Rick Majerus Defensive Notes by Bob Starkey

Rick Majerus Defensive Notes by Bob Starkey

This article was featured on HoopThoughts.Blogspot.com.

Follow Coach Starkey on Twitter!!!

Point Guard
Sprint to half court…ball side
Attack the dribble by half court
Slow the ball down
Get the ball under control
Push to sideline without giving ground

2 Guard
Sprint to elbow…ball side
Do not give up lay-up
Make them make another pass

1st Big Back
Disrupt route & timing of post
No hands, palms up…bump with chest
Get low and wide
“Thru me” to get into the paint

Forward
Shadow ball as long as his man hasn’t come down the floor

Last Big Back
Weakside elbow protecting against skip pass & shot

“You win transition on the first three steps…take first three steps without any concern for vision.”

Thad Matta – Defensive Principles by Bob Starkey

Thad Matta – Defensive Principles by Bob Starkey

This article was originally featured on HoopThoughts.BlogSpot.com.

Make sure to follow Coach Starkey on twitter!!!

Transition Defense:

Post Rule: “Get your butt ahead of your opponent’s butt.”

Goal: Force at least 2 passes when offense has numbers

Don’t allow a skip for a 3

Rule: Deep man never leaves paint until post comes to release.

Dribble Penetration:

Toughest thing to defend in basketball

Rule on Closeouts: “We don’t force the ball anywhere- we tell them don’t get beat.”

Coach Matta: “if you give up catch and shoot too much, you’ll lose your scholarship.”

TP: Don’t allow ball to get to the shot pocket when defending a shooter.

On non-driver, we will defend the passing hand (scouting)

Post Play:

OSU fronts the post

TP: Want quick feet like a boxer

Ball up top: up the line, on the line

Will front LP always, even if the low post takes a step off the lane

Show hands… sit down.. push him under basket

TP: if you are late fronting, don’t front.

Off Ball Screens:

TP: Jump to the ball- OSU wants jumper to extend far enough to swipe at the ball

Objective: get S guarding the ball

Down Screen: Trail all cutters- no sliding them

1st Rule: don’t get screened

“If you are constantly getting screened you are not going to be able to play for us.”

TP: Must start when the ball is in the air.

TP: “If my man is screening, play to help.”

On Ball Screens:

TP: On ball screen you don’t have a man.

Ball Defender Rule: Must make him use the screen (no rejection)

Ball defender must go once the screen (not behind)

Want defender on screener to recover (through to ally) between the ball defender and screener.

Basket Cuts:

Jump hard to the ball- stay in stance

No face cuts

Offensive Rebounding:

You can’t spend too much time blocking out

OSU likes bubble to work on rebounding

Screen the Screener:

Flex Cut

Jump low and take away low cut

Screen defender will bump high cut

On 6-to-6 pass, jump to the ball and swipe

Thru on down screen (swipe creates lane to cut thru)

Shooters with Great Range:

Vs. Shooter, OSU exaggerates denial- force back out.

In transition defense, OSU teaches to run the lane- vs. shooter, run to the shooter.

3 Pointers in Late Game Situations:

Contact switch on dribble hand. Offs vs. Shooter on late game shot

TP: player switching on shooter should have high hands

5th Defender Principle: Defender whose man is out of the play-your goal is to mess up the play.

During walk thru, Matta makes sure player knows- “you are the 5th defender on this play. “

It’s What You do Before You Catch the Ball

It’s What You do Before You Catch the Ball by Bob Starkey

This article was originally featured on HoopThoughts.Blogspot.com.

As a coach, there are so many things that you deem important — things you want your players to know and understand — things that are high on the priority list in terms of what you want to teach players.

Certainly there are numerous things that players need to learn and improve on.  Some they are willing participants in the education and development process.  Work with a player on improving his or her shot and chances are you will have a focused pupil.  The same can be said in dribbling and ball handling.  All players, regardless of position, want to be able to put the ball on the floor.  And while this at times least to the overuse of the dribble, players certainly will list and work if you want to help them improve this area of their game.

But it is important for them to understand that the large majority of the game, on the offensive end, they will be playing WITHOUT the ball.  Their ability to properly execute the fundamentals of footwork while learning to move without the basketball is far more important than many of them understand.

And nobody has phrased it better for them to understand it than Coach John Wooden:

“What you do before you get the ball, 

determines what you can do after you get it.”

That is a very profound statement yet not enough coaches spend the time to develop this area and of course very few players give thought to it.

Are you teaching the proper footwork for moving without the basketball?  The most foundational cut in basketball is the v-cut…do your players master it?  The v-cut allows them to get open on the perimeter or to set up the defender for a back cut.  The v-cut allows them be better screeners or to utilize screens better.  The v-cut allows a post player to move better in the post.  Are you working to improve your v-cuts daily?

The ability to read the defender makes a difference in if, when and where you catch the basketball.

