2 Days with the USC Women’s Basketball Team – Korey Harris
Posted by Angie Diamond at 1:58 pm
As a Pro-Staff trainer for one of the best basketball skill development companies in the world, it can be pretty easy to get “big headed” and fall into the trap of believing that your job is only teaching others and never learning from anyone. Think about it… Us pro-staff trainers have been “hand selected” by Ganon Baker himself and are sought after by thousands of players all over the world every year. Our knowledge is respected by NBA, WNBA, and college programs and many ELITE high school players alike. But, let me give you a little secret… None of that matters to us at GBB!!! We know that if we keep our eyes on the accomplishments of yesterday, we’ll miss the opportunity to grow today and tomorrow! That’s a huge reason why Ganon Baker and all of GBB continue to grow and prosper from year to year.
Recently, I’ve been making trips to Columbia, SC to visit the University of South Carolina to watch their womens’ basketball team practice. I know what you’re thinking… No! I’m not a “fan” of USC, I’m merely a “student of the game”; which is why I would drive 3 hours (round trip) to Columbia, SC once a week! Being a student doesn’t mean that you only stay where you are and learn from things around you! If you want to grow, you’ve gotta get outside your comfort zone and seek new knowledge! That’s true investment!
Here are my notes from my 2 days at practice with Coach Dawn Staley and the USC players/staff:
DAY 1 –
- Attention to details is critical! A hungry team does not allow themselves to remain weak in the same areas! Coach Dawn Staley began practice focused on overcoming the weaknesses that the team experienced in the prior game.
- The entire staff must have energy if the players are expected to remain locked in! During full court drills and skill work, I could barely hear myself think because every member of the coaching staff and team were yelling positive words and instructions to the players! (Even the practice players and trainers…)
- Weakness in any area cannot be tolerated! if one players is working, everyone else should be focused as well! No loafing! Coach Staley cussed out any and everyone who didn’t leave it all on the floor! Even injured players had to give 100% while on the bike or rehabbing!
- Practice is harder than the game! Every possession counts! Missed layups/free throws resulted in running or pushups for the team. You’re lack of attention to detail not only affects you, but your team as well!
DAY 2 –
- A true head coach not only barks out orders expecting his/her players to act like robots, but can break each situation down and give players options and allow them to use their strengths while hiding weaknesses.
- There’s no limit to how many screens you can set on a given play… Too many teams are ignorant to screening and re-screening! USC does a great job of screening multiple times for the ball handler and screening for the screener! I definitely plan on teaching on this concept more often!
- In transition, the dribbler’s job is to push the break as quickly as possible. Sounds cliche… But too many guards get caught dancing with the rock on the break and hurt their teams ability to score quickly! Coach Lisa Boyer, Coach Dawn’s assistant, did a great job of helping the guards to understand that they are at an advantage because they have momentum and can easily “outrun” a defender standing still trying to cut them off.
- Jam the rebounder on every defensive rebound! (Most posts are taught to keep the ball high on a rebound… Coach Staley emphasizes that her posts should apply pressure to the rebounder’s hands and force them to bring the ball back down and attempt to dribble so that they can’t outlet the ball quickly and start a fast break after a defensive rebound.) Great “nugget” from Coach Dawn!
- The players LOVE the game! They LOVE the competition! They know how to have fun and they never stop communicating with each other! A few of the players even came and introduced themselves to me and wanted to know if I would jump in practice with them! Shout out to Charenee Stephens and Imani Sellers! Keep being leaders! You ladies are meant for greatness!
- Lastly, I learned that ELITE players don’t need 1-2 hours of going over plays and sets! The Lady Gamecocks spent 15-20 minutes on NEW plays and the rest of practice was live action getting game shots from game spots in those sets! ELITE players have steel trap minds and only need to be told something once!
This was a great experience for me and I would recommend any coach or trainer to spend time learning from someone else at least once a week! It’ll completely challenge you and keep you from remaining the same! Big shout out to Coach Dawn Staley, Coach Lisa Boyer, Coach Nikki McCray, Coach Freddy Ready and all of the players!
Learn more about our December Contest Winner: Sydney is obviously a basketball player. Basketball is her only sport.