NCDS: Randy Peele, Head Coach - Winthrop
By: Randy Peele, Head Coach - Winthrop University
We have just completed our second full week of practice. Our effort has been very good in practice. I can tell you that we have worked very hard on the defensive end of the floor. We do 3 defensive stations pretty much every day for 5 minutes each. We have a total of 12 stations, so at the start of the 5th day we start all over. We have worked 21 minutes of 4 on 4 shell defense every day of practice. We have worked position, baseline rotation, help and recover, down screen on guard-to-guard pass, give-n-go cut, flash post and flair screen defense, as well.
Offensively our team has spent a great amount of time on transition offense. We have worked harder on our motion than anything. It is my goal this year to get to the free-throw line. I would ultimately like to see us make as many free-throws as our opponent attempts. We have to drive the defense on closeouts and look to pass the ball inside. Last year our opponents attempted 608 free-throws and we attempted 448. So we shot too many jump shots. Our opponents made 430 free-throws during the season. Plus the quicker you shoot the more it puts you in transition defense.
In our staff meeting my concern has been how fast we move the ball on offense. There is a big difference between passing game and motion. The faster you pass the ball the harder it is to screen the defense, because the ball is ahead of the cut. So now we give our players two seconds to make a decision.
We are really looking forward to this season. Both of our scrimmages are on the road. You cannot win on the road unless your team defends, and rebounds and takes care of the ball. Good teams also execute offensively on the road. The good thing for our team is that six of our first ten games are at home. This will give our fans and students a chance to get behind this team.
The NCAA has added a new rule that applies to a secondary defender under the basket. I really wish we would have put an arc on the floor. All secondary defenders must be outside the imaginary arch when they help. The officials must be sure of this. Now you get into the interpretation of the size of each official's box. I do think this is a very good rule for the game of basketball. If you look at the NBA you can see they have the arc on the floor. This takes judgment out of the game so our officials can make the call with more precision. This rule is an attempt to limit attempted charges taken underneath the basket. You must be good at helping across the lane and being early.
In closing, I hope this article will give you a better idea of the decisions we have to make concerning the X's and O's of the game. As a coach you must know exactly where you want the tempo to be played. How fast do you want the game? If you coach based on the tempo of the opposing coach you will find many hardships.
Thanks for your interest in Winthrop Basketball.
