THE TITAN CULTURE
1. COMMITMENT
We must believe that we are the hardest working team
*Work ethic
in the state.
*Get out of your comfort zone
2. DEFENSE
Everything begins with defense
*What can we be best at? (Good or Great)
*Just play harder
3. UNSELFISHNESS
On and off the basketball floor.
*Share the basketball
*Ball Movement-Spacing –Sureness
*Little things
Cornerstones of our system
4. SACRIFICE
In order to get, you must first give.
*Give up your free time to achieve excellence
*Team before Individual
5. SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE
*Believe in our system
6. HANDLE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES An opinion must be
predicated on facts first.
*There is not one person outside of our locker room who knows what you are
doing. Do not let family or friends sway you. You must be accountable to
yourself, your teammates, and the coaches!
7. HANDLE DISCOURAGEMENT Love your brother, the spirit
of the team, and the joy of
competition.
*The true test of an individual is when he does not get what he wants. Your will
power and desire can overcome all obstacles. Problems will come and we must
see the benefit of all struggles. This may be the only time in your life that you
get this opportunity – enjoy it.
8. BE HONEST
*Say what you mean
*Do what you say
LEGEND BASKETBALL
Philosophy
Commitment
Any Titan should sacrifice whatever necessary to be the best that he can be. Specifically, diet,
drink, and sleep are examples of elements that dictate whether or not we are successful. A player
should make a “reasonable” effort in the aforementioned areas. The coaching and training staff
must educate the players in these areas, as it could be the “edge” that makes the ultimate
difference. Our values must become the player’s values. We have a low tolerance for a player
who does not want to better himself both academically and as a basketball player.
Work Hard
We value a hard worker. We sell our ability to outwork our opponent. This breeds confidence.
Without question, we demand “your best effort” from our players, yet we have no chance if we
do not. We apologize to no one for wanting to be the best. Working hard is the only way to
achieve this goal.
How We Handle Discouragement
We must make the players aware of those things that can be discouraging and build in our
response to those things. For example, we must learn how to deal with winning and losing. We
believe you handle them much in the same manner. Made and missed shots are another example.
We do not want them to ride the emotional roller coaster. We expect to win, and we learn from
our defeats and try harder and smarter the next time.
How We Handle Outside Influences
The player has many people that come to him with self-interest at heart. The player must
constantly fight these negative influences off and we must constantly educate him as to their
form. For example, parents, friends and girlfriends can all be harmful if he starts listening to their
message (i.e. “Why don’t you get to shoot more?”). The coaching staff cannot prevent this from
happening. We must educate the players to the destructive element that this presents.
Philosophical Conclusion
The coaching staff must prepare the team for competition at the highest level. Information is
power. We are constantly trying to put information into meaningful forms for the players. We
believe in simplicity with detail. In other words, we invest in a fairly simple approach, but
underneath, it is a complicated system
LEGEND BASKETBALL
The 10 Commitments of Titan Basketball
1.
“I WILL BE ON TIME”
“When time is involved…be on time.” Everyone will be on time for all scheduled
events. Classes, practice, rehab, study hall, officiating, and team meetings.
2.
“I WILL BE IN CLASS AND UP FRONT”
Everyone is expected to be in class and sit near the front. Excessive unexcused absences
and poor grades can be grounds for disciplinary actions. Should an emergency arise
contact a coach immediately.
3.
“I WILL DO WHAT I SAY”
We must commit ourselves to following through with what we say we will do. A person’s
word should be considered as good as gold. If you say you are going to do something,
then do it! If you say you are going to be some place, then be there!
4.
“I WILL STUDY”
Everyone is expected to take their education seriously. Legend High School is giving you
the education you need to go on in life. Legend Basketball is teaching you life skills you
need to help you in life. Take advantage of this opportunity and take responsibility for
your education.
5.
“I WILL GET REST”
It is important that each of you get enough sleep to be at your best each day. Everyone is
expected to get rest. Take naps each day if you need them.
6.
“I WILL EAT RIGHT”
It is important that you eat properly. You must eat the proper foods to perform at your
best. Remember that the most important meal of the day is breakfast…so get up and eat!
7.
