The comment I hear all the time is “what happened to the USA in basketball”. Even the uninterested basketball fan knows that the United States has slipped quickly in the world basketball race.
Why is a good question because most people just don’t get it.
The answer is simple, but I could write about this topic for days. The plain truth is that the European coaches are doing a better job than our coaches. When I say our coaches, I include myself in that group. We have been outclassed in a vital area of the game.
Fundamentals! These foundational skills of passing, catching, shooting, rebounding, and team play come from the early days of James Naismith and the peach basket. Ok, so what’s the problem, you say.
The problem is that the Europeans NEVER got ahead of themselves and NEVER put an individual above the team. They stayed engaged with the fundamental skills and exercises. They call it training sessions while we call it practice. Our misfortune is that we often “practice” parts of the game that require mastery of the fundamentals of the game. We are going too fast and trying to teach “the whole game” as we fail to properly build player skill and knowledge along the way.
When fourth graders cannot get from point A to point B successfully, the skills necessary for timing, passing, and catching have not yet been developed. This is natural for fourth grade students. The mistake is in the trainers who do not dedicate the necessary time to develop these simple skills. The Inpatient Trainer spends time on fundamental skills BUT does not commit to mastery of each skill. What happens next is a simple check next to pass and grasp the practice plan. “Okay, let’s see, we’ve been at this drill for 5 minutes, let’s move on. Let’s work on our diamond or amoeba defense.” Too often, the coach is eager to introduce plays, schemes, and pressures. Are you kidding me?
During the 1990-91 season, I watched the Detroit Pistons practice under Chuck Daly. What I witnessed that day amazed me, but left me with a powerful lesson. This championship caliber team spent an hour on passing, receiving and layups! Can you imagine Joe Dumars, Isaiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Vinnie Johnson and Bill Laimbeer going around and catching for an hour straight? “Okay guys, now work on the bounce pass!” Well they did and I was there to witness it. I wrote on a piece of paper, “Never sacrifice the fundamentals of the game,” while visiting the legendary coach briefly after practice. By the way, that team went 50-32 during the regular season and lost to the Chigao Bulls in the Eastern conference finals.
Here is the ULTIMATE test:
Would you let your teenage son or daughter loose on the open road before learning the “fundamentals” of driving?
Would you sacrifice knowledge and application of vision, pedal control, steering, speed, familiarity with the road for some fancy 2-wheel turns or a Starsky/Hutch power brake move?
The answer to both questions is no! So tell me why we ignore fundamental requirements in our basketball game for the sake of advanced skills and tactics. Trainers, we are slowly ruining the game we know and love as European trainers have a block on teaching the game.
I’m not sure about you, but this makes me furious. And you?
We can talk about the Olympics and the US head coach or national team all we want. These things won’t make a difference. The difference maker is a no-brainer. A serious and renewed commitment to teach the game the right way, one skill at a time.
I promise to do my part from now on, and I hope you’ll join me.
