Chris Oliver Brain Dump Hoops Lessons (EP426)

Chris Oliver Brain Dump Hoops Lessons (EP426)

From The Basketball Podcast by Chris Oliver

May 27, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 426

About this episode

Chris Oliver shares a collection of basketball coaching insights and strategies gathered from six months of discussions with coaches at various levels.

My notebook overflowed after 6 months with coaches at every level—hoops lessons from London, Paris, NBA weekends, youth basketball, messing around with my coaching, and the NCAA trenches. Having been incredibly fortunate to talk hoops with coaches at every level of the game over the last six months, I’ve synthesized a collection of insights I believe can move the needle for your program. Shared ideas on key coaching phrases including "do you change the room when you walk in the room," the "sit and wait" concept, and defensive strategies like "chest and contest" and "beat them with your feet." Emphasized the importance of "conceptual defense" and "structured to unstructured" approaches, along with offensive concepts like "the feeder is the leader" and "we don't slow, we don't stop" when executing plays. Shared specific terminology like "MIG" (Most Important Girl/Guy) and "MIA" (Missing an Action) for defensive assignments and discussed the importance of making practices reflect actual game situations by never starting drills at 0-0 and incorporating scores to create competitive pressure. Covered coaching principles including "when in doubt, make it a game," the "four E's" approach…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Oliver

Topics covered

  • coaching insights
  • basketball strategies
  • player development
  • defensive concepts
  • offensive concepts
  • practice techniques

Keywords

  • coaching phrases
  • conceptual defense
  • structured to unstructured
  • MIG
  • MIA
  • four E's
  • unexpected praise
  • competitive pressure

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NCAA, NBA

Places: London, Paris

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