By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development at The Basketball Academy and PTC
The word wingspan is one that is overused during the process of evaluating talent. On the court the word is under appreciated if the coaching eye understands the relationship between extremity control, body type and skill development.
For the average fan it is easy to say, "Look how long Dwight Howard's arms are, no wonder he blocks so many shots." There are obviously great advantages to having long arms versus having short arms in the game of basketball but some of the most gifted passes tend to have wingspans that are below average
When I say body type, I mean long term body type. A player may look ectomorphic but actually be mesomorphic when they reach full maturity. Between mesomorphic, ectomorphic, and endomorphic players the wingspan can be productive or counterproductive. An above average wingspan is going to take a player’s center of gravity and stability points and stretches them.
The measurement classification is a wingspan length around your vertical height is average. Anything 2 inches over your height "means you have the ability to play bigger than your height. (If you are 6'6 and have a 6'8 wingspan you could in theory compete against 6'8 players.)
I have seen and individually worked out players in person that have ridiculous wingspan differentials and have noticed one extremely under looked aspect of evaluating wingspan.
Players with a 2+ differential and are endomorphic versus mesomorphic, meaning they are heavy set with very powerful lower body but not freaky athletes tend to posses touch around the basket, touch from the perimeter even though it is more of a set shot and tend to be able to root or move players to rebound the basketball. Their changes of speed, hesitations, counters and screening ability tend to be better than their counter parts. These guys are shot and post contesters not shot blockers even though they get the statistical credit. These types of guards are ball pokers and bumpers in the open court. The combination of strength and power also attract the refs on a frequent basis.
Players with a 2+ differential and are mesomorphic (long thin athletic) tend to have a hitch in their shot and free throw, not that they do not go in but they tend to have a hitch. They also are better shot blockers and second jumpers and "open" rebounders, meaning if both players are equal distance they can pounce quicker to cover the space. They also tend to be very rigid ball handlers but great straight line sprinters. Their pivots, shot fakes, counters and jab series are not pretty to watch with an analytical eye.
Players with a 2+ differentials and are ectomorphic tend to have very little offensive skills outside of catch and shoot and close basket layins or dunks. These tend to be the guys that teams say as soon as they gain weight they will improve. No they will be bigger and no more effective. These players tend to constantly be injured and the combination of length and lack of strength make them very poor defenders across the board.
So next time you are analyzing talent watch for the way wingspan affects the players play. I will be back with multiple examples and am looking for multiple anomalies. These analyses are made based on full maturity however in youth development I will argue that this type of analysis allow for better technique adjustments. Understanding what a bodies physical tendencies, strengths and weaknesses can allow a coach to better develop skills at a young age.
On a side note I would like to point out that Kid Rock's new song "Blue Jeans and a Rosary" is going to be a huge hit over the coming months and possibly one of the all time great sing in your car songs.
Since 2005 many have debated who is going to be a better pro long term Monta Ellis or Louis Williams? I took most of today to analyze their current situations. As high school seniors they tried to start a trend of undersized high school scoring guards entering the draft. I must preface the debate by saying that both guys are on their way to All-Star status. Deron Williams and Chris Paul were THE GUARDS in the 2005 draft. As the year moves on and both players get closer to big paydays, I ask the question, who is the better investment?
Three years ago I attended one of the single most impressive performances ever scene in a high school game. Driving two hours from Jackson, Mississippi to Greenwood, Mississippi, I watched Lanier High School play Greenwood High School. Braving the two lane roads in a torrential downpour and losing the Lanier bus multiple times, I arrived along with George David of the Detroit Pistons and saw Monta Ellis score 70+. Very few high school superstars ever achieve this statistic. The amazing part is he only scored 6 points in first quarter. He hit three from every spot on the floor, intercepted any pass that was within 5 feet as he played on the top of the ¾ court diamond press dunking it with authority, slicing the press into floaters and shooting 20 + free throws.
