What I look for in an Assistant Coach

Recently, I have been asked what I look for in an Assistant Coach for my basketball teams from a contact in my LinkedIn account. Rather than answer him directly, I thought of having my answer become my next blog piece. 

Before I get going with an answer that will be far more complex than the question suggests, let me declare that I did not always have this breakdown when selecting assistant coaches. The more I           coached, the more I observed other coaches, the more teams I have led and the more levels at which I coached has refined exponentially my "musts" for my coaching team.  So here goes my answer.

   In the beginning, my choice for Assistant Coaches pretty much came down to who's available and willing.  From there, I would just accept the result of that decision and "work with what I got". As I gained experience, I quickly realized that my approach to coaching needed more than my two eyes and one brain in order to interpret what was happening with my teams and positively evolve the group as the season carried on. My story to how I got to where I am now with respect to Assistant Coach job expectation is long. Might be another blog entry down the road. Instead, let me get to the point now.

1- I like to have 3 Assistant Coaches on my team:

    One Lead Assistant and two Assistants. Obviously, if we are talking about NBA or NCAA, there would be many more but lets focus on a typical situation.  Now, all three coaches need to bring something different to the table and I am not talking about their personality. One MAJOR pet peeve for me is walking into a gym, looking over to the bench and seeing every single coach on the bench doing the same thing. That is, watching the game like the Head Coach is watching it. More on that as we get going here.


2- Lead Assistant:

    For me, there are two coaches watching the game and two other coaches watching specific aspects of that same game. The Lead Assistant and I are the ones watching the game. My job is obviously managing the game; to be the final decision. The Lead Assistant, during games, is to act as if he is doing my job and to give me feedback as to how he (or she) would deal with the situation. The Lead needs to have a very good sense of timing because the last thing you want to be doing is constantly be in my ear. So there's characteristic #1- SENSE OF TIMING. If I am interviewing for Assistant Coaches, I am going to give them a situation that will be measuring their sense of timing. We talk about game awareness for players. The same applies for coaches. The LA should be a person that is not far off in approach than his HC. But he shouldn't be someone that is completely different.
The LA needs to be someone that believes in loyalty. Characteristic #2- LOYALTY. The HC has a hard enough job. It is a very lonely world being HC. The LA needs to be 100% bought into what the team is trying to accomplish. Even in times of disagreements, you need to remain 100% on the side of your HC.  There is no gray here (unless your HC is breaking the law of course). Check the ego at the door and help your HC be the best version of him or herself. This aspect is very critical.  This person is an extension of the HC. For me, the LA is directly involved in practice planning, roster building, budget management. I need a person with whom to bounce ideas off and to have quality "same page" feedback. Lastly, the LA needs to be ready to take on game situations without the team missing a beat! The HC, from time to time (especially in my case), will get ejected out of a game. Or, as what happened to me a few years ago, might need to take a leave for an extended period of time. The LA has to step in and there needs to be absolutely no dip in team performance or team responsiveness. Not as easy as it sounds. On my teams, my LA needs to have a strong voice in practices. In games, they might have timeouts handed to them from time to time depending on time and score as well as game importance. The level of collaboration to achieve a common team goal needs to be high. Again, check the ego at the door. It's not about who's the better coach. It is always about our guys and how best to serve them. The LA is someone that will be HC or is someone already HC ready. This is who I look for when I pick my LA.

3- Assistant Coaches:

    These coaches need to be or need to become expert in something the team is trying to excel at. They also need to be excellent player development coaches. On my teams, I need my AC to chart something specific. Now what they are to chart is given by me. How they do it, how they break it down, how they recommend to put it into our practices is entirely up to them. I've had a few cases in the past of AC asking for more direction from me. Let me tell you, when that happens once during the season, it's acceptable. When it happens more than once, it tells of the level of expertise this person has and I failed in identifying that in the interview process. So a characteristic I look for in a good AC is INITIATIVE. Understand what we want to excel at as a team and take on the job to be the best at breaking that down for us.
One of my AC will be an expert in our offensive efficiency (my system there is Space and Pace). The other AC will be an expert in our defensive efficiency (my system here is what I call 20%). Both of my AC will work closely with my LA so that when the time comes to implement their detail in our practices, the LA will be leading it with the AC responsible for whatever specific part we are working on (defensive or offensive). Of course, this does not happen right away in a season. The HC will be setting the tone on everything for the first 3 weeks or so via practices and coaching staff meetings. But after that, the LA and both AC should be fully into their roles and the HC can back-off to allow his coaches to grow as leaders on the team. This approach of mine is important to me because it also allows me to see how other coaches would go about preparing the players for what I am trying to do system wise.  So it is a win-win situation for all.  Players appreciate different voices in practices, coaches are stimulated and empowered.

    Good AC are able to scout their opponents. On my teams, depending on the league I find myself, I will designate several teams per AC for them to be the "expert scout" for that team. When we play against a particular team, the AC responsible to scout that team will be sitting next to the LA. The AC is to inform the LA and from there, the LA decides what should be shared with me and what can wait.  During timeouts, it is the AC responsible for that team that will speak to me first.  That way, if he or she feels a message he shared with the LA is important yet the LA did not think so, he or she can share it with me then. Do not mistake this moment (if it happens) to be a mistake made by the LA.  This is just how I want to be certain we are optimizing efficiency when it comes to communication.

So to summarize my "look-fors" when it comes to my coaching team:

Characteristics

- Awareness (timing thing)
- loyalty (togetherness to accomplish our goals)
- Initiative (own your task/role)
- Sense of humor

Skills

- Player development (on and off the court)
- Technology (Krossover, Jes-Soft, FastDraw, etc)
- Recruiting
- Scouting
- Able to breakdown numbers and create drills or situations that we can use in practices so that the numbers improve (this one is huge). Don't just give me the charts or numbers and say "here you go coach, this is what you want me to chart" then walk out the room. Take what you are charting, and get creative with what you see. How would you go about addressing what you are charting if the need is there? Remember, what you are charting is very important to me. I need that information because it speaks volume to me. But I also need a plan of action from you.

