I have found that the most rewarding moments of my coaching career, were not directly connected to high scores, impressive wins, or Championship Berths; but nestled instead within the everyday moments of learning and teaching.  More than anything, the “Aha-Moments” are what sustain me as a coach: whether witnessing a young player finally figure out how to use the backboard properly or an older athlete successfully transfer newly learned skills from practice to game situations, the process of helping players develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses remains central to my coaching passion.  Never is this passion for teaching and learning as keen, as when I have the opportunity to work with young, inexperienced players; the unexpected joy and success I have experienced as a coach in this arena has been very worthwhile.

During the spring basketball season, I work exclusively with female athletes between the ages of 10 and 12 years old that often have little in the way of basketball exposure.  For the most part, these young athletes have been cut from the top-level teams because of their minimal confidence, limited skill, and lack of game experience.  Accordingly the focus of our season is to effectively address these three deficiencies; I want to give them the opportunity to succeed in future basketball endeavors at school, in leagues, or the next AAU season.  My philosophies on coach-player interactions, practice time, and playing time are all in service of this larger goal.  Firstly, I work to make both the practices and the games a space where mistakes can and will be made.  Secondly, I make it my business as a coach to help my players grow more confident in themselves as the season progresses by providing positive and constructive feedback that emphasizes how they can improve.  Thirdly, all mistakes—whether they happen in practices or games—are used as teachable moments; and hopefully, the players begin to appreciate that it is all about getting better, not just the final box score.

Since the lion share of practice time centers on explaining the basics of basketball: game rules, ball handling fundamentals, and essential footwork skills, we rarely have time to develop sophisticated strategies of offense or defense.  Consequently, I try to tap into what the players already do well (even if it is not expressly basketball related) and make that a cornerstone of what we do on the court.  An exciting instance of this strategy working well happened with my 10U girls’ AAU team in 2004; when we, despite having only two or three players that had played organized basketball before, won the Division II State Championship Tournament with a simple, yet effective 2-3 zone.

The connection of this particular team and the use of this straightforward zone defense became clear to me during the first week of our practices.  In the midst of warm-ups one day, the girls had an impromptu contest to see who could count the loudest while doing team jumping jacks (also known as straddle hops).  They went back and forth screaming as loudly as they could until my ears were ringing and they were all consumed in a genuine fit of laughter.  Naturally boisterous and energetic, this team more than made up in enthusiasm and spirit anything they may have lacked in basketball skill or experience.  Honestly, I do not remember who won that particular contest, but certainly do recall my excitement about how we could translate this seemingly silly game into our defensive philosophy.

My initial introduction to the girls of the 2-3 zone consisted of a five on zero defensive drill that allowed the players to get familiar with their areas of coverage.  I simply walked the ball to different areas of the court so that they could learn to move while the ball was “in the air.”  Like most who use this defense, our main concern was to keep the paint filled with an intimidating presence; we worked to limit offensive opportunities in the paint.  To help them conceptualize the importance of covering the paint, a rule was established that said they must all have at least one foot in the lane unless they were guarding the ball in their area.  After the girls learned to divide the court and pay particular attention to guarding the ball, not the people in their area, we commenced to work on the aggressive spirit of the zone defense.  In fact, all of our wins that season were due, in large part, to the aggressive way that the players defended other teams.  The best part of this defensive strategy was that all of the players, from the most to the least skilled, were able to be successful within this defense.

One of the largest obstacles to an effective zone defense is the tendency of players to stand flat footed and lull themselves into an inactive malaise that prevents them from reacting quickly to offensive strikes, rebounds, and transition.  We were able to counter that, however, by using a drill that closely mirrored the jumping jack competition.  In a five on five setup, we put our 2-3 defense against a zone offense.  Although the drill would also allow for focusing on zone offense, we initially used it to practice moving while the ball was in the air, staying on the balls of our feet, keeping our hands in the possible passing lanes, and disrupting the offensive flow with loud defensive chatter.  As the season progressed, our coverage got tighter and our movements, swifter.  The added den of the players yelling “…ball, ball, ball!” created a since of chaos that the opposition had great difficulty overcoming.

Most other Division II players at that age struggled with this unexpected adversity during the games.  We were successful all the way to the State Championship because we were consistently able to recreate that intensity with our screaming jumping jacks.  Both the players and I were amazed at how effective their early season competition of screaming jumping jacks had become; and the pride and ownership that the ladies were able to take in their defensive acuity was the single best motivation that I could have imagined for players of that age.  Once they were able to translate their preseason physical skills (something as innocuous as jumping jacks) and youthful exuberance into loud, on-court communication and defensive intensity, the team began to believe in itself in a way that was wonderful to witness.  I have continued to use the “Screaming Jumping Jacks Competition” as the basis for zone defense with all of my teams, regardless of age; and I will continue to do so in the future.