A Pen And A Napkin

We had a great time taping our September roundtable (yes, I know it's dropping in October) with Jared Blackwell, GBB HC at Sandy Creek (NE) and Chad Jilek, GBB HC at Johnston (IA)! We discuss the influence of club sports and how to bring players into basketball, keeping our players enjoying the sport, the influence of the shot clock on both sides of the ball and when is the right time to ditch the game plan? Enjoy the pod; we enjoyed taping it!Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the CowboysGet your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their CourtWant to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more!Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

Seasons are often swung in one direction or another on special situations, so today's podcast is focused on ten common special situations that every team should be prepared for early in the season. We discuss a calendar as to when you should have covered these situations, as well as tips on how to handle them in practice. In addition, we've got a great quote from Bill Walton, and we discuss one of the greatest winners in the game, Rick Pitino!

People are difficult to deal with in the best of times, but when you have players and/or parents that are deliberately challenging your leadership or the goals of the program, that is a cancer. In today's podcast, we identify different symptoms of players or parents that may be cancers in your program and how to do all you can to ensure that they don't cause even more damage to your program. In addition, we have the wisest of words from Marcus Aurelius on dealing with difficult people, and we discuss the great career and what we can learn from Morgan Wooten of Dematha High School!

We ask our players to evaluate what they did on a daily basis, but are we doing the same thing? In today's podcast, we take a concept from Dan Hughes, the former WNBA head coach, and apply it to our programs with the post practice evaluation form. We discuss how it's organized and what you should be looking for to help make you better every day! We also have a great quote from Al McGuire, and we discuss the career and what to learn from George Karl, the great NBA head coach!

Establishing great practice mantras and sayings are extremely important to the growth and development of this year's team and your program overall. When tough times come around (and they most certainly will), what will you do to right the ship as quickly as possible? What do you stand for? What does your team stand for? That's all in today's podcast, along with a great quote from Coach K and a study of team pillars and how to run a program the right way from Dick and Tony Bennett.

Just like coaches, officials are mandatory in order for our games to be played, but we often see them not as a person but as something else. In today's podcast, we talk about the perspective of the officials, how we need to communicate with them and when it is appropriate to question their judgment. We also have a great quote implementing the "Next Play" attitude towards officials, and we discuss and learn from the great Lefty Driesell!

Anywhere from 20-30 times as a coach this season (or 30-40 times if you're a college coach) you're going to have a practice the day before a game . . . so what should you be doing? In today's podcast, we dive into deep detail on what we did as a coaching staff to prepare for our games the day before we tipped off, including scouting, film and instruction! In addition, we discuss the importance of just playing and who the true opponent is. In addition, we take a few minutes to discuss one of the great coaches of the 1970's, Al McGuire.

Heath Howington, the head boys basketball coach at Barr-Reeve (IN) High School, jumps on the podcast this week to discuss his career and his big move to Barr-Reeve last summer, which resulted in a state championship this past spring! In addition, we talk about the move, the pressure of stepping into a storied program and cutting down the nets, while also discussing his practice set up, shooting drills, and how he gets his teams ready to go on game days. A really fun conversation with one of the best from the Hoosier State!Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the CowboysGet your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their CourtWant to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more!Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

Being efficient with your time should be a goal for all of us, but when it comes to scouting, you can waste alot of time by not being organized and knowing what you should be focusing on. In today's podcast, we talk about strategies to help your program get organized and stay organized with your scouting activities, what to look for and respecting your staffs time, as well as your own. We also have a great quote from the GOAT, Don Meyer, and we study not only the contributions of Red Auerbach on the floor, but more importantly, what he did off the floor.

Some of the toughest decisions we make (with some of the most unwarranted "feedback" we get) comes from our playing time decisions. We're never going to make everyone happy, but what are things that we can do to get everyone understanding how you are making your decisions? That's what we're talking about in today's episode, which is encapsulated with a great quote from Dr. Jack Ramsay. In addition, we've got a great coach to discuss and study today in Rick Carlisle, one of the best coaches of the 21st century!

