BeantownHoops Blog

I don’t want to admit it, but I will now.  I was a basketball snob.  In my younger days of playing and coaching, I had very little respect for the women’s game and always felt that it was a waste of my time to watch any basketball game that didn’t involve men.  About twelve years ago, my way of thinking began to change.  I can point to three specific instances where my lack of respect for the women’s game turned into a great liking for how they played basketball compared to the men:

1.  I was playing in a pick-up basketball game when three players on the University of Washington women’s team showed up.  It so happened that they were playing my team next and by no means would I allow my team to lose to them.  Not only did we lose, we lost bad.  While my team was playing one-on-one basketball, the girls were setting great screens, moving without the basketball and executing precise passes that led to easy shots.  I took the loss personal, but also realized that these women were basketball players who understood the game and played just as hard and physical as the guys do.

2.  I went to a professional women’s game and sat in the first row.  I couldn’t believe the speed and athleticism I was seeing.  Many people equate athleticism in our sport with dunking a basketball, but as we all know being an athlete requires quick cutting, timing, and the ability to do multiple things with the ball, which these players could do.

3.  When I was working the summer basketball camp circuit, before I was married with children, I was able to talk with many high school girls coaches who really helped me understand the importance of watching the women’s game.  I began to watch more high school girls games and I’ll tell you right now that girls teams run better sets and plays than most boys teams.  I picked up great offensive plays, out of bounds plays, and special situation ideas once I started watching more girls basketball.  If you are a coach and you want a new way to attack a man or zone defense watch a girls game.

I recently talked with Mansfield girls basketball coach Mike Redding to get his thoughts on the way the girls play the game.

Beantownhoops:  Coach,  I have seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of girls basketball the past ten years, would you agree with this statement and if yes, what things have contributed to this growth?

Coach Redding:  “I think Girls basketball had its first major step when they went to the smaller ball and added the three point line in the late 80’s. This second step of growth and development in this century is due to a number of factors. One is the great exposure that women’s college basketball is getting, as well as the WNBA. Girls who play for BC and UCONN have become household names thanks to ESPN and the other networks. The girls have great role models and they want to continue to play in college. I think off-season commitment is changing the game as well. Our girls play summer league twice a week, fall league once a week and their skills are improving drastically. Also, more female high school student-athletes are using the weight room, plyometrics and speed/strenth programs to improve their athleticism. I also believe youth programs are making a big difference, we’re getting better coaches, both men and women, who have played and want to teach the game to the next generation. There is no doubt that the effects of Title IX have created great opportunities for the athletes of this century.”

Beantownhoops: What is unique about the girls game compared to the boys that the common basketball fan does not see?

Coach Redding: “I believe that the foundation of the girls game is still based on skill and execution. Of course, the boys have great skills, but the boys game is more based on athleticism and getting “the ball the the rim”. Scoring points in a girls game depends on great passing, setting great screens, executing cuts while in a boys game you see more offense being “created” by individual players. As a coach it’s so important to develop all of the skills (shooting/passing/dribbling) and then integrate those skills with the right offense for your team. It really takes all five players to work well together to get good shots and
score points.”

I really do feel that the women play basketball in its purest form.  You will see many possessions in a women’s game where all five players touch the ball and a good shot is always taken.  If you really do love basketball, you have to enjoy and respect the women’s game.  I will be covering many girls basketball games this season and I know I will see quality basketball played each night.  Now, I hope you understand that this is not an article being critical of the way the boy’s play, but hopefully this will help those non-converts of the girls game appreciate it more. 

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It’s a question I have been asked a number of times during my high school coaching career.  An eager parent wondering why ten Division I schools are not knocking down their door with scholarship offers for their son.  As a parent myself, I understand the question is not always malicious in nature, but a majority of the time it is directed to coaches in that manner.  For some reason, a high school athlete not receiving a college scholarship is the coach’s fault and has nothing to do with the player.  Don’t get me wrong, a head coach is responsible for helping get the name of his player out there and making sure he does contact some coaches if there is nobody showing interest, but the bottom line is the player must possess the physical and mental skills to make it.  I have been privileged to coach six DI basketball players and four players who played other DI sports.  In addition, I have coached against countless DI basketball players in Seattle and Chicago and one thing holds true for all of them:  they all have had tremendous basketball skills, the physical stature necessary to play in college, and were fierce competitors (I won’t tell you what Derrick Rose and Brandon Roy did to my teams).

I’ve compiled a list of things for parents and players to help them understand the process better and help clear the air with their coaches about how this “scholarship thing” works.

For Parents:

1.      If your son or daughter receives a letter from a college, 9 out of 10 times it is a form letter from the university.  Basketball programs have huge databases (and budget) to send mailers out to players.  Your athlete can be put on the database in any number of ways, but again these are not scholarship offers, not letters showing high interest, but simply a way for the program to get their name out there.  In other words, it is just junk mail.  Sorry.

2.    If your athlete is receiving hand written letters and the assistant or head coaches have contacted their High School or AAU coach, the school is showing mid to high interest and a scholarship offer could be imminent. 

3.    Just because your athlete is playing on a AAU/traveling team it doesn’t guarantee any scholarship offers.  Back when I was playing in the late 80’s, there was one AAU team in the whole state, now there are hundreds out there.  Here is the general rule about playing on a club team:  if you have to pay for anything, your athlete is probably not getting a DI scholarship, if everything is provided, more than likely they have a very good chance of making it to the next level.  The reason being is that the big shoe manufacturers fully sponsor those teams and want the best talent available wearing their gear, thus, they (the colleges and companies) think if your athlete is on those teams they can really play.