Monta Ellis has had tremendous success as a Golden State Warrior. Proving over and over why people should have looked past his minor knee problems during the draft and saw the raw speed and talent. He is the “fire and ice” player that individual skill coaches like myself love to watch play in games. The fire is the pure speed with the ball and the quickness and explosiveness. The ice is the touch on his finishes, the runners, the fade away, and the ability to stop on a dime and gracefully rise into his shot. I personally have created drills off of things I have watched Monta create throughout the course of attacking
I got to spend some time with Monta as he traveled between Mississippi and Bradenton for his pre-draft preparation in 2005. He is the “gamer of all gamers” and a very visual/imaginative type of player. Put him in a gym and drill him and he will fidget with his follow through and flip some floaters up but rarely exert him to the fullest threshold. One on one and pickup you see another side rearing a competitive aggression that Chuck Lidell would aspire to have.
Louis Williams was more a mystery to me. Everyone knew about the vertical springs of over 42 inches and the fact that "he is an undersized combo". I have always said, "When you can score you can score" but this kid was in the deep south without the media darling of New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles (Good thinking Renardo Sidney get there early). His potential talent and agent leverage got him to Philadelphia where for the last two years he has been under the tutelage of Maurice Cheeks.
I think it is difficult for a college player to get feedback from a former player and make immediate adjustment. It is hard to break what you have been doing for 3-4 years everyday and adjust to the college game. For Louis Williams I think that having Maurice Cheeks for ages 19-21 has been great for his development. He has had very few views on how to play which means he is following one system of development. They are following the system and it is working.
I saw him play three summer league games in Vegas this summer and the only other guard that even came close in being able to play, lead and score was Rodney Stuckey. They not only dominated the games by scoring using ball screens and moving the ball at the right times but disrupted everything the offense was trying to do by suffocating their man and leaving a the exact right times to create deflections and steals.
Being at third year player, Williams stats have steadily improved each year. After having to guard Allen Iverson throughout a year of practice can teach a player a thing or two. Imagine how technically sound you have to be to not have Allen Iverson take the ball from you every time. That year and a half was brutal for Williams’ confidence but a valuable learning lesson. Andre Miller and Willie Green are technically sound guards that know how to play in the half court and combines with Cheeks feedback Williams has obviously been a sponge. The most impressive statistic is his vastly improved 3 point percentage. To me this is a sing of individual preparation and many hours spend changing and honing his mechanics at game speed.
On the other hand, Monta and the Warriors practice on a daily basis trying to get shots off with 15 plus left on the shot clock. Monta’s best matchup is the bruising Baron Davis. The Warriors rarely play in the half court and Don Nelson, as empowering as he is, did not play the guard position in the light that Maurice Cheeks did.
In evaluating the situations, I think that Louis Williams may have been held back which is a good think for his future. He may not get the level of money that he feels he deserves but will thrive in whatever environment he ends in.
Ellis on the other hand was blessed with being in a system that plays to his strengths. As he nears decision-making time, he will need to continue to play in an up tempo system to become a max type of player. He will be a starter and a scorer no matter what but when compared to Louis Williams’ development pattern his experience and faster push into the limelight could slow him in another city.
By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development at the Basketball Academy and PTC
Since the Kobe's rumors, every columnist and sports authority has brought up the "struggles" of the organization. I for one am a biased Bulls fan. Not so much a fan of the team but of the organization. While working with Yi Jialian during his pre-draft training last spring I was allowed to sit in on the workout that the Bulls observed him in. For the record Yi only worked out for selected teams in a private setting in Los Angeles. Each workout included sets of drills and athletic tests. The workouts were jaw dropping as Yi displayed his array of skills and Olympic like athleticism. The Bulls with Yi's permission were allowed to conduct their own sets of physical tests. (Though the Bulls had the 9th pick, they heavily considered moving Deng or Gordon to acquire the pick, knowing that the extensions were looming.)
The workout was held on UCLA's campus in the Men's gym and the Bulls sent the whole crew. While the other teams had there GM's and scouts come through and usually the head Coach, the Bulls had John Paxson, Scott Skiles, Matt Loyd and the whole contingent of strength coaches. Throughout the time that Yi went his athletic tests, both Paxson and Skiles were tremendously outgoing and professional. They walked around the closed workout introducing them and prodding for small tidbits of information and loosening the environment.
