Advertise on podcast: A Pen And A Napkin

Getting your team to really know, accept, embrace and excel at their roles up and down the roster is difficult, but there are some things that you can do to help your team look in the mirror and help players understand their role in a more logical way. In today's podcast, we discuss exercises to help with roles and force your players to look in the mirror at either themselves or the team as a whole. We have a great quote from Leo Tolstoy and we discuss one of the more underrated great coaches in NBA history, Lenny Wilkens!

We had a great time taping our September roundtable (yes, I know it's dropping in October) with Jared Blackwell, GBB HC at Sandy Creek (NE) and Chad Jilek, GBB HC at Johnston (IA)! We discuss the influence of club sports and how to bring players into basketball, keeping our players enjoying the sport, the influence of the shot clock on both sides of the ball and when is the right time to ditch the game plan? Enjoy the pod; we enjoyed taping it! Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365 Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the Cowboys Get your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their Court Want to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more! Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

Seasons are often swung in one direction or another on special situations, so today's podcast is focused on ten common special situations that every team should be prepared for early in the season. We discuss a calendar as to when you should have covered these situations, as well as tips on how to handle them in practice. In addition, we've got a great quote from Bill Walton, and we discuss one of the greatest winners in the game, Rick Pitino!

People are difficult to deal with in the best of times, but when you have players and/or parents that are deliberately challenging your leadership or the goals of the program, that is a cancer. In today's podcast, we identify different symptoms of players or parents that may be cancers in your program and how to do all you can to ensure that they don't cause even more damage to your program. In addition, we have the wisest of words from Marcus Aurelius on dealing with difficult people, and we discuss the great career and what we can learn from Morgan Wooten of Dematha High School!

We ask our players to evaluate what they did on a daily basis, but are we doing the same thing? In today's podcast, we take a concept from Dan Hughes, the former WNBA head coach, and apply it to our programs with the post practice evaluation form. We discuss how it's organized and what you should be looking for to help make you better every day! We also have a great quote from Al McGuire, and we discuss the career and what to learn from George Karl, the great NBA head coach!

Establishing great practice mantras and sayings are extremely important to the growth and development of this year's team and your program overall. When tough times come around (and they most certainly will), what will you do to right the ship as quickly as possible? What do you stand for? What does your team stand for? That's all in today's podcast, along with a great quote from Coach K and a study of team pillars and how to run a program the right way from Dick and Tony Bennett.

Just like coaches, officials are mandatory in order for our games to be played, but we often see them not as a person but as something else. In today's podcast, we talk about the perspective of the officials, how we need to communicate with them and when it is appropriate to question their judgment. We also have a great quote implementing the "Next Play" attitude towards officials, and we discuss and learn from the great Lefty Driesell!

Anywhere from 20-30 times as a coach this season (or 30-40 times if you're a college coach) you're going to have a practice the day before a game . . . so what should you be doing? In today's podcast, we dive into deep detail on what we did as a coaching staff to prepare for our games the day before we tipped off, including scouting, film and instruction! In addition, we discuss the importance of just playing and who the true opponent is. In addition, we take a few minutes to discuss one of the great coaches of the 1970's, Al McGuire.

Heath Howington, the head boys basketball coach at Barr-Reeve (IN) High School, jumps on the podcast this week to discuss his career and his big move to Barr-Reeve last summer, which resulted in a state championship this past spring! In addition, we talk about the move, the pressure of stepping into a storied program and cutting down the nets, while also discussing his practice set up, shooting drills, and how he gets his teams ready to go on game days. A really fun conversation with one of the best from the Hoosier State! Get your copy of Hoops 365: A One Year Guide to Becoming a Basketball CEO here! Hoops 365 Get your copy of The Last of the Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School here! The Last of the Cowboys Get your copy of King Of Their Court: Three Teams, One City and the Greatest Season in Nebraska High School Basketball History here! Kings Of Their Court Want to get more from A Pen And A Napkin? Go to apenandanapkin.com for videos, handouts, links and more! Want to learn more about coaching basketball and becoming a complete basketball coach? Subscribe to The Opening Tip newsletter on Substack! https://apenandanapkin.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

Being efficient with your time should be a goal for all of us, but when it comes to scouting, you can waste alot of time by not being organized and knowing what you should be focusing on. In today's podcast, we talk about strategies to help your program get organized and stay organized with your scouting activities, what to look for and respecting your staffs time, as well as your own. We also have a great quote from the GOAT, Don Meyer, and we study not only the contributions of Red Auerbach on the floor, but more importantly, what he did off the floor.

Some of the toughest decisions we make (with some of the most unwarranted "feedback" we get) comes from our playing time decisions. We're never going to make everyone happy, but what are things that we can do to get everyone understanding how you are making your decisions? That's what we're talking about in today's episode, which is encapsulated with a great quote from Dr. Jack Ramsay. In addition, we've got a great coach to discuss and study today in Rick Carlisle, one of the best coaches of the 21st century!

At your core, what are your most important drills? Now ask yourself, how often do we run those drills in practice? That is what the essence of your "Desert Island Drills" should be! In today's episode, we discuss the criteria that you should use for your "Desert Island" drill list and how you can make these drills the best that they can be. In addition, we have a great quote from Philip Dormer Stanhope, and we examine two of the great characters in basketball and the forerunners of what we call today "The Grinnell System", Billy Tubbs and Paul Westhead.

Changing up your journey during the dog days of the season in late January and early February is often a great way to bring your team together for the stretch run. In today's podcast, it's never too early to start thinking about possible activities that you can do with your team during this time period so that you make sure that you're bringing your team together, especially mentally, at the right time of the season. In addition, we've got a great quote from Miyamoto Musashi, and we study the legendary Lou Carnesseca. Enjoy!

Great coaches are made in late game situations, but it's not all about drawing up that amazing play at the end of games, but be prepared for all of the scenarios that could happen before then. In today's episode, we look at four key steps to get ready for those late game situations and what you should have in reserve with your team, as well as four keys to conducting a quality timeout late in games. In addition, we've got a great quote from Bill Walton, and we study Gene Keady, one of the more underrated coaches in college basketball history!

Making sure that everyone is on the same page is really important as you get ready for the upcoming season, and one of the ways to do that is by having quality preseason 1 on 1 meetings with your players. In today's podcast, we discuss suggestions for making these meetings a positive experience for the players, and what your goals should be in these sit-downs. In addition, we have our guy Marcus Aurelius discussing telling the truth and why it is so important, and we discuss the legendary Bo Ryan out of Wisconsin as an important coach to study.