At your core, what are your most important drills? Now ask yourself, how often do we run those drills in practice? That is what the essence of your "Desert Island Drills" should be! In today's episode, we discuss the criteria that you should use for your "Desert Island" drill list and how you can make these drills the best that they can be. In addition, we have a great quote from Philip Dormer Stanhope, and we examine two of the great characters in basketball and the forerunners of what we call today "The Grinnell System", Billy Tubbs and Paul Westhead.

Changing up your journey during the dog days of the season in late January and early February is often a great way to bring your team together for the stretch run. In today's podcast, it's never too early to start thinking about possible activities that you can do with your team during this time period so that you make sure that you're bringing your team together, especially mentally, at the right time of the season. In addition, we've got a great quote from Miyamoto Musashi, and we study the legendary Lou Carnesseca. Enjoy!

Great coaches are made in late game situations, but it's not all about drawing up that amazing play at the end of games, but be prepared for all of the scenarios that could happen before then. In today's episode, we look at four key steps to get ready for those late game situations and what you should have in reserve with your team, as well as four keys to conducting a quality timeout late in games. In addition, we've got a great quote from Bill Walton, and we study Gene Keady, one of the more underrated coaches in college basketball history!

Making sure that everyone is on the same page is really important as you get ready for the upcoming season, and one of the ways to do that is by having quality preseason 1 on 1 meetings with your players. In today's podcast, we discuss suggestions for making these meetings a positive experience for the players, and what your goals should be in these sit-downs. In addition, we have our guy Marcus Aurelius discussing telling the truth and why it is so important, and we discuss the legendary Bo Ryan out of Wisconsin as an important coach to study.

It was a great privilege and honor to have on my son's former boss, Matt Holt, who is now the Director of Scouting at North Carolina State University, on the pod this week! Coach Holt talks about his basketball journey, from coming up as a student manager at Northeastern University, to working his way into the last decade at the Power 4 level, influences in his career, bouncing back from disappointment, scouting, player development, analytics and we even are able to fit some "Godfather" references in for good measure! A lot of fun with this podcast and the content will help you get better!

You need to know what direction you're going to take your team and how it's going to get there, so you need to plan out your implementation schedule; don't wing it! In today's podcast, not only do we talk about your calendar for implementation, but we also discuss tips for implementing X's and O's in practice, from timing to teaching techniques. We have a great quote from the great Roman Stoic Seneca, and we discuss why you should be studying the great Bill Self. Enjoy!

Some of the toughest situations that we are put into as coaches is deciding who we are going to keep and who we are going to cut, while also trying to balance out competitive teams while also rewarding our best players. In today's pod, we look at all of these angles and throw out seven bullet points to consider when making these tough decisions early this winter. In addition, we've got a tremendous quote from Matt Painter, and we have one of the legends of women's basketball, C. Vivian Stringer, to examine as one of our 100 great coaches. Enjoy!

It seems so simple, right? It's "free" after all, so why do so many games come down to missed free throws? In this podcast we discuss the importance of free throw shooting and why it should be part of your daily routine in practice, tips for better free throw shooting and ways that you can unconventionally add free throw shooting to your team's daily workouts. In addition, we've got a great quote from Emma Hayes, and we discuss one of the absolute legends of the game, Pat Riley!

One of the "boring" things that you need to do as a program is to keep fresh gear in the hands of your players and fans; they want to show off the program, and it's an easy way for you to sell the program! In this episode, we talk about ordering procedures, what not to do, how you take responsibilities off of your plate, and taking care of your staff and their famillies. In addition, we've got a great quote from James Clear and a discussion on one of the forgotten great coaches of the game, Ralph Miller!

Time is our most precious commidity, and in the game of basketball, nothing is more valuable for the coach to use to affect the game than their timeouts! In today's podcast, we're going to discuss how you should use your timeouts, how to organize timeouts and how to communicate in your timeouts. We also have a great quote from the legendary Larry Bird, and we study one of the most successful people in the history of the game of basketball, Kim Mulkey!

