Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)

Ep 2036 What Should You Actually Be Watching in Your First Scrimmage?

October 8, 2026·7 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

https://teachhoops.com/  ⁠https://coachingyouthhoops.com/⁠ ⁠https://heysammi.com/⁠ What Should You Actually Be Watching in Your First Scrimmage? The score is the least useful number in the gym, so here are the three you should write on your card instead. SHOW NOTESYour first scrimmage is the best information you will get all preseason, and most coaches throw it away by watching the ball and worrying about the score. Coach Steve Collins walks through how to decide what you are hunting for before tip, why you should let your team drown through a bad stretch instead of bailing them out, and how one quarter of complete silence can teach you more than a month of practice. What we cover: - Why a preseason score is built out of things that will not exist in January- Picking three things before the ball goes up and writing them on your card- Watching habits instead of results, starting with who sprints back without being told- The bench and the huddle are half your information and they are sitting right next to you- Fix, do not add: turning scrimmage notes into one twelve minute Monday segment This week's challenge: Write your three things on your card before tip, then coach one full quarter with your mouth closed. Resources: Practice plans, drills, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/ Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Runtime: 5 minutes 32 secondsAudio file: 09_first_scrimmage.mp3 LINKS https://teachhoops.com/ https://coachingyouthhoops.com/ https://heysammi.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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