Exactly What Happened
Exactly What Happened this Season?
At the end of each basketball season, I would attempt to analyze “exactly what happened” during the season that determined our wins and losses. To do this properly I had to make sure to log in all the statistics possible, and ensure that we had someone video taping the games. In order to properly accomplish this I would enlist the assistance of several parents. In order to figure out how to fix your teams deficiencies, you have to do two important things: a) Have plenty of accurate statistics, and b) Watch game video as much as possible. First, statistics will tell you specifically how your players performed on the court, and which areas they need to improve certain skills – Here are some examples. If your best shooter scored 24 points a game and shot 50% that’s a good stat, but if they scored 24 points a game and shot 20% then maybe they didn’t perform so well after all. Maybe your team only averaged 10 rebounds per game and only 3 of those were offensive rebounds. 20 plus turnovers per game is not a very good average at all, but a great stat to figure out which players need improvement. The one statistic I always checked first is how many missed layups the team had (this stat bothered me the most). All of these statistics tell the story of the game, and help coaches come up with a plan to increase players skills. Second, watching game video is a great coaching tool that is extremely valuable but is sometimes regarded as an unnecessary waste of time by some. Although watching game video may take away from practice time, I would argue that the benefits are much greater watching video. Here’s why – As a coach, I could explain to a player over and over that they are not executing a play correctly and they still will not get it. But once they see themselves on video making those mistakes in the game (those same mistakes that I have been explaining in practice) they usually get it. Statistics and watching game video tell “exactly what happened” in the game, they don’t lie! Use this information to improve your players basketball skills and you will improve your teams chances of consistent success.
