MooseJaw Summer Gear Present The ACC Today on US Sports Net Featuring: Miami's Chris Lykes Has A Lot To Like

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Miami's 5'7" point guard Chris Lykes may be small in stature, but he is a giant on the court. He turned in an excellent freshman season and stepped up in the absence of fellow guard Bruce Brown, leading the Canes averaging 12.8 points-per-game during Brown’s absence. Brown, along with fellow NBA-bound guard Lonnie Walker IV and Miami head coach Jim Larranaga break down why Lykes is poised for a big sophomore season. [Full Video Highlights and More Below] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/Oqg3iE

First this "Teachable Moment" From CoachTube Basketball

Tips for Running and Handling the Ball in Transition

• By Brandon Ogle
 

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A large part of the game of basketball is understanding the surrounding circumstances. With this comes a time and place where pushing it in transition makes sense. However, there will be other times where it makes more sense to slow it down and set up an offense. Some teams favor getting up-and-down to score in transition, while others take a more methodical approach. This article will take a look at the up-tempo offenses that strive to effectively and efficiently score the ball in transition.

Advantages

Before I get deeper into specific drills to improve your own abilities in handling and moving the ball up-court in transition, I thought it would be best to provide you with details on why and when it works. First off, it can easily produce some quick points. If the defense doesn’t get back right away, lay-up opportunities will be available. This leads me to the next advantage, which is the fact that it pressures the opposition to get back quickly. As a result, you may see more rushed shot attempts or less aggression in attacking the offensive glass: both positives for the team choosing to get out fast in transition. Lastly, it allows for more players to see court time. Due to the up-tempo nature it creates, coaches are forced to sub players in-and-out more frequently. This creates a more unifying culture and prevents any egos from forming in the locker room.

Get It to the Guards!

The most important tip for running the ball in transition is to get the ball in the hands of a guard immediately. Upon getting the defensive rebound, all forwards and centers should look to a guard as the primary ball handler. In order to so, a guard needs to hang back to provide a receiving option for the forward to pass to. It’s also important to point out that you can still run a transition offense even off a made basket. In order to implement this, coaches should designate one player to be the full-time in-bounds passer. This will speed up the overall process and ensure there are no situations where no one is there to throw in.

Ultimately, all young players must understand that if they’re a forward or center, the first order of business should be to get the ball in the hands of a guard.

Guards train to develop their ball skills to handle the rock in tight situations. For young guards, I recommend continuously working on these abilities. This video from CoachTube provides a number of incredibly helpful tutorials to learning new moves.

Practice these and make them seem second-nature!

Stay Under Control!

When younger players hear the coach talk about implementing an up-tempo, transition offensive strategy, it can be exciting. After all, you’ll get the opportunity to push it every time and likely get a few easy lay-up chances every game. However, the key is to stay under control and know when to push it. You won’t be able to play the transition game after every missed shot.

Additionally, the opposition might focus more on getting back if they get burned by the transition a couple times. With this said, if you’re the guard, you need to pick and choose times to speed it up. At the same time, when you are handling the ball in transition, keep your head up. It’s vital to constantly be gauging the surrounding circumstances and looking for passing lanes.

Also, never force it into the paint if the defense is already set up. Sometimes this will result in a pair of free throws, but more often than not it will be a charge or a careless turnover.

Know Your Lanes

I’ve already started to delve into some of the basics of playing in transition, which has included getting the ball in the hands of the guard and staying under control. The next element is for the other players to know their roles. Typically, coaches preach for the point guard to receive the outlet pass from the rebounder in the middle of the court. At this time, the other guard and small forward should be racing up the sidelines. The power forward will follow slightly behind the point guard to present yet another opportunity. Lastly, the rebounder (the center in this case, but could also very well be the power forward) will serve as the trail man. The center’s roll is to present a backup option, possibly as a pull-up three, or the emergency defense in case the transition chance goes awry. Each of the particular lanes may change based on where the players are at the time of the rebound, but the key is to fill each of those lanes. This gives the point guard the most room and options to work with.

2-on-1 and 3-on-2

A couple of the more common fast break/transition opportunities that there will be are the 2-on-1 and 3-on-2. Many coaches practice each of these a decent amount in practice, as there easy to train with and are perfect game-type situations. In this section, I’ll provide a few helpful hints that I’ve taken away from my playing and scouting experience.