“I WILL AVOID DRINKING, DRUG USE, AND SMOKING”
Our school prohibits the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. We discourage the use of any
of these for your success now and later in your life after graduation. If you choose to use
these, the consequences will be according to the training code.
8.
“I WILL DRESS APPROPRIATELY”
Most everyone in the school and many in the community (including young children) will
know you are a Legend basketball player. The image you project will be a reflection on
all of us. Don’t dress to draw attention to yourself. Dress properly in cold weather and
remember, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” Players are
expected to dress nicely on the day of a game and/ or to travel to road game. On the day
of a game either wear a nice shirt and slacks, or our team sweats. No jeans and no hats!
9.
“I WILL TAKE PRIDE IN OUR FACILITIES”
Everyone is expected to take pride in our athletic facilities. Therefore, we need to keep
our locker room and gym clean and neat. Pick up after yourself and your teammates if
necessary. NEVER SPIT ON THE GYM FLOOR OR THE LOCKER ROOM FLOOR.
We have first class practice gear, equipment and uniforms. Take care of them with pride.
10.
“I WILL BELIEVE IN ARETE”
Our philosophy is built on the idea of achieving one’s potential… In other words being
the best we can be. Everyone in our program must be committed to the pursuit of
excellence in all areas of his life. Arete means the PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
The Definite Dozen of Titan Basketball
TO STAY HERE:
1.
BE COMMITTED TO YOUR ACADEMICSMake a plan…Get a diploma. Go to class everyday. Be on time. Sit up
front. Take good notes. Do all extra work possible. Plan ahead and talk
to teachers when we travel or when you are having trouble. Get help
when you need it. If you need to miss practice in order to study or
catch up on work, talk to a coach.
2.
BE COMMITTED TO HAVING CLASSTreat teachers, trainers, managers, janitors, coaches and all people you
meet with respect. Treat other people the way you would want to be
treated. Moody people are rude. Remember to smile, to say “please”,
“thank you”, “yes sir” and “yes ma’am”, and give people the benefit of
the doubt.
3.
BE COMMITTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THINGWe have plenty of school rules, and team rules…know them. Realize
that if you are just trying to do the right thing you will be OK. Try to
do the right thing and you will be as close to perfect as a person can
be.
4.
BE COMMITTED TO THE PROGRAMAs an athlete everything you say and do will be watched. Being an
athlete provides many opportunities that other people will never have,
yet also brings about additional responsibilities. We must be
committed to building a tradition for our program and respect those
that have gone before us and paid a price to help build this program.
TO PLAY HERE:
1.
BE COMMITTED TO HARD WORKOur program is founded on the concept that hard work pays off and
good things happen to good people. We believe that we work harder
than anybody else…and because of that we deserve to win. To become
the best…you must work at it! YOU MUST DESERVE TO WIN.
2.
BE COMMITTED TO BECOMING A SMARTER PLAYEROur players must be willing to learn and to sacrifice. We believe we work
harder than anyone else…We must develop players that understand the game.
Our players must be good listeners, and learn by watching. We expect our
players to “listen with their eyes”. We must make good decisions, we must
play with poise. We must prepare mentally as well as physically for games.
3.
BE COMMITTED TO OUR TEAM ATTITUDE CONCEPTWe must have players who believe in our team concept. Our program is built
on the concept that the team/program is bigger than any one player…we need
unselfish players.
4.
BE COMMITTED TO A WINNING ATTITUDEOur players must be committed to winning but understand that we don’t
always measure our success by winning alone. Each time we play we evaluate
ourselves on reaching our potential. The test for our team is to play against the
game and not just our opponent.
WE NEVER QUIT!
TO WIN HERE:
1.
BELIEVE IN OUR SYSTEMCommit yourself to our philosophy, to our system of play. Be a sponge and
soak up the concepts of how we play. Learn your role and accept that
role…and do the best you can.
2.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELFPlay with confidence…think positive…realize you are a great player in a great
program. Don’t get down when you play poorly…realize you were chosen to
be on this team…BE A LEADER. Lead by example.
2.
BELIEVE IN YOUR TEAMMATESCOMMUNICATE with each other…help each other on and off the floor.
Remember the strength of the wolf is the pack. Encourage each other and
support each other. Don’t ever forget the importance of the shell around the
team. Be a FRIEND. We understand that we are all different, but in this
TOGETHER.
