Eliminating Losing Plays to Win More Games

with Dave Richman,
North Dakota State University Head Coach;
2015 Summit League Regular Season Champions;
2x Summit League Tournament champions ('15, '19);
2015 Summit League Coach of the Year

If your team can win 65% of the game's significant possessions, your team will be in great position to win. Winning those possessions becomes simpler if your team has bought in to a fundamental-first basketball culture.

Coach Dave Richman of North Dakota State University lays out the framework that quality programs are forged from for crucial, late game situations. This video offers ideas on how to keep your players engaged during every play. You'll see how to get your athletes to lock in during opening warm-ups, transition drills, rebounding situations, and defensive scenarios.

Energy Drills

Not every practice begins with energy. Coach Richman offers an effective way to build energy in the first segments of practice that make way for coaches to test effort and focus through three simple drills. These drills make a for a rolling start into practice to reinforce fundamental plays on the ball. They also allow you to dictate plays on the ball that translate into fewer turnovers.

"8, to Great, to Late" Possession Philosophy

Some may criticize the "8, to Great, to Late" possession philosophy for being too up-tempo. However, Richman stands by his philosophy to let his players "hoop" within the boundaries of this simplified possession practice and details why he's implemented this approach with his team. The "8, to Great, to Late" philosophy allows his players to:

• Be on a seamless attack throughout the possession, utilizing space and momentum.
• Keep the game simple with east and west basketball to create north and south scoring opportunities.
• Be comfortable in late shot clock situations to expose cracks in undisciplined defenses.

Conversion Levels

Coach Richman details personnel assignments on the defensive side of the ball through his conversion level drill. This drill will help your players work on match-up adjustments for different types of offensive threats and adjust your team defense to the level of play you participate in.

The best part of this video is it puts purpose and focus into a time-tested area of the game that leads to victory: great fundamental basketball. Coach Richman offers creative insight into winning crucial moments during games and how to keep that emphasis prevalent throughout the entire year. This video is a great guide for new coaches looking to build a program and a great refresher for seasoned veterans who need to stay on-top of their game.

39 minutes. 2019.