Three Useful Basketball Resources
This is the last post that I will make regarding my trip to Merrimack College. One question I ask in my visits to the school is a longer version of, “What’s new?” Coach LeBlanc told me…
Read More
Category: Merrimack College
Players that Grow the Most Exhibit Uncommon Discipline
A question I like to ask coaches is, “Think back on a player that you coached or played with over the course of multiple seasons that improved more than anyone. What are the one or two…
Read More
Implementing a Terms Index for the Team
Merrimack Coach Monique LeBlanc gave me a simple and effective idea. She told me that the entire team is going to become familiar with a terms index. The idea was spurned out of watching University of…
Read More
Balancing Recruiting Challenges with the Current Roster
Merrimack Women’s Head Coach Monique LeBlanc was generous enough to share her thoughts with me last month. She always is. Last July we discussed managing individual expectations and five-out concepts. The year before she elaborated on…
Read More
How to Practice Closeouts in a 2-3 Zone
Merrimack College usually plays a 2-3 zone. One of the challenges of that defense is getting out on shooters. They used a closeout drill to simulate the movement of the ball from the top to the…
Read More
Moving without the Basketball in Dribble Penetration
For teams that are utilizing dribble drive or read and react, this drill is effective. Players are drilled to move without the basketball in dribble penetration. The drill reminded me of a drill that Bob Hurley…
Read More
Drilling Players to Drive North and South
Yesterday I wrote about how Merrimack develops pivot footwork on the perimeter. As four players were developing the deliberate pivot work, a separate group was incorporating the same footwork with a greater focus on finishing. For…
Read More
Developing Pivot Footwork for Perimeter Driving
Reducing the annoying pivot foot traveling calls can be the difference between a win and a loss. I am consistently searching for drills that incorporate footwork to legally attack from the perimeter. The Merrimack College women’s…
Read More
Extending Five-Out & Managing Individual Expectations
Both of these thoughts on five-out and managing individual expectations came from Merrimack Coach Monique LeBlanc. In a very productive conversation, we also discussed how to best measure rebounding and how she makes recruiting decisions. Five-Out…
Read More
What One Coach Looks for in College Recruiting
I asked Merrimack College coach Monique LeBlanc what she looked for in college recruiting. Specifically what things players did that could move them from the interested to the disinterested pile. The obvious caveat was that there…
Read More