Things to keep in mind

- No Assistant Coach should be hated by the players.
- Bring value to the coaching team everyday. Players look forward to genuine and intelligent takes on their performance. Players want to improve everyday. If you have numbers to back-up your words, that makes the message even better. If you have film breakdown that also supports your message and numbers, that's even better!
- HELP MAKE THE HEAD COACH'S JOB EASIER!
- There is no EGO to what we do. It is always about the mission to get a win and improve our players. Taking things personally is reserved to the players when they are playing defense. It has no place on a coaching staff.
- Be a good story teller or joker (when appropriate). I go to a dark place when it comes to competition. I can get very demanding and very passionate. I need the people around me to snap me out of it from time to time and get me laughing.  Or at least smile.

A Terrible thing just happened....so now what?

Coaching is nowhere near simply knowing your Time and Score Situations inside and out, have a sound substitution pattern to maximize your players' energy levels, have a solid X and O portfolio, knowing how to structure your practice plans so that it flows well while touching on all the important things your team needs to refine or knowing when to help the refs do their jobs better (yeah I went there). There are so many times in a game that high character leadership must come before all of that.  This video is by far the best example of how to NEVER have your team leave a huddle after a terrible mistake and it does not matter what level of play we are talking about.

Yes George Hill should have hit his second foul shot. Yes JR Smith should have known what the situation was on a make or a miss. But the shot was missed and the NBA (Next Best Action) move from JR did not happen or from Tyronn Lue with a miss timeout situation. We can all pick that apart like there's no tomorrow.  But what I want to focus on is, what was happening, or more importantly, not happening on that Cavs bench after the terrible thing.

Coaching as mentioned before, has so very little to do with the focus of this timeout from the coaching staff (the next play).  In this situation, togetherness as a unit needed to be the NBA move. It is painful to watch the Cavs completely fall apart from a messed up moment. All that needed to happen (not to over simplify) was for someone to step up and get that group to move on together from the bad moment. Not to let that one moment kill their chances to regroup and play inspired basketball for game two.  But it is not at all what happened. Instead, the coach waited until there was just about no time left in his timeout before joining his team and showed, in my opinion, a weak way to confront the situation that really needed to be addressed- togetherness. George Hill needed to hear and feel from someone that he will get a shot again. To not worry about it. He needed to be given energy. Nothing like that happened. Instead, everyone stayed silent and just got sucked into the terrible moment. You will notice Kyle Korver speak up and Smith seemed to snap out of it.  Then he touches Hill (touching is a big deal in energy giving) and Hill seems to snap out of it.  But again, far too much time elapse and both players fall into the negativity of the moment. Where is Lue....why is every single coach silent not doing a thing to help keep everyone's minds away from going dark and yes, Lebron should have stepped up as well to try and get his guys going again.  But, the terrible moment was sealed when  Lue finally gets to the huddle and admits that they had a timeout left but did not call it. Smith and Hill want one more crack at it but the negative energy from their player leader was too much. This to me was the moment that buried the Cavs in that series. Not to take away the plan the Warriors had in place to beat them.

What needed to happen is not taught in any coaching course I have ever heard of. Nobody talks about these situations in coaching clinics.  But they are MASSIVE to building teams, togetherness and a trust culture.

1- Leadership starts at the top.

The Head Coach needs to tackle every difficult situation head on. Be true! Head Coaches are human and they make mistakes just like anybody else. Thinking about oneself when you have players that need you is to me, the worse mistake you can possibly make (forget about missing a timeout call). Be there for your players ALWAYS AND NO MATTER WHAT! (I have made the mistake of not being there in hard times. It will never happen again).

2- Player leadership

It is critical to any successful team. The best player does not always need to be that person. It can be anybody really. But most of the time, the guy (or girl) that has a relentless work ethic within his or her team will have the ability to get everyone's attention.  But when a player's leadership is being manifested, it needs to be supported by his peers and by the coaching staff.

3- Touch

It sounds odd but the touch makes it personal. It says "I'm with you". It helps tremendously to snap the mind out of the funk it is in or it helps keep it right where it needs to be. Tap on the leg, shoulder grab, hard hand squeeze, etc are all tremendous for showing a high care level.

Coaches need to work on these skills as well as all the other stuff they need to be able to do in a blink of an eye.

Maximum Effort is a Skill

Toughest thing to teach has nothing to do with basketball. Anybody that has coached or been in a leadership role business wise will speak for days on how vastly different each individual in their organisation is with respect to effort levels.  I have been coaching basketball for a while now and at all kinds of levels. I can sincerely say, that I have only coached a handful of players that get after it as hard as they can every single day no matter if we are talking about a practice, a game or a workout. The majority of the players I have coached, needed to be motivated on a daily basis to exert the maximum amount of effort. This situation is the norm. Case in point, see quote by Steve Nash below. Anybody that claims that it is not the norm, to me, are ignoring their role in developing the skill. Or maybe they think developing the skill is not part of their role as a coach?

I hear it all the time: "I shouldn't need to coach effort!" or "We don't deal with players that don't bring it everyday". Truth is, for a coach to be able to say those things, one has to look at the body of work to get to the point of being able to say these things. Maximum effort is a skill and this skill, so far as I am concerned, it best taught through culture!  The players that exert maximum effort 100% of the time have been taught to do this at some point in their lives and it has become a part of them.  It has become the way they do things. Someone or something has instilled this trait in that player or person. It did not magically happen. All humans are born with a psychological self defense mechanism (cognitive dissonance) that tells our brain to take the path of least resistance. To change that requires focused intent and specific goal setting.  Not to mention a heightened awareness to stave off the idea of coasting or taking it easy.

Here are my thoughts on how to best motivate your athlete. You will notice that I try to stay away from extrinsic motivation (although it does have its role) and focus much more on creating intrinsic motivation (change the mindset).

1- It's all about the culture

This is where strong leadership comes in. Having a reputation set as the type of leader you are will greatly facilitate establishing your norm of maximum effort every single day to your players.  But regardless of how great the reputation and how great the leader, it will be a slow and frustrating process unless you have players that already have maximum effort trait in them. These players must be your captains. And it must be well understood to the group as to why they are the team captains. Don't declare them as the hardest working of the bunch. Rather, declare them as the best mirror image of you, the leader. Common language that would be heard in this culture should be: "we don't do it that way here", " insert team name here way" or a player holding another player accountable for lack of effort (not for making a mistake or missing a shot). Once this type of thing starts happening on your team, you have set the culture to maximum effort standards across the board.