3.
BELIEVE IN YOUR COACHESNobody is working harder to make us better than your coaches. Know that
they are trying to make you better people and players. Ask questions…don’t
whine and complain. Learn to take tough coaching and understand that the
coaches are doing what they think is right for the team and for you.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
Off-Season Philosophy
“There comes a time when winter asks what you have been doing all summer…?
It is the philosophy of the coaching staff at Legend High School that participation in the
off-season is an essential part of a successful program. It is our belief that “teams are made
during the season, but players are made in the off-season.” The expectation that we have set for
ourselves is that we will be a CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM. Simply put, we want to be in a
position to compete for a league and/or state championship each and every year, rather than
being a one year success story. We believe that in order for us to compete in the tough
Continental League and at the State Level year in and year out, we must devote a tremendous
amount of time outside of the regular season expanding the skill sets of our players and team. It
is our clear expectation that if a player intends to play in our program that he will participate in
our off season activities.
We also believe in providing our players the opportunity to improve themselves while at the
same time, working with other coaches in our building to allow our players to be multi-sport
athletes. It then becomes the responsibility of the player to make the most of the opportunities
presented to them. We will provide these opportunities in a variety of different ways. First of all,
we will begin an open gym period prior to the start of the regular season and again in the spring
before spring league and summer games begin. Open gym allows our players to come into the
gym and work on individual skills, learn our system, and play games in preparation for the
season. In the fall, we will employ MOVEMENT TRAINING SYSTEMS to work with our
athletes on the specificity of movement. This has added to our success on the basketball floor
over the years. In the fall we use open gym time to condition and prepare for the upcoming
season. In the spring, we use this time to refresh our players with the system, work on shooting
and skill development, and organize and communicate for the upcoming summer program.
*In season athletes are not expected nor are they allowed to participate in open gyms until
the conclusion of their season.
After spring break we will begin preparation for the upcoming season. This may include a
spring league, various summer leagues, tournaments and camps. Coaches are available to work
with our players on an individual basis and there is a Speed/Strength camp which is highly
recommended to our athletes throughout the summer. We participate in multiple tournaments
throughout the late spring and summer. Tournaments such as Metro State, CU, Gold Crown, and
DU have become staples of our program and take place throughout the month of June and early
July and we will attend TEAM CAMP on or near the third week of June. In addition, we set up
summer league and open gym nights during the month of June and into July to allow our players
the chance to play a large amount of games during a short period of time.
Club Basketball
In the fall of 2009 it was decided that Legend Basketball would begin to operate as a club
basketball program (Titans Basketball Club) and participate in some elite National Tournaments.
Most of these tournaments take place in late spring and in the month of July. For those players
on the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, there will be the opportunity to participate in
tournaments in Denver, Nebraska, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and other
potential destinations. Decisions on which tournaments we will participate in will be made in the
late fall or early spring and prospective dates and anticipated costs will be discussed at spring
booster club meetings.
*Players are expected to participate in as many off-season opportunities as possible.
Our basketball team is NOT chosen based upon participation in off-season activities.
However, the reality is that those players who choose not to participate during the off-season will
have a hard time developing their skills to the same level as those who do participate.
We understand that many of our athletes choose to play other sports and that is important
for them to participate with those teams during the summer. Therefore, we will make every
attempt to work in coordination with the other coaches to ensure that players have the
opportunity to participate in all activities
In conclusion, we expect that our players will be involved in our program outside of the
regular season and we are very demanding of what we ask of our players. We will provide as
many opportunities as possible and the players should make every attempt to be as involved as
possible. Family, work, and other sports are the obvious exceptions, however if a player is
available to participate, we expect that he will. We believe that it is the time spent in the offseason which will make the difference for our players and our program over the course of time.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE PRIORITY LIST
OFFENSIVE PRIORITIES:
1. Take Care of the Ball
2. Ball Movement
3. Shot Selection
4. Player Movement
5. Rebounding
DEFENSIVE PRIORITIES:
1. Ball Pressure
2. Jump to the Ball
3. Stance
4. Rotation
5. Rebounding
OUT OF BOUNDS PLAYS:
1. Get the ball in
2. Create a high percentage scoring opportunity
TRADEMARKS OF A PROGRAM
What would someone watching us play, say about our team?
