🚨 STICKY WORDS Sunday 🚨 HOOP = HELP ~ 27% of High School possessions, have no paint touch and no reversal. ~67% have 0 ball reversals + 1 paint touch. MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THIS. Quality 3PA = Catch and shoot 3PA. Quality increases in 3 foot increments: 0-3 feet - CONTESTED 3-6 feet - SEMI CONTESTED 6 feet + - UNCONTESTED The quality of 3PA's is LARGELY determined by how well you transition, and paint touch frequency. This means that it is a PAIRED ANALYTIC; heavy correlation with one or more stats. HOOP = HELP SPACE = SHOTS No surprise that the 2 most analytically driven teams in the NBA, Boston and OKC, have done this better than anyone in the last 4 years. Both teams are also on the lower end of organized offense rate. The simple teaching points at younger levels: - less scheme = higher quality 3PA - use one or two triggers that enable paints touches at higher % - master transition/secondary transition

REBOUNDING ANALYTICS and SCHEME We know that shooting ~ 33% from 3 is the same as shooting 50% from 2. But not all 2 point FGs are created equally, obviously. Below is the offensive rebound rate for various shot types (Sloan Sports Conference). **Rebound % > Total Rebounds, especially when analyzing scheme. Inside 6 feet: 36.6% 6-10 feet: 28% 10-21.5 feet: 21.1% Three Pointers: 25.5% This, again, points to the fact that the mid range shot is the least efficient shot in basketball. With higher rebound rates, naturally you get higher FT % rates, which is one of the most efficient shots in the sport and impacts the game tremendously. More importantly this shows us SHOT QUALITY is a dual purpose advanced analytic. Teams who shoot quality shots, will naturally rebound at a higher %. Reverse engineering this process, you can gather information towards answering your ‘rebounding vs getting back’ philosophy question (@aaronfearne14 is amazing with this). I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, except that working inside/out and collapsing help defenders is clearly the superior way to play, whether in transition or in half court.

Gregg Marshall- SMASH series OVERLOAD THE ZONE TO BEAT THE ZONE. Much easier to find the numbers advantage against the average zone you will see than against M2M. 👇🏼 Bob Huggins | WVU Smash Strong

‼️ Sticky Words Sunday ‼️ SWITCH BEATER - EOG Most teams will switch 1-5 or 1-4 + leave a goalie in EOG situations under 5 seconds. The layering of the cross screen into a duck in, and then into a middle 3rd stagger is beautiful. The magic here is forcing TWO SWITCHES - the cross screen and slip from the top of the stagger. This puts a ton of pressure on the defense. What looks like a very complicated play is simply capitalizing on one defensive tendency. Simplicity is the ultimate sophisticaton. SAVE THIS 💎 from Heiko Rannula @bballscience

This is a really common misconception - ‘spacing is standing/ball watching’. It’s the ugly step sister of ‘analytics is chucking 3’s’. The game is about TAKING or CREATING space, on both sides of the ball, by recognizing a neutral, small or big advantage. Cutting and penetration = taking space. Holding space (gravity) = creating space (can be 5 out, 4 out, 3 out). Both are designed to DEFLATE THE DEFENSIVE SPACING by making 1 guard 2. NBA/D1 teams will end the game with ~ 5-7% of their possessions ending with a cut. This means that > 90% of cutting is gap creation and shell distortion. Critical concept for both players and coaches to understand.

“Spacing is relative to what you're trying to get out of it." -JB Bickerstaff 5 out 4 out 3 out 2 In Diamond Horns 2 Guard Frint Single High Empty Side 1-4 Low Spread Are all examples of spacing templates. We can use different templates to run the EXACT SAME ACTIONS. Space is the most important conceptual skill that kids MUST learn and simultaneously the MOST important facet of NBA offense. SPACING DICTATES ADVANTAGE Stevens’ Celtics run the same play with different templates. 👇🏼 Double Drag | Empty Double Drag | Spread

One of the biggest critiques that casual fans have of Wemby continues to be not having a big enough bag. Having a ‘bag’ is overrated. Two or three moves that get you to your kill zones is all you need. “I had three moves, Kobe said he had two”. 🎥 @mattbarnes

The 2026 Rockets OBoard effectiveness flew completely under the radar. This is normal - coaches typically brush past the NBA benchmarks and look for NCAA outliers as the gold standard for translatability. 41.7% of Houston’s misses let to second chances. This is the best mark in 30 years of tracking ORB rate. Steven Adams’ rule from above the rim 📝: There are 180 degrees of rebound space. Seal the top hip and the defender owns 10 of them. You own 80. Win the degrees, not the jump. Coaches typically use cliches like ‘crash harder’ instead of assigning o board tasks. Two jobs on every miss, regardless of philosophy: 1. Occupy the outlet. If you don’t touch a body, you didn’t crash. 2. Second chances = rim or kick. No reset in the midrange. Here is the fascinating part 👇🏼 Udoka sent three crashers only ~15% of the time and still broke the record. Placement beat volume. He tags the outlet, seals the rim and uses his athletes, on the TOPSIDE of their men, to chase. The teaching point is that hunting the ball is more important than a traditional box out. If you can neutralize the 5, then basketball becomes a true 50/50. No one has athletes like Houston, so sending 4 is likely more effective for lower level teams. High ORB rates + limiting transition.