2- Mindset

Getting better every single day in the pursuit of constant and regular success, fully understanding that failures will happen just as constantly and regularly and should be embraced when it does, is the only way a hard working team thinks. No such thing as failing. Failing is learning. Learning is getting better. When the effort is on a maximum scale, that is the only way to maximize the learning. When your players or your people can buy into this very powerful way of thinking, great things happen. The group has a strong sense of mission. A strong sense of togetherness. The focus is always optimal. The athlete becomes world class in his approach to his craft. The leader, simply needs to sit back and make sure the emotional state of his players or people is balanced so that they can continue to be what they have become to be.

And to me, it really is two things.  Maybe other coaches or leaders see it as a much more complex predicament.  Sometimes the culture set happens quickly and sometimes it takes time. Sometimes the culture falls apart (seen it first hand and it's not pretty).  At the end of the day, if your player leadership is strong, vocal, consistent and the mindset is there, maximum effort on a daily basis should remain to be the norm.

As usual, share your thoughts on the topic in the comment section if you have anything at all to add.

An Interview by NBHoops.com

An interview by NBHoops.com

Recently I had the pleasure of answering a few questions about my thoughts and journey as it pertains to the world of coaching the game of basketball.  The exercise was one that made me reflect quite a bit.  For the sake of saving this conversation for future reference, I thought to include it on my blog.  And so, here it goes!

Back to the Pros is Where Langis Yearned to Land

In a classroom setting, Serge Langis is met with many challenges, but many opportunities to tell his students not to give up.

 His message as a teacher was a message he had to give himself last February.

 Langis had been fired as head coach of the National Basketball League of Canada’s Moncton Miracles, a sting that bit the Moncton – um, Parkton - resident hard.

 He recalled how he dealt with the news and how he moved on.

 ‘It was tough and anyone with any kind of pride would take that sort of thing hard,’ Langis said. ‘This (pro basketball) is a hard business. The measure of a coach for some people is limited to wins and losses. But at the end of the day, when adversity presents itself in my life, I think of my son and my students to whom I preach on a daily basis to be resilient and bounce back no matter what. If I do not practice what I preach, what would that make me?’

 It’s hard not to understand just how passionate Langis is about family, about basketball.

 His life revolves around it, supported by his wife Nicole and son, Olivier.

 And, now, he is back in the professional game, returning to the NBLC.

 Langis is the head coach of the expansion Kitchener-Waterloo Titans in Ontario. The Titans and the rest of the minor professional NBLC begin play following Christmas. The circuit has two New Brunswick-based teams including Langis’ former squad in Moncton and the Saint John Mill Rats.

 When the relationship with the Miracles ended, it was the proverbial one door closing, another one opening scenario.

 But Langis didn’t wait for someone to push that door open.

 He was knocking.

 ‘I must have spoken to hundreds of people in the pro basketball community about potential openings,’ he said. ‘I love the competition and the people involved in the NBLC. When I heard Kitchener-Waterloo was coming in as an expansion team, I reached out to them, was interviewed and the rest is history. This is a very good league and the knowledge that is shared with me by the people I meet is absolutely priceless.’

 His experience with the Miracles, where he held a plethora of duties upon joining the franchise in 2011, will go a long way in understanding how difficult it can be to operate under the umbrella of an expansion team.

 You can’t build a roof until you build a floor.

 ‘Getting out there and talking to agents and players about what you are trying to do as a coach and recruiting them is what I love about the job,’ Langis said. ‘I am certainly not alone doing that in Kitchener-Waterloo. General Manager Stu Julius has a tremendous amount of experience in the world of basketball. Everyone has their hands on deck. The franchise is a body of collaborative work in every detail.’

 Langis, who runs the popular Moncton-based Sweat Academy and the fledgling Shot Lab with partners Michael MacDougall and David Dodge, will bring his trademark work ethic with him to Kitchener-Waterloo.

 He wants to hit the ground running with all the free agent camps the NBLC operates and find players who share that passion, that drive.

 That sweat equity brand.

 ‘There is a lot that goes into coaching at this level, but no matter the level of play, players want to feel like they are in good hands,’ he said. ‘For that to happen, a coach must have a very strong work ethic, knowledge and leadership skills. I often hear of problems some teams have and without fail, you can always trace it back to one of those three things I just mentioned. Players at this level want to be pushed.’

 As he prepares to launch into his new post, Langis will leave behind New Brunswick and his many contacts in the province.

 He is one of the very few coaches from N.B. earning a paycheque while coaching basketball.

 Langis said the province has a legion of outstanding and dedicated coaches, who need to spend more time together.

‘This province has tremendously skilled coaches, but I feel what holds us back is the attitude of not sharing,’ he said. ‘Not getting out there and learning from others or even seeking opportunities to learn. In my early coaching years, I tried to be in the same room as coaches like Brian Forsythe, Steve Chapman, Neil Smith and Roger Cormier just to name a few. All I was seeking was information I could use to better help my teams.’

 That desire to pack in more knowledge hasn’t changed.

 Not a bit.

 ‘I still try and be in the same room as those guys today if the opportunity presents itself,’ he said. ‘I went all over the place for clinics on my own dollar. I feel coaches today fire up Google and settle for that as their development tool. Coaching is a science and an art. It requires much more than knowing plays. It requires time spent in the gym observing and asking questions.’

 Langis, who landed his first coaching gig as a 19-year-old, knows he won’t be in the classroom this year as he makes his way to Ontario and the job of running the Titans.

 He is following his heart.

 ‘I love my students like they are my own children, even the annoying ones and they know who there are’ chuckled Langis. ‘I tell them to find their passion and do nothing else but try to get there every day, no matter what. Teaching is a passionate thing for me, but I have the basketball/competitive side that drives me more. I like to think that doing what I am trying to do is inspiring at least one of them to pursue their passion like I am trying to do.’

Myth Buster- Sweat Academy

What exactly is Sweat Academy?

First and foremost, Sweat Academy is something that has been created because Michael MacDougall (Co-Owner and Co-Founder) and I felt there was a need for it.  Before I carry on, let me take the time to explain what it is NOT.

Sweat is NOT:

• limited to basketball only (it is for now but we do have plans to expand the idea to other sports)
• designed to undermine or contradict or "show-up" other programs or associations
• showing new skill techniques or tactics
• pretending to be perfect

So let`s get to the point of this blog entry.  What exactly is Sweat Academy?  What are we trying to accomplish?

