For many high schools across the nation, the month of June can be a wild scramble. Coaches go from the last day of school right into summer basketball. The players often are not in basketball shape, yet coaches want to do as much as possible in limited time.
So this year, most of the Illinois HS teams are playing one last tourney the weekend of June 28. At that point, coaches are often ready to take their family vacations and decompress.
Before the summer workouts get too far in a coach’s memory, it is important for the coach to sit down and take notes. The purpose of the notes will be to help prepare for the winter season, and also make next summer’s program more effective.
So here are questions that are important for coaches to address soon after their summer programs end.
Questions About The Team
1- Next winter, who will be the toughest teams on your non-conference schedule, in your conference, or in the post-season tourney?
2- How many of these teams did you play this summer? How did you do against them?
3- Pick out the best 6 teams you played this summer. Why did you win against these teams? Why did you lose against these teams? What did these teams reveal to you about your team’s strengths and weaknesses?
4- Did you play this summer in a manner that gave you a big advantage this summer but may not next winter? For example- in “big games”, did you play only 7-8 players while your opponents were playing 10 and more players? Because teams don’t scout or opportunities to do practice prep- did you play a style that may not be as effective during the season?
5- If you started the season now, how many players could you really depend on in a tough game? Who would you planning to have as your “regulars?”
6- Who are two players not in the rotation now, who might improve and be able to get in the rotation next winter? Can you do anything to help them improve? Do they know what they need to do to improve?
Questions About Team Organization
7- What were good things you did in your summer practices? And what were bad things you did in your summer practices? Are there drills you want to make sure you use next winter?
8- What were things you did in summer practices to make the practices competitive? What are additional things you want to do with practices next winter to make practices more competitive?
9- What did you do to allow your players to get shots in your practices? Next winter, how many shots do you want players to get in practice? Do you have shooting drills that will allow your to accomplish this?
10- In games this summer, were you getting your best players the most shots? Do you want to adjust your offensive scheme to get your best players more touches and more shots? Do some of your players need to develop a better idea of what are good and bad shots?
11- What did you do offensively or run offensively that you want to make sure you repeat?
12- What is the best set you ran offensively? What would you run vs a set defense with 20 seconds to go and down 1 point?
13- What defense gave you the most trouble? What adjustments do you need to make vs that defense?
14- What ball screen defense gave you the most trouble? What were good things you did vs different kinds of ball screen coverages?
15- What was your most effective ball screen defense? Do you need to add any ball screen defensive schemes?
16- What did you do defensively or run defensively that you want to make sure you repeat? Do you need to add any new defenses?
Questions About Players
17- What is the shooting range of each of your players? What distance can each player shoot 50% if unguarded?
18- Which players seem to know what is a good shot for them? Which players do not understand what is a good and bad shot for them?
19- If a player will have green light to shoot threes for you, what percentage do you want them to be able to shoot for threes? Who on your team now would have a green light to shoot threes? Do each of your players know if they are a good or bad three point shooter?
20- How many non-three point shooters do you plan to play regularly?
21- Who has improved the most since last season? Who seems to have reached a plateau?
22- Who are your leaders? How do each of them lead?
23- Which players are effective communicators with you? Which players are not effective communicators with you?
Questions For You
24- Where on the scale between being positive vs being negative do your players see you? Do your players see you as constructive or demeaning? Do your players see you as fair or as having favorites? (Remember it is what your team thinks!)
25- Did you communicate to each player an evaluation of their strengths, weaknesses, potential role, and workout strategy?
26- Are you effectively using your assistant coaches? How can you better use your assistants?
27- What are two areas of basketball that you plan to study in the next four months?
28- Will you take the time to attend any clinics?
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