Player Progression

As a player develops, there are certain skills that need to be acquired at each level of play. This article will lay out the skills that would go into a player progression plan * from the middle school to varsity level.

Before we get started… Let’s have FUN !

Of course the underlying “skill” is enjoyment of the game and that needs to come first. In fact, most players self-select themselves for the sport based on their love of the game and some connection that develops very early in their childhood. As a coach, it is our responsibility to take players to the next level while fanning the flames of their love of the game.

** Coach Wheeler’s view only…

Coach WheelerThe player progression described below** is based on my coaching philosophy and the style of play that I like to use for my teams.

Another coach might have different priorities depending on how he expects his teams to compete.  Having said that, there are probably a good amount of overlap and none of the skills mentioned will “go unused” by a coach, especially if a player becomes outstanding in that area.

Levels of Player Progression…

I originally tried to divide the player progression into 3 levels (Middle School / Frosh-JV / JV-Varsity) but, as you will see, there isn’t much “in the middle”. I think that is because many skills have a wide spectrum with lots of different levels along the way.

The difference between a Middle School player and a successful Varsity High School player can also depend on how that year’s team defines particular roles. In other word, someone might not have all the skills of a well-rounded varsity player but the ones that they do have (e.g rebounding or defense) could make them a strong role player for the team.

Let’s start by looking at the Middle School skills…

Middle School Level
  • Passing (strength / heads-up)
  • Catching (move to the pass)
  • Position defense (relative to ball / athletics)
  • Rebounding (box out / launch to the ball)
  • Layup Technique (footwork / angles)
  • Mid-range shot (touch / form)
  • Run the floor (full speed / endurance)
  • Triple Threat / Court Vision
  • Growth Mindset
Frosh / JV …

[this level is basically the transition to, and preparation for, become a varsity player]

  • Run the floor / Speed layups (w/contact, multi-angles)
  • Heads Up dribble (quick & strong)
  • Strong “set shot” – mid-range / 3 pt. / w/o thinking

 

JV / Varsity Level
  • Power Drive (standing / full-speed / Moves)
  • Strong Handles
  • Jump (touch rim / dunk)
  • Pressure M2M Defense (w/o fouls, w/o “Ole”)
  • Off-ball defense (steals / traps / help)
  • Signature Move(s) – Inside or perimeter (move/shoot)
  • Court Awareness (instant ball movement)
  • Mentally Strong *
  • Strong Role on Team

* Mental Toughness or a Champion Mindset is a large subject and it can take years to develop but, to start with, it means that a player “Practices Like a Champion”. A Mentally Strong player is able to “out perform” opponents through their understanding of the game as well as their willingness to do what is required to win. A mentally strong player makes the other team work hard on both ends of the court.

How does progress happen?

Some of a player’s progress will happen naturally as they grow from middle school age to high school age. As they say, you can’t teach height. For some people that is not great news but there is good news too!

The good news (especially for “height challenged” players) is that most of the skills listed can be learned, even things like jump height. A good coach can help a player learn various skills and there is no shortage of videos on YouTube to show players ideas for skill building drills.

Who is holding you back?

I see it every year. A player doesn’t improve over the off-season and they are passed by other players who have improved. The missing ingredient for most players is not an exposure to the skills but rather a lack of consistent off-season work on those skills. While playing other sports during basketball’s off-season might help a player develop athletically, basketball is very much a game of skill. And skills require practice if you want to improve. I heard a good quote on a recent podcast… “If you still have the same weaknesses as you had last season [and haven’t improved your strengths], you have wasted the off-season.”

Bottom Line…

If you aren’t getting better each year, there will be someone who passes you and takes your minutes at the next level. Basketball is a team sport but it is also very competitive. There are only so many game minutes at the varsity level and they go to the best players (as defined by the coach).

At the end of the season, every player who is serious about their game needs to lay out their Player Progression Plan by identifying their weaknesses and strengths along with the activities that will help them improve. Ideally, this should be combined with a review by your varsity coach to determine how you might contribute most quickly at the varsity level.

Coach Wheeler’s In-season Player Progression Plan

I believe that “What we work on EVERYDAY improves over time.” That is why there are some basic elements that will show up in every practice that I run…

  • Physical Challenges (running / defense / strength)
  • Shooting
  • [Perfections] which covers a number of skills
    – Running
    – Passing
    – High speed layups
    – Communication
    Players should show progress in the first half of the season. By the time that we have played the teams on our schedule at least once, we should be ready to take our game to the next level. A tournament over Christmas break is always a good test to see where the team is in terms of player development as well as team cohesiveness and execution.

The second half of the season is focused on extending the team’s progress. We also want to do even better against opponents the 2nd time we play them. This approach is designed to get the team ready for the playoffs. If things go well, it also gives us a seeding that helps our drive for a championship.

All team success starts with the player’s progression and acquisition of skills. A coach can teach but the player has to take responsibility for their own development. If you show that you want to go the “extra mile”, most coaches love that attitude and will give you extra attention. As a player, you have to decide what you want. Do you want to be a key contributor at the varsity level? Or do you want to sit on the bench? You get to decide based on how you progress as a player. Hopefully this article gave you some ideas to work on. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Defensive Tools – M2M

Coach WheelerI am always surprised by how few players understand the tools that they have available to them as defensive players on a basketball court. Too often players rest on defense and don’t focus on what will help their team take the ball away from the opposition or make it more difficult for them to score. If a player applies the skills described below, they can go from reacting to the offense to taking control of their opposition’s offense and dictating what they do.