We want to wear one hat.  What I mean by that is we want to help build high level athletic performance.   We do care about grassroots but there are plenty of options out there for grassroots. Where the athlete is limited is higher level development.  We work with the middle to higher level athletes on the stages of performance pyramid.  Athletes that aspire to play past their High School or University years is who we work with because that is the need.  What we are doing is nothing new. However, our approach is!

• very family oriented (our athletes have a connection to one-another and it does not matter if you are a High School aged player or Professional player)
• our coaching staff is very diverse and is passionate about being current in practices and science of athletic development and art of coaching
• we use data to encourage and target development
• we use technologie to assess performance and again target development
• we emphasize fundamentals (but fundamentals for grassroots is different than fundamentals for high level athletes and we get that difference)

The big thing with how we coach is the rule of No Absolutes.  So many coaches will lose their minds if a player leaves his feet to make a pass,  or not be in a defensive stance at all times, or have hands down while in help position, or not jump stop when in the paint or cross the feet on a defensive slide.  They view those as absolutes.  Not us.  Not by a long shot.  For us everything depends on the situation during game play or even practice.  We may tell a player not to leave his feet in order to make a pass. BUT, we will explain WHY.  For instance in open court, jumping to make a pass takes away a lot of the power one needs to cover the ground needed in order to execute the pass, therefore a defender can much easier shoot the passing lane and steal the pass.  But maybe jumping to make a pass is necessary because you are saving the ball from going out of bounds or you need to have that higher angle in order to pass over a shorter player so you can hit that open teammate in the corner from a baseline penetration.  Everything we do at Sweat has the basketball IQ factor (The Why).  

The other big thing for us is conditioning.  It is my experience that the higher the level, the more skill becomes even.  It is the ability to execute the skill at the speed and stamina necessary on a regular basis that makes the difference between a good player and an elite player.  To be consistent with performance, the elite level athlete will be incredibly conditioned.  

Finally, the psychology part. Nobody thoroughly enjoys the GRIND.  It is called GRIND for a reason.  It is not fun.  Nothing about it is designed to be fun.  But it is absolutely necessary for regular positive success.  The elite level athletes understand this and they embrace the GRIND.  Those that do, succeed and do so regularly.  Those that do not will have some success but it will be inconsistent and become frustrating which then leads to complacency or even worse....quit!

So there you go, that is who we are in a nutshell.  Visit us at www.sweatacademy.com for more info. 

The Competitive Spirit

What does it mean "to be competitive?" Where does the trait come from? Is it something a person is born with or can it be something developed like learning how to ride a bike?  When we see images such as the ones I've posted, one immediately concludes these guys are very competitive.  But really, what you see here is the reactive response to an outside stimuli.  Where it comes from is what I want to talk about in this blog entry.

On a chemical stand point, research has shown that high testosterone and low serotonin will result in a person being assertive, aggressive and thus competitive (Foundations in Neuroscience (2002), John T. Cacioppo- just to name one of many studies).  So coming back to the images.  In any competitive circle, these images show up regularly.  And they are prompted when a negative stimuli has been experienced.  Notice I did not put any images of "happy" reactions.  There's a reason for that and my point surrounds that reason.  You see, when success takes place, something else happens in the brain (dopamine release) which encourages the person to continue.  But what about when you fail!?  When you mess up a play?  When you get subbed out and you know it will be a while before you get back in the game?  What makes you come back for more? What makes you stay focused?  It's the Competitive Spirit.  It's not chemicals, it's not DNA and it's not mom and dad making you come back (although they have a large role to play in your Competitive Spirit development).

A Competitive Spirit is ambition.  It's a passionate and relentless pursuit toward a difficult goal.  It's a deep understanding that many failures will take place before a significant succeed happens (notice I said significant) and you are perfectly ok with that reality.  It's a deep understanding that persistence, determination, frustration and pain are four good friends.  The desire to do well at whatever you are doing, regardless if you want to be doing it or not, is the platform upon which one develops the Competitive Spirit.  It always starts with the person.  It's a choice!  Are people more incline to be extra competitive?  Sure!  That's where the Nature vs Nurture debate comes up.  But my stance is nurture has a far more important role to play.  If done correctly, an individual will take any sort of mistake or failure very personally (i.e. the images).  But they will immediately get back at trying to succeed again.  Being competitive has absolutely nothing to do with winning or losing.  But everything to do with the journey do succeed.  And then want more....and more.....and more.

One of my biggest pet peeves (and I have a couple hundred of them) is hearing someone say: "I hate losing!"  Well no sh*% you hate losing.  Nobody likes to lose.  How competitive are you?  Is it going to happen again?  Yes it will.  Is it going to happen the same way.  It better not!  And that is the Competitive Spirit.

I tell my teams all the time.  "Ok, we've lost a game.  Good teams don't lose two in a row!"  What I am trying to do with that line is tap into the Competitive Spirit.  It is rare that I see a mature aged player "get it".  But for high school players, it is the perfect time to teach them to have a Competitive Spirit. Get after it! Figure out what went wrong and eliminate that weakness.  Study your opponent more and find that detail that will give you an advantage.  Keep chasing for that win!  Live every aspect of your life that way!

My two cents on the topic. Comment away folks.

So you're not the "Go to Guy" on your basketball team.......it's ok....you're still special :)

If you find yourself looking like this guy when you are on the court

 

more times than you would like and this guy 

when a pass actually comes your way, you are not alone!  In fact, you are the majority!

Of course, I am exaggerating my intro with the picture I am painting but my point remains the same.  Every single basketball team will have 3 or 4 talents that are capable to create for others no matter the play or tactic used.  The ball MUST be in their hands as much as possible.  We only have one basketball out there for 5 players to "share" (don't like that word in the basketball world- more on that later) and since we (the coaches) want to make sure the right guy (or girl) has it in his hands most of the time, that means the other 4 players will not get to have the basketball come their way all that much in a typical, evenly matched basketball game.  So what to do?  You draw up a play that has the ball touch everyone's hands right?  And then, you HOPE it ends up in the player's hands you most want.  What happens in this scenario is the game is played on HOPE instead of LOGIC!

