never mind that Butler came within a half-inch of winning the national championship, or that St. Joe's missed the Final Four by a similar margin, or that the CAA has produced as many Final Four programs since the millenium began as the Pac-12 (two each).
And it seems, in a paradoxical sort of way, that anti-mid-major sentiment metastasizes when the team in question has a gaudy win-loss record—as if winning one's games is a referendum on the opposition rather than an endorsement of one's worth.
So it should come as no surprise that Gonzaga—27-2 and ranked second in the nation—is facing the "fraud" charge from some fairly prominent critics.
Some of that skepticism is warranted. The Bulldogs aren't the caliber of defensive team that usually wins championships. And while their resume is dotted with quality wins—Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas State, St. Mary's—they've yet to beat a team generally considered among the nation's top ten.
Of course, they haven't had an opportunity to play such a team, which brings us all the way back to where we began.
Below we'll play angel-devil with Gonzaga in hopes of supplementing the debate over this team's March potential with some deeper statistical context. But before that, Bulldogs freshman Rem Bakamus on guitar:
Good: Gonzaga Has High-Major Size
Led by seven-foot center Kelly Olynyk, an upper-tier POY candidate, Gonzaga has one of the biggest and most skilled front lines in America. The Bulldogs rank 13th overall in effective height, one of only six teams outside the Power Six to rank among the nation's top 20 in that category. In the seven seasons that KenPom.com has tracked that statistic, Gonzaga has never fared worse than 36th nationally.
Devoid of context, those numbers are meaningless. Obviously, size helps in a game with a ten-foot rim, but in terms of predictive metrics, we can do a lot better than "Who's taller?"
But I draw attention to size in Gonzaga's case because it highlights what separates this team from other mid-major contenders: pedigree. The Bulldogs have been ranked in the AP top 20 at some point during each of the last eleven seasons. Over that time, the program has accumulated a good deal of traction on the recruiting trail.
The ability to regularly attract skilled bigs is a marker of that success. Gonzaga wouldn't be able to recruit such a towering front line if it wasn't able to recruit, and the preponderance of Power Six teams ranked among the nation's best in effective height reveals the close link between recruiting prowess and team size.
There are, of course, strategic advantages to Gonzaga's length. The Bulldogs shoot the nation's seventh-best two-point field goal percentage and have two frontcourt players—Olynyk and 6'8" forward Elias Harris—who rank among the country's top 50 in fouls drawn per 40 minutes.
But their mere presence in Spokane is a testament to the program's accumulated structural advantages, especially when compared to other mid-major challengers.
Bad: But Can They Defend?
For all of Gonzaga's length, it's curious that the Bulldogs rank 89th overall in defensive rebounding percentage and just 201st in block percentage. And since those figures are not adjusted to the quality of opponent, they give equal credence to Gonzaga's work against its conference opponents.
Overall, the Bulldogs rank 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. While that's not a bad figure by any stretch, it's a bit below the threshold for your typical tournament champion.
A quick look at each of the past ten NCAA title-winners and where they ranked in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency (remember, "adjusted" means that quality of opponent is taken into account):
Year
Team
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rank
2011-12
Kentucky
9th
2010-11
Connecticut
14th
2009-10
Duke
4th
2008-09
North Carolina
16th
2007-08
Kansas
1st
2006-07
Florida
12th
2005-06
Florida
5th
2004-05
North Carolina
5th
2003-04
Connecticut
5th
2002-03
Syracuse
19th
Generally speaking, we should be wary of arbitrary numerical cut-offs. It's not like a team ranked 20th or lower in defensive adjusted efficiency can't win the national championship, but history says it's difficult for teams who aren't among the defensive elite to win an NCAA title.
Good: We Know They Can Score
There should be no qualms about Gonzaga's offensive prowess.
Few teams are better inside-out than Mark Few's Bulldogs, and it starts with the aforementioned Olynyk.
The junior from Canada is having a monster year in Spokane, highlighted by a true-shooting percentage north of 70 percent and an offensive efficiency rating that ranks 19th in the country. Olynyk's array of post moves combined with his sheer size make him a near-impossible guard. They also lead to scores of free throws, which Olynyk converts at an 80.3 percent success rate.
But Olynyk wouldn't have the room he needs down low without Gonzaga's brigade of perimeter shooters. Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell and Drew Barham are all lethal from beyond, and the Bulldogs shoot a better percentage from three than all but 31 Division 1 teams.
The result of all that: the nation's third-best adjusted offensive efficiency rating.
Bad: Recent Tournament Failures
The good will Gonzaga built during its early Cinderella days has eroded in recent years. The Zags haven't been to the Sweet Sixteen since 2009 and are just 6-6 in their last 12 NCAA tournament games.
And I'd say Gonzaga's turn from March upstart to low-seeded underachiever is as much responsible for the skepticism surrounding the 2012-13 team as any statistical or tactical gripe.
There was brief period around the turn of the century when it seemed the Bulldogs could do no wrong in March, and it produced the impression that Gonzaga was somehow of a different breed than every other college basketball outsider. These days, after watching Mark Few's team struggle in early-round action more than once, we're more likely to give Butler or VCU that benefit of the doubt and instead lump Gonzaga in with the typical mid-major team.
So when we call the Zags soft, or label them overrated, or accuse them of getting fat on weak competition, what we're really saying is, "It's been a long time since the slipper fit."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdXeWvucvH8
Bottom Line: It's Hard to Handicap Elite Mid-Majors
ESPN College Basketball Insider John Gasaway has a convenient and intoxicatingly simple way of separating contenders from pretenders in the NCAA title chase.
If a team is outscoring its conference foes by 0.13 points per possession or more, it's got a shot to win the Big Dance. If not, lower your expectations.
Gasaway admits, however, that teams outside the Power Six need to outscore their conference opponents by a good deal more to qualify for title consideration. And since there aren't many mid-major teams who've made the Final Four, it's difficult to determine how exactly that number should be adjusted for high-ranking teams in what Gasaway calls "high mid-major" conferences.
How far will Gonzaga advanced in the NCAA Tournament?
He's settled on the number 0.20 points per possession, but it's based only on a few data points.
The good news for Gonzaga is that they are outscoring their opponents in the West Coast Conference by a staggering 0.313 points per possession. That bad news is that the WCC ranks just 10th overall in league strength according to Ken Pomeroy's metric, while other "high mid-major" conferences like the Missouri Valley (9th), Atlantic 10 (8th) and Mountain West (4th) appear markedly stronger.
So the question for Gonzaga is the same question that faces every team of its kind: Are the Bulldogs dominant or are their opponents weak?
We probably won't have a definitive answer until March, but I decided to go back through the last 10 seasons and see how this Gonzaga's team dominance stacks up against the WCC exploits of past Gonzaga teams.
Year
Conference Record
PPP Differential in Conference
WCC Conference Rank
2012-13
14-0
0.313
10
2011-12
13-3
0.166
11
2010-11
11-3
0.186
11
2009-10
12-2
0.184
14
2008-09
14-0
0.290
13
2007-08
13-1
0.284
13
2006-07
11-3
0.151
14
2005-06
14-0
0.158
12
2004-05
12-2
0.122
10
2003-04
14-0
0.284
12
Not only is the WCC as strong as it's ever been, but this 2012-13 Gonzaga team is more dominant on a per-possession basis than any other Gonzaga team of the past decade. In other words, competition is up, but the Zags are better.
Those metrics alone should prevent us from grouping the 2012-13 Bulldogs with failed Zags teams of yore. And if anything, they confirm that this team has second-weekend talent.
Beyond that, though, the past is an uncertain guide and the future is anyone's guess.
