"The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself." - John Wooden

Hey Matt!

It's time for another edition of the The Deep Three. Three thoughts, ideas, and motivations that will help you and your team be more successful. On tap this week:

• 3 Non-Negotiables to Becoming a Great Shooter
• 2 Great Drills for the Off-Season
• 1 Final Thought: Don't Quit Before The Turn

Matt

I'm a firm believer that shooting is the grand equalizer in the game of basketball. As a player, the better shooter you are the longer you'll stay on the floor and have the opportunity to help your team win games. As a coach, the more shooters you have on your team, the more you'll be able to overcome other disadvantages and win games people don't expect you to win.

Simply put, shooting will help you and your team win more games next season than any other single offensive skill.

The great part is that anyone can become a great shooter and every team can be full of shooters! All it takes is for players and coaches to commit to their part in the process .... and unfortunately, most people aren't willing to do that. And just why is it that most players/teams aren't that great at shooting? I think it's because they don't understand (or aren't willing to commit to) the three non-negotiables to becoming a great shooter.

1. Time
2. Sacrifice
3. Consistency

Note: Make sure you read all the way to the end of this thought. I've included links to some great resources and shooting drills.

During my time as a head coach, our teams were always known as great shooting teams. We were routinely in the Top 5-7 for all high school teams in the state of Texas (and then Oklahoma) for most 3s made, year in and year out. I was always asked what "our secret" was to the success we had. And in reality, it was no secret. It was that our players and coaches understood those three things and we were all committed to our individual part in the equation.

It wasn't some sort of magic formula. It was hard work and dedication to our craft.

Time

Players, you can't maximize as a shooter if you're not spending time working on your shot every single day. It doesn't have to be hours every time, but you must make it a habit to spend time shooting daily.

Coaches, the same is true for us. You can't get frustrated about your team's lack of ability to make shots if you're not committing time in every single practice to improve that area of your team's game.

For our players, they committed to spending time year-round to improving their shot. For us as coaches, we committed to dedicating time each practice to becoming better shooters. 

Sacrifice

Author Mitch Albom had this to say about sacrifice: “Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to.”

That applies to becoming a great shooter and a great shooting team as well. If you want to become a great shooter, there are other things you'll need to sacrifice on a weekly basis. It could be time with friends, fewer video games, or less time on social media. It's about sacrificing your lesser desires for your greater desires. The important question to ask yourself is this: how bad do I want to be a great shooter?

The same is true for us as coaches. To have a great shooting team, there will be other things within practices that we'll need to choose to spend less time on throughout the year. It's impossible to win games if our team can't make shots. What should you do less of next year in practice to show you value shot making at a premium?

Consistency

To become a great shooter, shooting must be a part of your/your team's daily routine. Even if it's a little as 5-10 shots a day. If you don't start building the habit now, in three months time you won't be the consistent shooter that you want to be as an individual or you want your team to be.

Becoming the best shooter on your team or becoming the best shooting team in your league can "feel" like an overwhelming goal to you. The same could be said about running a marathon. Studies show that the best thing you can do to run a marathon is to put your shoes on daily. Most people quit when they fail after putting together this elaborate, overwhelming plan, but people who just put their running shoes on are more likely to run a marathon. It's about starting small and growing from there.

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If you're committed to becoming a better shooter or improve your team's shooting, here are some resources that can help get you moving in the right direction:

• Arkansas Green Light Shooting Drills
• Redick 90-4 Shooting
• Pfeiffer University Off-Season Shooting Plan
• 20-Minute Shooting Workout

In addition to leveling up as a shooter this off-season, it's important for every player to improve their ball handling and ability to finish at the rim. Here are two great drills to add to your off-season repertoire to improve in those areas.

Ladder Ball Handling

Ball handling is one of the most important skills a basketball player must possess. For great teams, it’s more important than ever to have multiple players on the court at any given time that can handle the basketball. Ladder ball handling is a new fresh way to work on ball handling by yourself or with your team.

When you add this drill to your workouts, it won't be long before your ability to control the basketball is on a whole new level.

Ladder Ball Handling

What you'll need: Agility ladder and two basketball.

What you'll do: Training as an individual or with a partner, you'll work up and down an agility ladder non-stop for 60 seconds, working on a specific footwork while dribbling both basketballs. You can dribble the balls together in unison, or alternate your dribbles.

As you progress through this workout, you'll face three varying levels of difficulty:

Level 1 - Two Feet In (each square)

Level 2 - The Icky Shuffle

Level 3 - The Scissor Step

This drill will not only improving the quality of a player’s ball handling, but it also puts a premium on the athlete’s footwork as well.

No matter what level of this drill you or your team is working on, it’s important to make sure to train outside of your comfort zone. That could relate to the level of the drill, the pace of your feet, or the power behind their dribbles. By training at an uncomfortable level, athletes will begin to see breakthroughs in their progress, and soon the games will begin to feel slow!

I really enjoy this finishing series to improve a player's ability to finish at the rim in games. What's great about this drill is that within a matter of minutes, you'll be able to work on eight different finishes on each side of the rim. By consistently working on these varying finishes, you'll quickly eliminate your opponent's opportunity to reject you at the rim.

Finishing Series

What you'll need: A hoop and a ball

What you'll do: You'll progress through each of the below eight finishes in a timed drill. You must make four shots on each side of the rim per finish before moving on to the next finish. The drill is completed once you've gone through all finishes two times.

Finish #1: Regular Mikan then reverse Mikan. Focus on quick feet/touch. 

Finish #2: Start at elbows. Right hand finish off left foot. Left hand finish off right foot.

Finish #3: Start at elbows. Right foot and right hand finish. Left foot and left hand finish.

Finish #4: Start at elbows. One dribble left hand finish off right foot on left side of glass. Then vice versa.

Finish #5: Start at elbows. One dribble middle with left hand and sweep back over to finish right. Then one dribble middle with right hand and sweep back over to left hand finish.

Finish #6: Block to block shot. Emphasis on using the glass and touch.

Finish #7: 2 Feet behind each block. Side to side shots off the glass 2 feet deep from blocks.

Finish #8: Start from elbows. One dribble with left hand and shoot floater with strong hand. Then switch to the other elbow and dribble with right hand and shoot floater with strong hand.

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If you're looking for more thoughts and ideas of things to work on this off-season, check out my YouTube Channel, blog posts, and film breakdowns. There's more great content there as well.

After spending 14 years as a head coach, it would be incredibly difficult for me to be an assistant coach for just about anyone. However, I know I would jump at the chance to serve on Kara Lawson's staff for the Duke women's basketball team. 

Not only is Coach Lawson an incredible X's & O's coach, but her approach to leadership and culture are second to none. This year, their team has had an up and down season, often performing below their team's expectations.

During a recent press conference, Lawson was asked about her team not performing well town, and I absolutely loved her response!

She said that when you encounter times that you’re not really showing who you can be, it's important to continue to do things the right way, to continue to compete, to continue to encourage, to be disciplined, and most importantly, don’t quit before the turn. 🔥🔥🔥

It was one of the most inspirational sound bites I've ever heard, and in case you missed it, you have to take 90 seconds and watch it now. Click below to be inspired and hear everything that Coach Lawson said in her statement.