2-on-1

On the 2-on-1 break, I believe it is most effective for the ball handler to take a shoot first mentality. As he or she is racing up the court, they should utilize their peripheral vision to see where and who their teammate is and where the opposition is. The reason why I say “who” is because certain players like bigs may be more adept at catching a lob rather than a pass where they have to put a dribble down. With this shoot first mentality, attack until the defender makes a decision and picks one of the two offensive players.

3-on-2

With the 3-on-2, you have to remember to keep the ball in the middle of the court. Otherwise, it becomes much easier for the defense to prevent all passing lanes. Most of the time, with these situations, I like the point guard to stop around the free throw line and make the open pass. One of the defenders will likely pick up the ball handler, while the other will choose one of the two wings. In the times where the defenders pick up both wings, go straight to the hole and either finish with a layup or a floater. At all costs, avoid overpassing, which can easily end in a turnover and missed opportunity.

Game Experience

In the end, the best way to become a more effective player in running and handling the rock in transition is to do it in actual games. Doing so will increase your confidence that you can consistently make the right reads and get the easy bucket. You’ll become more comfortable reading defenses and knowing when to push it and when to slow it down to run the offense. Transition offense can be very exciting, but while any play can look like a potential transition opportunity, not every chance is going to work out!

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Duke guard Gary Trent Jr. was a part of an uber-talented 2017 freshman class that powered the Blue Devils to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Trent averaged 14.5 points-per-game while registering 97 3-point field goals, setting a new Duke freshman record. The sharpshooter also connected on 40.2% of his 3-point attempts. [This Video and More Below] Check out Gary Trent Jr. in action in this 2018 NBA Draft Tape!SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/Oqg3iE

And Now Here Is Another CoachTube Teachable Moment!

BASKETBALL SPEED AND AGILITY: 8 QUESTIONS FOR COACHTUBE EXPERT RICH STONER

• By Jacob

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CoachTube Basketball Training Advisor Chris Corbett recently had the chance to interview renowned speed and agility expert Rich Stoner on the topic so many ambitious young athletes seek answers to.

How can you gain an edge this offseason?

Check out Rich’s answers below and then head on over to his industry-leading CoachTube course.

1. What are the 3 biggest benefits of working on basketball specific agility that players will notice in-game?

That’s easy.

1. Footwork 2. Balance 3. Speed

Much of what we work on centers around proper footwork. Many players and parents don’t realize that footwork is THE essential component of improved speed and agility.

Your feet put your body in the right or wrong positions on the basketball court. By consistently working on placing your feet in the right position, you can improve your balance and your overall performance.

2. What are the top 5 questions your training clients and their families ask you about in terms of basketball speed and agility training?

1. What can I be doing at home to increase my first-step quickness?

2. How do I improve defensively?

3. Is there a specific diet I should follow for basketball?

4. How old should I be before I begin lifting weights?

5. How does weight training help increase my speed and agility?

3. Can you share with me what a typical Saturday training-day looks like for you and what the expected rewards are for these sessions?

Saturday is one of my busiest days at Elite Basketball Training. It typically begins at 8 am with personal skills development workouts for many of my higher level players. These players are looking for more personal attention and I work with them on a 3-1 player to trainer ratio. These players also get workouts written by me that cater to their specific needs on the basketball court.

The benefits of such programming is that they are constantly working to improve the specific parts of their game that need work and receiving a large amount of feedback throughout the hour. The feedback is crucial to their development as they then know what to work on for the next week.

From 9-10:30, we have Saturday Skills group training. This group-based workout is designed to develop all facets of the game of basketball and is scaled based on ability. Throughout this time, we focus on improving ball handling, attacking, finishing, jump shooting, on-court speed and agility, conditioning, basketball IQ, and playing ability. As a result of this thorough approach to training, the players’ overall game improves tremendously. Many of these players then stay for an additional hour of sports performance training.

At Elite Basketball Training, our sports performance programming is designed to improve your overall athleticism as it relates to your performance on the basketball court. This includes but is not limited to injury prevention, mobility/flexibility, speed, agility, quickness, power, strength, and balance. Players who train this way see improved performance on the court because they are more physically prepared than their opponents. They can run faster, jump higher, last longer, and are injured far less frequently than the players who do not.

4. What is the top tip you would share with a close friend about basketball speed and agility?

I am of the philosophy that the stronger and more powerful you are the quicker and more agile you will be. If you can exert more force on the ground, you will more quicker. This is a direct result of the strength and power development in our weight training regimen. Yes, footwork and balance are extremely important but there is a direct transfer between strength, balance, and footwork. The stronger the human body is, the more able they will be to put their bodies in the best positions for success on the court.