While other organizations asked what his vertical and 3/4 sprint were, the Bulls strength coaches tested reaction time, single leg strength, lateral change of direction ability, and the all important ground contact time between jumps. The assistant strength coaches were on top of each statistical bit of information and were also in charge of trying to explain to Yi how to conduct the exercise. (Though Yi's English is decent it was always entertaining watching people try to talk to him during their first meeting)
I believe there was a total of 7 teams that came to see Yi (Milwaukee did not see him workout at all); the Bulls were head and shoulders above all the rest in their presence and strategic planning. (Golden State was 2nd) This story causes me to beg the following question: What is their philosophy?
At one point as they were rebuilding I believed that they were building around proven winners, who though undersized or limited in one facet of their game would buy into the team thing. Let's face it John Paxson and Scott Skiles were grinders who just got the job done when they played. Gordon, Deng, Hinrich, Duhon, Wallace, Noah, Nocioni, Gray, and Khryapa fall into this category. However talented they are Sefalosha, Thomas, Griffin, Nichols, Smith and Curry do not. Though intangibles are difficult to teach and competing, extra work, and ability to overcome adversity tend to be innate, the organization knows whether these guys get it.
The question knows becomes what to do. Smith is the ultimate professional but now falls under the journeyman listing. Tyrus Thomas may well be a max player and the rest of that group has little value. With Deng and Gordon leveraging the organization until the end there are a lot of murky waters. As an organization they have a winning formula with the leaders not afraid to put in the extra work to do things the right way. I do not believe they have what it takes to win the east this year so now is the time to make a move. The move should bring in more like minded people even if it is at a loss. I remember the Mavs giving up Nash but now have become annual contenders. I believe that if they make a move on the shortened they will be in the top three in the east for many years. If they do not I could see the parting of the Red Seas somewhere between O’Hara and Midway.
By Dan Barto, Director of Player Development The Basketball Academy and PTC
The IMG Post-Grad team scored a very impressive victory over the Panhandle powerhouse Pensacola Junior College in the Chipola Classic on Friday. While this was a huge victory for our team it was followed by two very tough loses. The lessons learned from these next two games showed me a lot about what having guard oriented teams is all about and building a team through adversity.
When I think of college basketball and teams like Butler, Memphis, Oregon, Villanova and Arizona, I can not help but think about 3 point field goals and guard play. These teams are notorious for heavy penetration from pro style guards. As we try to emulate this concept with variations of handoffs, dribble kicks, shooter slides, and baseline pitches, the bottom line is we must make perimeter shots to stay in games. Being overmatched in size strength and depth, getting down early to junior college teams is not a fun situation to be in.
At the NBA level, the Suns, Raptors, and Golden State are the best examples of attacking style guard oriented teams in which every role player must be able to make shots and the bigs must know there role. When playing these types of systems it is even more evident how important that three ball is when key players are out.
We recently played with out our Joey Dorsey/Amare Stoudemire/Chase Budinger type of presence. His back ups are very young and inexperienced. Unfortunately, to top things off our Julian Betko/CDR/Malik Hariston’’s shot a very low percentage from the perimeter early in the games. This put us in a situation where being down early allowed our opponent to dictate tempo. We obviously tried various things get back in the game and our scorers continued to miss open shots on the offensive end.
If you remember Golden State's woes when they were with out Ellis and Jackson early in the season, it is very tough for any team that plays this style when shots from the perimeter do not go. Now Calipari and Don Nelson have been around long enough not to change their style, and from that I am learning. Giving players freedom and confidence will pay off when your players understand their roles
Arizona is famous for struggling from the field early in the season, only to bounce back and dominate the Pac-10. As we continue to live and die by the three right now I am foresee the team continuing to buy into the system, gaining confidence, reaping the benefits of game experience, and making us a very tough team to beat in January and February.
I believe we could have stayed in the games by holding the ball and running sets to our best players. I do not however believe that is how you beat a championship caliber program.
By Dan Barto, Director of Player Development for The Basketball Academy and PTC
Many of you may remember the name. He entered the draft out of high school and had a short stay at both Oklahoma St. and juco powerhouse Chipola. Keith was a top 10 prospect throughout high school but off court issues kept people at a distance. Well now he is at Hillsborough Community College in the heart of Tampa and putting on a show.
