The summer of FIBA national team basketball has come to an end. And at the men’s European youth championships, one observation stood out. Slovenia won U20. Slovenia won U18. Latvia won U16. Both countries have around ... two million inhabitants.…
As coaches, we often talk about taking game-like shots. You play like you practice, right? Recently, I came across a video of Belgian guard Julie Vanloo taking extra shots on her own after practice. She was wearing headphones. She wasn't…
While the NBA season is over, the Spanish ACB Finals are about to start. In the semi-finals Ricky Rubio and Patty Mills saw their season end. Man, I enjoyed watching their basketball IQ in action. Watching them over the course…
This season, Valencia has been the talk of the town in European basketball. With a relatively modest budget, they reached the Final Four, eliminated Panathinaikos in the playoffs and saw Pedro Martínez named EuroLeague Coach of the Year. This weekend…
If there is one thing you cannot teach in basketball, it is length. But often it comes back in analysis after a campaign. At federation level, the success of a generation often depends heavily on whether or not there is…
Everyone talks about analytics nowadays. It’s almost impossible to have a conversation about basketball without the word coming up. It sounds modern. It sounds smart. It sounds like control. But most of the time, it’s neither. Analytics is often used…
International windows are chaotic by nature. National teams come together for a few days, play two games, and then disappear again. Preparation time is minimal. Whatever adjustments coaches make usually happen between two practices and a video session. After every…
We are in the middle of the FIBA windows. For many clubs, this is one of the rare moments in the season to step back — to evaluate, to compare initial ambitions with the reality of the standings, to reflect…
We’re halfway through the ACB season. The Copa del Rey is being played in Valencia this weekend. Tomorrow, Valencia faces Real Madrid in the semi-final. Earlier this season, their matchup became the starting point of something I’ve been working on.…
Yesterday I was watching Joventut vs Valencia, and one shot made me pause that game. A three-pointer by Guillem Vives off one leg. Huh? I went back to check if I had seen it right. Not because of the result,…