5. What are the common pitfalls in preventing people from reaching their basketball speed and agility goals?

A lack of training and/or understanding that training for basketball speed and agility or general physical preparedness is important. There is too much of a focus on gameplay as a year-round component of player development.

This leaves no opportunity for fitness training and little time to develop the athleticism that is necessary to take your game to another level. It also leaves very little time for physical recovery. As a result, players do not develop the skills or athleticism they need to perform their best on the court.

Furthermore, overplaying and a lack of down-time puts a lot of stress on your body which leads to injuries that could have been prevented if there was an offseason to recover and train. The best players are in the best shape and they train to be in the best shape. Our tagline at Elite Basketball Training is, “Elevate your game. Become Elite.” We provide programs that, if taken advantage of, will be the difference maker for you on the court.

This could be the difference in being injured or not being injured, making the team or not, starting or sitting on the bench, playing in college or just being a high school player… you get the idea. Ultimately, players and parents need to understand that sports performance training, which includes speed and agility training is important.

6. Speed and agility training can be mentally challenging. Do you have any personal stories that might inspire us to keep at it?

When I was in 8th grade, I had been playing basketball for a few years, and I was on par with my team’s better players in terms of basketball skills. I had been cut the year before as a seventh grader but had worked hard to make the team in my final year of middle school. I made it all the way through to the final tryout and was one of two players to get cut.

That moment was one of the worst in my life up to that point, but looking back on it now, it might have been the best thing that ever happened to me. I know it’s silly to think that getting cut from a middle school basketball team is a life-changing moment, but honestly, it was for me.

I had some skills, but ultimately, I was slow, overweight, and out of shape, none of which are good qualities to have as a basketball player… by any stretch of the imagination. Having been cut from the team for two straight years, I could have given up and ended my basketball career right then and there. However, I did not give up and I vowed to make the high school basketball team.

I worked harder than I ever had in my life to improve my basketball skills but ALSO get myself in the best shape possible. My hard work paid off, and I made the freshmen team, ultimately working my way into the starting lineup. This trend continued throughout high school, as I became a starter at every level, including my junior and senior years on two highly successful varsity teams.

But it was that moment I got cut in middle school that really defined me as a person and helped mold me into who I am today. It forced me to establish a work ethic that surpassed those around me. To this day I train myself harder at the age of 37 than most teenagers and 20 year olds do, and I attribute it to that time in my life.

7. Do you have any clients who have really inspired you, and if so, why?

One of my first clients, Dallas Ouano is definitely an inspiration to me. At the time, I was just starting out as a trainer and Dallas had watched me put his younger sister through a basketball skills development workout.

As a former player, he loved it. About a week later, Dallas came to me and asked me to train him with the intention of walking-on at Villanova. He dedicated that whole summer to his training which consisted of basketball skills development and sports performance training at least three days per week.

That fall, he was the only player of the many who tried out to who make the practice squad, and a year later, he was given his coveted walk-on position. He even became a team captain his senior year. His work ethic and drive was so impressive for a teenager (at the time) and it inspired me to be a better trainer and to up my own workouts in order to keep up with a player who was over 10 years younger than me.

Dallas is still a good friend of mine and very little has changed regarding his hard word and enthusiasm for training. We are both into CrossFit right now and talk frequently about our training regimens. Hearing about his successes in the gym still prompts me to work harder to stay relevant and compete with him and these younger guys that are in the game

8. You have a course here on Coachtube called Basketball Speed and Agility. What can we expect from that?

Our Basketball Speed and Agility product is a great approach to maximizing your training time by using multi-skill drills that combine basketball skills development with speed and agility training. There is a testing component that will allow you to set the bar for yourself or your team, then an extensive compilation of drills that will improve your basketball-specific speed and agility.

Basketball speed is very different than the type of speed a sprinter or cross-country runner would have. You must have the ability to change movements and directions in a split second with and without the basketball. This is a skill that needs to be worked on and our product enables you to do that in the most efficient manner possible.

I have plans to make a new speed and agility course in the near future, once I finish up a couple of other projects that I’m working on. It will include some of my new toys that I have been using to develop basketball speed as well as new drills that I have been demoing during my workouts.

I would recommend using my course as part of your daily training. The drills are multi-functional and therefore apply to any skills development workout you create.

To try these drills, check out Rich’s course here.

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