Averaging over 42 points and 17 rebounds is very difficult to do in the competitive Florida Juco system but the show he put on against our post-grad team was unreal. I must add that I don't even think he broke a sweat for most of the game. The final score was 95-87 in an up and down dogfight but the most impressive stat was Brumbaugh's 48 25 rebound night.
I am not going to go over the top and say he should be a lottery pick but I will say that he will be very difficult to stop in a one on one or two on two game at a Pre-draft workout.
His game is extremely unorthodox. He scores inside and outside with a variety of hard hesitations, changes of speed and rocker moves. His touch is unreal from 15 feet in whether on balance or not. He also possesses a very good high releasing turnaround move that I have only scene in the league.
A very quick jumper, Keith hurt us with his insticts on the front off Hillsborough's press. He hit pull up threes, step back threes, and jab threes. He finished and ones and drew fouls with some impressive acting. Going 18-20 from the line and four dunks to top things, it was a show.
Yes, he lacks discipline and a completely serious approach but the best comparison I can make is Cuttino Mobley meets Rasheed Wallace. If someone could take a flier on Sean Williams, they should highly consider Mr. Brumbaugh.
By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development The Basketball Academy and PTC
After watching the Texas vs. Tennessee game on Saturday evening, I have decided that DJ Augustine is my favorite transferable point in college basketball. There are two reasons for this:
1.) He has improved in every statistical category which was a given when Durant left, but even with a slightly increased turnover rate he makes players look good around him. The turnovers he incurred in the Tennessee game where because he did not understand his personel or was caught in a very un-pro full court trap. To me this translates. Though people question his over dribbling and his forcing the issue, I see those as major strengths at the more open, screen and roll, set play environment of th NBA He is a battle tested kid from New Oreleans that plays with a chip on his shoulder and at a speed that is only second to Derrick Rose. He left a sour taste in everyone mouth in the NCAA tourney with a poor game against a pro back court. However as I remember a Mr. CP3 also lead his team to an early exit his last year at Wake Forest.
2.) More importantly than my opinion of saturdays game is that during the early summer when I was working with Acie Law IV in preparation for the 2007 draft we spoke about Augustine. Acie is a student of the game and there have been few people I have seen that are as hard on themself during a workout for missed shots every. As much of a warrior as Acie is(Note: his injuries are not because of toughness, he has very abnormal gait and movement patterns, the help him with his herky jerky moves but put stress on certain areas of his body that will nag him unitl he gets stronger) he stated that in his four years of college, DJ Augustine was the best point in the Big 12 outside of himself of course. He also stated that Durant was a stud but one of the reasons Durant looked so good from the perimeter was Abrams ability to muscle people and DJ's pin poin decision making and deep dribble drives. Saying of Coach barnes system, when the spread the floor and ran the blur/pro screen there was nothing you could do.
Though people question his over dribbling and his forcing the issue, I see those as major strengths at the more open, screen and roll, set play environment of th NBA
People that take the track of Acie Law IV, and I mean putting a program on your back for four years and single handedly turning the program around know talent. They know the game and they know the posers. I hope to see the matchup in Westwood with him and Collison. When he leads Texas over UCLA he will pass Derrick Rose, Darren Collison, and Eric Gordon as the #1 point in the land.
By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development, The Basketball Academy and PTC
We have played nine games so far this season and I am quite happy with the post grad team's performance. Playing against junior colleges is a big jump from high school basketball. Here in Florida it would be tough to argue there are better athletes anywhere in the world. The pace of the game is extemely high with most games being played in the 80's. We see combination presses and half court run and jump all most nightly. The reason I am excited is that the kids have battled and competed in every game. They have made it very tough on teams by tactically attacking these pressure defenses with precision. At times we have been overwhelmed and given up runs, then we have fought back to make the games interesting.
I was taking a lot of time to think about personell and tempo while reviewing the films late last week. Having watched multiple games over the thanksgiving weekend, I made some interesting observations that I can relate to and be biased about concerning both style of play.
