Coaches Corner

Advice for both on and off the court, anywhere and everywhere.

What Should I Focus On?

"I have an hour of practice time with my team. What should I focus on?"

Our Answer: Defense! 

The old saying goes, Defense Wins Championships. While winning a 'chip isn't always a real possibility, it is true that defense will always give your team a chance to win. At Next Play Basketball, we run our offensive drills with live defense. Sometimes, we won't allow the D to steal the ball (with hands behind their backs), but in most cases our offensive players must read the defense in order to work on their skills.  
Each practice we work on both defense and communication.
  • BALL - Pressure the ball handler, keep the ball in front of you, force opponent to their weak side.
  • GAP - Play the ball, see your man. Position oneself near the ball handler from having easy driving lanes.
  • HELP - Two feet in the lane. Prevent easy layups. Close out on your man if ball is kicked out.
All five players talk on D and each player should say one of those three words each time on defense. This takes time to get used to, but one thing
you can do to coach this concept into your team.
  • Check out a wildly used defensive drill called "the shell drill," that you can use in your practices.

Connected Basketball

One of the tenants of NPB is that our players play connected basketball. Every huddle, in practice or in a game, we have our players "link up" so that we show each other respect while we're speaking with one another and a physical representation of our teams connectedness. 

We borrowed this tip from DIII powerhouse Swarthmore College. Where Coach Zo was a 2 time All-American and Coach Ryan was an assistant for 6 years. 

It's uncomfortable at first, but ultimately this simple show of solidarity makes a difference and reminds each member of the team that basketball is a team game and we are in it together, through successes, failures and in the face of adversity.

Please direct all questions for Meghan, Matt, or Ryan to info@nextplaybasketball.com, and all questions for Coach Jake Webster to jake@nextplaybasketball.com