I like LOGIC (or intelligent play) so here's what I have to say about Role Players.  The go-to-guy IS a role player!  Let's be clear about that before we move on to the other 4 guys on the court. The GTG (go-to-guy) is the player that has the ability to create for himself and for others.  Creating for himself is the easy part for this player.  The difficult part is to include his teammates where and when appropriate to do so.  This player needs to have a deep understanding for time and score (no "early clock" shots unless it's a lay-up of course), moving the ball when secondary defenders are engaged and who to give the ball to with time and score in mind.  Most teams now-a-day have the Point Guards be this person.  But this person can also be your big man. I will not get into that aspect of team play because that is not what this blog entry is about.

As for the O4 (other 4) players, first thing they need to understand is the idea of "sharing" is very misleading.  Should the ball move on

offense?  Absolutely!  However, not every player will get a touch on every possession or every other possession for that matter just because.  This whole idea of "sharing" has created a monster with our teams today.  What I mean by that is if a player goes a possession not touching the ball, they feel they are entitled to not defend, rebound or run the floor in order to make a point about getting a touch.  But the real point is, coach has you out there playing!  He has you out there playing because he feels your skill set can help the team win.  But only if you understand sharing is not going to happen and it should not happen.  If your go to guy does not have the ball in his hands and we have 10 seconds left on the shot clock, you better be working hard to help him get open.  That is where the other 4 guys on the court need to have their minds.  It's really simple as that!  

Now let's talk about the guys coming off the bench (the BP-bench players).  These guys just like the GTG and the O4 are also role players. The BP need to understand, on a deep level how important they are to the energy being exerted by the 5 teammates out on the court.  No talk, bad body language or not reacting to good plays can have a very negative result for the teammates out on the court.  Is it fun to be a BP?  Of course not!  But then again, you are on the team.  So make your own fun.

Of course, there's a lot more to this than what I have posted on this blog entry.  Just about all of my coaching efforts go toward creating this sort of culture on my teams (defining roles).  At the end of the day, it's all about the state of mind.  Understand your place on a team, accept it and do it well.  Change your place on that team in the off-season.  Not during the season.  During the season, get better at being what your team needs you to be.

My two cents

Langis

Being a Point Guard

No I do not have John Stockton's permission to use his photo.  Honestly, I am hoping he finds out that I am using it without his permission and he gets in touch with me to discuss :)

Obviously, this blog post will be on the topic of the Point Guard position in the game of basketball.  I feel like this is an important topic to discuss because of how the game has evolved and how today's point guards are looked upon for so much more than just bringing the ball down the court without turning it over.  For the sake of not writing a book on the issue, I will keep the topic on three aspects I feel make a point guard the most important individual on ANY team:
1- Thick Skin
2- Always a student of the game
3- GEL

Thick Skin

As a coach, I view the PG position as indispensable as far as consistently winning is concerned.  If the PG is focused and playing well, things go well.  When the PG seems to be distracted or has low energy, things usually go bad.  The PG position in my opinion is the most difficult position to play in the game.  Not only does this individual need to make sure the offense is run correctly during game play but if a teammate does not seem to be on the same page, I am talking to the PG FIRST!  Maybe it's a coaching style thing but the way I look at it, if you can empower your PG to be the "boss" on the floor rather than micro-manage every player from the bench, team accountability goes through the charts (and that is a good thing).  We all know that when players make themselves accountable to one-another, those teams win a lot.  If it's coach dominant, those teams win games but never seem to go as far as their talent should allow them.  The PG will typically be blamed for other players' mistakes.  I've done it during film sessions where it seems like I am only talking to the PGs.  These players constantly are getting battered by me which is why if they are sensitive or soft, I can't use them.  I can't use them because they will not take ownership of the team.  It's all about personality.  You need to have the right character to be a PG.  That individual needs to be able to hear the message and not all the adjectives and volume with which the message is accompanied.

Student of the game

The game is dynamic and fast.  It changes constantly not only during game play but also in it's evolution.  No matter what the offense is, the PG needs to understand it inside and out.  They need to be able to figure out that on play X, player X will most likely be the open guy.  On play Y, player W will get the quality look.  A good coach will already point that out but then the PG needs to actually execute that vision and therefore, needs to understand the coach's logic on an even deeper level.  This is where the small detail of "shadowing the coach" will give the PG a huge leg-up on that deeper understanding.  A good PG will always find himself near his coach as much as possible (without being a stalker).  Not just during the games but also outside of the basketball court.  Whenever the PG is not in the game, he or she should be sitting next to the coach or one of the coaches.  True PG do this without even knowing it sometimes.  They naturally want to hear all the dialogue between coach and other players.  During team meals, they sit as close to the coaches' table as possible.  Again, to catch any little knowledge nugget of what the staff is looking for.  These PG don't ever watch another basketball game to be entertained.  They watch it to notice things.  Things such as how did that player become so wide open?  Why did that PG turn the ball over in that situation? So on and so forth.  Another thing these true PG do is read constantly on the topic of leadership on any platform.

GEL

Get Everyone Listening!  True PG are capable of capturing the room's attention.  They just have this ability about them of when they have something to say, every teammate of theirs are fully engaged in that moment.  This does not mean he or she is constantly speaking.  That would be counterproductive.  Rather, this person will rarely address the team (usually the coach's job).  When those losing streaks sneak up on you, players will tend to push and go out of what the team is trying to strategically and tactically accomplish.  Also, when the team is on a winning streak, players will become complacent and take possessions off.  This is where the GEL of a good PG would kick in.  This individual has a gift to keep a group of individuals focused on the goals of the team at all times.

I could go on and on about these three components but keep this in mind; there are not many true PG out there.  In my 20 plus years of doing the coaching thing, I have had the pleasure of coaching only two that had the things I mention.  Daniel Quirion of the University of New Brunswick (coached him in High School, provincial ball and hopefully for the Moncton Miracles this coming 2014-2015 season) and Oliver McNally of Harvard (coached him with the Moncton Miracles).  These two guys did things instinctually and to some extent consciously, that really set them apart.  However, before they are capable of doing all of the things I mention, they must understand how leadership works.  Both of them, not perfectly, did get that.  If you are not sure what I am talking about, please read my take on leadership in this blog :)

Lastly, the true PG not only needs to have these attributes, they also need to be able to run a Pick and Roll, change speeds under physical pressure, run an offense, get in the lane to find open teammates and knock down the occasional three.  I could break down all these things to accompany the attributes but I will spare my readers of that (unless you want me to haha).  My point is the aspiring True PG needs to not only have the skill but also the attributes.  This is why in my opinion, the PG position is the most difficult position to play in the game of basketball.