1.
2.
3.
4.
At Legend High School, they would say…
1. They defend
2. They play hard
3. They share the ball
When you leave our program you will…
1. Be a better player
2. Be a better student
3. Be a better person
Legend Players must be…
1. Smart
2. Committed
3. Hard Working
LEGEND BASKETBALL
Defensive Philosophy
A. Cornerstones
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ball Pressure- No free looks, no “window shopping”
Stance- Hands out or up
Jump to the Ball- Two push steps in the direction of the pass
Rotation- Stop the ball
Rebounding- complete the defense, “rights all defensive wrongs”
*We want to pressure the ball the entire game. We will never compromise ball pressure.
The ball is the most important thing in the game, and we should give it appropriate
emphasis.
B. Pressure Points
1. Sideline alleys- we want the ball pinned on the sideline as much as possible. Limited
space and difficult reversals make it particularly difficult for a team to run their offense.
2. Turning the ball- before the ball crosses half court we want to turn the ball 2 to 3
times. Then, once the ball crosses half court, we want to keep the ball in the sideline
alley.
3. Wing Position- when the ball is pinned in the sideline alley at the wing position, we
will either front or side front the post. Meanwhile we have the helpside defender play the
split line. In brief, we play the ball hard, deny one pass away, and play basket protection
two passes away.
4. Post Position- once the ball goes into the post, we like to force the post player into a
tough decision by trapping. The defense is vulnerable when the ball goes into the post
and therefore the defense needs to put out the “fire in the house”.
5. Screens- we will trap all ball screens and rotate from that point. We see a golden
opportunity when two offensive players come together to disrupt the offense. We fight
through screens on the ballside, switch cross-screens on the block, and switch helpside
screens. This allows us to keep maximum pressure on the ball while we keep our players
in position to stunt and rotate.
6. Rebounding- you can make every mistake possible on defense and still block out and
getting the rebound will right all wrongs. Rebounding completes our defense, and a team
must execute this skill consistently in order to be competitive. While blocking out is
important, ball pursuit off the shot is most important. We must be warriors in this area.
C. Defensive Transition
1.
Fundamental to our success as a basketball team will be in direct relation to
the number of easy baskets we allow. I believe transition defense is paramount
to our defensive system.
2.
In order to understand sound defensive transition, we must first analyze the
fast break. Made or missed, the fast break team is trying to:
a. Get the quick outlet pass as far up the court as possible.
b. Transfer the ball to a shooter at the other end of the floor.
c. Get an uncontested three point shot or lay up off the second pass.
d. Immediate ball reversal to the opposite wing and/or trailer as it is very
tough for the defense to go from ball side pressure to a help side
closeout.
3.
Quick organized transitions with communication from all FIVE players is a
must for a great defensive team. The first THREE steps are the most important
because that is when the break usually takes place. WE MUST STOP THE
BALL. We must sprint to the ball line, (level of the ball) eliminate all easy
baskets, and make our opponent work against our set defense. No lay ups, No
threes, and NO SECOND SHOTS.
B. Defensive Sets
1.
2.
3.
The Press- we use a specific numbering system for our defense (ex: full court
pressure is called “22”). We use different numbers for our different sets. It
makes our system flexible yet we can keep our defensive constants.
Soft Pressure vs. Hard Pressure
a. We will never compromise pressure on the ball but we will adjust our
pressure one and two passes away. Why? We can give more help with
the ball defender.
The Zone- in brief, if we are a good man to man defensive team, we can be a
good zone team. We will use these to change the flow of a game and give our
opponent another look during the course of the game.
C. Attitude
1. Statement- hard nosed attitude and approach to defense says it all about
the Titans. We will pride ourselves on defense for years. We need to
invest in a few simple concepts, execute the philosophy, and know down
to our bones that defense wins championships.
2. Conclusion- Defense is like insurance; you better have it. We want to
be the best defensive team in our league. We must take pride in our
defense.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
Offensive Philosophy
When determining what system of offense is best suited for one’s team, a coach
must keep many things in mind. There is no single solution for a team’s needs. The
success of any offense is based upon the ability of the coach to teach and the team to
execute the important fundamentals of basketball. These would include good shot
selection, proper offensive spacing, passing and catching, and movement without the ball.
