Odds-On Basketball Coaching

Book excerpt: In basketball, as in most sports, a large part of a coach’s responsibility is to prepare his or her team for games. Yet, little time in practice is typically devoted to readying the players and coaches for specific game situations. For instance, what are the various ways to use dead ball moments to maximum advantage? What adjustments should be made to launch a comeback in particular circumstances? When is it favorable to purposefully miss a foul shot? In Odds-On Basketball Coaching: Crafting High-Percentage Strategies for Game Situations, Michael J. Coffino presents an innovative system for coaches to prepare for specific game scenarios. Coffino challenges coaches to think differently about what they emphasize in practice, placing greater value on preparing for recurring game situations, crafting strategies by assessing the odds, and creating a culture that elevates how players think about the game. Each chapter begins with an actual game scenario that illustrates the chapter’s content and includes discussions of notable college and professional basketball games in order to demonstrate specific points. Odds-On Basketball Coaching provides a framework for making game decisions beyond instincts and habits. It is intended, more than anything, to stimulate coaches and players to think comprehensively and realistically about how to approach games and practices, fostering an environment where everyone can more incisively make game-time decisions. While high school and youth basketball coaches will find this book most helpful, coaches at all levels will benefit from this novel approach to the game.