What can be gained by reading "Play Their Hearts out" by George Dohrmann ?

A good friend of mine on Twitter is Clarence Gaines, a former scout and front office exec with the Bulls in their heyday. Clarence also the son of Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Hall of Fame coach at Winston-Salem. @cgrock24 , as he is known on Twitter, offers some great insight on the book "Play Their Hearts out" by George Dohrmann.

@cgrock24 said:

"Finished "Play Their Hearts out" by @georgedohrmann What can be gained by reading this book? If you're a parent of a talented basketball player, it's a must read. You'll learn a lot about the pitfalls of youth basketball and the importance of shepherding your child through this maze of deceit, corruption and confusion.

Hopefully, readers will understand the folly that is grassroots basketball and how it's not a necessity in the middle or early high school years to expose your child to the endless stream of games that are a part of travel team basketball." ...read the rest here

Hula Hoop Offense

When I used to coach my daughters youth team , we ran a 5 out offense with alot of give & gos, pick and rolls, and backdoor cuts. I used an interesting teaching technique with this young team that provided a nice visual guideline for spacing.

To teach them proper positioning and spacing I put 5 "hula hoops" on the floor (point, 2 wings, and 2 short corners) and made a girl stand in each one. The object would be to have the hoops next to the ball filled at all times.The girl with the ball would pass and then cut to the basket, looking for a give & go, thus leaving her "hula hoop" open.

The player closest to that open hoop must v-cut and fill that hoop, leaving her hoop open. The player next to an open hoop must fill that hoop. Eventually the 1st cutter ends up filling an open hoop in the weakside short corner. All the players have to do is look around for the closest "open hula hoop".

If you have a cutter that is especially adept at inside play, they can pause in the post and really "post-up" for a count of two before looking to fill the open hoop. Teammates should be encouraged to pay attention to this situation and be a little more deliberate on the perimeter while trying to post a player who has an advantage.

If you did not catch the ball by the count of 2 in a hoop the player should cut to the basket (backdoor) and then the same rules apply. The player with the ball should look for the 1) shot, then the 2) drive, then 3) cutters, then 4) the next open player.

Another "pressure release" that can be added is if a ballhandler dribbles AT a teammate - that teammate cuts backdoor. There will always be a cutter to the basket, and an open hoop somewhere to fill

As they got better we allowed them to go ball screen and run pick & rolls using the same rules - the only difference is the dribbler replaces the screener, the "roller" to the basket is the cutter - and the sequence continues. Or you may leave that part out entirely.

I guess chalk marks or poly spots would work but the hula hoops got the girls attention and did provide that really obvious visual. I've since used them in some elementary PE classes and it has been a big hit.

This 'Hula-Hoop Offense is featured in a segment on "The Fundamentals Factory" DVD set, available at Championship Productions.

Phil Jackson on Building Teams

This is a great podcast featuring Jim Thompson, who talks with NBA coaching great and Positive Coaching Alliance National Spokesperson Phil Jackson, who shares his insights on how to build a true community within teams, finding voice for star players
while encouraging role players to embrace their vital place on any successful team. Phil also shares his philosophy on balancing talent versus effort, the role of rivalries to motivate teams, and how to extend the lessons of sports beyond the court.

You can download the podcast or the transcript of the interview here: