Pump Collegiate Business Conference 2010
Frank Martin
Listen and learn to other coaches to teach your own vision better
If you ask your players to listen, you have got to truly listen to them
His subbing for mistakes philosophy is that while some will take you out and turn the fans on you, he prefers to yell and scream at you so that he looks like the jerk and takes the heat
Does not necessarily believe in suspending kids
Citing his high school coaching experience, nothing ticks parent or high school coaches off more than when college coaches do not back up their kids. Kids will make mistakes, it is part of the growing process
Worries most about what he cannot control: 10pm to 6am
Does not have a team curfew just because, may pick his spots
Does not believe you can cage the young men. What happens when you open the cage door?
He surrounds himself with loyalty and honesty on his staff. He wants disagreements. No yes men on his staff. Whether everyone agrees with him or not, when the meetings are over they all support and are unified.
Assistants must sell their head coach. If you don’t or can’t do it, you got to move on.
Kids have not changed, adults have changed. Kids will surprise you when you demand from them
Tells his players, if you are lucky you get the chance to be who you are 35 times in 365 days. Don’t throw any of them away
Coaching is not a job. Teaching 270 kids middle school math is a job. Says that as he has moved up the latter from teacher to college assistant to head coach his jobs get easier and they pay more money.
He draws from his high school teaching. Taught him to have answers. When kids asked him why they needed math he said “learning math teaches you logic. It prepares you mind to use logic to solve problems. Those problem solving skills help you everyday.”
When the media referred to him repeatedly as the former high school coach, he took it as compliment. Says ultimate compliment is to be called a teacher.
Easiest to coach are the bad players. Because they have never gotten by on talent, they depend on the whole to succeed. The marginal player knows they need every advantage and needs coaching to win.
If you get the good players, you get them to play together. That is your job.
From Huggins, he wants “everyday m-f’ers”
Does not like a lot of team meetings, prefers to have 1 on 1 deals or have the position coach address a player 1 on 1
Have to hold everyone accountable, be consistent with it
Believes in not over blowing situations but teaching moments
Michael Beasley slept in the first film session. Stopped the film, turned on the lights. Had him stand up for the rest of film session because he said its harder to sleep standing up.
Its easier to have more structure and deviate then to have less structure and improvise
If you are improvising, they know you are cheating them
Earn vs giving
When a kid is given 15 pairs of shoes, he has no regard for leaving a pair at the park. When he has to work a week to get a pair, it has value to him. Earning things puts a value on it.
No freshmen speak to the media. They have never won a game, been to a practice, achieved anything so how can they speak for the program or team.
Martin loves pressure defense and putting pressure on teams in every way
He cannot stand being backed into a corner so that’s what he tries to do
Pressure defense
Creates depth
Keeps everyone on the team engaged and motivated for practice
Conditioning
If a player is in shape he runs back every time, goes to glass every time, and does everything
If you are in better shape, you can go longer with shorter rest.
Ask players to play until they are exhausted. If they do he trusts them.
When trusted, he lets his players sub themselves out and sub themselves back in. He just tells him who to sub in for.
Cannot stand selfish players or people. His demands for offensive rebounding and pressure defense don’t allow time for guys to worry about another player’s bad shot or looking him off.
Transition Offense
Run every single time
Never runs any transition defense drills in his career. They always go to the offensive glass. Been first 2 years in a row. Aggressiveness on offensive glass has kept teams from running on them.
He decides who gets pissed at whom on his team
Last 2 seasons, his teams have lead in offensive rebounds and free throw attempts
Believes it is easier to slow down his team offensively than to speed them up so he always plays fast
Get a treadmill by the court each practice. Does not punish the whole anymore for 1 guy dogging it. Gets the dog out and puts him on a controlled sprint on the treadmill. If you run him on the court, he’ll probably continue to be a dog at his pace. Plus 11 other guys may be doing the drill right, don’t screw up your own practice.
Defense
Foundation is half court man to man
Spend 75% of practice time on defense
Plays a gap defense
1. ball pressure – responsible for high passes
2. help defenders should never get beat
3. helpers are up the line, in line
4. pass receivers should catch and immediately be turning away from the rim
5. the elbows are the “kill area”, wants to keep ball away from there at all costs
6. wants to force short passes. On offense throwing short passes gets you beat
7. puts a line splitting the court into halves.
a. Calls it the ‘dumbass line”
i. For bigs, on offense run on it.
ii. On defense be on it
8. when offense is trying to get open, they want contact. Practice defense not letting the offense touch you.
9. teaches with a lot of 3 on 3 drills. Ball is always checked and picked up at half court line
10. RULE: ball never crosses half court line unguarded
11. teaches whole – part – whole
12. very little pre-set shell drills
a. starts with 4 on baseline, 4 beyond arc closeout drill with 3 running to their help spots
b. begin with shooter beneath rim, coming off screens
c. will do 4 on 4 then add big after wing entry pass
d. 6 on 4 screening: coach with ball between circles. Guards on block, bigs in slots, 2 coaches with pads stationary at elbows. 4 defenders on live players. Coaches with pads look to beat up the defenders, bigs look to screen and get guards open.
Discipline Issues
Does not run guys in the morning. Believes that takes away from him or his coaches time. He does it at 10pm on a Thursday or Friday. Take the players time, he did the crime.
Practices hard every time. Backed off 1 time in his career (before butler game, felt needed to save legs) and regrets it.
