5 Areas for Improvement

The varsity lost games by 8, 3, 2, and 7, which means we lost games that were decided by a couple of plays here and there. Reflecting on our games (on all levels), I think there are five areas we need to focus on. They are simple, within our control, and had we done a better job in these five areas we would have won all four of these games going away. They are:
1. Focus. We cannot get distracted by bad bounces, bad calls, non-calls, dirty or physical play, or trash talk. Focus on what we do, what we can control. This starts in warmups. The only game the varsity warmed up for with any intensity was the Rowland Hall game and it's the only game where we started well. Think of the easy shots we missed in the other games that we shot casually and at half-speed in warmups...
2. Shot selection. You know our criteria for a good shot: It's in your range, you're on balance, with time and space, and a teammate doesn't have a better shot. Think of how many shots you shot that don't check all four of these boxes. I'd add a fifth criteria - if Coach says to run a play and you jack up a shot that's not part of that play, that's bad shot.
3. Turnovers. Most of our turnovers came as a result of playing too fast. When we play too fast, we do things with one hand, off balance, on the run. When we play slow, on two feet with two hands, we typically make good decisions.
4. Transition baskets. We got outscored badly in transition. Almost all of the baskets we gave up were the result of poor recovery on our part: freezing after missing or turning it over instead of recovering, running to the sideline instead of the center of the floor, or trying to make a hero play 60 feet from the basket instead of getting back to the lane. We simply must immediately recover through the center circle, to the paint, and stop the ball, secure the paint, and then - and only then - find our men.
5. Offensive rebounds. Truthfully, I was pretty pleased and impressed with how we held our own on the glass. However, just based on our height and weight, we're going to give up offensive rebound baskets and fouls to some extent, which makes improving in areas 1-4 that much more critical. That said, we have to get better at the "hit and get" mentality we're trying to instill. On every shot, hit a man, then get the ball.

These are all things we have, and will continue to, emphasize in practice. If we can get better in all five areas these next two weeks, we will go from the program with the worst record at Utah to one of the best records in the Rocky Mountain Showcase. The summer is all about improvement. Let's improve.