On Saturday afternoon, the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff held their first ever coaches clinic. Mitch Johnson, Sean Sweeney, and Mike Noyes took turns enlightening hundreds of local coaches on the best practices they have discovered during their careers.
Former Spurs player Monty Williams — who also interned with the Spurs coaching staff during their 2005 championship season — brought his players from TMI Episcopal. Willams is in his second year as the head coach at the Texas Military Institute.
The Panthers served throughout the demonstrations.
Brian Wright, R. C. Buford, and Brett Brown were all in attendance.
Sean Sweeney, associate head coach, was tapped for defense. As Spurs head coach Johnson noted, Sweeney was renowned for “staying ahead of the game.”
Sweeney emphasized “team goals ahead of individual goals” and referenced two books, Bob Levant’s Finding Polaris and Madeline Hunter’s Mastery Teaching.
The bulk of Sweeney’s presentation referred to transition defense, sandwich rebounding, and a defensive progression of ball/rim/three-point line, teaching players how to prioritize positioning during defensive transitions.
Mike Noyes followed with his presentation of the 5 Ps- principles, present, practice, play, and progress.
Honestly, Noyes coaching style could easily be adapted into a TED talk. As a math teacher, I was seeing through the lens of pedagogy and everything he said made sense from an educational standpoint.
Both coaches emphasized building relationships with players. If there are no relationships, the team will struggle. They both underscored simplicity. The techniques they introduced for NBA players were adapted for the TMI players and they discussed how they could be used for middle school and even elementary levels.
One statement that stuck came from Noyes: “Time is the most valuable resource.” If the students feel they are being heard and valued, they will respond. And giving them your time mirrors their value.
All in attendance were given tickets to the scrimmage that took place later that evening. It was interesting to see members of the Spurs utilizing the same drills and techniques we’d been shown just hours before.
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