Ace Richards

Sharing coaching frameworks, team culture building, accountability, leadership , player development

[Chris Steed @csteed]

Magrath Alberta Canada
‘The Basketball factory’
Pop. 2565
One school k-12

Simple town. Home to the famous BLUE GOOSE CONVENIENCE STORE.

1/4 of the road aren’t paved.

1 grain elevator.

Can’t buy booze anywhere.

We hoop. And hoop. And hoop.

700 + in the stands every night.

Top 5 5A School (highest tier) perennially.

Random run on a Tuesday:

@ Dray Walburger - 6’5 SG - top 5 shooter in the Canada at the USport.

@baldersonjim 6’6 PG/SG- 4 year BYU alum, one of the best to come out of Alberta in the last 40 years.

@eli_steed 6’6 SF- the best HS player in Alberta and the most underrated player nationwide.

@David_Hansen33 6’9 Weber St alum on a bounce back.

Per capita, the most basketball rich area in Canada.

Where are the rest of the mini Mecca’s in North America?

@cta_west @themapleminute @sunnysooch

[Chris Steed @csteed]

If Brad Stevens and Sam Presti are just nerds ruining the game, then lets be consistent.

Belcihick and Andy Reid ruined football.

Tiger and Bryson ruined golf.

Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers ruined baseball.

Liverpool ruined soccer.

Analytics = data interpretation optimizing systems.

Aim the passion at Adam Silver for rules that heavily favor the offense. Universal adoption of FIBA fixes scoring inflation and injury problems.

Virtue signalling about how your favorote team should be shooting volume 16 foot fadeaways because it was ‘beautiful when Kobe did it’ and ‘that’s real hoops’ ain’t it. Billions of dollars at stake, your favorite team wants to maximize offense, under the constraint of the rules.

‘Analytics’ hasnt lost a Finals since 2014, and even Pop was using data for load management back then.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Defensive minded players who can also knock down the 3 will never be unplayable players. Every contending team at every level needs these players who will do the small things the stars won’t. Guard 2-3 positions and able to liable on offence

[Mike Jagacki @Mike_Jagacki]

Since 2019 only 5 players have won more than 1 NBA Championship:

2x OG Anunoby
2x K. Caldwell-Pope
2x D. Green
2x J. Holiday
2x A. Caruso

Anything stand out?

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Relationship building in coaching is crucial to success and seeing a player and team grow

[Matt Lisle @CoachLisle]

A player-coach relationship becomes effective when the player believes that they are working with the coach, rather than for them.

[Anthony Bonner @AMB2Live]

Coaches have OFF/BAD days too. I’ll never be the type to always point finger at players. That’s a common misconception in sport. When your team KNOWS you can accept the accountability you preach to them, that’s when you get the MOST out of them. 💪🏾💯🏀

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Being associated with the coaches you wanna become is crucial. Young coaches never stop landing and studying. I live by this

[Eric Peterson @EricPeterson713]

YOUNG COACHES:

Your experiences will shape you into the coach you’re going to become but never lose sight of the coach you want to be.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Coaches are giving you feedback and helping you perfect your craft because they wanna see you succeed and grow u to the player they know you can become.
Feedback even if it sounds negative isn’t. It helps more then the players think

[Seth Kindig @SethKindig]

The athletes who improve the most aren't always the ones who love feedback.

But they're the ones who don't take it personally.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

This‼️‼️
Heavy on why players growing up need to learn reads and how to play out of different situations. Being able to read the floor and play at your own pace is crucial at every level. All the top players you coach/play against all have that in common. You can’t speed them up

[Adam Barnes @CoachBarnes1]

Watch the best teams in the country and you'll notice they don't play faster... they process information faster.

The ball moves faster.
Decisions happen faster.
Rotations are recognized faster.
Advantages are attacked faster.

Speed in basketball isn't always about athleticism. It's often about reducing the time between recognition and execution.

[Seth clements @clementssc81]

Last games with Horns/ onto @cta_west with @daxbaines7 @coachsir_value @HuffmanCoach @DimeSessions

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Highscool teams with mid a range shooter…
If your player isn’t a 3 way scorer/next level player then the mid range is pointless. Have a better % to get a teammate evolved or settle for a 3,
3 pointers have the same % as a midrange so might as well go for the +1 in points.

[Steve Collins @TeachHoopsBBall]

Unpopular Opinion: The mid-range jumper isn't dead; it’s just poorly coached. Change my mind. 🏀👇

[Coach Booth @CoachKBooth]

If I were a high school or college AD and had to choose between two coaches—one who’s great at relating to athletes and one who’s an expert in the sport—I’d choose the coach who connects with athletes every time.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

HS basketball player development 101
-has to understand patience on the court
-study the game
-be responsible for your mistakes
-must have pride in matchups
-learn to use your best qualities and hammer on them
- do the little things that don’t pop out to the average eye

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Football player development :
-has to be aggressive
-has to be fearless
-has to be relentless
-has to be a student of the game
-understanding situations beyond your competition puts you miles ahead, especially at a younger age

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Best coaches/players are always learning from others who are in their position
Phil Jackson, Brad Steven’s, Greg Popovich, mj, LeBron, Tom Brady, nick saban, Serena Williams
Always learning and studying others around them so they can be in the positions they are today

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

The best teams in sports all have coaches who will accept they made mistakes that costed the team opportunities in the game
Players who accept they made mistakes and know how to improve
Players will admit to the team/media when they made mistakes and it’s on them

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

We make excuses so that we don’t have to take responsibility.

Leaders take ownership.
Leaders show up.
Leaders do the work.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

This is huge for all aspects in life but goes far in coaching
The players who are:
Learning
Not getting the minutes as other
Not doing the things the fans notice
They all need to know and be told by coaches/ teammates that what they bring is crucial in different aspects.

[Alan Stein, Jr. @AlanSteinJr]

Everyone’s greatest need is to feel appreciated. Make as many people feel that way as you can.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Not always the most skilled players are getting their coaches “pity minutes” it’s the players who do these little things that will gain respect and give their coaches a reason for their opportunity

[Matt Lisle @CoachLisle]

Do coaches play favorites?

Yes! They favor players who are Accountable, Good Teammates, Work Hard, Accept Roles & Are Coachable

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Make sure you appoint the right captain and they will strive being the vocal leader in all aspects
Make sure the team knows their captains words matter
The captain now will be free to express needs/opinions
Not always the best player but always needs to be the best leader

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Your captain froze when the team needed a voice.

Not their fault.

You never gave them the reps...👇

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Pivotal to why the best head coaches in all sports have assistant coaches who can see and explain different aspects to you or players that helps the team
Even when the head coaches clears them in knowledge and experience sometimes they miss the simple stuff due to their expertise

[Adam Hood @CoachAHood]

Doesn’t matter if no one else can see "it", as long as you can.

[Ace Richards @AceRichards_]

Pack line for sure‼️

Pack line with right rotations/help side is scary
No middle can lead to missed rotations and open looks at the rim
Not allowing baseline as we do in pack keeps teams from only finding double gaps and don’t find the single gaps to attack so no advantage

[Coach Desmond. @TripleDoubleXO]

Packline Defense or No Middle defense?