4.     By the start of their Junior year, if they have not received any scholarship offers or high interest, it is time to start asking your athlete how badly they want to play college basketball.  More than likely, it won’t be at the DI level and your son or daughter need to start considering if they want to go to a DII, DIII, NAIA or Juco to be a student-athlete.

5.  Do your homework.  If you think your son or daughter can do it, be sure to do your homework on schools, the NCAA Clearinghouse and the scholarship process.  A good resource is Laurie Richter’s book Put Me In, Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting

For Players

1.      DII, DIII, and NAIA schools are very competitive and do not lack the skill that DI players have.  What I mean by this is that skill wise, there are definitely players at these levels who can shoot, dribble, and pass just as well as DI players, but the biggest difference at DI is the size and speed.  For example, two of my players are playing DIII right now and the starting center for their team is 6′7″.  At the DI level, you will see small forwards who are 6′7″ and centers who are 6′10″ and higher.  I think players feel that playing at less than DI is easy, but they will soon find the skill level is very high and these players are just as competitive than the higher level.  Also, these players at the “lower levels” were leading scorers, all-conference members, and in some cases four-year starters for their high schools.

2.    How much do you really work on your game?  Playing basketball because its fun is not enough.  When you play in college it is a job.  Everything is analyzed and scrutinized by the coaching staff, the game is faster an more physical, and if you don’t perform, next year someone will take your place.  If you think you have what it takes, see if you do the following things right now:

• When you practice your shooting do you do it at game speed, do you count your misses and makes, do you shoot at least 500 shots a day, do you shoot off the dribble as well as spot up shots, are you really working?
• Do you work on drills that don’t involve shooting?  Ball handling, passing, and agility drills should be done every day for at least an hour.
• Is your idea of pick-up basketball an open gym at your local high school?  If you’re not going to a playground or rec center and playing against older players you’re not getting better.
• Do you have a lifting and stretching routine you adhere to each week?  If not, you better start.
• When you watch a basketball game on TV, do you watch the ball or everything else that is going on without the ball?  Start watching like a coach instead of a fan and your game will improve.
• If you’re not going to play at the DI level, but want to still play college ball you better have good grades.  Most of these schools are private and require very good grades and SAT or ACT scores to get in.  If you don’t, your only other route is to play at the JUCO level.

I hope that this article can help parents and players understand a little better how it works.  I’m not trying to be negative, but it is important to understand the realities of the business (yes, it truly is a business).  If you have any more questions that need to be answered, feel free to contact me at webmaster@beantownhoops.com.  Best of luck in your journey to college basketball.

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It was the best ad campaign in the 1980’s with highlights of great plays set to the music of the Pointer Sisters or one hit wonder Leo Sayer (”You make me feel like dancing”). To conclude this montage of dunks, great passes, and big hair was a Hollywood star, usually filmed at the old Forum, saying “The NBA, it’s fantastic!”

I do miss those days of the Association. Larry, Magic, Doc, Jordan, Nique, Barkley, Kareem, Akeem, Isiah and their teams defined the best days of professional basketball. Back then, you knew the rosters of each team and could identify with their styles of play, “Showtime”, “Bad Boys”, and the “Twin Towers” to name a few. Today, the NBA is seeing a decline in ratings and the echo of this statement from sports fans everywhere, “I can’t stand the NBA, college basketball is so much better.”

Much like other professional sport teams, the popularity of a sport depends on the success of your local team. If you don’t have a local team, you adopt one. When that team is eliminated from the playoffs or doesn’t make the playoffs at all, you stop to watch. But take a closer look at the league and you’ll see something very special to the coaching profession. As coaches, we watch the game from a much different perspective than the fan does. The casual fan will have reservations about the NBA and will criticize it. I wasn’t coaching in the 80’s, I was a fan. Now that I am a coach, to me it is clear that the NBA is one of the best coaching tools for coaches at all levels.

Let’s take a closer look at what the league offers coaches:

1. Sideline o.b.’s: Watch these closely, especially in late game situations. My team last year had three sideline o.b. plays that I stole from the NBA. Don’t believe me…go to youtube and type in Dwight Howard vs. Spurs game winning ally oop, Derek Fisher vs. the Spurs playoffs, or Vince Carter vs. Toronto game winner to name a few. You’ll put them in your playbook when you see them.

2. Double teams: The biggest complaint high school coaches have is that we don’t have enough practice time to prepare. Well, neither does the NBA in my opinion. Once season starts, the 82 game schedule takes over and practices become glorified shoot arounds. This leaves coaches with about a month of training camp to get everything in. That being said, the way pro teams double the post or double a star player is unbelievable. Doubling from the weakside post, doubling from the ball side entry, doubling from the weakside top can occur in three consecutive defensive possessions. Try teaching your team that!

3. Match-up zone: With the zone defense being implemented a few years back, many teams have hired college assistants who know this defense well. When the season starts, watch how teams play it and how teams break it. The match up zone causes many problems for high school teams and if your team is not prepared to play it, your team will struggle.

4. Help and Recover: Most of us have it set in stone how we defend the dribble. I always liked to never give up dribble penetration so my helpers had to close driving lanes and then recover to a shooter. Watch the NBA and it will differ from player to player on the opposing team. I always enjoyed watching how an NBA coach game planned for this. Keep an eye on this next time.

5. The Pick and Roll: If you don’t have an idea how to run or defend it, I suggest you tune in opening night or watch some pre-season NBA. Many high school teams have opened up their offense, much like the spread offense in football, and this usually includes some type of ball screen in the offense. Get your team prepared now.

Finally, to our non-coaches out there. If you can’t enjoy watching Lebron, Kobe, and Chris Paul play you’re missing out. These are special players who would have excited us in any decade. The NBA may be losing popularity, but for a coach and true fan of the game, it still is fantastic.
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