We mentioned screening.  I’m not sure there is a better way to get open than by being an excellent screener.  The key is being “excellent.”  Are you teaching a correct screening stance couple with the proper screening angle?  Are they sprinting to screen?  And, the biggest key, are the screening with the screener is the 2nd cutter mentality?

Do you show video of your team or other teams and have your players focus on what’s going on away from the ball?

Because the best offensive players in the game truly understand Coach Wooden:

“What you do before you get the ball, 

determines what you can do after you get it.”

Billy Donovan on Pressing

Billy Donovan on Pressing by Bob Starkey

This article was originally featured on HoopThoughts.BlogSpot.com.

Teaching Point: On inbounds denial- we are always going to have our hands up in the air.
·         “Show the official our hands.”
·         Do not foul in the press
·         Don’t want to get beat over the top or to the middle
·         Ball Defense-pressure: linebacker blitzing the quarterback
·         Pressing is hard to coach because you are giving up freedom
·         We do not want to allow offense to clear us out and bring the ball up.
·         Do not influence the side line

Trap:

·         Short choppy steps-“close down the trap”
·         Don’t allow “step thru”
·         Back tip: don’t lunge… run through the ball… tip with inside hand
·         “Trap on the ball, steal off the ball”
·         When do you trap the first pass
o   Ball inbounded small side, below the block
o   “Coffin corner”
·         What we do in regard to full court press is based on who takes the ball out of bounds
·         May not turn them over but want constant pressure-goal is to be disruptive

Unsuccessful Press:

1.       Foul
2.       Give up lay-up
3.       Or an open 3

·         Inbounder defends goal-don’t let ball get inbounds
·         Level of commitment if you want to press
·         Steal: pass quickly cause defense will converge
·         On trap on the side- all 5 defenders must be on ball side of court
·         Stunt vs. shaky ball handler-“we want him to handle.”
·         It’s the duration of constantly pressing that makes it effective
·         Passing teams take away preparation time from their opponents because they
spend extra time on press offense

Thoughts from Doc Rivers

Thoughts from Doc Rivers by Bob Starkey

This article was originally featured on HoopThoughts.BlogSpot.com.

I took some time this morning to re-read over my notes from Coaching U Live in 2010 and thought I’d share some from Doc Rivers.

Coach‟s ego: Is it about you or about the team?

Beginners are open and experts are closed. When you become an expert, stay opeN

Undererstand Character vs. Characters

You have to protect your team culture.  This battle is waged daily

The little things matter. Doc said Celtics won a game against Cleveland on jump ball.

Make little things important such as the extra pass and closeouts

Build your staff around the team that you want to have…the values that you want represented: loyalty, hard work and disciplined.

Doc sets up staff like a football program: offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator.

Important head coach question: Do you trust the people on your staff?

Give staff room to do their strengths.

You can’t ask players to fill roles unless you let your staff fulfill their roles.

Players must buy into your system — Doc said this was incredibly important to the success of his teams.

Create a theme/purpose for the season.

Doc took Big 3 on parade route that they would ride for winning the championship. Creates direction and image.

Ask players “Do you want to win? ” Most say yes, but only if it‟s comfortable for them.

Fight for your system/culture every day.

Eliminate the S‟s in your program such selfishness, stubborn.

You cannot let a talented player affect your thinking.

Doc talking to players after the draft: “You only have a number for one day. After that, it is all up to you”

If you steal something from someone, make it your own.

Guidelines for Trapping the Ball by Bob Starkey

Guidelines for Trapping the Ball by Bob Starkey

This article was originally featured on Coach Starkey’s website: HoopThoughts.Blogspot.com

I found these going through some of my clinic notes and can’t seem to find who they originated with…I will continue to try and discover who I got them from so I can give proper credit.

Examples of when to trap:
 

1. When a specific opponent catches the ball in a prime area such as the low post.

2. When a specific opponent dribbles once or twice in the post or on the wing area.

3. When opponents run isolation plays.

Examples of where to trap:

1. Low post.

2. Baseline or lane area when there is penetration.

3. Wing area against a pick/roll or a 1-on-1.

4. Corners. The “corners” along the baseline and those where the half-line meets the sidelines are nice areas for trapping, due to the help the lines add to the defense (D-1).

Examples of whom may be trapped:

1. Good low post scorers.

2. Good 1-on-1 players.

3. Pick and roll participants.

4. A playmaker in good feeding position.

5. Any weak ballhandler.

There are some automatic trap situations:

1. An offensive player has a defender in a “bad way” and is ready to score.

2. When a smaller player is mismatched in the low post.

3. When a big player is mismatched outside and faced with defending a good smaller 1-on-1 player.

4. When there are 10 seconds or less remaining on the shot clock and the ball is in good position or with a good scorer having the ball.

Using a “live man.” A team may use its smallest man, or quickest man to be ready to trap in the low post whenever he thinks he can do it profitably. He can be called the “Sandman,” throwing sand on the fire. Or, it can be set up so that whoever is guarding a certain poor-shooting opponent will be “live,” the Sandman.

