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Girls Basketball (1 Viewer)

chet

chet

Footballguy
My 12-yo daughter is on the JV bball team at her school. They have a good team but are now on their 3rd coach already this season.

The first coach melted down and quit for reasons unrelated to the team.

The second coach was fired over the Christmas break because his practices were terrible.

The third coach is the school's Athletic Director and doesn't know much about basketball.

Before the break, the team was 10-2 and since (under the AD) they are 0-3 and are losing against teams they've beaten before.

Anyone with experience coaching this level before? What works? It seems to me that they should be focusing on the fundamentals--boxing out, defense etc but I don't know much about the sport. Any thoughts?

 
I have never coached girls, but I coached boys in HS and younger.

Where you start depends on where their shortcomings are. If they are crappy with fundamentals start there. If they are good at fundamentals, but they have no organization and lack structure, then go there.

Many coaches start with plays and defensive schemes and things get too complicated for the kids.

 
Patriotsfatboy1 said:
I have never coached girls, but I coached boys in HS and younger.

Where you start depends on where their shortcomings are. If they are crappy with fundamentals start there. If they are good at fundamentals, but they have no organization and lack structure, then go there.

Many coaches start with plays and defensive schemes and things get too complicated for the kids.
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I agree. The coach tells them 10 things in the TOs when he should be saying one or two.

Defense should be an aggresive man or 2-3 zone. He had them in a 1-3-1 and they were getting killed down low but he didn't know to change. Also, they don't box out. Ever.

Pick and roll is a great idea. They execute the pick but there's no roll. I will talk to my daughter about this.

 
Did you typo the 12 year old being on the JV team? Or are you a typical FBG with a child prodigy who can keep up with kids 2 - 5 years older mentally and physically?

On to the main subject, I can't answer your question but I know what doesn't work. My 15 y/o freshman daughter is on the JV team and plays post. The entire gameplan consists of my daughter standing at the charity stripe with her back to the basket to set picks while the other 4 players camp behind the 3 point line. They pass and dribble around the perimeter until one of them starts feeling it and jacks up a 3. I tracked 10 consecutive offensive possessions and the ball penetrated the 3 point arc only once before being shot. The varsity coach teaches the same system. Utterly ridiculous.

In 7th and 8th grade my daughter's team lost only 8 games total in two seasons and made it to the championship game both years. The varsity and JV teams this year haven't combined for 8 wins yet and the seasons are 3/4 over.

 
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chet said:
Patriotsfatboy1 said:
I have never coached girls, but I coached boys in HS and younger.

Where you start depends on where their shortcomings are. If they are crappy with fundamentals start there. If they are good at fundamentals, but they have no organization and lack structure, then go there.

Many coaches start with plays and defensive schemes and things get too complicated for the kids.
Click to expand...
I agree. The coach tells them 10 things in the TOs when he should be saying one or two.

Defense should be an aggresive man or 2-3 zone. He had them in a 1-3-1 and they were getting killed down low but he didn't know to change. Also, they don't box out. Ever.

Pick and roll is a great idea. They execute the pick but there's no roll. I will talk to my daughter about this.
Click to expand...
A bad coach can destroy a good team. If they were 10-2 and 0-3 under the AD, it doesn't sound like fundamentally there are any issues with the girls themselves. I don't understand how this person became an AD without knowing the basics of basketball. It sounds like the AD is an idiot and ruining the team.

 
I'm a HS ref, a former college player and my best friend is a successful girls varsity BB coach.

Best thing to teach to girls Bball players is defense and rebounding. Everyone wants to start with offense, but if you can constantly get steals and hold opponents down on defense, you have a huge advantage in girls basketball. Few teams play great defense and the ones that do are competitive year in and year out.

Just teach them this 3 step process to defense:

1) always stay between your man and the ball

2) always know where the ball is and look to help when needed

3) block out your man on EVERY SINGLE SHOT

A girls team that can successfully do those three things have greatly increased their odds of winning.

Once that is hammered home (and reinforced regularly), then you can start with offense.

On offense I'd go with one of three options, depending on personel:

1) If guard strong - the "Dribble Weave" is a great way to keep kids moving, has simple principles and allows for guards to create easily.

2) if post strong - the "Hi-Low Post exchange" is a great way to focus on getting the ball inside. Guards can simply pass and screen away and then show for ball reversal while looking inside.

3) if even strength of guards & posts - any basic pick and roll set offense is probably the simplest and most effective. My HS team ran a set where it started with a wing entry from the point, then the PG cuts off of a backscreen from the ball-side post and clears out to the opposite corner. Then that same post player comes to the ball and sets a pick for the pick and roll. Backside players do some kind of down screen up double screen for the cutting PG to keep the weak side defenders occupied.

 
Statcruncher said:
Did you typo the 12 year old being on the JV team? Or are you a typical FBG with a child prodigy who can keep up with kids 2 - 5 years older mentally and physically?

