Matt Bollant | Coaching for Execution | 2015 Women’s Final Four Notes

Matt Bollant – Head Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Illinois

Topic: “Coaching for Execution”

I. Offensive Concepts

Pick an offensive system – Either “STS” (Side-Top-Side) or pick & roll and stick with it the whole year

Have a system to develop your players

Motion takes time to learn – When taking over a new program, the first year is about your players, (not you) and putting them in a position to be successful, even if they don’t fit “your system”

Developing players is as important as anything that we do

Important points:
– Need good spacing in offense

– Offense’s goal is to force “mental transitions” (i.e. getting defense to react quickly to actions) – Defense can stop first action, but can they stop second and third action?

Sometimes offense looks good at practice because defense is so bad—It is tough for the offense to improve in this scenario

Have ability to use males at practices*

Teams should work on defending different pick & roll actions in October (switching, jamming, downing/icing, etc.) so that when they have to do it in a scout they have experience defending it or attacking it

Playing with a pace is so important! No matter what you run, speed of what you are doing it at is most important – Why do teams run 5 v 0 offense at half speed?

II. Fundamentals

How do you build them? Do them everyday

Mini-Clinics (#1-#12)

#1 – Start/Stop with the basketball – permanent pivot foot vs. inside foot (Bollant – “I challenge you to use one foot down”)
#2 – Movement without the ball – 7 principles – Explain the how and the why – Players WANT this! “It does not matter what head coach or assistant coaches know, it matters what the players know.”
#3 – ??
#4 – Shooting (B.E.E.F.)
#5 – Passing/Receiving
#6 – How to set/use screens
#7 – Picks
#8 – Post ups (12 principles)
4 basic moves – Allow players to use their best move to score
**Move opposite the ball on the flight of the ball** – Get great position
#9 – ??
#10 – 3 on 2/2 on 1
#11– ??
#12 – ??

III. Miscellaneous

Use offensive cards with SLOBs, BLOBs, calls, sets, defenses, etc.
– Kids have to know these – Hold them accountable

The way you practice is important
Need to coach energy, effort everyday! Don’t have a defeatist attitude regarding this or say “our kids don’t play hard” – It’s your job to get them to!
– Be who you are in order to get this out of them – Coach to your personality –
If you are intense, be intense  Punishments (positive peer pressure), etc.

“Say the right thing at the right time”

III. Conclusion

Work on passing everyday (vs. pressure defense and sagging defense), shooting, shot selection (coaching this is an art form – delicate balance – Get the right kids shooting the right shots)

Books to Read:
Burn your goals – Joshua Medcalf
Lead …For God’s Sake – Todd Gongwer
How Good is Good Enough? – Andy Stanley (on Purpose)

Follow Coach Bert DeSalvo on Twitter!!!

Bert DeSalvo is entering his first full year as head coach of the Southern Connecticut State University women’s basketball program in 2014-2015. DeSalvo brings extensive collegiate coaching experience at the Division I, II and III levels to the Owls’ program.

DeSalvo’s previous head coaching experience includes a successful four year run as head women’s basketball coach at Penn State-Beaver for four seasons. He compiled a 99-26 (.792) record and qualified for the USCAA National Tournament in all four campaigns. The Lady Lions finished as the National runner-up in 2011. He also led the program to an undefeated regular season during that season.

DeSalvo captured the PSUAC Regular Season Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and three consecutive PSUAC Post-Season Conference Titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He received the PSUAC Coach of Year award in 2008 and the Beaver County Hall of Fame Recognition Award as women’s basketball Coach of Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. DeSalvo also served as the Assistant Director of Athletics and programmed intramural and club sports events and activities.

From PSU-Beaver, DeSalvo served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Division II Clarion (Pa.), where he was also the recruiting coordinator.

His first collegiate coaching experience was as an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. He was responsible for all scouting reports and game plans for the Division I program.

DeSalvo then moved on as the lead assistant women’s basketball coach role at Division III MacMurray College, where he handled many duties including academic monitoring, budgeting, scheduling and travel.

His additional coaching experience includes stops as the girls’ varsity head coach at Chariho (RI) High School, junior varsity head coach for boys’ basketball at South Kingstown High School (RI), founder and head coach for the South County Flash girls’ basketball AAU program and the boys’ head coach at Rocky Hill Middle School.

DeSalvo is also the founder of Full Court Consulting, a program that helps record performance and stats for basketball. In this role, he has worked with various Division II, Division III, JUCO and high school coaches around the country. He has also previously worked as a basketball analyst for Krossover software that allows coaches and players to break down plays.

DeSalvo received a bachelor’s of arts from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s of science from Duquesne University, along with additional coursework towards a master’s degree from the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

DeSalvo resides in New Haven with his wife, Becky, and daughter, Amara.

Click on the pdf link to download the Matt Bollant | Coaching for Execution | 2015 Women’s Final Four Notes

Matt Bollant | Coaching for Execution | 2015 Women’s Final Four Notes