Player Notes

TALK to each other.

- Call for the ball on offense when you are open.

- Say whom you are guarding on defense.

- Call out and echo which defense you are playing.

HUSTLE

- Go take the ball when someone picks up their dribble. If on offense you go to receive a pass. If on defense you go to TAKE the ball from the ball handler.

- SPRINT from end to end on transition. A transition is going from offense to defense or defense to offense.

- SPRINT out of the inbounds plays.

STOP THE BALL

- Every time. Even if it is not your mark with the ball, it is the BALL which is important. If it is coming towards you, step up to help stop it. If it is near you, step over and help stop it. You MUST see the ball at all times to stop the ball.

SHOOT the ball!

- If you are standing in the paint with the ball shoot it. Don't pass the ball out of the paint. Force it up and make the defense foul you.

CARRY YOUR HANDS CORRECTLY

- On defense, carry your hands HIGH to contest the shot

- On defense, carry your hands WIDE with palms up to deny the ball

while STAYING DOWN LOW IN YOUR STANCE

- On defense, keep your hand OFF YOU MARK.

- On offense, keep your arm bar up between the ball and your defender

if you have the ball

- On offense, keep your hands up ready to receive the ball

REF IS ALWAYS RIGHT

- Even if you think the call was incorrect, KEEP PLAYING. Do not stop and stare at the referee. HUSTLE to get the ball back.

- A FOUL is anytime you make contact with a player on the other team and the referee blows the whistle on anytime you LOOK LIKE you make contact with a player on the other team and the referee blows the whistle. The referees are ALWAYS right. Know and respect that even when YOU disagree with the call.

- When you swat downward at the ball, it LOOKS LIKE you have fouled. Keep your palms up.

- When someone fouls you and the Ref does not blow the whistle, KEEP PLAYING.

- DO NOT allow other players, spectators, referees or coaches to push your emotional buttons. You are always in charge of your emotions and mind – don’t ever forget that!

CARRY YOUR HANDS CORRECTLY

- On defense, carry your hands HIGH to contest the short

- On defense, carry your hands WIDE with palms up to deny the ball while STAYING DOWN LOW IN YOUR STANCE When you swat downward at the ball, it LOOKS LIKE you have fouled. Keep your palms up.

- On defense, keep your hand OFF YOU MARK.

- On offense, keep your arm bar up between the ball and your defender if you have the ball

- On offense, keep your hands up ready to receive the ball

Be DECISIVE

- Know what you plan to do with the ball before you get it.

- When in doubt, catch and immediately shoot.

The ball is GOLD

- Protect the GOLD

- Demand the GOLD

- Secure the GOLD before you start to dribble

- Dribble with the GOLD close to your body and use your body to protect the GOLD

- Chin the GOLD when you rebound

- Rip the GOLD away from the defender

- Don't pick your dribble (the GOLD) unless you have a shot or an immediate pass.

- Keep the GOLD below you knees when you dribble because it makes the GOLD harder to steal.

- Keep the GOLD out of the coffin.

KNOW YOUR SHOOTING RANGE

- If you can't make a 3 in practice, don't shoot them in games.

REASONS to DRIBBLE

1. To drive to the basket

2. To get a better angle to pass in to the post

3. To get some one to cut (Dribble AT) so you can pass to them on their cut.

CORNERS ARE COFFINS

- Don't dribble there

- Don't pass there

- If you receive the ball in a corner, dribble out, catch and shoot or drive to the basket.

TRAP the BALL

- If the opponent takes the ball in to the corner, trap them with two defenders.

- If the opponent picks up the ball, trap them with two defenders.

- If the opponent brings the ball over the mid line, trap them with two defenders.

- If the opponent dribbles the ball up the base line, trap them with two defenders - one with a foot on the baseline.

DOUBLE "D" Rules

- We play the BALL, not a zone of space on the floor.

- IF you are marking the ball handler, you STAY IN FRONT of THAT person AS LONG AS THEY have the ball no matter WHERE they take the ball. When they pass the ball, someone else pick up the the new handler on the fight of the ball. You want to meet the ball slightly before it arrives at the new handler.

- TALK TO EACH OTHER!

- The STOPPING BALL is everyone's responsibility.

FOCUS

Persistence, Determination and Resilience are possibly the most important and fundamental mindset you need. 
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Many of our turnovers are the result of poor passing.

1. What is a good pass? A good pass is one that is caught in a spot on the court where something good can happen. A pass might be "on target" but if it's too hard for the receiver to catch, it's not a good pass. Or if the pass is caught by the receiver, but she is surrounded by defenders, it's not a good pass. we want to deliver a pass to a cutter early in the cut and not wait until the cutter is already at the basket.

2. "On-target" A good pass needs to be delivered precisely in the right place, "on target", where the receiver can easily catch it and execute. If a pass is a little too high, too low, or a little off to the side, it might be caught, but the brief second required for the receiver to gather the ball allows the defender to adjust, and now the open shot is not there.

