Boys’ Basketball

Blair Academy Basketball Summary

November 2004 - We believe basketball is a simple game played by complicated people and not a complicated game played by simple people. A team which is fundamentally sound, mentally tough and unselfish will always have a chance to win. To what degree, will largely be determined by the talent level and the commitment of the players and the demands placed on the team by the coaching staff on a daily basis. We will be a program where simplicity and execution will be emphasized and the demands of the coaching staff will be abundantly clear.

Defensively, we believe in laying a foundation of quarter court man to man defense. Our defense will be the cornerstone of our program. A player who cannot play our brand of aggressive defense will not be able to play regardless of his offensive prowess. We believe in man to man defense because it calls for individual accountability, which in turn, strengthens our total defensive concept. Also, it creates a high intensity level every day in practice, which leads to championship habits. Our overriding philosophy will be to guard the arc and give up few easy shots. Our defense will be relentlessly physical and technically sound given time. We will bump every cutter, put great pressure on the ball and finish every defensive possession with a checkout. In short, we will try to dictate the game to the offense.

Offensively, we will look to be very aggressive and quickly push the ball up the floor on both makes and misses to gain numeric advantages that lead to easy shots in transition. If our transition game is neutralized, we will flow into a half court motion offense. We will teach some set plays, but more importantly, we will teach players how to play. This style puts a premium on individual offensive development and role identification. This offensive system is by no means a democracy, the best players will get more shots and every player must be made quickly aware of both his strengths and weaknesses.

Basically, we feel that basketball is at its simplest, a game of percentages. Our defense will attempt to force low percentage, contested shots. In so doing, our aim is to be physical and disciplined enough to limit both our opponents’ second shots and transition hoops. Conversely, our players will possess the knowledge of how to play, they will be driven to constantly improve their skill level and they will be disciplined to limit their turnovers and create high percentage scoring opportunities. We believe this formula combined with a continued personal off-season commitment and a talented group of young people with a positive attitude can lead to more Basketball Banners in Walker Gym.

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