Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast

We are fortunate to have Doug Novak on this episode of the podcast.Novak's contributions to the game are notable. Coaches around the world have benefited from his sharing of the game through various clinics and his website, CoachDougNovak.com.This episode was recorded in-person after Novak completed a two-day clinic with players from Lake City and Sandpoint high schools.---Be sure to subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter to receive write-up and videos focused on conceptual offense.---1:05 - Protection Plans as an Offensive Attack4:00 - Giving players they need to succeed6:35 - "Home Base" as a starting point9:15 - Providing opportunities for less athletic players10:25 - The importance of the Stride Stop12:15 - Offensive Concepts out of Protection Plans14:30 - Building breakdown scenarios16:15 - Giving up some control as a coach19:10 - Taking over a new program

We are fortunate to have Taylor Tucker on this episode. Tucker is the Associate Head Coach at Des Moines Area Community College. He’s also the coach behind the incredible resource that is @Tucker_Thorson account on Twitter. I’ve benefitted greatly over the years from the clips and mini-clinics he offers regularly.This is a fun episode where we dive into triggers and manufacturing and attacking closeouts.---Subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter on Substack. https://coachingidaho.substack.com/.---Episode Breakdown1:15 - Summer schedule working at a junior college2:20 - The purpose & actions of re-triggers4:40 - Pros and Cons of the re-triggers9:10 - Player recognition on when to re-trigger13:20 - Advice for coaches adopting triggers15:05 - Tips for selecting actions for triggers16:30 - Less is more for triggers18:10 - Living through the mistakes20:10 - Developing randomness through structure21:00 - Off-ball reads during triggers23:55 - The role of the closeout in today’s game25:30 - Manufacturing closeouts26:50 - Key teaching points in attacking closeouts29:30 - What’s next area of focus for @Tucker_Thorson?

We are fortunate to have Brent Keener on this episode. Keener just finished his 18th season at Mountain Home High School. He led the Tigers to a 21-5 record and a third-place finish at the Idaho 5A State Girls Tournament. ---Subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter.---EPISODE BREAKDOWN1:20 - What led you to an uptempo offense?2:15 - Changes adopted in a more uptempo system3:00 - Transition offense principles4:45 - Offensive geography6:40 - Practicing the 3 layers of offense7:40 - Game shot feedback9:00 - Teaching off-ball reads10:55 - Point guard responsibilities13:15 - A big’s responsibility in the offense15:25 - 2-person actions with wings16:20 - Ball movement in an uptempo offense18:05 - Teaching spacing principles19:55 - Practice focuses throughout the year20:40 - Favorite shooting drills21:40 - Earring a shooting license23:25 - Separating position players during practice24:25 - Developing meaningful reps in practice26:05 - Defense that plays into the offense28:15 - Secrets to coaching longevity

We are fortunate to have Chris Oliver return to the podcast for this episode. Oliver, of course, is the basketball podfather with his own show, The Basketball Podcast, and website, Basketball Immersion, two of leading resources for coaches around the world. He also is a consultant with Nike & the NBA involving their youth basketball initiative which we will talk about a little later. --- Subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter: coachingidaho.substack.com --- Episode Breakdown 1:45 - Changes in coaching philosophy over time 4:00 - Practice structure when installing a conceptual offense 6:00 - Teaching the game using coaching interventions 7:15 - What coaching interventions should look like 10:00 - Helping players develop their scanning skills 13:25 - Deeper conversations with players around development 14:15 - What teaching scanning looks like in practices 16:50 - The importance of playing 5v5 20:25 - The importance of connecting the different elements of play 21:15 - Ideas for developing a coaching filter for resources 23:05 - The importance of having a Principles of Play 24:30 - Partnership with Nike and the NBA 26:20 - Getting players to love practice

We are fortunate to have Ty Keck on this episode to discuss practice planning and structure. Keck is the head girls coach at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He led Skyline to a 4A state runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024 and has been a great resource for coaches like myself who have adopted a conceptual offense and CLA principles. EPISODE BREAKDOWN 2:00 - General approach to developing a practice plan 3:10 - What’s a practice philosophy that’s changed for you over the years 6:25 - Development w/ younger players vs. older players 8:00 - Practice structure from day to day 9:55 - Adapting focus within a practice 11:55 - Creating the environment for a secondary trigger 15:25 - Ratio between 2v2, 3v3 vs. 5v5 17:20 - Ratio of teaching offense vs. defense 19:45 - Factoring conditioning into practices -- Be sure to subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter at https://coachingidaho.substack.com/

We are fortunate to have Bill Himmelberg on this episode. Himmelberg is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana. The Argos made their way to this year’s NAIA National Championship game, but fell to No. 1 Dordt University by 4 points. Himmelberg is entering his 15 season as Providence’s head coach. He also has experience coaching at the high school level. -- Check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter on substack: https://coachingidaho.substack.com/ -- 1:45 - Was playing for an NAIA title expected at the beginning of the season 2:40 - Determining when your team might be a championship-level team 4:15 - Discussing championship possiblities with your team 7:45 - Where owning restaurant franchises and college basketball meet 12:50 - Developing an offensive identity through early offense and player freedom 18:15 - Building confidence in younger players in a conceptual system 22:35 - Flowing from 5-out to 4-out seamlessly 31:05 - Packaging actions and naming them for easy communication 35:15 - Introducing concepts throughout the season 37:35 - The benefits for two-way teaching 40:00 - Using a 5-out to attack a zone defense 42:15 - Percentage of time practicing against a zone defense 44:05 - Area of study as a coach for the upcoming season

We are fortunate to have Kirby Schepp on this podcast. Schepp is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Manitoba. Schepp has coached at all levels in his more than 3 decade of coaching, including stints with national teams of Canada and Egypt. Most people know Schepp from his online coaching clinics, including the presentation “Don’t Teach Them Plays, Teach Them “How to Play,” which has more than 1 million views on YouTube. Schepp covers a lot for coaches to consider throughout this episode. The main focus of the discussion is Zone Offense Concepts. -- Check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter on substack: https://coachingidaho.substack.com/ -- SHOW NOTES 1:30 - Coaching at a national team level 3:40 - Coach Schepp’s basketball journey 5:30 - Putting in the time as a coach 10:40 - Breaking down concepts for players 13:30 - Growing as a coach 14:50 - Building player’s knowledge of zone offense 21:15 - Offense that zones don’t like 23:15 - Concepts that will distort a zone 27:25 - Game planning & adjusting to a zone 31:50 - Teaching shot selection in zone offense 36:35 - A system vs. player strengths 41:10 - Blobs vs. a zone defense 45:05 - Finding inspiration for zone offense 48:20 - Olympic basketball breakdown 51:10 - Growth areas as a coach 53:15 - Keys to re-evaluating your system