On to the main subject, I can't answer your question but I know what doesn't work. My 15 y/o freshman daughter is on the JV team and plays post. The entire gameplan consists of my daughter standing at the charity stripe with her back to the basket to set picks while the other 4 players camp behind the 3 point line. They pass and dribble around the perimeter until one of them starts feeling it and jacks up a 3. I tracked 10 consecutive offensive possessions and the ball penetrated the 3 point arc only once before being shot. The varsity coach teaches the same system. Utterly ridiculous.

In 7th and 8th grade my daughter's team lost only 8 games total in two seasons and made it to the championship game both years. The varsity and JV teams this year haven't combined for 8 wins yet and the seasons are 3/4 over.
Click to expand...
It's called the JV team but is made up of girls 11-13. My daughter is a good player but far from a prodigy.

 
Figure out who the best player is and get her the ball every possession. On defense, no easy buckets. FT% at this level is going to be in the teens.

 
Jayrod said:
I'm a HS ref, a former college player and my best friend is a successful girls varsity BB coach.

Best thing to teach to girls Bball players is defense and rebounding. Everyone wants to start with offense, but if you can constantly get steals and hold opponents down on defense, you have a huge advantage in girls basketball. Few teams play great defense and the ones that do are competitive year in and year out.

Just teach them this 3 step process to defense:

1) always stay between your man and the ball

2) always know where the ball is and look to help when needed

3) block out your man on EVERY SINGLE SHOT

A girls team that can successfully do those three things have greatly increased their odds of winning.

Once that is hammered home (and reinforced regularly), then you can start with offense.

On offense I'd go with one of three options, depending on personel:

1) If guard strong - the "Dribble Weave" is a great way to keep kids moving, has simple principles and allows for guards to create easily.

2) if post strong - the "Hi-Low Post exchange" is a great way to focus on getting the ball inside. Guards can simply pass and screen away and then show for ball reversal while looking inside.

3) if even strength of guards & posts - any basic pick and roll set offense is probably the simplest and most effective. My HS team ran a set where it started with a wing entry from the point, then the PG cuts off of a backscreen from the ball-side post and clears out to the opposite corner. Then that same post player comes to the ball and sets a pick for the pick and roll. Backside players do some kind of down screen up double screen for the cutting PG to keep the weak side defenders occupied.
Click to expand...
Thanks and thanks to others for the advice. Very helpful.

 
chet said:
My 12-yo daughter is on the JV bball team at her school. They have a good team but are now on their 3rd coach already this season.

The first coach melted down and quit for reasons unrelated to the team.

The second coach was fired over the Christmas break because his practices were terrible.

The third coach is the school's Athletic Director and doesn't know much about basketball.

Before the break, the team was 10-2 and since (under the AD) they are 0-3 and are losing against teams they've beaten before.

Anyone with experience coaching this level before? What works? It seems to me that they should be focusing on the fundamentals--boxing out, defense etc but I don't know much about the sport. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'm curious as the other poster if you are saying your 12 year old is playing high school JV ball, or is there a "jv" team in the middle school?

First thought is that girls are emotional. Being on their third coach, they could have given up on the season. They've been given up on two times now, so their effort could be shot. If that is the case, it might not matter what is being taught.

As far as boxing out, it is an incredibly difficult habit to instil. My general philosophy is that in youth basketball, you can really only be good at three different things. If you want to be good at rebounding (including boxing out), you have to spend a LOT of time on it. Five minutes at practice a week isn't going to get them from not boxing out to dominating the glass.

If you are asking because you are thinking about stepping in at this point, the best suggestion is to find out from your daughter what the first coach was teaching. Set plays? Motion offense? Focus on defense and fast breaks? We can have a discussion on what is best for this particular age group, but for this season, getting back to what they were successful with is the best advice for this season.

I've coached a fair amount of youth basketball, both boys and girls, but I am far from an expert. My favorite offense is now the 5 out read and react. Just google that and you'll get tons of information. This is optimal to take advantage of a situation where you do not have a dominant post player, but it can also be modified to take advantage of good post play. The best thing is that it teaches all players all offensive skills and doesn't pidgeon hole kids into predetermined positions.

But, I've found the most effective offense to be a good defense. Focus on high intensity defense and using that to create easy opportunities on the other end of the court off of steals and getting the break started quickly off defense rebounds.

All that said, a lot also depends on the skill set of the group in question. You can't always predetermine what you want to do with a team until you know what kind of players you have. The best coach is going to tailor his strategy based on the skill set of his players.

And lastly, yes, fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.

 
Bull Dozier said:
chet said:
My 12-yo daughter is on the JV bball team at her school. They have a good team but are now on their 3rd coach already this season.

The first coach melted down and quit for reasons unrelated to the team.

The second coach was fired over the Christmas break because his practices were terrible.

The third coach is the school's Athletic Director and doesn't know much about basketball.

