“The Laughing Coach”
In the present moment, offering help for seeing March Madness clearly. A playful guide to enjoying the game from an irreverent view of an experienced basketball coach.
My goal is to help you to see the game from fun new angles and to light – up the Madness for you in the process. May it be refreshing for you to experience a completely different view than those relying on acronyms such as “Quads”, “NET”and what I refer to as “Dumb-Alytics”. (to be further looked at in the future)
“From little things”
Beware of the BLOB. Be Aware of the BLOB.
“No way did that happen again ! “”Yes, my coaching buddy says, as we watch a late season game, “It did happen again ; they did let it happen again” We cannot control our laughter at the absurdity of this as well as the predictable nature of it. Now I invite you to join “The Laughing Coach” with some of your own laughs as well as you consider this further wildness of ways to lose or win amid the Madness time !
What we saw was a team scored easily, with one pass each time, on an inbounds play from underneath their basket. (often called a BLOB – baseline out of bounds play) Scoring on inbounds plays is not unusual. In fact, it is all too common. Which is partially why it’s a cause for laughter as we sit there expecting it , and exchanging thoughts such as “this will probably be a score” on many inbounds beneath the basket. In this instance it was the fourth time in the game that a team had used the exact same play to get a wide open shot with one pass inbounds. They scored on every play. Never did the opposing team make a change in their method of defending this. “What were they thinking?!” is a phrase my friend and I often share as we laugh after seeing the defense and the result. It is common to see games that include two or three easy scores by each team on inbounds plays under the basket. Teams have several excellent inbounds plays that are difficult to defend. Anyone seeing a score happen four times using the same play would be hard pressed not to laugh. On the other hand, it surely was not a laughing matter for the team that lost the close game after giving up those buckets that might have been prevented.
Most often these inbounds plays result in two point baskets as a result of a lay-up, a lob pass or a 8 foot shot, but wide open three pointers are not rare.
The “point” , of a different sort , is the following: games are won , or lost, by what some might call “little things”. Often we focus on the spectacular dunk as the winning moment, or the last second desperate , exciting shot and these do make for excitement.
What is shared here is meant to open new dimensions for you to see. Watch for the inbounds plays. You might enjoy being alert for the “little thing” to see how many times either team scores. It’s another “hidden” fun moment that may bring even more excitement to watching the wild March Madness – and may bring you some laughs as well, especially if you saw the potential bucket before it occurs for the second time. Baskets off of baseline inbounds plays in the final few seconds of a game have led to thrilling wins and tearful defeats but it might be more significant to keep an eye on whether easy baskets were scored earlier in a game on inbounds plays so that no last second buzzer beater basket was necessary !
Keep in mind that there is a solution for more effectively defending the inbounds play under the basket from giving up lay-ups but teams are reluctant to employ it. This leads to more laughter by my friend and I as we see buckets scored on inbounds. Just the fact this useful strategy is seldom used makes it more effective. I must confess that one time this season I did hear an expert commentator suggest a team try this “solution.” Herein, I shall not reveal more since coaching remains a passion for me.
Indeed, most fans recognize the little things that are important for winning games : make lay-ups, make free throws, do not make sloppy passes that lead to turnovers, do not take bad shots. However, there remain other, significant, ”‘hidden” little things that can make a huge difference in winning or losing a game. Perhaps in coming games, they will also connect you with laughter amidst the enjoyment of the wonderful sport.
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen” John Wooden.
The author is a graduate of UCLA during the John Wooden era who has five decades of coaching experience. This includes coaching high school young men’s championships in Southern California to coaching winning club teams in Germany including pro-players and, in between, also building winning teams from previous losing teams wherever he coached. He and his good friend have 80 years of combined coaching experience.