The following clinic article from Chicago coach Mike McGrath appears in the Winter 2020 edition of NABC Time-Out Magazine. To view the full Winter 2020 issue, click here.
Our basketball program at the University of Chicago spends a lot of time on individual improvement and the development of our players. We devote a significant amount time to that aspect and have found it to be tremendously beneficial to our efforts. As players become better, teams become better – no matter what system you run or how you choose to play.
Skill development is the primary focus of our work. Shooting, ball handling and passing are the foundation for any good offensive player. We try to work on these skills every day and we do so in drills that are designed to isolate these elements. Our players get shots, both stationary and off the dribble, every day in practice. We also encourage our players and find time to work with them throughout the week during individual sessions. Finishing around the basket, off drives and in the post, also gets a lot of attention.
We have always seen this work translate into team settings, both in practice and in games. A few years ago, our staff decided that we wanted to expand our individual work to include not only skill development, but also decision making. Our players were good at shooting, attacking, and passing, but we were not always making the right choices. Our staff started to design some drills that incorporated multiple aspects and decisions. When and how should we utilize the skills that we are developing?
An interesting aspect of our skill development program, and researching and developing drills that improve players, is the amount of ownership that we give our assistant coaches for this. We have been tremendously fortunate to have some amazing assistant coaches over the past 20 years at the University of Chicago. Placing responsibility for player development with these coaches has really allowed them to grow and develop as learners and teachers. This has been vital to our program.
We spend a lot of time reviewing film, of both games and practices, to identify areas that need improvement. Once these issues are identified we seek examples and concepts that are utilized by other coaches and programs in these areas. We then use this information and combine it with our own creativity to address the needs. This curiosity is important to so many things we do as coaches.
The “blood series” is a collection of drills that we use with our players. The drills start with an advantage for the offensive player…the defense is “bleeding”…how do we finish the play? Is it getting to the rim and scoring? Is it a drop pass to the post? Or a kick out to the wing? Once the ball is passed to the wing, we focus our read on taking the shot or making the extra pass.
We incorporate this series from different spots on the floor, including the wing, baseline, slot, and post. The diagrams shown here demonstrate the series from the wing. Coaches simulate defenders and take away different options from the driver who has to read and make the right choice on the play. We always emphasize that you must attach the basket thinking score first and make the next play when once the first option is taken away by a defender.
