Tournament Time

I was once told by a veteran coach that in high school basketball there are three parts to the season. The period of time from the beginning of practice

until Christmas vacation is the first period. Then the period of the season from after Christmas until the end of the regular season is the second part. Finally, there is the period of time from the end of the regular season until the end of the playoffs. As a coach, if you divide the season into roughly the same thirds as described, what do you want to get accomplished during each period of time that makes up your season? Some thoughts to consider for each period:

Now that's what I call ball pressure!

BEFORE CHRISTMAS:

Time to establish your basic style of play. Try to determine your substitution patterns. Resist the temptation to ADD and ADD and ADD. Don't over react to your team's success or failures. Focus on doing a few things well. Evaluate your player's strengths and weaknesses. Adapt practice times to fit your game schedules. How are you going to handle the holiday break with your team? Practice, play games, give some time off?

AFTER CHRISTMAS:

Don't relax or panic. Regroup if necessary, but if you have laid a solid foundation during the first period then continue the course. Consider adding secondary man offense. Lengthen the bench? Move players up or down? Focus on fundamentals. Look for slippage by yourself, your staff, and your players. Shorten practices? Some times less is more. Change practice routine. Find a good time to take a day off! Keep a balanced approach. Don't get too high or too low. Your team is going to feed off how you handle the good and the bad. Check for boredom in your players and in you. Remember attention spans may be shortening so try to change routines if possible. Be patient and

don't take yourself too seriously!

TOURNAMENT TIME:

You may want to shorten your bench. Consider adding set play(s) that have not been seen. Good time to install a "junk" defense such as a box and 1 or triangle and 2. Consider doing something you have not done all season. The element of surprise can be a game changer at tournament time. Also, you must be prepared for the unknown from your opponents. Your use of timeouts and substitution pattern may be different. We never practiced more than 1 hour during this part of the season. Review how you are going to handle last shot situations both from an offensive and defensive perspective. Practice some end of game situations. Talk about how and when you want time outs taken. Do your players know how to take an intentional unintentional foul? Can you communicate with your team on the floor both verbally and nonverbally? Are you going to use signs to communicate in large/loud gyms? Practice communicating methods in

practice. Make sure you focus on some quality free throw shooting. Play some music over the public address system after practice to encourage players who want to can relax and take a few more shots after practice. Try to keep your team as mentally sharp and focused as you can. I truly believe teams and players don't go physically flat or stale but they do go mentally stale.

*Be prepared as much as you can as a coach and leader for the unexpected.

Players may forget their uniform or shoes. Do you have extra if necessary?

Can your team stop the clock without taking unnecessary time outs? Do

you want to take a time out to save a possession late in the game? Do your

players know who to foul and when you want the foul taken? Do your players know when to take the ball to the rim and when you must have a three? NEVER ASSUME UNDER THE STRESS OF TOURNAMENT PLAY YOUR TEAM

WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO!

**Enjoy the experience. Remember what it's like to NOT have a playoff experience!