Don Showalter: Building Team Culture and Continuity Zone Offense

with Don Showalter, Iowa City (IA) High School Head Coach;
USA Development Coach - Coach of the USA Men's U16 and U17 National Teams (2009-14); back-to-back co-recipient of the USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year award (2013-14). This was the sixth-straight year he was named the USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year!;
2012 United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) Volunteer Coach of the Year award; led Team USA to the gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championships; 6x gold medalist for USA Basketball (2009-2014), undefeated in medal play (2009-2014), 500+ career wins

Don Showalter, a five-time recipient of USA Basketball's Developmental Coach of the Year award, provides a solid but simple continuity offense that has multiple advantages over several different types of zone defense.

Developing Team Culture Coach Showalter beings his presentation with a detailed explanation of the 4 Cs-culture, comfort, compete and communication-that must be practiced daily in order to develop a healthy culture and a solid basketball program. He also shares 15 player standards to help develop passion and enthusiasm for his program. Players demonstrate Coach Showalters' "communication circle" activity designed to help them get out of their comfort zone and communicate.

Continuity Zone OffenseMoving to the court, Coach Showalter demonstrates his simple continuity zone offense, which facilitates ball reversal. He explains how players flash into gaps, creating indecision with the defense. This all- purpose zone offense can be executed against 1-2-2, 1-3-1, and 2-3 zone defenses. Coach Showalter also shares several rules to go along with his offense. He shows how to use the dribble and how to screen a zone defense to create indecision.

Coach Showalter demonstrates a 4-high zone offense that involves screening action against the zone. He demonstrates another zone set that's great to run out of a time-out. This play involves placing two post players on the same side of the floor with a back-pick and lob pass to get easy offense.

Ultimately a successful offense is determined by how you run it. Coach Showalter shares eight excellent zone points, and shows how to disguise your regular zone offense by simply placing players in a double stack to begin the offense.

Top 10 Mistakes High School Coaches MakeThe presentation closes with Coach Showalter's list of top 10 mistakes made by high school coaches. This list provides tremendous insight on avoiding the mistakes that the average coach makes.

Coach Showalter shares great sets that will allow you to get your best players a shot if you need to score quickly. His concepts on zone offense are beneficial whether you're attacking a 2-3, 3-2, or 1-3-1 zone defense.

Produced at the Fall 2013 St. Louis (MO) clinic.

67 minutes. 2015.