I really hope there is change this season from Mike Boynton. We all know there has been some major changes on the roster, but unless he changes how he coaches the results will continue to be the same. Here are some things Boyton needs to focus on this season.
1) Player Development - There needs to be more of a focus on drills in practice to help make players better. Well coached teams continue to improve throughout the year. When I was coaching, we would never scrimmage until after the first of the year (and never more than 15 minutes). We would spend a lot of time focusing on fundamentals throughout the ENTIRE SEASON. Literally every minute of practice was well thought out to focus on areas the team needed to improve from week to week. Throughout the season, every minute was scheduled out for some type of drill (shooting, passing dribbling) or taking the time to diligently teach where each player goes in our quick hitters, offensive sets, defensive sets, out of bounds plays, transition offense, etc. We would have one of the basketball managers on the shot clock to set times so we moved from one drill or activity to the next. It wasn't until we were close to tournament time when practices needed to be shorter and fun (due to the long season and the mental drain on players who may not want the season to continue any longer). Some of the drills we did EVERY DAY throughout the entire season included entry passes into the post (typically bounce passes), defensive rotations, taking charges, boxing out drills, etc. In one of the passing into the post drills, we would not allow the offensive player to dribble and the defender was allowed to be up in their face so they would be forced to step around & work on making contested bounce passes into the post (this helped increase our assists and cut down our turnovers).
We would also make ALL PLAYERS do conditioning drills with a BASKETBALL IN THEIR HAND (dribble down with their off hand and return with their dominant hand). This made all players much more comfortable with the ball during a game (especially post players who don't typically handle the ball) and made it very hard for teams to press us and it helped the big men to be comfortable with the ball in their hands and not feel like they just get rid of the ball (i.e. unforced turnovers).
Additionally, a player's coach WILL SCRIMMAGE WAY TOO MUCH. Scrimmaging in practice is easy and it is something the players want, but great coaches will always push their players to get better every single day (even when it isn't a popular decision amongst the players).
2) Free Throw Shooting - At the end of every practice when players are tired, each player should be REQUIRED TO HIT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FREE THROWS CONSECUTIVELY before leaving. Early in the year players can start at 4 and every week it can be increased by 1 until all players must make 10 consecutive free throws by conference play in January (which will make the poor free throw shooters practice this on their own time). For accountability, all assistant coaches and managers MUST stay at a basket to verify for up to 2-4 hours after EVERY PRACTICE (if needed - to show commitment for team improvement). Too many games are decided by 5 points or less.
According to analytics, well coached teams will win nearly all of their games if they can shoot above 70% from the free throw line, have a good assist-to-turnover ratio, win the rebounding battle, and take smart shots (shoot over 50% from the field).
3) Shot Selection - The number of players who are allowed to shoot a 3pt shot should be restricted. Plus, there needs to be consequences if a player who hasn't been given a green light to shoot a 3pt shot actually takes one and misses (i.e. a short leash like Eddie Sutton used during his coaching career to teach players and demand their best). Additionally, Boynton needs to consider having a short leash for players taking contested shots with more than 10 seconds on the shot clock (even if the player makes the shot). This type of behavior should be an automatic benching and chewing out by the coaching staff (i.e. a teaching moment). Otherwise, it can be very difficult for a team to get into any kind of offensive flow or rhythm if players are continually taking poor shots early in the shot clock (i.e. contested 3pt shots, 3pt shots way behind the line, etc). This is a main reason why Boynton teams are ALWAYS so inconsistent. If 3 point shots are falling ANY TEAMS can look unbeatable, but when these shots aren't falling these teams will struggle mightily with mediocre teams (sound familiar). In other words, players must be taught and shown in film sessions the difference between a good and bad shot (i.e. coached up). If things don't change, any Boynton coached teams will CONTINUE to be very streaky (i.e. Jekyll and Hyde).
4) Substitutions & Roles - Finding the right lineup against each opponent is important, but it is even more important to play the right players during a game based on their strengths and the needs of the team. This type of role can be DELEGATED TO ONE OF THE ASSISTANTS. A good example is Baylor, who uses an assistant coach to do all substitutions (but a head coach can always override any substitution). Additionally, the coaching staff must constantly communicate the roles of each player on the team during each practice and before each game. These roles can change throughout the season and even between games, but the staff needs to be VERY CLEAR ON THOSE ROLES or they will have a bunch of players being selfish and playing for themselves (sound familiar). Additionally, the staff needs to make sure they communicate each player's strengths and weaknesses (including areas each player can improve in practice and things they need to minimize in games).
It is also extremely important for a head coach to check in with his players one-on-one sometime throughout each month (over lunch or dinner). This helps to foster these relationships (let's the players know the coach cares and the majority of the time should be spent talking about school and family), helps to keep open lines of communication (by talking to the player about their strengths, weaknesses, role, and the best way for them to help the team), and helps players from becoming disgruntled because they haven't felt heard or utilized in some way to help the team.
Additionally, somebody on staff should provide all players a playbook and a scouting report before each game. Both of these should be used to quiz players who earn points (early in the season before conference play), which determines the starting lineup before each non conference game. The formula to determine the starting lineup in non conference play is determined by these tests (40%), placement during conditioning drills (15%), shooting drills (15%), free throw drills (15%), and passing drills (15%). Obviously this is just an example and these percentages can be adjusted by the head coach (to put more emphasis in different areas and to give each player an opportunity to start a game). Team chemistry can be hurt when a player doesn't feel like they'll ever get a chance to showcase their skills and make an impression. This gives every player an equal opportunity to start a game and earn playing time during non-conference games.
It doesn't mean Boynton has to play these players all game (or even an extended amount of time), but the coaching staff should start these players and play them for the first 2 to 5 minutes (giving these players an opportunity to start a game and make an impression). This gives players hope and rewards them for their hard work. Typically, basketball teams average about 1.5 points per minute so we are not talking about putting the team in a hole they cannot get out of by the end of the game (in a worst case scenario).
5) End Game Coaching - It would be good for Boynton to DELEGATE THIS RESPONSIBILITY TO AN ASSISTANT COACH who can make sure every member on the team knows who should be fouled in late games. Then have that coach teach the players how to leave these players open long enough so the other team passes the ball to them (so they can foul these players). In addition, if the other team is intentionally fouling us with fouls to give, Boynton should be reminded who the BEST BALL HANDLERS and DECISION MAKERS are to put in the game. This is different when teams are fouling us in a close game and we are in the bonus. In that scenario, we need our BEST FREE THROW SHOOTERS and DECISION MAKERS on the floor. Therefore, before each game one of the assistant coaches needs to create a list so Boynton knows the best lineups in different scenarios. For example, during the last 2 minutes of a game when we need defensive stops (5 BEST DEFENDERS with fouls to give), or need a bucket (5 BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYERS), or need to hit free throws (5 BEST FREE THROW SHOOTERS), or need to break a press (BEST BALL HANDLERS & BEST DECISION MAKERS).
6) Timeouts - Better use of timeouts to disrupt and help stop large runs by other teams and to "gather the troops." During this time, Boynton can remind players of things they need to be doing (hands up on defense, taking charges, pushing the ball in transition) and NOT doing things like being careless with the ball or shooting a contested shot early in the shot clock. And he must not call a timeout directly after the other team scores. That gives the other team a free chance to set up a full court pressure defense (this is also extremely important when the other team has run out of timeouts towards the end of a game). Instead oSu players should be coached to quickly inbound the ball and ADVANCE THE BALL TO HALF COURT before calling a timeout.
