Eight Winning Basketball Plays, Part 1

Field goal percentage, rebound margin, points off turnovers – these are all critical areas that must be addressed by basketball teams in order to improve their chances of winning games. Moreover, media outlets are notorious for sensationalizing game winning shots. Through this essay, I hope to shed some light on subtle game winning ‘plays’ that are vital to achieving success on the basketball court. As a program, we do our very best to preach the importance of these plays, practice them if possible, and to acknowledge them when they occur.

The Hockey Assist

Have you ever seen a team that moves the ball quickly and precisely? That team, because of the ball movement, becomes hard to guard. When a defensive player is forced to go from the strong side of the floor to the weak side of the floor and back again, he becomes a vulnerable defender. He may close out poorly on his man and either give up an open jump shot or he may get beat off the dribble because he is off balance. Either way, when the ball moves quickly on offense, the defense must constantly reposition itself, which is easier said than done. Additionally, the pass prior to the pass that leads to a basket – the hockey assist – is a basketball play that rarely gets recognition. Picture this: the ball is thrown into the post from a wing. The offensive post player is immediately double teamed, forcing him to kick the ball out. He makes a pass to an open teammate at the top of the key area. Once he catches the ball, he quickly moves the ball to the opposite wing via the pass. That wing player makes the extra pass to a teammate in the corner for a wide open three point shot. The player at the top of the key who started the ball movement on the perimeter is not credited with an assist. However, his unselfish play was critical to his team taking a high percentage, uncontested shot. He could have been a ball stopper – either holding the ball for too long or putting the ball on the floor. Encourage your team to move the ball unselfishly and your coaches to acknowledge the ‘hockey assist.’

Short Memory

Too often young players hang their heads after missing a shot. They clap their hands in disgust and mumble to themselves. Whether they believe it or not, this negativity will affect their next field goal attempt. The best shooters and players in the world miss nearly 50% of their attempts. Young players must develop the concept of having a ‘short memory.’ In other words, as soon as the ball leaves their fingertips and bounces off the rim, they must instantly forget about that shot attempt. Perseverating over missed field goal attempts will only damage their confidence. Having confidence in your ability to shoot the ball is what separates great shooters from average shooters. Our coaching staff can often be heard yelling from the sidelines, “short memory,” to one of our players who had just missed a shot. We are essentially saying to that player, “Forget about that miss; your next attempt is going in; we believe in you!” The last thing we want is for our players to look over their shoulder at the scorer’s table to see if someone is checking in for them after they have missed a shot. Instill confidence in your players and encourage them to develop a short memory!

*Editors Note: This article first appeared in the September/October 2013 edition of Winning Hoops magazine.