A.J. Ward

Former college player and high school basketball coach. My passion is to assist the next generation by helping them achieve their academic and athletic goals.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

So true! 3 on 3 is great for installing offensive and defensive concepts. Plus, it highlights player’s strengths, and shows their weaknesses. Play 3 on 3 every day in practice.

[3on3 Hoops Nation @3on3HoopsNation]

A lot of coaches treat 3v3 like something to throw in at the end of practice.

But coached the right way, it becomes one of the best teaching tools for 5v5.

Spacing. Reads. Cutting. Movement. Decision making.

The game gets smaller, but the lessons get bigger.

[Coach Jeff Barnes @JeffBarnes52]

What kind of coach are you?

Are you the coach who is always looking for the next innovation? The coach who wants to out-scheme opponents, find mismatches, and stay one step ahead of everyone else?

Or are you the coach who believes championships are built on fundamentals? The coach who keeps things simple, demands consistency, and gets players exceptionally good at the basics?

Now imagine if you could put those two minds together. 👀
A program that is fundamentally sound, disciplined, and tough, but also creative, adaptable, and innovative.

The best coaches aren’t forced to choose between simplicity and innovation. They master the fundamentals first and then build on them with ideas that give their players an advantage.

When discipline meets creativity, special things happen.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

We’ve always emphasized the importance of offensive rebounding, but when a team switches from man-to-man defense to any zone defense as a change-up, we emphasize offensive rebounding even more. Crash the glass for extra scoring opportunities like this possession here:

[Coach Downs @CoachDowns42]

S - Show up early
T - Take time for others
A - Always give thanks
N - Never quit
D - Do good

O - Over perform
U - Uplift those around you
T - Take nothing for granted

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

5 things I wish I knew as a first-year coach:

1. Culture shows up daily
2. Standards win
3. Relationships before plays
4. You are what you emphasize
5. Connect with parents before there’s a problem

The best coaches learn it before they make them.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

If your team is maintaining a lead at the end of the game, the only shots that I allowed my players to take were open layups and free-throws. I think Fox assumed that he could get an easy two points and extend the Spurs’ lead to three.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

What are your thoughts on De’Aaron Fox’s blocked layup at the end of the Knicks vs. Spurs game? Here’s mine:

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

Great explanation. In my opinion, this was the Spurs’ biggest mistake down the stretch - not Fox taking the layup.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

In conclusion, there is not a right or wrong answer when it comes to your special situations philosophy. The most important thing is - do your players know it? And, are they prepared to execute it when it matters?

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

I’m reading a lot of coaches say that Fox should have just dribbled the ball out, forcing the Knicks to foul. I’d rather shoot an open layup than free throws, but that’s just me. Anunoby made two great plays in blocking the layup, and crashing the O boards to tip the ball in.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

@Coach_DeMarco 1) Shot Selection: teaching our players the difference between great, good, and bad shots immediately improved our offensive efficiency.

2) Zone or Man: designing BLOBs and set plays that can be effective against zone or man allowed my players to make simple reads.

[A.J. Ward @Coachajward]

Wemby’s turnover at the end of game 2 reminded me how important special situations are in big games. Practicing those situations each practice for 5-10m can help you win the close ones.

[William Payne @TweetsbyCoachP]

One of the biggest misconceptions in high school sports is that coaching is primarily about practices, games, and wins.

The reality is that coaching has become one of the most challenging roles in education because coaches are expected to wear dozens of hats while being evaluated from every direction.

Every parent, player, administrator, and community member often has a different expectation of success.

One family wants college recruiting to be the priority.

Another wants playing time.

Another wants winning.

Another wants player development.

Another wants discipline.

Another simply wants their child to enjoy the experience.

The challenge is that those goals frequently conflict, and coaches are often expected to satisfy all of them simultaneously.

Most coaches are balancing far more than what happens between the lines. They manage team culture, player conflicts, parent concerns, academics, transportation, fundraising, budgets, equipment, scheduling, eligibility, social media issues, and the emotional needs of teenagers.

At the same time, every roster includes athletes with different abilities, goals, motivations, and commitment levels. Some dream of college athletics. Some are trying to make varsity. Some simply want to belong. Building one program that serves all of them is incredibly difficult.

Perhaps the greatest challenge is decision-making.

Who starts?