SELF AWARENESS Doncic scores using CHANGE OF PACE Giannis scores using POWER Shai scores using ANGLES Jokic scores using FOOTWORK Embiid scores using LENGTH Curry scores using RANGE The best players on the planet are all very unique in how they get buckets. 95% of players, at ANY LEVEL, are SECONDARY SCORERS, tasked with impacting winning in other ways first. Historically, virtually every lottery pick taken averages < 15 PPG before entering the league. Learn your body, and level up YOUR advantages. Don’t aim to be the next ‘prototypical’, aesthetically pleasing, perfect basketball player.

Pick and roll is not only the most common across all levels, it also EVOLVES the quickest. Historically, we've seen a lot of pre screen motion such as the 'ram' into ball screen or 'stack' templates, typically to hunt matchups or to get the ball handler down hill quickly. But in 2026 the aim of most ball screens, at higher levels, is to the manipulate the tagger post crack. This is due to creative coverages, both aggressive and passive, such as triple switching, blitzing, and variations of drop that aim to force the analytically favorable mid range shots for the defense. THIS IS USUALLY DONE IN 2 WAYS: - Vertical manipulation of the tagger through actions like 'Spain or Finland' or roll and replace Villanova/Kansas concepts that utilize RIP screens, high/low action or duck-ins. -Horizontal manipulation of the tagger though actions like an 'exit' screen, 'veer' or a 'cross' screen post crack. The point of attack can usually generate a small advantage off of the screen and the absence or urgency of the tagger will usually turn into to a big advantage situation like a catch and shoot 3, long close out or 'one more' pass. The caveat is that this takes high level PGs who can pass going both ways, with both hands, play off of 2 feet in the paint, and most importantly, make great decisions. The residual is we have also seen an increase in demand of the traditional 4/5 positions. Vertical motion - DHO | Touch | Spain Horizontal motion - Get | Spread PNR | Cross screen | Veer 👇

Contrast how Iisalo teaches and emphasizes the hook pass, with how most were taught passing growing up. This is an example of an area with a big technical gap in coaching. He teaches gaining an advantage PLUS being on target on time; you can have BOTH. ‘Thumbs out’ ‘Always pass with two hands’ ‘Square to your target’ 🛑 Steve Nash/D’Antoni played such a critical role in this paradigm shift - being able to pass with both hands while simulataneously manipulating the defense with your eyes. Encourage creativity, encourage passing with both hands, encourage no looks. 👇🏼

‼️ Sticky Words Sunday ‼️ CHOKE THE TRIGGER Teams who transition well can be contained by choking out the first pass and forcing them to dribble the ball up the floor. Aaron Fearne's tagging system is largely accepted as the gold standard for doing this (and increases ORB%). It's easier than it sounds- contain the trigger man (recipient of first outlet after D board). If you can delay an outlet for 1-2 seconds, or force him to bring it up the floor by himself, you've done YOUR job. -passes should have to be over the top or a bounce pass -active hands -turn the ball handler on the bounce -wear down the offense -fighters stance away from the ball -don't overcommit/gamble PLAY DEFENSE FROM A NEUTRAL ADVANTAGE IN HALF COURT. Statistically, anything > 85% played in the half court, favors the defense. Anything > 15% transition percentage, puts the offense at an advantage. WIN THE TRANSITION BATTLE, WIN THE GAME.

Desired outcomes of ALL offensive actions: 1. Layup/FTs 2. Catch and Shoot 3 3. Double Gap 4. Mismatch - All other outcomes are net negatives for the offense - Mid range shots are a win for the defense. - Any shot attempt with less than 5 seconds left on the shot clock is a win for the defense. 👇🏼 This is why the simplest actions win. 'You're never more open then when you first catch the basketball.' PPP AT EVERY LEVEL (highest to lowest) goes: Transition, O Boards, Secondary Transition, Half Court Triggers, EOC. Over coaching offense not only causes tactical indecision, it also stunts creativity. Which is critical to technical development.

