Welcome to our first edition of "Ask The Coach". We're very fortunate to have Coach Jones answering our questions for us, so make sure you take advantage of it! Lets get rolling!

Q: I'm a CYO coach and I coached a team this past season that was made up mostly of athletic kids (12 year olds) that hadn't played basketball on a higher level before and were weak fundamentally. The problem is, we only had 2 hours a week of gym time, so there was little time to work on things. We had a tough season as a result. What should I focus on this season that will bring the kids along the farthest in such little practice time?

A:  Stress the fundamentals that you feel best address their needs, only do a few drills each practice, and spend as much time as you need until you feel the players understand and are performing the key points that you are trying to address. For example, we do a closeout drill here at Columbia that emphasizes balance and lateral quickness. Even at this level, if the players do not perform up to my expectations, then we keep doing the drill past the time allotted in practice. We don't move on just because we've set some arbitrary time limit. If your players do not understand or have not improved at what you are teaching and you move on to the next drill, then you have just wasted your time on that drill. Then you are doing drills just to do drills. Once your players have reached the goal you have set for a drill, make sure you carry the drill over to your next practice, so they can work on what they have learned in the previous one. To sum up, do fewer drills, do them right, and build on those drills each practice. Good luck this season and I hope this helps.

Q: What's the best way to defend a dominant big man? 

A: The best way to stop a dominant big man is with a team effort. The responsibility to stop a post player is not solely on the post defender. Sure, he can't just play directly behind his man. He has to be active with his hands, have quick feet to move from the high side to fronting the defender, and defend flash cuts to take away good post positions. Those are things that every good post defender must do and must practice on a daily basis. What is not always obvious but is key is the team effort involved. It starts with great ball pressure. If the guards are doing a great job of pressuring the ball, taking away vision, and having active hands in the passing lanes, that can cut the touches the big man has in half.  That alone will make a big difference. Then if you double team, and sag from the weak side, you can turn that dominant post player into a very average one.

Q: I have a bunch of kids that won't stop talking most of the time, but then when they're out on the court, I can't get them to say a word to each other. How do you develop communication out on the floor?

A: Developing communications is something that must be emphasized every day, and it starts with the coach! You must convey a clear message to your players of exactly what you want them to say and when. Sometimes kids just don't know or are nor sure what they should say, or not sure their teammates will listen. If you give them the key words or exact phrases to use, then they know what to say, when to say it,  and can say it with confidence.  For example, defending a ball screen is one place where communication is vital. A coach can't just tell the team "You have to talk out there". You must tell them that when they see a screen coming , they have to call out "Screen right" or "Screen left", and to do it with authority. If you don't,  then that leaves room for uncertainty. Give them the exact phrases to use, tell them the exact situations to use them in, and then everyone is on the same page and understands what you expect and what is being communicated.

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