[Back In The Saddle]

Ball watching is a difficult problem. It's too bad he couldn't give you more specifics because if you're really working on it, what you need to know is WHEN you're ball watching. Then you can target your efforts at that situation.

I find that my eyes start to wander as my mind does. If I'm tired, I ball watch more. If I'm bored, especially if there's not much going on off ball, I ball watch more. If I haven't got my head really in the game yet, I ball watch more.

Also, I ball watch a little more when the ball moves across the trouble area to my partner and when it's in the paint and I'm T. Now there are times when I want to stay with the ball in those situations, obviously, but not just out of habit.

I've found the best cure is to know what to watch instead. Simply not watching the ball is hard. But finding the closest matchups, that makes not watching the ball much easier. In three person games, I find myself checking where my area is a lot, especially early. That helps.

Also, making a conscious decision that I will not call what I see outside my area has made it easier both because it forces me to be aware of areas and because I care a lot less about what happens outside my area so I'm not as tempted to rubberneck. (However, I'm not putting on blinders. If I do see something major or non-basketball outside my area, I can still decide whether to go get it.)