The Hours

SAVI Coaching

The SAVI Coaching Podcast covers the latest insights and trends in the game. Join us as we delve deeper into the questions and topics raised by our SAVI members. Whether you're a coach at any level or simply a basketball enthusiast, you'll find valuable discussions and practical advice for your best season yet. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving landscape of coaching. Join our free community: skool.com/savicoaching

  1. Why We Stopped Running Plays and Started Developing Players

    4 DAYS AGO

    Why We Stopped Running Plays and Started Developing Players

    In this episode of The Hours, host Mark Cascio sits down with longtime friend and high school coach Travis Uzee (St. Amant High School, Louisiana) to discuss the evolution of his program. Coach Uzee shares his "coaching superpower"—accountability—and how it serves as the bridge to success on both ends of the floor. The conversation dives deep into Uzee’s transition from traditional set plays to SAVI’s conceptual offense and the Lock Left defensive system. Discover how shifting focus from "developing plays" to "developing players" has dramatically increased his team’s skill level and shooting confidence. Whether you are a veteran coach or just starting your conceptual journey, this episode is packed with "in-the-trenches" advice on practice planning, defensive rotations, and building a culture of toughness. 🕒 Key Points & Timestamps [0:00] Introduction: Coaching superpowers and the value of in-game feel.[9:15] Shifting to Conceptual Offense: Why Coach Uzee moved away from the Flex and Brad Underwood systems.[12:30] Developing Players vs. Plays: How conceptual basketball has "dramatically" improved team skill and shooting.[16:45] Practice Planning Secrets: Using a "game sandwich" and leaving 15 minutes of space for what the team needs most.[22:10] The Lock Left Journey: Successes and struggles in Year 1 of the Lock Left defense.[25:30] Matching Up in Transition: Advice for coaches implementing Lock Left for the first time.[29:45] Going "Full Psycho": Using disruptive inbound defense to create easy turnovers.📝 Action Items for Coaches Leave Space in Practice Plans: Intentionally leave 15–20 minutes of unplanned space in your schedule. Use this time to address immediate needs (e.g., rebounding or shooting) or end early to leave players with "juice" for the next day.Focus on Accountability: Use campus and program accountability as a direct bridge to on-court discipline.Teach "Matching Up" First: When installing Lock Left, ensure your back-end defenders (Nail and Goalie) understand they must match up with specific threats before finding their zone spots.Implement "Psycho" Inbounds: Increase defensive disruption by having the defender on the inbounder prioritize deflections and physical pressure to force turnovers.

    24 min
  2. Mailbag Episode (Youth Spacing, Assistant Roles, and Disruptive Defense)

    19/11/2025

    Mailbag Episode (Youth Spacing, Assistant Roles, and Disruptive Defense)

    Join Mark and Tyler for a special Mailbag episode of The Hours podcast! Celebrating over 600 members in the Savvy Basketball community, they tackle listener-submitted "smart questions" that show effort and application. This episode dives deep into coaching philosophy, from youth development to high-level defensive strategy, emphasizing principles over prescribed plays and function over form. Get ready for an in-depth discussion on how to teach modern basketball, why reacting to your opponent means you've already lost, and how to improve shooting effectively mid-season. 💡 Key Points & Timestamps Youth Coaching: Spacing with Non-Shooters (4:12)Crucial Principle: Spacing is for passing, not for shooting at that level.Third graders can shoot from distance, but they need to be taught a system that generates power and functionality over traditional form shooting.Head Coach Problem: Utilizing Capable Assistants (14:38)Recommendation: Ask the assistants to write their own job descriptions and identify their "areas of genius".Example roles: Scouts, running practice sections, shooting coordinator, game subs, driving competitiveness, extra work/gym-opening.Disruptive Defense: Guarding Stagger Screens in Lock Left (19:03)A coach asks how to guard stagger screens in the "Lock Left" defense.The Goal: Disrupt timing by making the ball "go to jail" (forcing the ball handler to the left side/sideline).The 5-Step Savvy Coach Checklist:Why do you care? Focus on what you can do, not what they do.Check the math. Is this action truly hurting you, or did one play just feel bad? (Look at percentage of possessions and points per possession) .Rewind the tape. What happened before the stagger screen that allowed them to run it? (The on-ball defender didn't make the ball go) .Create your problems (e.g., getting better on the wall, rebounding) rather than fixing theirs (stagger screens).Shooting: Function Over Form (44:20)Observation/Fix: Players often have feet that are too narrow and a ball load position (Position 1) that is too high (chin-level), limiting their ability to transfer force from the ground.🎯 Action Items for Coaches Redefine Winning: If you coach youth, evaluate your practice plans. Are you coaching for long-term development or short-term wins? Use the Big/Small/Big perspective.Assign Autonomy to Assistants: Ask your assistant coaches to write their own job descriptions detailing their roles and areas of expertise to give them ownership.Stop Reacting to Opponents: Apply the 5-step checklist. Before defending an opponent's specific action (like staggers), check the math to see if it's a real threat and rewind the tape to see what your team did (or failed to do) to allow the action to happen.Teach Functional Shooting: Do not start with form shooting close to the rim. Adjust foot width and ball position to generate maximum power first. Do not move in if a player can't reach—force the functional adjustment by shooting from the desired range (or even further back).

    59 min
  3. The Problem with Coaching Clinics & How We're Solving It

    12/11/2025

    The Problem with Coaching Clinics & How We're Solving It

    Join Mark Cascio, Claire Murphy, and Tyler as they dissect what's wrong with most traditional coaching clinics and celebrate the success of their first-ever annual SAVI Coaching Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona! They share why their clinic was so impactful, from deep, intentional conversations to a focus on holistic, identity-based coaching over simple X's and O's. Then, the "Dream Team" breaks down key takeaways from running a youth basketball practice together, offering immediate, high-value action items you can apply to make your practices more effective, engaging, and transformational. Learn how to be "messy" with high standards and why the preparation and debrief are the most important parts of your coaching week. #SAVIcoach SAVI Basketball 7-Day Free Trial: https://www.skool.com/savi-coach/about 🛠️ Action Items for Coaches Evaluate Your Clinics: Next time you attend a clinic, evaluate if it offers extended mentorship/follow-up, allows for interactive engagement, and has a connected, focused curriculum. Hold High Standards for Response: Implement a clear, predetermined consequence (like a technical foul) for poor mistake responses (frustration, eye-rolling) to enforce the "next play" standard in your gym. Apply the Plus-One Debrief: During practice, observe many mistakes but only coach one or two things in the post-activity debrief. Resist the urge to give concurrent feedback or address everything at once. Prioritize Prep and Debrief: Cut practice short by 15 minutes if needed to establish a process where you spend time preparing objectives and debriefing with your staff after every session. Identify 3 Objectives: For your next practice, identify 3 clear, measurable objectives (e.g., "get open in space," "rebounding," "hunting nines") based on your game data, and let your staff (or use the Savvy community) suggest drills to achieve them (631, 636). Simplify and Clarify: Check if your players can articulate your offensive objective in a clear, concise phrase. Also, ensure your players can trigger an action/play with speed and on their own; otherwise, it's a useless play.

    41 min

About

The SAVI Coaching Podcast covers the latest insights and trends in the game. Join us as we delve deeper into the questions and topics raised by our SAVI members. Whether you're a coach at any level or simply a basketball enthusiast, you'll find valuable discussions and practical advice for your best season yet. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving landscape of coaching. Join our free community: skool.com/savicoaching

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