It is also based upon the willingness of the players to work hard in practice at the
fundamentals and have the proper attitude to make the system function properly.
At Legend High School we have determined that our primary priority is to score in
transition. Fast break basketball is a system which if executed properly can lead to easy
scoring opportunities for our team and is enjoyable for players and spectators alike. We
approach our transition game with TWO different approaches; a primary fastbreak and a
secondary fastbreak. Anytime the defense has only ONE or TWO defenders back on
defense and we have a numbers advantage our offense will look to attack the basket and
score quickly and easily. This requires that we have strong rebounding and that our
guards (point guard) are able to make good decisions at high rates of speed. Any time the
defense has more than two defenders back on defense, we will look to attack the defense
using our secondary break. We have several different secondary breaks which are
designed to allow us to score quickly and easily without breaking the flow of our
fastbreak system despite the defense having several players back on defense. Whenever
we are unable to score in transition we will immediately begin our offensive system.
At Legend we believe in the motion offense because we think it is the purest form
of offensive basketball. In this day and age of multiple defenses, if you are unable to run
motion offense or at least understand motion principles, you will struggle in your
attempts to attack various defenses. No matter what defense we play against we can run
our motion or some kind of variation and have the opportunity to be successful. In
addition to being able to attack various defenses, we have found that motion offense
improves as the year goes on and it makes us very unpredictable in our offense because
we never make the same movement twice. We have also discovered that as we work on
our motion offense during the course of the season, our man to man defense improves
because we are regularly facing all possibilities of offensive movement in practice daily.
This forces us to improve our defensive communication and techniques.
Over the years we have found that the use of set plays during the course of a game
can improve a team’s offensive production. In the case of motion offense, the use of a set
play enhances the effectiveness of motion because it gives the defense more to prepare
for and think about. Set plays offer several advantages. First of all, it helps keep the
layers organized especially at critical junctures at the game. Second, it can help control
the pace and tempo of the game. Lastly, it can get the ball into the hands of a key of hot
player when we want a specific player to get a shot or we want to take advantage of a
team’s weakness. Our “motion entries” combine the best assets of a play with the
principles of our motion offense. The “entries” begin with a specific yet limited amount
of motion. Following the initial movement of our players we will then incorporate our
motion principles into their movements. We find that “entries” offer some solid and
purposeful movement to our offense at the beginning of a possession. From there, our
players find themselves in a position to execute our motion and have the opportunity to
be successful in the half court set.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
Concepts
1. Humility
2. Passion
3. Unity
4. Servant hood
5. Thankfulness
Know who we are
Do not be Lukewarm
Do not divide your house
Make teammates better
Learn form each circumstance
Objectives
1. Transition, Talk, Stance, Vision, Movement, Position.
2. Ball Pressure, Deflections, Loose balls.
3. Attack dribble penetration with a stunt. Early rotation.
4. Take the Charge.
5. Post Defense, Sideline Pins, keep the ball out of the middle alley.
6. Shot pressure. No uncontested shots.
7. Finish every play with a rebound.
8. Push the ball, run the floor, Post feed, swing the ball or skip.
9. Know your ROLE on offense. Handle with SURENESS.
10. Move without the ball, screen, cut, hard dribble penetration, Post Feeds.
11. Take GREAT shots. Hold follow through.
12. REBOUND, floor balance.
LEGEND BASKETBALL
“The Disease of Me”
The disease of me = the defeat of us
Six danger signs of the disease of me:
1. Chronic feelings of under appreciation – focus on oneself.
2. Paranoia over being cheated out of one’s rightful share.
3. Leadership vacuum resulting from the formation of cliques and rivalries.
4. Feelings of frustration even when the team performs successfully.
5. Personal effort mustered solely to outshine a teammate.
6. Resentment of the competence of another – refuse to admit his contribution.
** Most difficult things for individuals to when they become part of a team is
to sacrifice, it’s much easier to be selfish. **
Pat Riley
Questions to ask yourself:
1. Would you rather score 2 points and WIN, or score 20 points and lose?
2. Would you rather WIN a State Championship, or be All-State?
Non-Negotiables in our program:
1. TEAM before individual
2. PASS before Shot
3. DEFENSE before Offense