Camp Wisdom: "Be sure to call...."

[Richard Ogg]

One interesting nugget from camp this past weekend ("Between the Lines") was some sage advice passed on. (High school.)

During the first half of the game, be sure you get all the illegal screens. During the second half, be sure to get the shooting fouls.

In neither case is the intent to only get these, or not to call them in the other half. The point is extra focus.

The reason is that during the first half, a coach is watching his defense right in front of him. What he will see is all the "moving screens" set by the other team's terrible offense. He wants those called, and if he observes your are making those calls, you've picked up a few points in his book.

During the second half, the coach is right on top of his offense. Now it is easier for him to see the little shooting fouls, and those shots is his primary focus. (Its a good time not to forget the handchecks on his point guard as well.)

(I may chart a few of my games and see how balanced I am.)

Good luck!

[Rookie]

This sounds to me like you are calling the game to either get good with the coach, or to avoid criticism, neither of which I agree.

[Tim Roden]

Rookie, what is wrong with getting in good with the coach. Coaches are an entity that can make or break you in this business. If the coaches can't trust you to call a good game, then you can get blackballed or even worse. If you call what they see early then they trust your call later in the game when the call is not so black and white.

[Richard Ogg]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rookie:
This sounds to me like you are calling the game to either get good with the coach, or to avoid criticism, neither of which I agree.

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Look back and note I indicated that you don't limit your calls to this, nor fail to call these anytime. No, you don't call the game to appease anyone (i.e., get in good, avoid criticism).

The point is in some situations it is difficult to watch for everything at once. Given the type of play, and the patterns you are already observing in the game, you tend to watch for the things that are more likely to occur. (How many hand checks do you get with a zone defense? When you see a zone, you probably concentrate on other things.)

So, the point is, if you are choosing things to particularly look for, then remember the suggestion. The idea is not to appease anyone, but you do want to earn the confidence of both coaches. This emphasis will be the same at both ends -- perfectly equiable.

If your association instructs you to particularly watch for hand checks, you tend to focus on hand checks. You're doing the job in the style you were hired to do.

If your association instructs you to concentrate on the travel that often happens as a guard begins the dribble, you should pay particular attention to the foot work. Again, do the job how you've been hired to do, and how you will be evaluated. Always be even and fair!

If the coaches are evaluating you on your off-ball work, as demonstrated by your catching the illegal screens, then be sure you don't forget to catch the illegal screens. Concentrate on them. See them coming. Anticipate where you should watch. Then call what happens. (Anticipate the play, but not the call.)

And not to worry, you'll still get criticism. ;-)

[Hawks Coach]

I agree with the general gist of Richard's post, but I believe that the second half is a bad time to begin to focus on hand checks. If you are going to call them, call them early. If you are calling the hand checks in front of the defending coach, it pays also to be catching an occasional illegal screen, so that they will obviously see that you are "calling it both ways" as so many like to say.

I just think that if you are setting a standard for how the game will be played, the hand check should be set a standard early on. It becomes frustrating to defenders to adjust to what is and is not allowable contact during the course of the game just to have it change as the game comes down to the wire. Plus the hand check for a first foul is a lot less frustrating to all involved than if the hand check is for a third or fourth foul early in the second half when that type of defense was let go the entire first half.

[Richard Ogg]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hawks Coach:
I agree with the general gist of Richard's post, but I believe that the second half is a bad time to begin to focus on hand checks. ...

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Actually, the hand check was just an example of a type of call to focus on. The original post indicated "illegal screens" and "shooting fouls", which was the advice passed to me.

As for the hand check, I prefer to get one of those in the first minute or so of the game. (Rarely do guards not hand check until one is called.) I also try to catch it both ways (1 each), although I've had a team benefit from the first call and then not commit that foul themselves, so, only one call. But, everyone understands they're playing defense with their feet -- not with their hands.

I agree, coach, the second half is not the time to "introduce" the hand-check foul.

Funny how players seem to learn better in the first couple of minutes of play. Call it then, and they clean it up. Call it later, and it will take several calls for them to get the message.

[Hawks Coach]

In the situation Jim describes, where fatigue plays in, it is important to call contact that had not previously been occurring, or contact that becomes more pronounced (a slight handcheck in the first half becomes a more aggressive hold in the second). The coach has no gripe then (not that they won't speak up) because it is the coach's responsibility to recognize fatigue and give their players a break before they take a couple of unnecessary fouls. The coach also needs to know the players that, either due to lack of fitness or extraordinary defensive exertion, tend to tire and need frequent breaks.

[Jim Dixon]

quote:

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Originally posted by Richard Ogg:
As for the hand check, I prefer to get one of those in the first minute or so of the game. (Rarely do guards not hand check until one is called.) I also try to catch it both ways (1 each), although I've had a team benefit from the first call and then not commit that foul themselves, so, only one call. But, everyone understands they're playing defense with their feet -- not with their hands.

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Richard

I think I understand what you are saying about getting handchecks in the first 1-2 min of the game.

However, I think you are describing boys, not girls. My experience is that the girls (whether H.S. or college) minimize the handchecking in the first half, but as they get tired, there is more holding and handchecking. So, I may not have this foul early in the game, but usually remind my partners at half-time that poorly conditioned teams are more apt to commit this foul.

Just my observation.

Jim Dixon

[donfowler]

Call the obvious. Call it the same at both ends the entire game. You may make a friend during the game, but during the film review both coaches can see what you were doing.