When passing into the post, we want the target up higher near the post player's face so she can catch the pass and "chin the ball" with elbows up and out, or go right up with the shot. Post players have a difficult time catching and using passes below their waist. A bounce pass is good for feeding the post if it's not below the post player's waist. It is okay to make an air pass to the post player's upper body or head area.

3. "See the defense" Passers must "see the defense". Avoid passing into traffic where there are two or three defenders waiting. Pass away from the defense. LOOK before you pass.

4. Make the "sure" pass Make the "sure", easy pass, not a risky pass that might not be caught, or might be deflected or intercepted, or has only a 50% chance of success.

5. Keep it simple Make the easiest pass that will get the job done which is usually a two-handed, sure pass. One-handed passes are good to use for a curl-bounce into the low-post, or when attacking on the fast-break. The behind the back pass is fun and sometimes is the correct pass to make, but most often the best pass is the simple two-handed pass.

6. Use pass-fakes Fake a pass to make a pass. A passer can get the defense to move or shift simply by faking a pass in another direction, and this will often open up the intended passing lane.

7. Don't hurry – patience! Be patient. Look before you pass. When a lay up off the break is not there, bring the ball back out on top and run the offense patiently and get a good shot. Catch the ball, look at the rim, look into the post, look at cutters and see the floor before passing. Only dribble for one of the three reasons: 1. To drive to the basket; 2. To get a better angle to pass in to the post; or, 3. To get some one to cut (Dribble AT) so you can pass to them on their cut.

8. Keep grounded Avoid the jump-pass. More often than not, the jump-pass results in a turnover. Stay grounded and make good, controlled two-handed passes.

9. Receivers give a hand target Holding your hand ups as a target for the pass. This helps avoid the problem of the passer passing the ball out-of-bounds just as the intended receiver starts to a cut in another direction. When the cutter starts the cut, she drops target hand down, and puts it back up when ready to receive the pass. Players do not pass to another player unless she is showing a hand target.

10. Use the dribble to create a passing lane Making one dribble either left or right before making the pass inside to the post or the cutter.

**Unless you are bringing the ball up the floor, only dribble for one of the three reasons: 1. To drive to the basket; 2. To get a better angle to pass in to the post; or, 3. To get some one to cut (Dribble AT) so you can pass to them on their cut.

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We believe in pressure offense, pressure defense, and especially pressure on the backboard. We want our defense to create our offense. We want to win games by getting “cheap” points. We like to press for 94’ - the entire length of the basketball court. We don’t want to concede 1 floorboard. Go to the baseline the and say, "We’re fighting for all of it."

You must have all five ladies playing hard. No traitors. If 4 people are busting their butts, one person can’t loaf. Don’t be soft, don’t be a traitor. Our press is a man press that begins in a zone alignment.

The first person is on the ball as soon as it comes out. If the referee doesn’t have to move you back you haven’t done your job. The next person is at the Left elbow. The third person is at the right elbow. The fourth is at the arch. The fifth is the Back and under the basket. he top three are only in that zone press for about 1 or 2 seconds. Sprint to spots then find someone on the other team. That becomes your mark.

You must practice getting there quickly and picking up quickly. We are in full denial. Don’t let your mark catch the ball. Switch all screens / picks. Don’t let the ball in, you are trying to steal it. NO TRAITORS. *Of course, the ball usually comes in bounds.

The best traps are “surprise” traps. Positioning is key to this. Stay between your mark and the ball. Don’t allow it to be passed up the court. We will practice quick up a lot. You must fight the natural tendency to get back on defense. You must be committed, we are trying to steal the ball.

Once the ball is inbounds positioning is very important. We don’t want them to be able to pass the ball up court. You must force them to dribble the ball up court. Once the ball is inbounded, the person who was guard the inbounds retreats to the level of the ball.

Remember stay between the man and the ball. Don’t trap non-ball handlers. We are trying to make their best ball handler give up the ball. We don’t want their best ball handler bringing the ball over half court.

Trap rules:

1. Don’t foul in the trap. Block with your lower body. DON'T reach.

2. Don’t get split.

3. Sprint out of traps.

4. Remember that this is a person to person press.

Be aggressive. If we get a trap we should steal the next pass. “Trap it, steal it.” Once you commit to a trap, you should stay in it.

Don’t go for steals you can’t get. If it’s a steal, steal it. If we don’t steal it, we still want to give them a tough trip up the floor. Going for bad steals kills us. Remember, it isn’t where you trap, it’s who you trap. We want someone besides the point guard bringing the ball across half court.

When you steal it, pass it, don’t dribble it. Make them pay. To play this way, you must practice this way. If you walk and are soft in practice, you will play that way. Remember that yelling is aggressive counseling.

There is a difference between toughness and competitiveness. Competitors keep going at the opponent. We need both in this press.