Winning Hoops Coaches Playbook 2023 - 19

critical in late-game situations. Passes are crisp,
and receivers step to the ball. Proper screens are
crucial to getting open, and your post players must
work hard to hold their seals against aggressive
defenders. Making fundamentals a priority in your
practice sessions pays huge dividends in lategame
situations.
3. Prepare for Everything - Your players
will perform better in situations they have
seen before. A great way to practice special
situations is to use index cards and list all the
possible situations you can think of and go
through a couple of these cards at the end of
each practice. The more familiar your players
are with what they are supposed to do, the
more likely they are to do it well in an end-ofthe-game
situation.
4. Finish with Contact - Free-throw
shooting decides the outcome of many close
games. Most coaches realize that officials are
more hesitant to make calls when the game is
on the line. Therefore, it becomes imperative
that your players learn to finish plays when they
are bumped or fouled hard.
We spend time in every practice bumping our
players with blocking pads while they shoot
layups and short jumpers to familiarize them with
the fact that they have to make shots when they
get hit. We teach them to concentrate on finishing
the play with contact instead of looking to be
bailed out by an official with a foul call.
5. Practice Free Throws - While it seems to
be cliché to talk about the importance of freethrow
shooting at the end of the game, we all
know it is true. If your team shoots poorly from
the line during clutch situations, you probably
aren't going to fair well in close games.
With limited practice time, it may be tempting
to shorten your free-throw shooting time during
practices. Always find the time to work on freethrow
shooting during practices - no exceptions.
6. Know Your Team - Every team possesses
players who handle end-of-game situations
better than others. Some players want the
ball, keep their cool, and never lose their focus.
Others shy away from the ball, become easily
rattled, and are more likely to miss a clutch
free throw or make a turnover during a highpressure
situation.
It is the coach's job to closely evaluate players
during practices and early-season games and
recognize those players who are best suited for
the tense situations of a close game. Coaches need
to learn when to get those players into the game,
and to take advantage of their cool demeanor and
positive abilities under pressure. n
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