ZONING UP against the weakside of any BLOB will typically blow up the FIRST ACTION. The teaching points are simple - switch the primary action if necessary, keep the low man at the rim and X out out the all skips to get back to a neutral situation. Clock will usually be on the defenses if you can neutralize the BLOB leading to low quality shots. Conversely, BLOBS are effective, offensively, because the conversion rate on the primary action is ~ 20-30% AND defenses’ are usually hat on hat so gap creation is amplified off of the second and third looks. Most great design is built around false action to keep all 5 defenders engaged and a very simple 2 or 3 man game with no gap or low man help. Dusty May uses Peja action, from the Elbow, out of the BLOB. No low man to disrupt the initial action because all 5 defenders are engaged. 👇🏼

The most CONFRONTATIONAL screen is a RIP screen. This means it stretches the defense the most because of the line to the hoop. Conversely, the RIP screen also creates the most space for the screener. Using the RIP screen in a BLOB situation capitalizes on gravity + eliminates the low man. This means if the lob/backdoor isn’t the there, the screener will be able to detach quickly and create. DEFINITELY the most underutilized OFF BALL action in basketball. This is a staple action out of the BLOB from Virginia. Multiple reads. 👇🏼

‼️ Joy is a competitive advantage ‼️ The mainstream perception of ‘good coaching’ is screaming at players, no joking around and no fun on the floor. A lot of coaches, players and fans view fun and hard work as an ‘either, or’. Every competitive coach struggles with this. There isn’t one who hasn’t lost the joy amidst the grind. BUT…. When JOY AND HARD WORK are in SYNC, it’s game over. 👇🏼 🎥 @Jakobrooks

One REALLY POWERFUL way for HS coaches to maximize offense that is built around ball screens: SCREEN AND HUNT vs SCREEN AND DIE This verbiage change alone will help create a shift in bigs from REDUNDANT to ATTACKING. The language is great, but what does this mean? Big men need to be EMPOWERED to be creative, much like ball handlers. Engaging the creative part of their brain enhances decision making. Too many bigs ‘screen and die’ when they don’t get the ball. Detail work around teaching reads isn't strictly for the ball handler, it's for the screener as well (and later level 2 reads like taggers man). Some cues that we teach: 1. Defense at the level- slip or veer 2. Defense hard switches- ghost or duck-in 3. Defense goes under- rescreen/change crack angle 4. Defense blitzes/hard hedge- short roll/pop 5. Defense soft switches- roll and seal There is a number of different reads that can be taught, depending on your system and philosophy. The important thing is to HAMMER on the detail work using small sided games (3 on 3/4 on 4), to enhance decision making and creativity. The 🔑 to effective PNR is having the screener AND the ball handler 'in sync'. DONT FORGET ABOUT THE BIGS. Quick example of reading the switch> ghost> flare. 🎥 @coach_cenk

🚨 Sticky Words Sunday 🚨 ELITE BASKETBALL ECOSYSTEMS: • Teammates coach EFFORT • Coaches coach DECISIONS • Both units OVERCOMMUNICATE • Success is PROCESS BASED • Players have a VOICE AND A CHOICE • Coaches use LANGUAGE tied to their ‘pillars’ • Player/Coach relationships are NON-TRANSACTIONAL Trust ALWAYS comes before a coach can give VALUE. Amazing example from Kobe 👇🏼 🎥 @kobehighlight

You can be 'skilled, versatile, strong, athletic, high motor, long, explosive, high ceiling, great handle, etc'. The reality is that if you can't shoot and/or make great decisions, you have an EXTREMELY HIGH BARRIER TO ENTRY. Those physical attributes are all 10x'd by SHOOTING; shooting expands the scope of potential decisions alloted a player. Those physical attributes are all non existent without DECISION MAKING. 'Shooting masks any deficiency.'

The other neat part of this stat is that missed layups off of 1 foot vs 2 feet is ~ 20% more favorable for the defense. Bottom line is don’t miss layups, they cost you big time. Finishing continues to be one of the most underdeveloped skills in the game.

🚨 Why HORNS? 🚨 No low man to start the possession. This means the offense can largely dictate who the rim protector will be; depending on the action they choose to run. Most teams keep the 5 above the nail to ensure less resistance in the paint. You can start in HORNS spacing out of BS continuity, 5 out motion, 4 out motion, Princeton, Triangle, Spread, Swing, etc. The Knicks most effective action during their Finals run was Horns + Flex. Very simple action where you force the defense to guard 2 on 2. If it’s executed well, it pays dividends. SIMPLE ACTIONS EMPHASIZE DETAILS. Details are universal, and can be coached at all levels. 👇🏼 Horns | Flex