George

Post Play–Teaching the Big Man

March 22, 2010
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A few years ago, I was coaching a 12 year old youth basketball team. Today, three of those players are now playing Division I basketball, including Omar Samhan of the 2010 Sweet Sixteen team, St. Mary’s. At the time, one of the players complained to me that I needed to understand that Big Men are [...]

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Pick and Roll

March 12, 2010
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The on the ball screen, commonly referred to as a Pick and Roll, has been used for years in professional basketball. John Stockton and Karl Malone, of the Utah Jazz, are often recognized as the two who ran it the best, but the Pick and Roll was used effectively by many players long before them. [...]

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Basketball Offense Philosophy

March 10, 2010
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Basketball is like a game of chess. Both games consist of a lot of moves and counter-moves. In basketball, these moves are made by individual players, or in a team concept. On offense we talk about how the defense is always taking something away, but at the same time, the defense is always giving something [...]

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Update: Rebounding Mentality

March 1, 2010
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Through my years in basketball, I have seen good rebounders come in all sizes. Certainly size is an advantage, but how can it explain why Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace, both at 6’7″, led the NBA in rebounding, when constantly going against much bigger players? And, we have all seen guards, much smaller than their [...]

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The Best Teams Won.

May 19, 2009

Game Sevens.  It doesn’t get much better than a playoff series that comes down to a Game Seven , no matter what the sport.  The players are sick of each other, tempers are frayed, and coaches are about all strategized out.  How many surprises and adjustments can there be?   You know the teams are pretty equal;  [...]

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“Heart Transplant”

May 11, 2009

Saturday, I was hurrying home to watch Game Three of the Atlanta- Cleveland series. I was listening to the pre-game on ESPN, when  Jim Durham asked Dr. Jack Ramsey what he thought Atlanta needed to do.  Dr. Jack said, “first of all, they need a heart transplant“.  He went on to say that they had [...]

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Rajon Rondo. The New Celtic Main Man.

May 8, 2009

As I watched the start of the second game of the Lakers vs Rockets series, it was evident that Kobe Bryant was in the mind frame that he was not going to let the Lakers lose Game Two.  After losing at home in Game One to the Rockets, Bryant knew how important it was to [...]

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Round 2: Ejections, Fouls, and Hard Fouls

May 7, 2009

Well, things are getting a little chippy already in the Orlando-Boston series, and the LA-Houston series, and they are only two games into them.  Usually it takes a little more time for players to get sick of each other and have tempers flare.  I think the fact that both of the favorites, Boston and LA, got spanked [...]

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Nike Hoop Summit 2009

April 16, 2009

This weekend I watched the Nike Hoop Summit All-Star Game 2009. Usually I avoid all-star games like the plague. There is usually no intensity, except on the offensive end of the floor.  No defense.  No real caring who wins and loses.  They just bug me.  I guess it’s the basketball purity in me. However, this [...]

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Marvin Webster

April 9, 2009

It’s the summer of  1975.  David Thompson, from North Carolina State, the best college player in the land, is drafted with the first pick by the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.  The third pick in the draft was Marvin Webster of Morgan State, also by the Hawks.  The NBA is shocked when both these players sign with [...]

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