As tournament time approaches, the difference between winning and losing and advancing to the State Tournament, is often a result of handling close games, dealing with adversity and the ability to execute in a charged atmosphere. Here are a few thoughts that may make a difference as you prepare for the Regional playoffs.

Late Game Preparation

1. Take a few minutes every day to work on late game situations. Do not assume your players will know what to do. I try to address the following:

1. Know how to deny a star player from receiving the ball in a key possession.
2. Know how to foul so it is not flagrant and gives you an opportunity for a steal.
3. Signal a foul without alerting the other team.
4. With a three point lead and less than 10 seconds to go, your players should know if you want to foul or take a chance and defend against the three.
5. When you are behind late, get the ball to the basket. It will usually result in a high percentage shot or a foul that stops the clock and allows you to pressure.
6. Know how to intentionally miss a free throw and secure the rebound.
7. Practice plays for late in the game when you have to go the length of the court, inbound from the sides or inbound from under the hoop.
8. When you have the last possession, do you call a timeout or signal a play or shot you want.
9. On a late game shot by your opponent, do you want to send everyone to the boards for a rebound or leak a player down the court?
10. Do players understand the term, “time and score?”
11. Do your players understand how to play “keep a way” to keep from being fouled.

You can certainly add more situations but I believe that the basics I have addressed will give your team a sense of confidence in their ability to hold the lead or come from behind.

Adversity

1. The ability to deal with adversity and turn adversity into a positive may make all the difference in a big game. Calling a timeout after losing your point guard to fouls and confidently saying to a backup, “Johnny/Mary it’s your game now, just like practice. Dominate on defense and be hard with the ball. Let’s go put this away.”

1. Place the backup or another player in a position of responsibility during practice in anticipation of losing a key player. Create different situations until the backup has success and leave him/her with that success in mind.
2. Practice a couple of days with music blaring in the gym and coach from the sidelines just like it is a real game.
3. Practice without allowing your star to shoot outside of five feet or only after a steal or an offensive rebound.

Preparation

I like to have a few execution keys (you don’t want to give them too much) and really focus on our preparation of those keys.

1. Defense
   1. How to handle the dribble over (pick and roll).
   2. How to fight through screens.
   3. When to double down in the post.
   4. How to trap without the foul.
2. Offense
   1. Make a fake to make a pass.
   2. Turning their pressure into our attack.
   3. Late game IQ.

I hope this helps and good luck to everyone!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Basketball Skills and Drills

One on One Moves

At some point in every game you are required to create space between you and an opponent. Creating space provides you with a high percentage opportunity to score. Space is created by the efforts of a teammate who screens you, by your own movement without the ball or by utilizing a fake to draw a defender out of defensive position. The basics of creating space are:

Understanding how to use a screen.

Understanding how to read the defender in relation to the screen.

Movement without the ball.

The fundamentals of the fake with the ball.

The alignment of your body and your feet when receiving the ball.

Utilizing the pivot in your fake.

Selling the fake with your wrist.

Maintaining a low, balanced body position.

Using the fake to create a seal position.

One on One Moves Facing The Hoop

Jab and go.

Jab, shot fake and go.

Jab, shot fake and cross

Jab, jab, shot fake and cross.

Bird move, step back.

Fake step back.

Swing step.

Pivot and throw bounce.

Pivot, throw and cross.

Catch, pivot and cross.

Catch and spin out.

Catch, pivot and wrap.

Catch, pivot and go.

Step, hop.

One on One Moves That Begin With Your Back To The Basket

Drop step.

Reverse pivot and step through.

Reverse pivot and step hop.

Step back.

Fake step back.

A variety of effective moves have been listed in the categories of both facing the hoop and receiving the ball with your back to the basket. The key, however, to having an effective one on one game is to master two moves, a move and a counter move. You do not need ten different offensive moves only a couple of very good ones and the ability to sell the fake.

Effective One on One Drills

Play one on one, every day, from a variety of angles to the hoop. Start the drill with the ball and sometimes without the ball. Practice pivoting into the move and limit the time or number of dribbles allowed.

Allow the offensive player a screener to get him/her open. Add a defender on the screener.

Play one on one games for a minute at every hoop and have the losers rotate. The goal is to stay at one hoop while playing against opponents of different size.