Before the break, the team was 10-2 and since (under the AD) they are 0-3 and are losing against teams they've beaten before.

Anyone with experience coaching this level before? What works? It seems to me that they should be focusing on the fundamentals--boxing out, defense etc but I don't know much about the sport. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'm curious as the other poster if you are saying your 12 year old is playing high school JV ball, or is there a "jv" team in the middle school?

First thought is that girls are emotional. Being on their third coach, they could have given up on the season. They've been given up on two times now, so their effort could be shot. If that is the case, it might not matter what is being taught.

As far as boxing out, it is an incredibly difficult habit to instil. My general philosophy is that in youth basketball, you can really only be good at three different things. If you want to be good at rebounding (including boxing out), you have to spend a LOT of time on it. Five minutes at practice a week isn't going to get them from not boxing out to dominating the glass.

If you are asking because you are thinking about stepping in at this point, the best suggestion is to find out from your daughter what the first coach was teaching. Set plays? Motion offense? Focus on defense and fast breaks? We can have a discussion on what is best for this particular age group, but for this season, getting back to what they were successful with is the best advice for this season.

I've coached a fair amount of youth basketball, both boys and girls, but I am far from an expert. My favorite offense is now the 5 out read and react. Just google that and you'll get tons of information. This is optimal to take advantage of a situation where you do not have a dominant post player, but it can also be modified to take advantage of good post play. The best thing is that it teaches all players all offensive skills and doesn't pidgeon hole kids into predetermined positions.

But, I've found the most effective offense to be a good defense. Focus on high intensity defense and using that to create easy opportunities on the other end of the court off of steals and getting the break started quickly off defense rebounds.

All that said, a lot also depends on the skill set of the group in question. You can't always predetermine what you want to do with a team until you know what kind of players you have. The best coach is going to tailor his strategy based on the skill set of his players.

And lastly, yes, fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.
Click to expand...
Yes, JV middle school team. Varsity middle school is grade 8. JV is grades 6-7.

 
They need to get really physical -- charge, push, throw elbows, etc. The goal is to foul every time the opponent gets the ball. They should also say really horrible things under their breath whenever they are out of earshot from the refs. "You're a dirty whore", or "Touch me and I'll stab you", that sort of thing.

The advantages are twofold -- foul shooting % for girls that age is abysmal, especially when they're on tilt, and the opponent will be so intimidated that they'll soften up their defense and not fight for rebounds.

 
There is some good advice in here but it still seems like the core problem is the AD. They were good before, now they aren't and are losing to teams they beat before.

It should be the AD's responsibility to find someone fit for the job (especially if its a private school). If the AD can't run practices properly, the kids might be losing interest and also motivation for the games. I think as a parent you have to address this with the AD and ask when someone fitting for the position will be hired.

 
tjnc09 said:
There is some good advice in here but it still seems like the core problem is the AD. They were good before, now they aren't and are losing to teams they beat before.

It should be the AD's responsibility to find someone fit for the job (especially if its a private school). If the AD can't run practices properly, the kids might be losing interest and also motivation for the games. I think as a parent you have to address this with the AD and ask when someone fitting for the position will be hired.
Click to expand...
I agree but will also cut him some slack as it relates to hiring a coach. Best solution would be to convince the original coach to come back but that's an uphill battle. He was awesome.

 
Nothing wrong with a 1-3-1 if you trap out of it and your wings drop to weak side. Like any defense, if you play it poorly, it won't work.

I would mix in some zone and man. The only adjustment to what was described before is that you need to know the difference between ball side and help side. You should always be able to see your man AND the ball.

Boxing out can be taught fairly quickly. It is based on aggression, which I bet is lacking, and using your butt.

Fundamentals with some simple motion offense should be fine at that age. I generally explain that there are 5 players and one ball. As such, you need to be better at moving without the ball than with it. Fast break on every change of possession. You can make up a lot for a lack of skill with a ton of effort.

 
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Offensively,I like Read and React for most youth teams. Basically, pass, cut and fill. If you fill wrong side, ie space is occupied back pick that player back thru. Back door any overplay. Circle movement, ie when the ball penetrates right, everyone on the floor circles to their right. It's basically the anti shell.

Defensively man-to-man. They will improve just by defending the read and react sets.

Drill ball handling and weak hand passing/lay-ups. When we do lay-ups we have 3 in the corner and 9 with balls in the shooting line. Dribble to top of key extended and pass to corner without putting inside hand on ball (this will be difficult with the off hand), basket cut, return pass and work on 4 lay-ups from each side (Outside hand, inside hand, strong reverse, and weak reverse). Do this from each side. Anyone who has a ball is dribbling with their weak hand.

Once they get adept at defensive spacing yo can teachthem how to press.

 
The 2nd coach was fired at the break because his practices were terrible - but they were still 10-2, right?

So was that really a good idea?

 
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