What do you think?

Quality Feedback

A few days back, I got a chance to watch a number of High School basketball games in my area.  As always, I have great difficulty watching a basketball game for entertainment.  No matter what the level, I am always trying to identify what teams are trying to do and how they are trying to get there.  It is like trying to put a puzzle together without knowing what the big picture is (try it for real, it will redefine the way you think I guarantee it!).  I've seen some great things over the games I saw.  However, I saw one area that very much needs to be addressed;  Quality feedback during game play.

Teaching during game play is a tricky thing to do for coaches.  I have been on all three sides of this part of the game (player, Head Coach and Assistant Coach).  As a player, I constantly craved the feedback even if it meant that I was going to get hit in the face by a flying piece of gum (actually happened....don't think I missed a box out since).  As a HC, I've struggled early in my career to find the right time for the feedback as my primary focus was to coach to win the game.  As an Assistant coach, it was always a question of "how much can I say and when can I say it".  However tricky, it is absolutely essential for maximizing the rate of player development.  Game play feedback is the most powerful moment for a player to learn.  Why is that?  Well, because unlike practices, the player will just about get an immediate opportunity to go and try to do what the coach wants him to do against an opponent that does not know what that thing is.  In practices, everyone hears what the coach wants and so therefore, everyone tries to "cheat" the play or tactic.  Here are my thoughts on how to make this "tricky" essential, less "tricky".
Call it what you want: teachable moment, verbal cues, feedback, talk or whatever.  Bottom line is it needs to happen and it needs to be a part of how the team runs.  The Head Coach is the primary person responsible for player development.  If the player improves, so will the team.  Tactics can only do so much with respect to improving a team.  Your players need to understand inside and out those tactics and their nuances.  So to get there, all hands need to be on deck.  For the Head Coach, I would recommend that you have clearly identified standards toward this topic.  Everyone knows how far they can go.  That includes players when they talk to each other.  But more importantly, the Assistant Coaches.  The Assistant Coach can not ever be the loudest voice out there.  But, if done well, he or she can be invaluable with respect to key aspects of the game.  This is why I absolutely need them to chart something during the game.  Whatever it is needs to be something that you are culturally trying to build in your program (is it clean offense, strong transition play, defensive stops, etc).  That coach needs to have something that the HC does not have.  Far too many times, I see Assistant Coaches sitting benches charting nothing at all.  That bothers me deeply.  When you have all coaches looking at the game, then you are not fully taking advantage of a very important part of player development.   
An HC during game play needs to try, as much as they can, to individually pull players aside and give them quick feedback (10-15 seconds worth of information).  Then get in the huddle and address the team.  A real good HC will instruct an AC about what was said during that one on one, so that the AC can do the follow up part.  Following up is a huge part of feedback.  If there is no follow-up, the player will conclude that the information given was not all that important.  Another great time for the HC to follow up is post game (when everyone is leaving the dressing room) or at the following day's practice.
As for the AC, the charting of whatever information needs to be shared regularly.  Again, the players need to know that what you are looking for is important.  Also, during game play, the AC needs to constantly be pacing the bench and talking to individuals.  Things such as: "next time when you are out there, try to avoid what player X is doing" or as they come out of the game "hey player Y, did you notice that opponent player A really struggles with screens?  Set more for your teammate next time you get out there".  Yes the AC should be communicating to the HC about certain things happening in game play but the focus should be on whatever he or she is charting for the team.  NOTHING annoys a HC more than obvious information "we are not finishing at the rim" or "they are scoring at will on us" or "player X sucks".  Instead, hit the HC with information like "hey based on my charts here, we are really not doing a good job with insert aspect here".  That way, the HC has good stuff to share that is data driven with his players.
Everyone needs to constantly be thinking player development if we truly want to see basketball improve.  Game play player development via constant feedback is essential in this process.

Sweat Academy Year #2

Year #2 of Sweat Academy

Yes this has taken me some time to do but at least I got to it. 

This Training Season has been a very educational one for me that's for sure!  The most "slam in the face" part of my education was working with female high level basketball players for the first time in my 20 year career.  At first, I needed some advice and the Saint Thomas Head Coach of the women's team (which has two players on the training team) accommodated me with much of it.  Then I hit the journals and articles on working with female athletes.  Because of that work, I truly believe that I made significant strides in my coaching for skill development not only for our female clients, but also for our males. Here's the biggest thing I learned:

1- When working on skill training, focus low volume and high intensity.

So this came from advice given to me that when it comes to coaching females, you need to allow them to have some "social downtime".  I personally hate downtime during practice but skills training is not your regular basketball practice.  That combined with an article I read on female golfers, gave me what I needed in order to allow myself to grow more patient with the necessity of downtime.  In golf, when players hit their shot, the level of concentration is extremely high for about 30 seconds.  Then they walk to their ball which will take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes (if you are like me looking for the ball in the woods).  That 30 seconds becomes the focus of golf coaches.  I have found great improvement in my players when the focus has been maximum effort for a short period of time and in between sets, allow the players to "unplug".

2- Must have a safe training environment

This does not mean making sure that the equipment being used is safe and the floor being clean although it is part of it.  But mostly, this means that the girls need to feel like it is ok to look bad and make mistakes.  Especially when they are training with male players which was the case this past summer (but not going to be the case next summer- more on that to come).  Again, for me I have always been about the type of mistake being made.  One kind will result in a behavior of mine, and another will result in total freak-out.  If a player is trying to execute a skill or a play and physically can not get it done.  Those mistakes are fine.  Then I need to address that weakness on a physiological aspect.  If a player tries to execute a play against a superior athlete and can not,  that is also ok unless the player was instructed to do something else to beat that superior athlete.  Which leads me to the mistake that drives me nuts.  The "brain dead" mistake.  The lack of awareness mistake.  I can not allow my players to get away with not being focused for the task at hand.  BUT, when it comes to skill training, mental mistakes will happen ALL THE TIME.  Why?  Because we are trying to get our players to train outside their comfort zone.  To train outside your comfort zone, you need to have a high level of concentration because the comfort zone factor always looks to kick in.  When giving feedback to the players as they are trying to stay out of their comfort zone, the coaching staff needs to look for the comfort zone habits.  When that happens, the player is making a mental mistake and that is totally part of skill training (so I must chill out when addressing the mistake). 

