4 Keys To Turning Your Program Into Championship Contender By Dallas Mavericks Coach Sean Sweeney

• By Marek Hulva

As the Dallas Mavericks look to close out their series tonight against Utah Jazz Game 6, one name keeps being mentioned by basketball experts as one of the rising superstars in the coaching business: the Mavericks’ Assistant Coach Sean Sweeneyps://coachtube.com/seansweeney">Sean Sweeney. 

Coach Sweeney is being mentioned as an instrumental part of developing The MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in his early days, and so far has been a key component in turning around the Dallas Mavericks as they are attempting to bring Championship back to Lone Star State.

Sean Sweeney helped to transform Mavericks in just one season by developing these components into team culture: 

1. Head First Transition Defense

One of the keys to Mavericks success throughout the whole season has been transition defense. Mavs Assistant Coach Sean Sweeney teaches transition defense in 5 key steps:

Get Ahead of the Ball

Stop the Ball Above the Three Point Line

Match Up and Communicate

Lower to the Basketball

Think Help! 

The main goal is to force offense to go against the set defense, without giving any open looks or forcing any unnecessary fouls.

To fully implement these 5 key components into game situations, Coach Sean Sweeney uses “5 on 4” and “Coaches Transition” Drills in every practice. Watch the breakdown here:

2. Compete, Compete, Compete!

Along with their excellent transition defense, the Mavericks have separated themselves through going the extra mile and competing on every defensive possession - whether it is closing on a shot, getting the extra steal or diving on the floor for a loose ball, their whole roster have been playing with excellent motor. 

You actually can teach hustle to a length, and Mavericks showed that turnaround and improvement from next year.

Here Coach Sweeney breaks down drills he likes to use to teach players to go the extra mile on every possession: 

3. Rebounding Rotations after Help

One of the most frustrating things is when your team plays excellent defense for the whole offensive possession, but fails to get the rebound due to players rotating out of position and not being able to box out their man to get the board. 

Here Coach Sweeney breaks down the proper close out strategy after rotating/helping on the defense:

4. Defensive Drill Work translating to game Situations

With the game moving more and more away from the basket to the perimeter, the driving lanes stay wide open and thus we now more than ever need to teach our players how to close out properly and rotate on drive and kick actions.

 It is extremely important that players don’t just read positioning of the ball, but can can also read the positioning of their teammates - for example: if my teammate is guarding the ball, and I see his hips turned, this is a sign for me that he will get more likely beat to the lane and I need to immediately react and be ready to help to the ball - even if the ball handler has not beat the defender yet. 

Drive and Kick 3 on 3

Reading and appropriately reacting not just to the ball, but also to my teammates can most definitely give us a step ahead on every defensive possession. 

Let’s take a look at how Coach Sweeney breaks down Drive and Kick situations and shows the concept in game settings.

Pick and Roll 3on3

We like to use this drill fairly often, as it can be used for non-contact practices and allows us to practice multiple defensive coverages. Coach Sweeney likes to put emphasis on the angles of the ball screen coverages - regardless of what coverage we are using.We need to pay attention to detail on the angles to avoid unnecessary fouls.

As you rewatch  the Dallas Mavericks - Golden State Warriors series, try to notice the positioning of the Mavericks players during Pick and Roll and Close Out actions, and pay attention to detail on where they are forcing their defenders and how the help side defense reacts to it.

Competitiveness and hustle can indeed be taught, but it needs to be taught with the right fundamentals and with purpose. If NBA players can be taught how to play harder and compete, then it can be taught on any level.

Always keep improving.