The top defensive skills that every player should use on defense are Position (distance, charge,steering), Jab Step, Face Guarding (the right way) and Weak Side Steals.

Position. This is the most basic form of defense and it us where most players stop. Why? Because it may be “good enough” to be considered “defense” but I would challenge you to go beyond just “good enough” and take your defense to a higher level.

Within “position defense” there are many aspects that players can apply. In particular, there are a number of ways to guard a post player (front, side or behind) and it depends on your relative size as well as the help that you can expect from your team mates on defense.

Relative distance from the dribbler. In terms of position, I often see players back away from their man when they think that they are not quick enough to stay with them. They hope that the added buffer will give them more time to react and prevent their player from scoring. What usually happens though is that they allow the offensive player to build up momentum and drive by them even faster. As Homer Simpson says… D’OH !

What’s the solution? This is going to sound counterintuitive but pay close attention. Instead of backing off, the answer is … Get closer. Much closer. It is almost like wrestling because the offensive player can’t dribble in front of themselves (because the defensive player is there and can steal the ball) and any move around the defensive player will require more effort than it would if the offensive player is given room to move.

Will you get beat when you are playing up-close, in-your-face defense? Probably, but you will make the offensive player work for it. You might even pick up a charge if the offensive player gets too physical. The key is how you (and your team mates) react on defense when you get beat…

What happens when you get beat? Two things. First you stop shuffling, turn your hips and RUN to catch up and, hopefully, pass the offensive player so you can stop them or at least control where they can move. Secondly, it is critically important to stay in contact with your offensive player and, ideally, steer them in a direction where your team mates (or a sideline) can provide help defense. This means that if they drive by you on the right side, you don’t let them come back to the left side. It is a common mistake for defensive players to give up once they are “beaten” by the offensive player and basically let the offensive player continue toward the basket.

Why do I have to stay with the ball handler? Aside from preventing them from returning to their strong hand, you want to be ready to trap them when your team mate comes over to help. This is a great time to steal the ball since the offensive player’s options are limited and it should be easy to anticipate what they will do.

Take the Charge. This is related to playing position and can be done by either the primary defender or someone helping stop a drive. If the primary defender is doing their job and “steering” the ball handler, the help defender can often set up and take a charge. The key for a help defender in this situation is to remain active and ready to prevent a pass to your man.

Jab step. By making a move at the offensive player, you are seeing how they will react. Most players have a preferred hand that they like to dribble with and once you know which one it is, you can anticipate where they might like to go and either get in the way (play position) or fake like you are going to get in their way (using a jab step) to force the offensive player to react. This is an important way for a defensive player to take control of the offensive player and limit their effectiveness.

Face Guarding. This is a defensive skill that relies on using your eyes as well as the eyes of the offensive player. In short, most offensive player’s eyes follow the ball when it is being passed to them. This can give a defensive player an insight into where the ball is coming.

Why would someone pass the ball when you are there as a defender? Because when you are face-guarding, you have your back to the ball and they think that you can’t see it… but you can see where it will go based on the eyes of the offensive player.

Can the offensive player beat someone who is face guarding? Sure, but it requires an offensive player to recognize what you are doing (which they might do after a steal or two) and then they would have to consciously look somewhere else while following the ball with their peripheral vision. It can be done… but in many cases, in the heat of competition, face-guarding is not recognized and the defense has the advantage.

Weak side defense – set up the steal. This is another area of Man-to-man defense that is often overlooked. The weak side is the side of the court AWAY from the ball handler and most coaches teach players that they should split the court and “build a wall” so that the ball can’t come over to their side. This is good in theory but too many players forget that a long pass is one that should be intercepted. The longer the pass, the more time you have to get to the ball.

Why aren’t more long passes intercepted? Because weak side defenders lose sight of what the ball handler is doing and they don’t see the pass until it is well on it’s way. How can this be changed? By knowing 1) when you expect the ball handler to pass and 2) seeing the clues that they are going to pass in your direction. If a ball handler is about to dribble into a trap and they are a good offensive player, they will be looking for someone to pass to BEFORE they get to the trap. If the ball handler looks toward your man, it is likely they will pass to them.  If it is a long pass, the throwing motion will be bigger than a short pass (depending on the strength of the ball handler) and if you are watching the ball handler, you should be able to see it start so you can get a jump on the pass and intercept it. This same approach can be used on the strong side even when the pass might be shorter. By anticipating the pass, you gain a huge advantage over the offense and can force more turnovers.

Conclusions re: M2M Defensive Tools:

Coach Wheeler on M2M Defense…

“Defense should never be passive and reactive. It should challenge the offense and make it difficult for them to do what they want to do. If someone can call a play, your defense is not working hard enough. A successful defensive team drives the offense more than a little crazy and pushes them out of their comfort zone.”

Will you get beat? Probably, especially if the other team is very good. But you will get beat more often if your defense is passive and reactive. As a player, won’t you get beat by your man? Certainly. This is one thing that many coaches don’t want to address. They tell players to “work harder” and get in front of their man. This is great if you are faster/quicker than the offense, but what happens when a player can’t stay in front of their man? Shouldn’t there be a plan for this situation? Especially since there is almost always a mismatch somewhere on the floor and a good offense will figure out how to exploit it. That is where TEAM Man-to-man defense comes in along with the skills mentioned above.

What do you think? Are there other M2M defensive tools that you find are highly successful with your teams? I would love to hear your ideas and opinions. Would you like to see a video showing how Coach Wheeler implements / teaches these ideas with a team? Please leave a comment below.