There are many approaches to understanding and teaching the game of basketball and very often they seem to collide with one another.

Which is better?

Coaching a “system” or coaching the “players” you have? If you prefer a “system,” do you separate the “stars” from the “role players,” or insist upon a “team” perspective? Do you teach from “the whole to part” or “the part to the whole”? Are your practices largely organized around “5-on- 5 live situations” or more about perfecting offensive and defensive technique through rigorous drilling?

Coaches have been debating these questions since Naismith tacked his original 13 rules to his office door over a hundred years ago.

In Connections I hope to present a “unified theory” of basketball that bridges these gaps in understanding and instructional approach – a comprehensive approach to the game that integrates theory, application, terminology, and teaching, yet is flexible enough to bend to the needs of the players you have at any given point of time.

I’ll do so as better than a layup evolves and matures, in effect “connecting the dots” that emerge with each new post. When complete, I’ll post the result here in the form of an interactive “flipbook.”

Till then, I ask for your patience.