DC Hoops.org - Nike Coaching Clinic

Nike Coaching Clinic

DC Hoops goes to the Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in Uncasville, CT at the just opened Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel. DChoops has been to many coaching clinics over the years but this one was by far the best ever. Here was part of the Coaching line up that spoke to the 1,000 or so coaches from College, High School and AAU teams.

Dean Smith,
Roy Williams, Kansas
Matt Doherty, North Carolina
Dave Odom, South Carolina
Mike Montgomery, Stanford
Tom Crean, Marquette
Hubie Brown, TNT, NBA Analyst

What were the highlights and common denominators?? Without exception each coach, was an expert of the game and truly had a love of the game. They stressed the need to make their players focused, tough, and completely prepared. Over the coming days dchoops.org will provide an overview of some of the speakers. This will in no way be a subsitute for attending the clinics. The Nike Clinics are the best deal in basketball at around $100 for a weekend of talks and examples from the best names in coaching.

Ed Janka, Nike Championship Basketball Clinic Director, and his crew did a first rate job of running the program. Everything from check in to the morning coffee was handled perfectly.

Picture Gallery

(Click on the links below for larger image)

Dave Odom, Hubie Brown, and Roy Williams
with DCHoops Staff Mike and Sean Fitzmaurice

Coaches Buying Stuff | Mike Fitzmaurice and Dave Odom | Dave Odom speaking to Coaches

Tom Crean w/ Staff Writer Sean Fitzmaurice | Coach Mike Fitzmaurice in Mohegan Sun Casino

Report on Roy Williams at the Nike Camp

Is Roy Williams, the head coach of Kansas University men's Basketball, one of the best basketball coaches in the country? The answer is clearly yes. Coach Williams has one of the most envious records among active NCAA D1 coaches. His teams are a virtual point-generating machine while the defense is one of the most aggressive "in your face" style anywhere. When DC Hoops.org came to the Nike Coaching Clinic to hear this great coach speak we were not sure what to expect.

Coach Williams helped relax the coaches with his recounting of how he got started in coaching. He spent five years as a high school boy's basketball coach in North Carolina his first year going 2-19. Later he became an Assistant Coach under the great Dean Smith Coach and has been at Kansas for fifteen years. Coach Williams stressed that his team must play smart and hard. Coach stressed that his players must use their brains

Coach Williams said that the four key elements of his defense:

Steal the ball
Make you shoot and outside shot over our hand and for us to get the rebound
Don't let you run your offense, over play make you go back door no easy passes
Quicker tempo

In his practice session when explaining a defense he shows the whole then breaks it down to the components then show the whole again.

Defense stance is low and feet square point guard picks up his man in the backcourt and never lets the ball come up the middle of the court. All other players have a hand in the passing lane. He wants the ball on the sideline and keeps it on the sideline. He wants the offense to have to go back door. You have to "guard your yard" not allow the middle penetration. Low post on the ball side is always fronted with on hand back and one hand up. One pass away the defense denies, two passes away help.

Six Major Sins

No box out…..you have to box out ..use your brain
No hand up on the shot….. the shooting percentage drops when hand is up
Allowing easy change of side of the ball…allows them to run their offense
No drives into the middle of the court
Trailing the cutter down low……there is no help
You do not talk on defense... there needs to be constant communication on defense

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