Big props to Pete Brown, my former assistant coach at VUL. He recently arrived in Mexico to play for Tigres San Jeronimo. He is already making an impact on the team and gaining fans! It is a great feeling when you see hard work and perseverance pay off, and I’m excited to see how this next chapter in Pete’s career unfolds. Follow Pete and the Tigres season here. 

I am so proud of both of these guys, both captains of their team! Gravs finished the season as the team's second leading scorer and Zorney was the leading rebounder. Both earned great grades too. Congrats guys, the hard work paid off. 

Two of my former players, Dmitry Zimin and Egor Shakhmetov, getting pumped before a pro basketball game with Russian team MBA-Runa Moscow. Really proud of these guys and am enjoying watching them further their careers!

My man! Congratulations to Chris Calvin, a 6'5" center, who recently scored his 1500th point. Chris played for me at VUL and is finishing his career at Barber Scotia College in Concord, NC. Now he's on his way to 2000!

How It Works:
(1) Players align as shown with Coach having ball.
(2) The players face the Coach.
(3) When the Coach shoots, the players turn and rebound the ball.
(4) The players then play 1-on-1 in the lane.

Coaching Points:
(1) Be aggressive.
(2) Go to the ball.
(3) Be physical.
(4) Finish plays.

How It Works:
(1) Players align as shown with Coach having ball.
(2) Coach shoots ball and Players #1 and #2 go for the rebound.
(3) Player who rebounds the ball outlets back to Coach and Players return to original positions on opposite sides.
(4) Drill continues for specified time interval.

Coaching Points:
(1) Jump to the ball.
(2) Be physical.
(3) Be aggressive.
(4) Snap outlet passes.

How It Works:
Diagram A
(1) Players align as shown with Player #3 having the ball and Player #2 defending Player #1.
(2) Player #3 shoots the ball from at least 15ft.
(3) Player #2 blocks out Player #1.
(4) If offensive player gets the rebound, he plays 1-on-1 in lane with defensive player.

Diagram B
(1) If defensive player gets the rebound, he becomes the next shooter by dribbling out to 15ft for a shot.
(2) Player #1 (offensive player) becomes the next defensive player and goes to block out #3 who has become the next offensive rebounder. 
(3) Drill continues for specified time interval.

Coaching Points:
(1) Use a rebounding lid to make all shots misses.
(2) Emphasize block out technique.
(3) Emphasize man first, ball second.
(4) Be physical.

DRILL #4: OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING BURSTS* (*reposted from previous Blog post)

How It Works:
(1) Coach has ball and Rebounder (R) lines up opposite behind a chair or cone.
(2) Coach shoots the ball. R moves around the chair using a pre-determined offensive rebounding technique (images above).
     a. Fake and Go
     b. Spin and Go
     c. Malone Steps
     d. Hold Inside
(3) R secures the rebound and puts it back up.

Coaching Points:
(1) Use a rebounding lid to make all shots misses.
(2) Shoot from all angles and use both sides of the floor.

Here is a PDF of the above drills if you want to take these to the gym for reference. 

Any questions? Comments? Want more? Post a comment and let's get a conversation started!

USA vs SERBIA
Before the 2014 FIBA World Cup started, Coach K said to his team, “Bring your Body, Mind and Heart; If you can deliver we can do this!” Team USA took the last step in their journey today at the Palacio de los Deportes de la Comunidad in Madrid. The USA hammered Serbia 129-92. This game was an example of the impact that quickness and athleticism can have on a game.

Serbia began the game strong and got the USA off-balance, taking a 15-7 lead, but their aggressiveness ended up working against them. They were cocky on the floor, and when big Nenad Krstic pushed Kenneth Faried on a rebound, the monster was awakened. The USA got angry, woke up and never looked back. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry picked up the defense on Milos Teodosic, preventing him from penetrating and kicking the ball to his bigs. This created 6 quick turnovers, and the USA was off to the races. Thompson and James Harden went for 18 and 17, respectively, in the first half, and the team shot 12/16 from the three-point line to take a 67-41 lead into halftime. 

In the second half, Teodosic became so frustrated over the USA defense, which was forcing him left out of his comfort zone, that he asked to come out of the game. Bojan Bogdanovic tried to pick up the slack by hitting two threes and also had two nice assists, but at the end of three quarters the lead had reached 105-67. Faried opened the fourth with a jump hook and Bogdanovic had two nice drive-and-scores, but it was pretty much over at that point and both teams devolved into street ball until the buzzer sounded.  

Kryie Irving was the USA’s leading scorer with 26 and was on fire from three, shooting 6/6. Other top scorers included James Harden (23) who played his best game of the tournament, Thompson (12) and Faried (12). The team shot 15/30 from the 3pt line, out-rebounded Serbia 44-32 and made their free throws (83% to Serbia’s 71%). Serbia was led in scoring by Nemanja Bjelica (18), Nikola Kalinic (18) and Bogdanovic (15).

Team USA showed how much this win, and the gold medal, meant when they celebrated at the buzzer, leaping into the air. They looked like kids in love with the game of basketball and grateful for the chance to play with each other and for their country. It was refreshing to see. Kyrie Irving tucked the MVP away very proudly and will take it back to Cleveland and show it to a very excited coach David Blatt.

Although they fell one win short, Serbia was excited to win the silver, their best placing under the Serbian flag. They will return home and be instant heroes, as will the French who took home bronze. 

The 2014 FIBA World Cup All Tournament team is an impressive line-up with Pau Gasol (Spain), Nicolas Batum (France), Klay Thompson and Kenneth Faried (USA) and Milos Teodosic (Serbia). Congratulations to all of the players! I had fun watching.