1.) Controling tempo and execution
Nobody wants to play UCF or Miami of Ohio in March
Yes, the teams these guys played had younger guards. Slowing the pace and using so many different types of screens is so difficult to prepare for. Coach Coles and Coach Speraw are two of the most respect high major minus coaches in the game(the are not mid-major). Every player that is in their second year of the program plays with such poise and discipline. When you gamble you pay. When they shoot the 3 over 40% you have no chance.
What I respect most about watching these coaches is the way they schedule and as much as they fight to win every game they know that the team building and program building in the non-conference schedule is crucial for March success.
I remember watching Miami barely lose to Oregon in the NCAA's last year thinking to myself this will never change. No matter how talented the other team is and the fact that Miami will always be a little undersized and under WOW factor players, if they shoot it well and stay injury free they will win the MAC and Coache Coles will still be saying, "We have a lot of work to do."
Coach Speraw with a senior layden line up not only impressed me with his team's toughness and overall offensive execution but his late game coaching. The sets and misdirections showed unmatched prepartion and "buy in" factor by the players. Though I do question his decision not to gimmick Beasley in the second half they did come back from 12 down to make it and overtime thriller. I do not know his contract status but I could see this as his final year in Central Florida, Miami anyone?
The most interesting things about comparing the situations of these two lost games that could be looked at two ways. The teams they played are young, unhealthy and inexperienced (USC and Kansas St.) or they lost because the two future max NBA players put their teams on their back in the second half. Just do not for get Speraw and Coles have been doing this same thing for years.
Nobody wants to play UCF or Miami of Ohio in March
2.) Playing fast and wearing teams down with pressure defense, aggressive contesting, and attacking offense
It was fun too watch young teams like USC and Kansas St. attack at will. They foul in the open court, shoot with 25 on the shot clock, break off the sets, send four guys to the glass including the point with the shooters buried in the corners, they get frustrated with the refs, and everyone knows how they will slowly figure it out as the season goes. They will finish in the top 3 in their conference because their role players figure it out and their superstars are just too damn good.
The new fad in basketball over the last couple years is the dribble drive offense. We have scene various versions so far this season but none that compare to the way Memphis attacks. Undisciplined at times, but you just cannot guard the type of attacking and try to control tempo without a deep bench. Again as with any team, as they get better and more disciplined they will only make things tougher on teams.
Therefore teams should not want to play South Alabama late in the year either.
As we continue to play our practices for our tough stretch of Hillsborough, Pensacola, and Gulf Coast, I will continue to stress the importance of what both coaching styles try to impose. It is our job to have these players prepared both for the games and as future coaches.
By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development The Basketball Academy and PTC
How many times have you heard this story: 6'7 eighth grader from the inner city kid from a big single parent family gets taken in by an AAU program. He goes to four high schools in four years and gets a variety of stereotypes about individualism and lack of commitment.
On the surface you could enter Mike's name and predict that it would end like so many others as a: What if?
So what seperates this situation from so many and why is he killing everyone.
I had the personal experience of coaching, mentoring and living within the Michael Beasley story for his freshman year of high school. After attending another prep school during eighth grade, Mike transfer into IMG due to our relationship with Curtis Malone, Director of the DC Assualt. Curtis, who started the DC Assualt years back with Troy Weaver currently in Utah Jazz front office, had brought Demarr Johnson down to train during the summer of 2003.
For those who are not familiar with the DC Assualt, they are one of the premeir Adidas sponsor AAU programs in the country. With teams ranging in all ages, Curtis bring the best talent out of the Washington DC metro area and develops them to be impact players at the next level. Few can match his operation and committment to his kids.
Upon Mike's arrival the talent was and potential was oozing in every movement. He was ranked at the top of his class for a reason yet he was just fourteen years old entering his second year of living on his own. Mike struggled to adjust to the academic rigors and the cramped beds in the E dorm here on our campus. Fatima(his mother) and Curt were extremely involved in his day to day progress and asked if I would take him into my home for the last 6 months of school to assist with his off court development.
