Preface: This is my first blog on the first type of the 3 "Specialist Bigs", this is written from a player development POV so I'm sure others will have different takes on what I suggest...Open Discussion welcome

The 3 Types of Bigs: #1 ‘The Protector”

As I spoke of in my last entry, I believe that the “Bigs” of today have evolved into specialists. When I use the term ‘specialist”, the definition is that the player is extremely skilled in one particular area, so much so…

The De-Evolution of the Back-to-the-Basket Big

If you’ve watched, coached, played or refereed any basketball in the last decade, the basketball purist has seen a steady decline of back-to-the-basket big play like Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Moses, or yes, even the overly pugnacious Bill Walton (I can still only take his commentary in small doses). With the game moving at an even faster pace and the institutional popularity of the three-point shot, the inside post game has become less…

I always liked Penny Hardaway. I'm not sure if it was because of his unique first name Anfernee, his role as Butch McRae in Blue Chips or maybe it was just the way he played the game.  But after reading this article on CNN.com about…

If any AAU teams in the Northwest Puget Sound area in Washington State looking for a coach. Email me some info and I will send back my coaching resume. My email is masmith210@msn.com 

Interesting read in the USAToday from Daniel Uthman about the historically low levels of scoring and fouling in the NCAA this year.  The article sites some stats from the NCAA's 2013 final trends report:

• Scoring in Division I men's basketball is at its lowest point since 1951-52. Teams averaged 67.5 points per…

Another topic that I believe is a hot topic in player development is when or if you should change a player’s shot? There are some coaches out there who think that as long as it’s’ going in, don’t change anything. While that may be true, I think you have to take a hard look at the consistency of the shot and how often the player can repeat his or her current technique enough to have consistent success because as we all know, successful shooting is fleeting like a leaf in a strong wind, it…

USA Today put together this table of the salaries of every basketball coach that made the NCAA Tournament. Crazy to see some of the disparity between Mid-Majors and BCS schools.  Regardless, pretty sure all these jobs would be great to have!…

Take a look at this gif from SBNation and decide.  What do you think?

Great read on NBC Sports about how Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim helped get Michigan coach John Beilein his first D1 gig and also how he taught Louisville coach Rick Pitino his 2-3 zone after hiring him on Coach Pitino's wedding night.  With all of the negative recruiting going on in big time college basketball its cool to see some coaches that respect each other and our willing to help each other out.  Can't wait for the games this weekend!…

Shaka Smart's decision to remain at VCU and turning down a blue blood program like UCLA, at least to me, defines the ever closing gap between Mid-Major and BCS program.  Since the miraculous run to the Final Four VCU has leveraged their new found fame to upgrade facilities, increase coach salaries, improve travel arrangements…

I have a small prep teamin vancouver...my team is for men ages 17-24 who are looking to get in or back into college.  Any recruiting tips for me? Any marketing or advertising idea's?

In 2011 San Diego State University re-signed head coach Steve Fisher. Under this contract, he is making roughly $800,000 a year. This raised his salary $250,000 per year from his salary under the previous contract, and he is now signed through 2014-15.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/aug/28/sdsus-fisher-gets-new-4-year-contract/

FGCU has signed Enfield to a five-year contract that starts with a base salary of $152,500.  The deal includes bonuses if the Eagles were to win conference championships, make the NCAA Tournament, even win a National title.

Pretty sure it is going to cost a bit more to keep him at Florida Gulf Coast after this tournament run.  Good luck with that FGCU!…

Coach Marshall makes a base salary of $900,000 a year, although incentives and a contribution to an annuity can raise his earnings to more than $1 million. He earned an $18,000 bonus for the conference title and the same amount for the NCAA Tournament berth.

WSU won the National Invitation Tournament in 2011, after which Marshall received a $100,000 raise and extension through 2018.

Coach Jim Larranaga and his Miami team have definitely surprised some people this season. They have gone 15-3 in conference play becoming the top team in the ACC regular season. Larranaga talks about how he uses advanced statistics and analytics to teach his team about where they rank and compare to the other top teams in the nation, getting them ready for their biggest games.…

Interesting read on the origin of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the NCAA Tourney. I had no clue that the NABC was actually the creator of March Madness and sold the first national basketball tournament to the NCAA for a ridiculously low price.  Although, its hard to blame the NABC, who would of suspected someone would be willing to pay $11 billion dollars just to show it on TV 70 years later.…

Vancouver Prep is looking for men ages 17-24 who are looking to potentially receive a college or university scholarship. The prep team is going into its second season and is looking to fill spots, Vancouver B.C., Canada

for more information call. 403.391.0212

Most coaches can tell you horror stories about nightmare sports parents.  If you have been coaching long enough you more than likely had one.  The article below examines the characteristics of a crazy sports parent along with the traits that make an ideal sports parent.  A great read if you're a coach and interact with parents on a daily basis and also if your own kid is involved in sports.…

These 3 plays are for attacking a zone defense and use the 5 out set. The first play is called Wing Entry. The ball goes to the 5 on the left wing. Then the 5 throws a skip pass to the 4 on the opposite wing and cuts to right elbow where he gets the ball back. Then the 2 cuts from the right corner to the hoop and gets an inside pass for an easy basket.

Kansas…

This is a very interesting article from NBC Sports about the use of advanced basketball statistics in college basketball. The statistics are used to further analyze the true value and contribution of  the "top" players when they're on the court. The article includes an example about a star freshman this year. Do you think these statistics make sense in college hoops? Should the way we value players be more based on the analysis these statistics provide?…