A great way to break down early season communication barriers and allow people to have the chance to really invest in your program is to open up your practices and teams for all to see. In this episode, we discuss having an "Open Practice" for your parents to come in and watch their children play and how you can make that a positive experience for everyone. We also discuss having a "Community Night" involving young people and your team and building support from your community members. In addition, we've got a great quote and a study of one of the toughest coaches in NBA history, Jerry Sloan.

It is really a full circle moment this week as we host Charlie Wallrapp, MBB AC at Northern Illinois University, who also just happens to be one of my former students at Skutt Catholic here in Omaha! We discuss a variety of topics, including Charlie's journey, turning around Malone University in a short amount of time, going back to being an assistant coach, offensive basketball and set plays and much more! This was a lot of fun to discuss life and hoops with one of the best up and coming assistant coaches in the country!

Like we've discussed every time the term "transition" comes up, offensive transition is one half of your transition game that you're going to do anywhere from 55-70 times a game. In today's podcast, we examine different ways that you can beat teams in offensive transition, why it's better to play fast than slow (if possible) and keys to a great transition game. In addition, we have a really good quote from Jim Calhoun on playmakers, and we take a look at Brenda Frese, the terrific WBB HC at Maryland University.

Thinking ahead right now will help you with alot of stress later in the season, especially when you're thinking about implementing particular X's and O's and getting your playbook where you want it going into the postseason. In today's podcast, we discuss your overall calendar for the entire season, what you should be thinking about and how thinking backwards from the postseason will help your team develop as the season progresses! We also have a really good quote about thinking from Henry Ford, and we take a look at one of the great pioneers of the Title IX era, Sue Gunter. Enjoy today's pod!

A great tool to use for your shooters to get better is Dr. Dish, but it also has it's detractors and faults. In today's podcast, we discuss those pros and cons of using Dr. Dish and how you can integrate Dr. Dish into your practices. In addition, there will be a video on "The Opening Tip" with some of my favorite Dr. Dish drills! We also have a great quote from Warren Bennis and a study of Jim Boeheim, one of the most successful and loyal coaches of the last 50 years of the game!

One of the best ways that you can help yourself going into the season is going out and watching other coaches work their own practices! Today, we talk about what you should do when it comes to watching practices, from asking for permission to attend to what you should do during practice and what you should be looking for as coaches work. We also have a great quote from Socrates to tie into observing others work, and we also have a study of one of the most unique coaches in the history of the game, Larry Brown. Enjoy!

One of the best ways you can bring your team together is through a planned team excursion that often combines team bonding and basketball. In today's podcast, we look at why team excursions are important, what it takes to put one together and possible destinations or ideas that you can use to bring your team into a great environment outside the gym. In addition, we've got a great quote from Kelvin Sampson about team achievement (or lack thereof), along with a study of one of the most consistent coaches of the late 20th century, Eddie Sutton. Enjoy!

One of the most critical points of any game night is your postgame routine and how you both react to the events of the game, but also how you analyze and prepare for your next interaction with your team. In today's pod, we discuss what to do in your post game, ideas for sprucing it up, what not to do and how to communicate with your team the next day. In addition, we've got a great quote from James Clear, and a study of the guy who is most responsible for UConn becoming a blue blood in men's college basketball!

We're really excited to have Kevin Furtado, the host of "The Championship Vision" podcast and GBB HC at Calvary Day (GA) High School on the podcast! On this podcast, we discuss his influences, learning from his own podcast, creating a strong culture using the "Row The Boat" theme, attacking offense and much, much more! We had a little technical difficulty at the beginning, but enjoy!

Hey, we're halfway through this grand experiment of the "Win The Season" podcast, and today we take a look at what you should have implemented by your first game. Every team is going to be different, but we share some ideas about what you should have in and how to implement it. In addition, we've got a great quote from one of the GOAT'S of the NFL in Bill Walsh, and we study the greatness that was John Thompson at Georgetown. Enjoy!

