Despite long admiring Coach Fran Fraschilla, it was my first time having the privilege of hearing him speak. His knowledge of the game was equaled by his passion -- the guy loves the game! The thing that impressed me the most was his reverence for the history of the game and the respect he paid to so many past coaches. Here is just a few of the notes I took while he spoke:
Advice he got from John Calipari: "Don't try to be great at everything."
1. What's really important to you as a coach?
Can only be really 3 to 4 at the most. For me is was:
--Defend half-court
--Toughness
--Get easy baskets
--Half-court flow into offense
2. What's the vision you have for your program?
Spoke of Covey: "Begin with the end in mind."
Fraschilla: "I can watch 10 minutes of your practice and know what you stand for."
3. Our first 10 minutes of practice we referred to as "perfection" instead of "warm-up."
-- Utilized accountability through peer pressure
4. Make as many pressure decisions in non-pressured points in your season.
He got this from Jeff Van Gundy.
--Staff retreat or staff meetings
--Time for key questions about philosophy and personnel decisions
--Special plays
5. The 5 characteristics of a great coach
--Teaching Skills
--Communication Skills
--Organizational Skills
--Motivational Skills
--Under Pressure Skills
6. Coaches can also be titled "Crisis Management Coordinator"
He also shared a great quote he got from Lou Holtz: "The best way to be a great motivator is getting rid of those who don't want to be motivated."
One more final thought from Coach Fraschilla: "The essence of the game is who gets more easy baskets."
