Kevin Sutton Shooting Drills
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It’s More Than a Game
By Olufemi “Femi” Akinpetide
“To whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48).” As a young athlete at Montverde Academy, a private college preparatory school located near Orlando, FL, I remember Coach Kevin Sutton would frequently quote this verse during basketball practices. Fifteen years have passed since I first heard Coach Sutton quote this scripture and I can honestly say that it is one of the most impactful lessons I learned through the game of basketball.
In the summer of 2005 I left my home of Sydney, Australia to attend Montverde Academy to further my education and pursue my dream of one day playing professional basketball. I had no clue that as an athlete for Coach Sutton, I would learn valuable life lessons through the game of basketball.
When we are young, we are heavily focused on making it professional and minimally focused on the realities of life after athletics. When sports end, there are transitions that every athlete has to make. It could be from athlete to coach or from athlete to pursuing a professional career. My transitions led me to becoming a husband, a father and beginning the pursuit of my career.
All of my transitions posed significant challenges. Some of which were close to breaking me. It took me two years to land a job after I decided to end my athletic pursuits. After the first few months of searching, I was on the verge of depression. I could not understand how someone with a Master’s degree could not land a job. The job search became a huge weight crushing my spirt as each day passed.
I remember putting the job search on hold to give myself a mental break. I realized that the process was consuming me and I needed to break the cycle of negative emotions. I started thinking about all I had and how much time I had been spending on myself. I needed to live outside myself and find ways to be a blessing to others. I volunteered in my church’s media department and at the local university in the athletic department. It wasn’t long before I realized that I was beginning to live out the verse (Luke 12:48) that Coach Sutton would often to quote in basketball practices. Shortly after focusing on being a blessing, I landed my first job as a guest service agent at a hotel.
What I learned on the court is no different in life. I was blessed to be given the athletic ability and coaching to get a division I scholarship that paid for my college education. My tough job search awoke Luke 12:48 within me. If we spend a moment to take inventory of our blessings, then we will realize that we have a lot to give and there are so many that can be blessed by what we have.
The “Sub Games” Inside the Game of Basketball
Written by Kevin Sutton
Assistant Coach of Rhode Island
Within the overall game of basketball there are many games that I call “Sub Games”. The Sub Games are much like “battles” are to overall success in warfare. The team that wins many of the Sub Games puts itself into a better position to win the overall game.
Sub Games are highly indicative of which team is imposing its’ will on the opponent and/or dictating the tempo of the game.
Here is list of the “Sub Games” that are vitally important and often impact the outcome of the game.
Sub Games:
I. Effort Game:-Diving for loose balls
-Taking charges
-Running down long Rebounds
II. Rebound Game:
-Getting more overall rebounds
-Number of second chance points based on offensive rebounding
III. Free Throw Game:
-Total number of Free Throw attempted
-Number of points scored from Ft line
-1st team to get to 1+1 and/or double bonus.
IV. Paint game:
-Number of points scored in the paint
-Number of times the ball is passed into the post (post feeds).
-Number of times the dribbler gets into the lane (paint touches)
V. Assist/Turnover Game
VI. Transition game:
-Offensively points scored
-Defensively points allowed
VII. Defensively:
– Shot Clock – points allowed and % of “stops” late in the shot clock.
– Ball Screen – points allowed and % of “stops”.
-Close outs – points allowed and % of shots missed because of your close outs.
-Rim protection-shots block and/or altered (changed).
When you break the game down into 4-minute segments (mini games), you can statically see if there is a correlation between the Sub Games and whether you are actually winning or losing the game. You also have some tangible information that will support your thoughts if adjustments need to be made.
When you take the time to educate your team on the value and the importance of winning the Sub Games, you will likely see the results in the win/loss column moving forward.