One of the best ways to alleviate some of your future parental issues is by getting out ahead of it and communicating effectively with your parents before the season even starts. In today's podcast, we discuss what most coaches do in this day and age, a preseason parent meeting. We discuss the things to do and not to do, things you should discuss, and ways that you can effectively communicate the goals of the team to the individuals on the team. In addition, we tie in the American Revolution to your parent meeting (trust me, it works) and we study a great coach that never quite got over the top in Don Chaney.

As a team, you will perform transition (from offense to defense or defense to offense) more than any other concept in the game in a 5 on 5 situation, so you must have a great plan for what you're going to do! In today's podcast, we discuss a variety of thoughts about transition and how to teach it during practice. In addition, we've got thoughts about not getting frustrated by your team's failures from Robert Greene, and we've also got a great coach study today!

It's hard to run a program without parental involvement, but it is also a slippery slope; you need the help, but you don't want too much help from the wrong people. In today's podcast, we discuss strategies to help you with parental involvement, how to make it positive for both your program and the parents, and ways that you can involve peope without involving them. In addition, we've found a way to mix Marlon Wayans with basketball, and we discuss legendary Georgia women's basketball coach Andy Landers!

Some nights, it's the shortest 10 or 15 minutes of your day, while other night's, it's the longest . . . being efficient with your halftime can really help your team with it's second half adjustments and performance, so control it! Today's podcast features some thoughts and ideas on how to make your halftime more efficient, interactive and effective to get you ready to dominate the second half. In addition, we've got a great quote from John Delong and the indepth dive of the guy whose influence is essentially the reason for A Pen And A Napkin, the GOAT himself, Don Meyer.

If you're listening to this podcast, basketball is obviously something that is very important to you. What we sometimes fail to realize is that for others, they are just as passionate about their sports and activities as you are about basketball. In today's podcast, we discuss the importance of supporting other activities in your school, and not just athletic activities, and how your support of them can enhance and elevate your own program. In addition, we have a study of one of the most controversial, yet brilliant, coaches of our game, Bobby Knight. Enjoy!

We had a great time in this month's Zoom roundtable with Jamie Smith, the GBB HC at Solon (IA), Ken Kulus, the BBB HC at Omaha Concordia (NE) and Todd Fergot, the BBB HC at Lacrosse Central (WI)! In this pod, we discuss terminology in your offense, implementing your base offense and defense, how you organize your staff and things that you should be working on before the season starts! In addition, we have an impromptu discussion on the falling numbers in high school girls basketball and how it can be fixed. This was alot of fun to record, and I hope you enjoy listening to it!Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the CowboysGet your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their CourtWant to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more!Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

The entire floor we coach is 94 x 50, so in many ways, we should use that entire space to our advantage, right? In today's podcast, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of full court pressure defense, how you can use it to control the tempo of the game and ways that you can implement it throughout a game. We also have a great quote from Denzel Washington, and we breakdown the importance of studying one of the most successful modern coaches of the game, John Calipari!

The lifeblood to almost any high school program is its youth program, so today, we break down the important elements of developing a quality youth program. We discuss structure, areas of emphasis, bringing in the right people and much more! In addtiion, we've got a great quote from Bob Starkey, and we study one of the legends of college basketball, Jerry Tarkanian, also known as "Tark The Shark". Enjoy!

99% of your players are going to play under the rim, so you've got to work on finishing around the basket. In today's podcast, we discuss the importance of finishing around the basket, how you sell the importance of finishing and techniques you should use to help with finishing. In addition, we've got a great quote from Geno Auriemma about finishing and a study of Jody Conradt, one of the important pioneers of the modern women's game!

We discussed Defensive Pillars just a few days ago, and we're back discussing the same thing, just on the other side of the ball! Today we take a look at the 7 Pillars on offense that we used in our system and program, as well as ways to make sure that it is engrained in your players minds. In addition, we've got a great quote from Steve Kerrm, and we also study one of the least well known but brilliant head coaches in modern basketball, Rick Byrd.

