"Many coaches need to hear your approach @ these seminars. Some of them will always struggle because they don't have a complete grasp of where the game is won and lost and what happens away from the ball.  So they make sure they have "plays" and go over them ad nauseum.  Don't get me wrong I have a lot of sets I expect the kids to run, but they don’t rely on them all the time.  Another thing is you can get 10 points a game on the offensive glass by teaching some rebounding moves going to the basket.  And understanding basic clock management is lost on many coaches, your seminar will help win games simply by understanding how to manage the clock at the end of quarters and the end of the game."

Coach Brad Richards

Three Time All Area Coach

Michigan High School Coach of the Year, 2002

All American player, Cornerstone University

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There is no better way to competitively direct a team or program than to get the coaches on the same page, build strong, repeatable practice habits and understand how to effectively manage games and practices. Our modest growth at Basketball Basics is related to our ability to teach the game correctly, from the ground up. Over 90% of the players who attend our camps and pre-season sessions make their school teams.  We have 41 graduates now at the college level 

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These 2 hour seminars are for school coaches and parents who seek a proficient and measureable routine to basketball skill development.  Good coaches are always open to new ideas, new ways to approach the game, new ways to learn.  As Coach Wooden says "When we are through learning, we are through."

Includes drills, hand outs, practice format and simple explanation of an effective motion offense. 

If you have not read the attached article from ESPN's Jay Bilas, please do so.  It describes the difference between coaching and teaching the game.  Basketball is a game of many skills. If these skills are not TAUGHT properly, a player's (and program's) chances for competitive growth are limited.   

Our Coaching Seminars guarantee the attendees will learn how to effectively run a practice, improve the skills of the players, do so in an age appropriate manner and also learn basic game management techniques.

Recent observation of a Community Youth Basketball Program

This is a VERY common occurence.  I was in a gym on a weekend. There was a group of maybe 50 kids, mostly K through 3rd/4th.  The instructors were mostly parents, and they were doing a good job.  The kids were having fun, and there was a lot of energy in the gym.  The key skills for kids this age however were not being taught or reinforced.  Kids were being permitted to run with the ball, there were few jump stops executed correctly, shots were being thrown like footballs.  The key elements of the game (vision, footwork and ball handling) were not being reinforced at all.  This is the way community youth basketball is managed most of the time.

The amazing thing about HABITS is they are easily built and difficult to break.  (not just basketball!).  These young ages are critical for habit forming (K through 6th in particular).  Kids who have good, fundamental basic habits are simply better players regardless of athletic skills.   We are very good at building these competitive habits. 

The best way to share this knowledge is through local coaches and parents. If youth coaches and parents understood how to teach and reinforce these skills, these kids would have a terrific base upon which to build their basketball skills.   There is a sequence and premeditated manner in which to teach these skills. I highly recommend a Coaching Seminar for these parents and youth coaches.  They are very effective and help the coaches understand how to teach the game correctly.  The ultimate beneficiaries will be your kids, who will be able to play the game more competitively and also learn to enjoy the game more readily. 

Also, see Bobby Knight 1 minute clip on this subject.

Our college coach, Gary Walters, is currently the athletic director at Princeton.  Coach Walters played with Bill Bradley at Princeton under Coach Butch VanBredaKoff.  Coach Pete Carrill followed shortly thereafter. Many of the drills, the practice preparation and game management techniques come directly from these highly credible sources.

These seminars have 2 parts

Part 1: Skill development (approx 1.5 hours)

Part 2: Practice Organization and Game management  (approximately 30 minutes)

• Understanding individual player skills and creating a practice schedule

• Practice organization based on the skills of the players

• How drills from Part 1 should be applied and measured in practice

• How to teach and foster mental toughness (middle school and high school players primarily)

• Game management, including basic man-to-man principles, zone principles, clock management, use of time outs, developing post and perimeter players, handling and applying pressure, referees and other game condition topics.

• If asked, we will also discuss making cuts, handling parental pressure, fostering great academic standards through basketball, how to handle playing time and any other issues raised. 

Imagine understanding these teaching concepts and appropriately sharing that knowledge with your kids?  You will position them for success on and off the court.

Coach Jim McGannon
18643 N. Fruitport Rd
Spring Lake, MI 49456
(616) 402-1600
BasketballBasics@charter.net

If you would like a Coaching Seminar conducted at your school, please inquire.  All that is needed is a gym and a 2 hour block of time.  Basketball Basics gym in Ferrysburg is also available.