At 24 years old, I was not quite ready to raise a high school freshman but I knew my coaching skills would prevail. Our Mirror Lake unit on 34th street west in Bradenton, had one TV, two bedrooms, two bathrooms but was disproportionately filled with 40 pairs of size 18 Adidas at all times. Mike would sit and do his homework nightly and ask lots of questions about life. They always started, "Coach Dan, I was thinking..............."
He made sure to write all the phone numbers of the girls he met on his closet wall in marker, "that way he would not lose them." There were many nights were I would come back from work and he would be doing his homework just five feet from the television with and empty container of 30 wings. The best part was the he sometimes would be wearing 3-d sunglasses watching Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Despite all of those unique memories, the on court action is what makes his successes now make so much sense. For the record, Mike was a joy to be around at all times. When he did things such as not play as hard as possible I would just sub. Why, you ask? Well since he was 12 he had been playing around 150 games, if not more a year. At 14 it would have killed his youthful energy to brow beat and manipulate him for the good of a high school team.
Especially Mike. See Mike is a visual player, he was extremely visual back then. Since he was blessed with the 99th percentile of athleticism he could watch something in a game and practice it the next day. This was mainly dunking and stebacks at the time. However I am talking for hours and hours at a time, by himself on the court. If you place one other player on the court he will lose all interest and become distracted. Visually by himself with a ball and a hoop he could experiment and entertain himself forever. Did he have an interest in movement patterns or lifting weights? No way.
Now four years later you can see his visualization, timing, and creativity. His scoring is never programmed, his moves always reactions to his defenders misleads and like Adrian Peterson he sees things on the court open up before they actually do.
When combined with athleticism this makes you unguardable and gives one the highest ceiling possible.
Back to the reasoning of Mike being the exception. I remember at the young age of 14 Mike talking about taking care of his mom. I also remember that when Mike was the least bit aloof all I had to do was start to dial her number and he would jump. I remember Mike telling me about loyalty and about his favorite coach Delonte getting the job at UNC Charlotte. I remember Mike saying that Curt probably saved his life by helping him find a prep school. I remember Mike lighting up the room(sometimes to a distracting point) no matter where we were. I remember Mike saying he was going to be one of the best ever.
At the end of the day with the company policies changing to disband students living with coaches at IMG and Mike's desire to be cloer to Mom to help with the younger siblings, he moved on in his journey. Sometimes I sit and picture the days of Sponge Bob and Mike riding his Huffy with size 18 shoes. At the end of the day, when you are respectful, loyal and creative people will always root for you.
As much as I love Kevin Durant, I take Michael Beasely in that one on one game to 11 everytime.
In the excitement of college basketball starting, w will be breaking down players that w had an opportunity to work with over the past few years. Whether it was 100 workouts or 1 workout the insight will give experts and fans more basketball specific information to decide whether they are a "fan".
The list includes but is not limited to the following: OJ Mayo(USC), Bryan Smithson(UNCA), Michael Beasley(Kansas State), Alonzo Gee(Alabama), Ramel Bradely(Kentucky), Danny Morrisey(Penn St), Dwain Williams(Providence), David Potter(Clemson), Rousean Cromwell(USC), Cassin Diggs(Pittsburgh), Brandon Stores(TCU), Bakari Lewis(Nicholos St.), Gary Forbes(UMASS), Frank Robinson(Cal St. Fullerton), Justin Cecil(Northern Florida), Jimmy Baron(Rhode Island), Jason Ridenhour(UNCA) Will Daniels(Rhode Island), Marcel Jones(Oregon St.), Josh Aginkon(Cal State Fullerton), Alex Stephenson(UNC), Stanley Burrell(Xavier) Jon Kreft(Chipola CC), Maurice Speights(Florida), Ryan Reid(Florida State), Dave McClure(Duke) and dozens more.
Bryan Smithson 6'0 185 UNC-Ashville 14.6 ppg 2.4 A 3.6 R 2 St
Bryan is the first player that will be highlighted because of his overwhelming desire and dedication to mastering skills. Knowing the ins and outs of his journey to his senior year www.bryansmithson.com, a large majority of players would have quit. Instead this undersized version of Steve Nash put in more work than any college player and possibly any pro player that I have seen over the last 5 years of summer training. His grueling workout and eating regime was self imposed.