This year, we went three times per week.  We combined girls with the guys and for the most part, I think everyone was ok with that.  However, when it came to Level 5 training (application of new skill in 5 on 5 live game play), I think this is where our clients were not overall happy and I do not blame them one bit.  To be honest, I did not like it as well because it did not allow the coaching staff to properly assess if the player was at Level 4 (break down live game play 3 on 3, 4 on 4) or Level 5.  If you have a male player making a play against a female player, the physical difference between the two athletes will come into play.  The difference is too great and I say that with no disrespect.  Because we have had more female clients than expected (and we predict that even more will join next summer), we are going to divide the two groups next summer- more on that to come.

My disappointment for the summer was not on the players at all.  It was on their respective programs.  With the exception of Fred Connors of Saint Thomas University, none of the coaches consistently touched base with us about the progress of their player.  We do an ok job of reaching out every-now-and-again but really, at the end of the day, we would love for them to be more interested in what is going on.  Yes we reach out and ask them what three areas would they like their player to improve.  Then we send them the plan we come up with and post occasional videos on Youtube but why aren't they initiating?  I do not get that.  If I were in their shoes and I knew they were getting high quality training on things I need them to get better on, I would be talking to that coaching team all the time.  At least once a week.  I really hope this improves for Year #3.  I will make a point of it when I do reach out in the initial stages.

Things we are looking to improve \ add next year:

1- We plan to put together a Juvenile team (U17) for Basketball New Brunswick Age Class Tier 1 tournament again this year.  This time though, we hope that the interest level will be higher than last year.  We are only taking Grade 12 players seeking an opportunity to practice with the best players of the area while getting one last good luck to potential CIS \CCAA coaches attending this tournament for scouting \ recruiting.

2- We plan to go 4 times per week.  Two on court sessions for the male and two for the female.  However, males can attend female sessions if they are to work on conditioning or agility training.  Females are also invited to come to male sessions in order to do the same.

3- We plan to purchase the Vertimax http://www.vertimax.com/ to help us train our clients.

4- We have already purchased the 94fifty basketballs to help in testing skill http://shop.94fifty.com/

5- We will be purchasing a vertical testing bar to help us get a more accurate measure of Power

6- We have added one coach to our roster- Ryan Johnston of UNB and may be adding another if he decides to stay in Moncton.

7- We plan to have an AAU team put together and travel to the states to play high level competition

8- We plan to host clinics for high school aged players looking to experience the Sweat Academy approach to training for basketball.

So that is a snapshot of Year #2.  We continue to grow in popularity and we want even bigger and better things for the future.  All of it is to build a culture of excellence and high level performance for our elite level athletes.  We want to build World Class athletes!!

"If you are going to say it, be ready to define it"- Roy Rana

Inspired by a coaching clinic put forth by Basketball New Brunswick, I've come to realize that perhaps I should put on paper what I have had defined for a while now; CULTURE.

Roy Rana was the keynote speaker for this basketball clinic.  He challenged everyone (all coaches) to define certain words that we use all the time.  These words were: Elite, High Level Performance and Challenge the shot.  His point was that he hears coaches use these terms all the time but explaining what they mean is often times neglected.  I pride myself on being a "why" coach.  When Coach Rana mentioned that, it made me realize that I did not do a good enough job of making sure all my players understand what exactly a term means for me.  For now though, I will limit myself to culture.

Culture is how you live your days with your team.  What is acceptable, tolerated, discouraged or a cardinal sin.  Norms and values would fall into this.  I am a very vocal coach.  For the two hours of our practices, I will not shut up.  Key words and phrases (another blog for another day perhaps) are always being directed to my players.  I am not a big fan of using the whistle simply because I want my players to be sharp with their listening skills.  So there you are, #1- Listen

1- All players must listen at all times.  The game is so dynamic and fast today.  Things change rapidly.  Players need to change quickly as well.  They miss a "memo", that is a turnover.  In practice, I get all my players to repeat the last part of my instructions.  Other than it reinforcing my point on listening, it also sounds pretty good as a group of 12 yells out at the same time what I just finished saying.

2- Be accountable to one-another.  A coach can only do so much when it comes to building a high performing quality team (high performing means going hard every day).  If the players do not buy-in, then it will never happen as quickly as it should.  When players police themselves to honour the norms and values of the team, that is when true chemistry (chemistry means every player knows their role and fully accepts it) happens.  This accountability will eventually trickle down to practice and game play.  That is when I know I have a special group.  A championship group!

3- What is absolutely not acceptable- Values
This one depends on what level I am coaching.  High School will differ from university aged players and university aged players will differ from the pro ranks.  So I will stick to the basketball side of things which is consistent no matter what level I am involved with at the time. Although when it comes to Values, there is much more involved than just basketball. 

In practice, if we have a drill where there is no defense and a turnover happens, that is unacceptable.  We are running a conditioning drills and the outside lane is not wide enough, that is not good.  In shooting drills, not cutting hard or missing bad (if the shot is missed and it is not a center front or center back miss, that is a bad miss) is unacceptable.  A lose ball on the floor (or a 50-50 ball) and nobody dives to try to get it.  I will lose my mind!  Missing a screen or not waiting for the screen, I will lose my mind!  Missing a box-out, I will lose my mind.  Shying away from taking a charge, I will lose my mind!  Not hustling over to aid a teammate off the floor when he is down, I will voice my disapproval.  After a score in a game or practice, if the player that has scored does not acknowledge his teammate for the pass (or screen or whatever), I will lose my mind!  A simple point to the guy is all that is needed there.  If someone makes a "momentum shift play" (those are diving on the floor for a lose ball, taking a charge, hitting a three or getting a big dunk) and the entire team on the bench does not erupt in cheer, I will be very unimpressed.