Who plays?

Who sits?

Who travels?

Who gets moved up?

Who gets cut?

Every decision creates opportunity for one athlete and disappointment for another. Even well-intentioned decisions can be viewed as favoritism or politics when seen through the lens of an individual family.

Recruiting adds another layer of complexity. Coaches are expected to help athletes pursue college opportunities while also managing the needs of an entire team. Supporting one athlete can sometimes raise questions from another family about their child’s opportunities.

Social media has amplified many of these challenges. One lineup decision, one difficult conversation, or one emotional moment can quickly become public discussion, often without the full context.

There are also pressures many people never see.

Pressure from administrators to represent the school well.

Pressure from parents to provide opportunities.

Pressure from athletes to help them achieve their goals.

Pressure from communities that often measure success by wins and losses.

Pressure to retain athletes in an era of increasing transfers and movement.

And all of this occurs while coaches are trying to develop young people, not just athletes.

What makes coaching difficult is not that people don’t care.

It’s that everyone cares deeply, but often about different things.

Parents focus on their child.

Players focus on their opportunities.

Administrators focus on the school.

Communities focus on results.

Coaches must somehow balance all of those interests while making decisions they believe are best for the team.

As a former college coach, athletic director, and high school administrator, I’ve learned that most coaches are not trying to hold athletes back, play favorites, or make life difficult for families. Most are simply navigating competing priorities, limited resources, and difficult decisions while trying to do what’s best for kids.

Because at its core, coaching has never really been about managing games.

It’s about managing people.

And that’s what makes it both incredibly challenging and incredibly important

[JIM BOONE 🏀 @CoachJimBoone]

“You can’t do everything, everyday….but, you can do a few things everyday. Focus on the simple to win!”
~ Kelvin Sampson

[Coach Jeff Barnes @JeffBarnes52]

As an AD, my job is to bring in and retain coaches who can build, develop, and win. At the same time, good coaches want to be in environments where they have a real opportunity to succeed.

If a school’s vision does not prioritize winning or fails to provide the tools, support, and structure needed for success, it will struggle to attract and retain high level coaches. Talented coaches are intentional about where they invest their time and energy.

Winning is not about cutting corners or doing it at all costs. It is about alignment. When you have strong coaches, the right resources, and a clear commitment to success, those pieces work together. When everyone is not aligned, the culture is poisoned. That alignment is what builds a sustainable, competitive program.

[野原悠太郎/Yutaro Nohara @YutaroNohara]

Weave Series from March Madness

1: Weave Step
2: Weave Keep Burn
3: Weave Swing Rifle
4: Weave Ricky
5: Weave Peja
6: Weave Double
7: Weave Gortat
8: Weave Chest
9: Weave Elbow High Split Exit
10: Weave Boomer Punch

[JIM BOONE 🏀 @CoachJimBoone]

Creating a Defensive Culture:
1. Mission: Best Defensive Team in the Country
2. Vision: What it looks like, what it feels like. The Effort, Positioning, Technique…make the Offense feel us!
3. Process: It’s not what you teach, it’s what you Emphasize. It’s an Everyday Thing!

[Shane Tuttle @ShaneTuttleNCAA]

There are currently 2,901 players in the men’s basketball transfer portal, opening 14 hours ago.

With only 5,607 Division I players total, more than half of the player pool is now in the portal.

[JIM BOONE 🏀 @CoachJimBoone]

On the eve of College Basketball’s Final Game; I am reminded of Coach Don Meyers 10 Pointers for a State Championship:
1. GET THERE: Everything you do must be geared to getting there.
2. Once You Get There, Don’t Make it a Big Deal - The Awe Factor
3. Do What You Did to Get There, Don’t get Fancy.
4. But Be Aggressive - Look for Ways to Win, Be Aggressive Early in Game.
5. REST; More Gold Medals are Lost from Over Training, than Undertraining.
6. Prevent Easy Baskets!
7. Get Some Easy Baskets: Running, Rebounding, Getting Fouled, Attack their Best Player.
8. Make Your Free Throws.
9. Make Your Layups: Two Hands & Two Feet, Make Clean Layups in Practice, Shoot Pressured Layups.
10. Give Your Team a Reason - Deserving to Win!

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Your best player is either raising your standard or lowering it.

There is no middle.

Leadership matters.