January/February 2019 - 14

12 QUALITIES OF
GREAT TEAMS
By Kevin Weigand, contributing writer
Last season was very gratifying for me, as I was able
to return to basketball as a scout. While my focus was to
gather the necessary information for my scouting reports,
I enjoyed watching what successful programs do in
various situations.
I once read an article in which legendary coach Bob
Hurley Sr. said that he always brings a notepad and pen
to the gym when he observes a practice so he can jot
down notes about something new he saw. As a scout, I
learned to take note of what great teams have in common
in order to help both our program and my professional
development.
Here are 12 things I've noticed that top-tier teams do
well.
1. Excellent communication on defense.
Communication always is important, but especially on
defense. Players need to know when screens are set. They
also need to know when substitutions are taking place.
They must know who they're guarding and where the help
is coming from. Silence only leads to confusion.
2. Effective substitution patterns, especially at
crunch time. Coaches want their best players on the floor
at the end of the game. They want to make sure they have
their best foul shooters on the floor. If a starter has been
plagued by foul trouble, they want to make sure they can
have that player on the floor at an appropriate juncture
of the game when they're not in danger of picking up
additional fouls.
3. Effective use of skip passes against zones. Skip
passes can make the zone move and help to open gaps
for penetration. Skip passes also get the ball to a team's
best shooters. Good teams make crisp skip passes with
sufficient velocity and accuracy.
4. Consistent movement/cuts without the basketball.
Movement helps to create scoring opportunities. It also
leads to mismatches and is helpful near the end of the
game when a team looks to run the clock. Great teams
know how to execute this philosophy effectively.
5. Knowing when to take a jumper in transition.
Good guards on top-tier teams are able to read a defense.
They know when to penetrate and when to pull up and
shoot a jumper. The pull-up jumper is a regular part of
their offensive repertoire.
6. Passing from the post to the best perimeter
shooter. Post players on great teams recognize double
teams, and they understand how to find the open
teammate. These shooters constantly work to get open by
creating good passing lanes and angles out of the post.
7. Creating transition opportunities through ball
pressure. Strong defensive teams recognize the opportunity
to generate offense through pressure defense. They look to
14 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
January/February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2019