Follow Coach Starkey on Twitter!!!

Bob Starkey, widely considered one of the top minds in all of college basketball, is in his fourth season (2015-16) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M.

Starkey has had a decorated career, having been a part of 636 collegiate victories, 19 NCAA Tournaments, eight trips to the Elite Eight and five straight trips to the Women’s Final Four (2004-08), including serving as Acting Head Coach for LSU’s 2007 Women’s Final Four run.Starkey’s former players have gone on to distinguished post-collegiate careers, including both an NBA Finals MVP, Shaquille O’Neal (2001, 2002), and a WNBA Finals MVP, Seimone Augustus (2011). Ten of his players have been drafted in the First Round of the NBA or WNBA Draft, including top five picks Augustus (first overall), O’Neal (first), Slyvia Fowles (second), Chris Jackson (third) and Kelsey Bone (fifth). Seven of his players were named NBA or WNBA All-Rookie during their first year in the league, including A&M’s Bone.

In addition, three of his players—O’Neal (1996 Atlanta), Augustus (2008 Beijing & 2012 London) and Fowles (2008 Beijing & 2012 London)—have gone on to win Olympic Gold Medals.

One of the best defensive coaches in basketball, Starkey’s teams have allowed an average of 54.1 points per game since 2004-05. In seven of those seasons, Starkey’s team has ranked among the top 10 nationally in points allowed per game, and six of his players have been named to the SEC All-Defensive team, since the conference started naming that team in 2007-08.

His players have won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year three times, with A&M’s Jordan Jones winning the award twice (in 2013-14 and 2014-15) as well as Fowles in 2007-08.

Since arriving to A&M in 2012, Starkey has helped the Aggies to the 2013 SEC Tournament Championship and the 2014 NCAA Elite Eight. As A&M’s “defensive coordinator,” he has helped the Aggies average fewer than 60 points allowed in all three of his seasons in Aggieland.

Starkey spent 22 seasons (1989-11) at LSU, the last 13 of which came on the bench with the women’s basketball program. He helped the Lady Tigers to five straight Final Fours from 2004-08, and served as Acting Head Coach for the 2007 NCAA Tournament (4-1). Starkey spent a season at UCF (2011-12) immediately prior to coming to A&M.

Starkey helped guide LSU to four SEC Championships, 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Sweet 16s, seven Elite Eights and five consecutive trips to the Final Four. He was a key component in the Lady Tigers’ outstanding record of 326-105 (.756) from 1998-2011.

Starkey joined the Lady Tigers’ program on a full-time basis in 1998 under Sue Gunter, one of three Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coaches he has worked for (Van Chancellor, Gary Blair). Starkey had previously served as the administrative assistant for both the LSU men’s and women’s basketball team for two years.

In his first role at LSU, Starkey served as an assistant coach for Dale Brown on the LSU men’s basketball staff from 1990-96, during which time the Tigers participated in four NCAA Tournaments. While on the men’s staff, Starkey worked closely in developing three first-round NBA draft picks in Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson and Stanley Roberts. As a recruiter, he helped sign three nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including one which was rated No. 1 in the country.

In his 27-year collegiate coaching tenure, Starkey has worked with 18 20-win teams and has been a postseason participant 18 times.

Before his extended stretch at LSU, Starkey spent one year as an assistant at Marshall during the 1988-89 season and three seasons as a men’s assistant coach at West Virginia State from 1984-87. In his final season at West Virginia State, he helped guide the Yellow Jackets to conference and district titles on their way to the NAIA National Championship game.

Starkey began his coaching career on the high school level as an assistant at Winfield High School in West Virginia.

Starkey, who considers himself a full-time student of the game, has written numerous articles and has authored such basketball books as The 2-3 Match-Up Defense and Motion Offense. His latest project is a Basketball Coaching Series of books that include The Art of Being An Assistant Coach, The Art of Scouting and The Art of Motivation. Starkey is a master motivator and runs his own coaching and player online blog that features daily updates at http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com.

Starkey is originally from Charleston, W.Va., and is married to the former Sherie Hayslett, also a native of West Virginia.

Career Timeline:
2012-Present: Texas A&M (Assistant Coach)
2011-12: UCF (Assistant Coach)
2007-11: LSU (Associate Head Coach)
2007: LSU (Acting Head Coach)
1998-07: LSU (Assistant Coach)
1997-98: LSU women & men (Administrative Assistant)
1990-97: LSU men (Assistant Coach)
1988-89: Marshall (Assistant Coach)
1984-87: West Virginia State men (Assistant Coach)

By The Numbers
3 – Olympic Gold Medalists
5 – NCAA Final Fours (2004-08)
8 – NCAA Elite Eight Appearances
10 – First Round NBA & WNBA Draft Picks
19 – NCAA Tournament Appearances
54.1 – Points Allowed since 2004-05
636 – Collegiate Coaching Wins