Pregame doesn't start with the 20:00 warmup; it starts long before that. In today's podcast, we break down the routines and rhythms that you should establish, both for yourself and the program, in your pregame preparation. This ranges from arrival times to personal focus to getting a great warmup going, your pregame will often determine your success level. We also have another great quote from Marcus Aurelius, and we are studying one of the most influential coaches of modern basketball, the great Dean Smith.

You can't do this job alone, and one of the things that you should seek out in life is strong mentors, people you can ask hard questions, get hard answers and learn from their experiences. In this episode, we break down the importance of mentors, and I take the time to discuss some of the really important mentors of my life. In addition, we have a great quote from the Roman philosopher Seneca, as well as a study of one of the great early basketball coaches, the one they called Mr. Iba . . .

Todd Kuntz, the head boys basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie (IA), jumps on episode #340 to discuss his growth as a coach, important influences (including Mr. Tony D. Vis!) and serving on the IBCA board, making the leap from a small school to a big school, offensive basketball, building a culture and communicating with both administration and parents. This was a lot of fun chatting it up with one of the up and coming coaches in state of Iowa!!Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the CowboysGet your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their CourtWant to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more!Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

It is imperative that you have a strong half court defensive philosophy within your program, so how are you going to construct it? In this episode, we breakdown all of the important questions that you need to ask yourself about building your half court defense, suggestions on how to implement it and more! In addition, we've got a great quote from Rick Pitino and a study of the recent Hall of Fame inductee Doc Rivers!

There is a MASSIVE difference between rules and standards; rules should be few and far between, where as standards should be what actually rules your program. In this episode, we discuss standards, what good standards should look like, and how they should be implemented in your daily execution of the program. We also have a great quote from the great Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus, and we focus on learning about the master of the Triangle offense, Tex Winter!

Regardless of what defense you run, you have to have great closeouts. If you're consistently having to send help on dribble penetration, your defense is going to be in a lot of trouble. In this episode, we discuss different philosophies of closeouts, what you should be doing in practice to emphasize closeouts, and how working on closeouts will also benefit your offense. In addition, don't forget that there will be an APAAN Drill Video on "The Opening Tip" newsletter! In addition to closeouts, we discuss a great quote from Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Sutton, as well as a study of one of the great college basketball coaches of today, Matt Painter.

A great way to get your team moving in the direction that you'd like for it to move in during the preseason is doing team readings and discussions! In today's podcast, we discuss the parameters that you should use in figuring out what readings you should use, how you should convey the information to your team and some my recommendations for great preseason readings. In addition, we've got a great quote today, along with a coach study of one of the must underrated women's basketball coaches in the history of the game!

One way of winning on the margins is having outstanding execution out of timeouts and quarter breaks, so today we dive into what your mentality should be and how you can build your team's ATO repertoire. We talk about offense and defense, including free throws and how you can or should prepare for each game. We also have (another) great quote from Kevin Eastman, and a deep dive on legendary Virginia WBB HC Debbie Ryan!

If you really want to lead your team, you first, to the best of your ability, must be able to master yourself and know what YOU stand for. In today's podcast, we discuss the concept of core values, both personally and what your core values for your program are and why you need to have them in place for not only the good of your program, but for your own good as well. In addition, we've got a great quote and a discussion on one of my personal influences and a man I consider a friend, Bill Fennelly.

Really excited to have Blake Sandquist, the head men's basketball coach at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) on the podcast this week! Coach has had a great run these last three years with the Bears, including an undefeated conference season last year, and he's looking to do more this year! In this pod, we discuss his influences, how he has grown the last three years, offensive transition, 1/2 court offense, player development and much more!Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the CowboysGet your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their CourtWant to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more!Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

As we've talked about numerous times during this series, there is a minimal amount of variables that we can control once the ball is thrown up on game night, but sideline out of bounds situations (SLOBS) are one of those things. In today's pod, we discuss strategies for both sides of the ball, both during the flow of the game and how to attack late game situations! In addition, we've got a great quote from Michael Hyatt and a study of the guy whom the "Princeton" offense is named after!!!