Besides the overly important facts of dedication to his craft and overall work ethic, Bryan possesses the most important qualites that the undersized point guards in the league have and fluant. Read through and comment of what you think transfer small guards to the league
Unmatched quickness and athleticism
http://bryansmithson.com/VideoClips.html
On top of these impressive thunder dunks. Bryan has produced in the categories of steals and deflections at an extremes both at MTSU and UNCA. More impressively, the 3 weeks that I was able to train and watch the daily wars between Sebastian Telfair and Bryan. (Some would scoff but Telfair was averaging 9 and 4 as a 19 years old and it is my prediction that he will be the glue as Jefferson, Foye, and Brewer come into their own.) Bryan physically held his own and just poured it on offensively. There were many days where Bryan would dominate one on one. Now Bassy is more of a set up transition first guard but I would say that between now and next summer league Bryan will bet those areas of his game to the next level.
Ability to shoot the ball
Besides the fact that he rarely misses, the thing I like most is Bryan's approach to his shot. Much like Tiger Woods and his addiction to his club grip, Bryan is constantly tweaking the smallest details. The numbers he put up at 41% and 35% from the 3 are respectable. However when I asked Bryan, his answer was "I shot too many off balance out of control, out of rhythm shots." When prodded for more answers he came back with the comment, "I rarely take the first available." One of Bryan's main off season focus was decelerating, finding scoring zones and creating space into a vertical motion. An example would be the Bryan loves shooting stepback with extra arch on the shot. In drills it is pretty but at 6'0, it is better for Bryan to sidestep for the shot or sidestep and find a better angle
Over coming adversity
In reading the website one finds Bryan's off court triumphs in life inspiring. The key is that regardless of size and skin color stereotypes, players that can overcome a nasty transfer and a full ACL tear are battle tested. Is he as nasty or fearless as Juan Jose Berea? In a back alley brawl I would pay the money for the pay per view. You just can't teach those type of things. Plus statistically per minute and per attempt the numbers are close.
Passing
With a very low assist/turnover ratio, I question Bryan's decision making all of the time. Like Sebastian in many ways there were many plays where the types of passes just did not agree with the level of personel. Bryan also turns the ball over when he forces his dribble into non decision making zones. What I do like about his game is his understanding and use of ball screens, drag screens, and feeding the post off good actions.
Intangibles
When Bryan transfered to UNCA he got closer to home and closer to his family. Last year he was asked to be a scorer he scored to keep his team competitive. When he need to pass and get the ball to the right people in the right places he did it with the best of them. That's what great guard do. It is what got Steve Nash to the next level, as well as Chris Paul, as guys like Juan Jose Berea and Sebastian Telfair continue to surprise people by succeeding with the cards stacked against them.
Can Bryan do it? I am rooting for him to have a great senior year, makes sportscenter a bunch of times, and have as much fun as possible in doing so. He is prepared and has the greatest approach any trainer could ask. Bryan opens his season tomorrow against Furman at 7PM
Working as a skill trainer gives you multiple experiences. In the past week, I have done the following things as we transition into the best four months of the year.
1.) Coached 2 post Graduate games. Full college rules versus high level junior college competition
2.) Spoken to over 25 college coaches concerning player recruitment, player development, and training progressions
3.) Watched 5 full NBA games with a crtical eye on players I have personally trained.
4.) Consulted with 7 college players as they move into their first week of games.
5.) Written 2 blogs
6.) Spoken to 3 skill trainers about specific drills for young players
7.) Had lunch with a friend who analyzes basketball injuries and movement techniques
8.) Wrote 7 two hour practice plans
9.) Researched the Maryland power flex options
10.) Drove to Palm beach and back and Miami and back
11.) Spoke with my dad about block to block screening/interchaging
12.) Listened to Dave Thorpe's breakdown (full version) of Kevin Durant's first games
13.) Met with Jon Giovany from Draftexpress.com to discuss overseas basketball gossip
14.) Tried to find a scorer for an elite team in Lebenon
15.) Reread portions of "Good to Great"
This week 5 games to coach and now college basketball is here to analyze also. Can't wait.