USA vs SERBIA PREVIEW
At 3pmEST, all my boys from Serbia will be gathered around the TV to see if their beloved basketball team can produce a miracle and defeat a USA team that has beaten up on every team it’s faced so far. In this game, "speed kills,” and in this match-up, the USA definitely has the upper hand. The USA fields a talented group: Derrick Rose, Steph Curry (if he can avoid foul trouble), Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried. If Harden plays team ball, his contribution will make them an even more formidable opponent. Serbia has their hands full. The USA has won every game in the tournament by at least 20 points. If they do the same tomorrow, they will be the first team to do that in the World Cup. It’s an attainable goal. They have the depth, and if they play smart, they’ll be difficult to stop.

Keys for Serbia:

• If the USA starts slowly like they have in previous games, Serbia must try their best to keep them off-balance - don’t let them find their rhythm and gain momentum
• Nenad Krstic and Miroslav Raduljica must play solid defense, box-out, force fouls and keep the USA away from their game plan
• Milos Teodosic must pick up the point guard and force him out of his comfort zone
• Serbia can level the playing field by forcing the USA to make bad decisions

Keys for the USA:

• The USA must make Serbia set up high and bring the Serbian bigs up high
• Teodosic must be defended, because he is capable of taking over a game
• Kenneth Faried must have a super game. He is certainly capable of it, and Serbia doesn’t have anyone who can match up with him
• Quickness and athleticism go a long way in wearing down the opposing team

If Serbia can stay in this, they could make the USA work. This is a David-and-Goliath deal though. Ultimately, I don’t think the game will be close - USA wins by 25!

FRANCE vs LITHUANIA
France 95 Lithuania 93. To those who made it through today's bronze medal game between France and Lithuania standing and in one piece, a big congrats! The last two days have seen these teams tested and worn to a frazzle. France’s Nicolas Batum was special, scoring 27 on top of his 35 points yesterday. Jonas Valanciunas put on a show with 25 points for Lithuania. 

Today’s game was a fan’s delight, and players on both teams should be proud of their efforts. The coaches exhausted everything they could muster to get a win. This was a championship war. I only hope tomorrow’s gold medal game between the USA and Serbia is entertaining as this proved to be.

FRANCE vs SERBIA
Milos Teodosic (24pts), the best true point guard on the planet, came out firing and running pick and rolls like a pro to lead his Serbian team to a 46-32 first half blitz on a French team that had no answers. With his crafty ball handling and razor-sharp passes, Teodosic totally confused France, a team that had played great defense at times in the tournament. Teodosic, who is a member of top pro Russian team CSKA Moscow, time and time again made beautiful assists to his bigs Nenad Krstic and Miroslav Raduljica, both of whom scored 11 points and ruled the paint. In one three-minute span, Teodosic had four assists to his bigs. 

Boris Diaw (13pts) and Thomas Heurtel (12pts) kept France close, but Serbia’s 14-point lead continued through the third quarter. French coach Vincent Collet changed his defense at the beginning of the fourth quarter by putting pressure on the ball and forcing the pick and roll offense out higher toward midcourt. This moved the Serbian bigs out higher and away from the basket. It also changed the pace of the game and allowed Nicolas Batum room to operate. Operate, he did! Batum went 8/12 from the 3 point line and pulled France to within three in the last two minutes. During this run, Serbia started fouling, and Heurtel went 10/10 from the free throw line. With two seconds remaining and France only down by three, Teodosic made the assist of the game to Krstic for a short jump hook to raise the lead to 5, taking the game out of reach for France. Final score Serbia 90 France 85.

Both teams played tired with some players on the court for more than 30 minutes. This was a shooter’s game. Serbia shot 53% from three and France was close behind at 45%. France had a few more turnovers (12 to Serbia’s 9) and out-rebounded Serbia 32-28. Batum finished with 35 points and was better than advertised. I thought one of the unsung players for Serbia was Bojan Bogdanovic, who contributed 13 points in 26 minutes on the floor. He and Teodosic were key to Serbia’s win. 

Thanks, fellows, for an exciting game! I’m looking forward to more to come as Lithuania and France face off Saturday for the bronze, and Serbia battles the USA on Sunday in the 2014 FIBA Finals. Check back here tomorrow for analysis on the France/Lithuania game as well as a preview of the Finals, including keys to the game for both teams.

USA vs LITHUANIA
The game tipped off at 3:30EST, but Team USA didn’t show up until closer to 4:10EST. The first half looked more like a foul-fest than a basketball game, at least on the USA’s side, allowing Lithuania to keep things close. The score at halftime was 43-35. After the half, however, the USA broke open a 33-14 run to seal the win over a hard-nosed Lithuanian team. The final score of 96-68 belied the sloppy and ineffective play of Team USA in the first half. 

Klay Thompson deserves a lot of credit for USA’s lead at halftime. He looked great and took up the slack when his teammates were committing fouls and making poor shot selections. Luckily it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Team USA kicked into gear in the third quarter and put the game out of reach. James Harden got under control and scored all of his 16 points in the third and fourth quarters. Kyrie Irving had his highest scoring game of the tournament and led the USA with 18 points. Klay finished with 16, and Steph Curry had 13. 

The Lithuanian bigs competed well - Valanciunas and Kuzminskas each had 15 points, leading their team in scoring. They helped to keep things close in the first half, as Lithuania nearly matched the USA in rebounds (28-26). However, they weren’t able to maintain down the stretch, and the USA ended up out-rebounding Lithuania 50-38 in the game. Lithuania’s biggest weakness was lack of depth at the guard position. Free throw shooting accounted for almost half of their points (32/42, 76%). 

Team USA faces the winner of tomorrow’s battle between France and Serbia in the 2014 FIBA Finals on Sunday. Lithuania will play the loser in the bronze medal game on Saturday.