4- How do we go about our business- Norms

No matter the level, it is all about respecting the game.  Absolutely no individual is larger than the game.  Professionalism is the key word (that means approaching any situation with one goal in mind, to do the job as best you can).  Be on time and ready to go.  That means on time is at least 30 minutes before practice and at least an hour before games.  That time is to be used for getting ready for practice.  Tape jobs are done, general body preparation done (use the hallways), practice jersey on and tucked in, and skill work put in.  When practice starts, we are in our first full court team drill.  We are not waiting for anyone.  At half-time of games, as soon as I come in the room to debrief, everything gets quiet immediately.  After the game, the jerseys and sneakers stay on.  Nothing comes off until I am done addressing the team on what went well, what did not go so well and what we will be working on at next practice.  On away trips, the game uniforms are on a hanger and not thrown in the player's gear bag.  On video session days, bring water with you and a small snack.  But most importantly, bring your notebook!

5- Be gracious (appreciate what others are doing for you to be able to do what you do)
My players need to give credit where it is due whenever it is appropriate.  There's this idea out there that sport is all about bullying and the strongest will survive.  To an extent, it is true.  I most certainly have a very aggressive approach to coaching.  However, there is a time (mostly once practice and games are done) that we can allow ourselves to be a bit more human.  I always encourage my players to make an effort to reach out.  High School players reach out to their teachers or tournament organizers for example.  University guys to get involved on their campus outside the gym area (and not exclusively at the campus pub).  To thank minor officials for their efforts.  Pros get involved with their community.  Give back to not-for-profit organizations that rely heavily on endorsements.  Go up to a referee and...........................well..................just keep walking! 

For me and what I try to do as a Head Coach, it is really all about building that culture with my teams.  Sometimes it happens quickly.  Sometimes not so much.  But one thing is for sure, it will happen and when it does, winning follows regularly.

Agree or disagree, that is fine.  Feel free to share your thoughts on team culture.

Over the weekend- High School Basketball Games

This past week and weekend, I was able to take in a few basketball games from our local high schools as well as some outside teams (Ontario and Nova Scotia).  I noticed a few things that really stood out to me during these games and thought this blog would be a good way to put them out there and see what happens.

Before I get going, Moncton High School lead by Coach Andrew Macpherson won the tournament.  So a congratulations should go out to his staff and team.  Job well done.

Now, on to the observations (gathered from 6 games watched).

1-  Ontario really really really need to start playing with a shot clock.  I've seen two games from this team and they looked rushed and uncomfortable the entire time.  I saw very poor game management in terms of time and score.  Like it or not, player development (and coach development) is directly impacted by the rules the game is playing with.  Nova Scotia teams and New Brunswick teams looked much better in their flow and game management.  Maybe it was just this one team (from Ontario) but it really stood out to me nonetheless.  Could you imagine if a demographic of 12.2 million would have a shot clock included in their games how much better their already talented talent would be?

2-  Coaches need to do a better job of giving feedback to their players.  "Good job, what are you doing, well done and the frown" are very overused and do very little for improving a player's performance.  Coaches should try to give feedback such as: "Good job finding the body, or your keep missing your screens on insert play here, or well done anticipating"  Be more specific.

3-  Now, coaches that did do a good job of being more specific were good at doing it in a positive fashion.  But when it came time to address bad play, I did not see one coach get it right (which doesn't mean it didn't happen...I'm just saying I didn't see it or hear it).  The best example of what I am trying to say is Player X has the ball and is pushing it up the floor.  Player Y is running his lane (not wide enough) in front of Player X.  Player X tries to head-man the ball to him and it goes out of bounds.  Coach of Player X and Y gets on Player X's case about the pass as he should.  But he did it wrong.  Coach simply said: "what are you doing passing it there" and said nothing to Player Y for not running his lane wide enough.  So what happened after?  That was the end of that team's transition game.  Player X was the point guard and didn't throw another head-man pass again the rest of the game (and this team was quick).  Instead, this is what should have happened: "Player X!  If Player Y is not wide on his lane run, he doesn't get the ball.  Player Y! run wide!"  The transition game continues and the players become more aware of what needs to be done for them to keep taking advantage of their strength (although in January, telling players to run lanes wide should not be necessary...it should be an automatic...but I digress).

I could keep writing for three days on what I saw but I'll stick with these three things as they were what really stood out for me.

We all have a "Reset Button"

Strong Leaders understand the "Reset Button"

When it comes to Leadership, Mike Mackay of Canada Basketball once told me there are three things an individual needs to be able to do in order to lead:

1- Lead Yourself
2- Know when to follow
3- When you are not leading, give energy to those who are

When I reflect on those rules, I can't help to think about how deep they are.  Let me explain.

1- Lead Yourself

Live your life honorably.  Being perfect is not what I am saying here.  What I am saying is when the mistakes come, be resilient about them.  Own the mistake first of all, see how to never repeat them and move on.  Far too many people out there blame others or blame the situation and cannot seem to let it go.  Although in most cases a person's success depends on the endorsement of others, at the end of the day it is all about how you have set yourself up to be successful.  Control what you can and live in the moment.  When things do not go the way you want, understand it, then hit the reset button and move on.

2- Know when to follow

How can an individual know what good leadership is if they have never followed before?  Even in circumstances where the leader is not very good, you can still learn.  Every day is a new day filled with new challenges and choices.  That alone is a reset button.  Pay attention to the people around you.  Pay attention to what they do and try to figure out why they are doing it.

3- When you are not leading, give energy to those who are

Often times, leaders feel like they are on an island.  What I mean by that is, they feel like nobody cares about them or the things they need to get done on a daily basis.  I very often hear people talk negatively about their leader and very seldom hear them speak highly of him or her.  Why is that?  I am not saying brown nose, but I am saying support.  If you don't agree with something that is going on, then have that one on one with the individual.  But every chance you get, support him or her.  By doing this, you help that individual hit their personal reset button.

So as you can see, I don't mention anywhere that to be a good leader, you need to have a people who follow you.  I think if the three rules are well executed on a daily basis, having followers will happen on its own.  Now having said that, I think one more rule needs to be included:

4- Know your stuff! 

If you do live by the first three rules and you do get that group of individuals migrate to you because of it, the experience will be short lived if you do not know the insides and outs of whatever it is your should know.  By instinct, people will not stay long with someone they perceive as a fake.  By showing the people you are leading how much you know about your domain, you reset their button as it restores faith in what you are doing.

My two cents on the topic of life's reset buttons :)