Play one on one cutthroat. Line up 4 – 5 players one behind the other at the top of the key. The first player in line is on defense and the second player on offense. If the offensive player scores, he/she stays on offense and a new defender rotates to the front of the line to try and make a stop. The first defender, that was scored on, goes to the back of the line. If a defender makes a stop, he/she becomes the offensive player and a new defender rotates forward. The offensive player that did not score goes to the back of the line. The only way you get to play offense is by first making a stop. Play a game for three mintes.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Basketball Drills and Skills

Ball Handling

A skilled ball handler understands the basic fundamentals of protecting the basketball which include:

Body Position. Bend your knees and keep the ball low and protected in traffic.

Dribble with your fingertips.

Keep your head and eyes up.

The most effective ball handling moves involve a change of pace or a change of direction.

“The Daily Dozen”

A change of speed – acceleration.

Stutter.

Crossovers

Step back, look up and go.

Step back and cross.

Hesistation.

Fake crossover.

Between the legs.

Around the back.

Spin.

Combination move – Fake cross to spin.

Combination move – Spin, between the legs to crossover.

Drills

Use a zig-zag defensive slide drill to work on your change of direction dribbling moves.

Pre-game layup lines. Use a particular move before getting to the basket. Change the move from the opposite side. The rebounder should dribble hard to the corner and spin dribble before passing the ball to the next person in line.

Start at midcourt with a defender five feet behind you. Speed dribble in for a layup with the defender in pursuit.

Advance the ball to midcourt versus two defenders.

Dribble tag with one ball handler attemptin to tag six opponents in thirty seconds. Change the court space, length of time or the hand you are allowed to dribble with to change the game.

Run your sprints, suicides and 17’s, while dribbling.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Just a quick note to everyone. The men’s and women’s State Basketball Tournament in Anchorage is
the week of March 15 – 20. Make your plans early, it should be a great week and the Slope has some
very talented teams. It is always tough to predict who will get hot at regionals and earn a trip to the big dance but here is a
quick recap:

The defending State Champions, the Point Hope boys, look poised to make a run at a repeat. I had the
opportunity to watch Rex’s group win the Chevak tournament this week and they were very impressive
at both ends of the floor. They play hard and they play together, a nice recipe for winning.

The Point Hope women’s team, meanwhile, played in a tournament with two of the
top teams in the State. Point Hope joined two time defending State Champs, the Yakutat Eagles and a Chevak Comet squad on a mission
since the passing of their head coach a year ago. In a battle that could be repeated at State, host Chevak nipped
Point Hope by one point on the games final possession only to lose to Yakutat by the same slim one point margin in the final. Ramona Rock, despite the loss of
one of the region’s best point guards to graduation (they miss you Tammy) has the girls playing tough. The girls have a tough region and road to
the State Tournament but will certainly be well prepared.

In the 1A boy’s ranks, if the village tournament held in Barrow is any indication, the regionals will be a knock down, dragged out affair. Three teams
heading to Point Lay for the regionals, Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk and Wainwright look to be the front runners but as they say (or at least Robert
Service kind of said) “there are strange things done in the midnight sun by the boys trying to win a tournament.” Okay, I took a little journalistic liberty.
On a more serious note, I think that although upsets happen, Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk and Wainwright look strong and I could see a Anaktuvuk
Pass versus Atqasuk final for all the marbles.

On the women’s side, Edna, once again has a young Wainwright team playing like a veteran unit. Wainwright is looking to return to Anchorage and capture another title but I am sure Becky has plans of her own for the Atqasuk ladies to cut down the nets. Throw in a few more weeks of preparation and a surprise team can emerge from
any village.

The Barrow boys and girls will carry the hopes of the region to the 3A affair. In what I feel to be the toughest region in years, the boys will have to fight through
Bethel and an extremely strong Nome squad to earn one of the two tickets to Anchorage. Jeremy has the boys playing hard. At the State level, however, everyone
plays hard and Coach is focussing on getting his troups to play hard and smart.

The Barrow girls are excited about rolling through regionals and getting back to Anchorage. Some early season contests against top teams from throughout the
State have prepared our young ladies on what to expect to win it all. Now, it’s a matter of focus and determination. I like their chances.

That’s the news from the hardwood and some observations over the past week. Good luck to all!

Al Sokaitis
Challenge Life

Popularity: 37% [?]