Slappin Glass Podcast Notes: Zak Boisvert

Slappin Glass does an amazing job in everything they do. From Twitter content, youtube content, & nailing one amazing podcast guest after another. The delivered once again in my favorite episode with Army West Point Assistant Coach Zak Boisvert.

Zak is very active on Twitter and is the creator of pickandpop.net his own basketball coaching resource website. He is widely regarded as one of the best X’s and O’s basketball coaches around the world. As a fellow film junkie, it wasn’t his X’s and O’s prowess that drove me to become a follower in all his content. It was this one quote I got from him watching him speak during a Zoom Clinic.

“You belong in the room.”- this quote means a lot to me because like Boisvert, I never had a playing career in college and it’s easy to not trust yourself or think others will not trust you without collegiate playing experience. That single 5-word quote has really shaped my ability to interact with other coaches and give me the self-confidence boost I desperately needed starting out in my young coaching career.

Chris Oliver Pod “Coaching with Anger”

• Asked for feedback from graduating seniors for unbiased answers.
• As a coach and power of authority you have great responsibility to your players, can be a massive positive or negative presence in their lives
• Habit to be aware of your emotions: Coach Boisvert has a photo of himself with his arm around a player
• Cubs Way by Dom Verducci: On play card to be calmer from this book “DBAFF” Don’t be a freaking fan, done in an effort to be more calm & level headed during a game
• 90% of what you do as an assistant should be analytical, 10% should be emotional
• Coaching with positivity is a coaching trend, roots of the old school ways of the dictator coach are outdated. Kids are more open to their emotions now.

Coach Boisvert’s Film Process & Tips to Learn From Film

• Creativity should not be rushed. It is not efficient, be curious for curiosity sake.
• Pick something you love & chase it, don’t be concerned with net result
• Conversation with Tom Crean: Even though recruiting is important there is a need for good basketball coaches, in order to be knowledgeable immerse yourself in film
• Watch an hour of film everyday
• Start a coaching notebook
• Be intentional in the areas of where you want to improve your knowledge “What do you need to get better at” “Why are successful teams successful”
• Train your eyes to not watch the basketball when studying film
• Can we train what great playmakers are seeing? 2 great exercises: 1. Watch a play, close your computer & recite the play 2. Pause film when advantage is coming, ask yourself what is the play/decision made. This will help to be an active participant in your learning.
• Stay prepared as an assistant coach the “ If I ever got a chance manual” of your personal coaching philosophy
• Ask yourself why it works? Then explain to your players why it works
• There are different ways to drive winning from both an offensive and defensive perspective, styles should depend on personnel.

Importance of Shot Quality

• Can you get a great shot everytime down the floor?
• If so can you quantify it?
• The difference between shooting well and getting great shots

Ball Screen D & 45 cuts

• High Tag vs Low Tag- Prefers low tag at the college level, high tag makes more sense in the NBA/Professional level because of talent disparity. Can allow most college bigs to catch in the short roll.
• Have Solutions to every coverage, keep a plan B if it isn’t working
• “Pre snap movement”- in order to distort a ball screen coverage
• Colgate 45 Cuts
• Why the 45 cut works- it punishes good Defense, using your defensive principles of defending the nail against you
• Value in switching it out- if you switch out pin the switch in

Favorite Recent Actions that are Hard to Guard

• 45 cut
• Playing out of Short Roll early with double side movement, baseline cut fill corner from cutter
• Apparition Cut- Ghost corner man into follow up ball screen in the slot, opens up the roll on the empty side
• General Ghost Screen vs Switch
• Early movement into a ball screen

Overrated or Underrated

Beating Navy- Underrated, if you are not apart of either college, you do not realize it’s importance.

Basic 2–3 Zone- Originally thought overrated but NBA’s willingness to do so made him second guess. Amazed how many colleges play 2–3 and do not teach it. Still sticks with Overrated.

Rebounding Drills in Practice- Overrated, No rebounding drills are game like and are asking for injuries. Emphasize it and hold players accountable to it instead.

5v0 Offense- Extremely Underrated, do not call it Dummy O. Should be a conditioning element to it, you can get your guys to understand the game at a higher level with 5v0 rules. Jaw dropped watching Richmond run 5v0 with their pace. Dictate the Defense.

Shell Drill- Overrated. Belongs to a different era. Comes from defending motion offense, not how the game is played anymore. Get better with the actions you defend in games.

Flex Offense- Moderately Rated. It’s an action that many different teams score off. Link the flex action with other actions. Have at least 2–3 sets with a flex action.

Giving Players Scouting Reports- Overrated, 5 page thick document is overrated. Give it to them in bullet points and summarize as much as possible. Send them to players’ phones. (First rule of a closeout is know who you are closing out to). “Are you doing it because you think it works or because it makes you feel better?”

Best Investments Made

• Sports Code, Clipping own Practice Film & Watching your own team, Nothing drives winning more than watching your own film and improving your own team.
• Reading & Championship Productions Videos
• Gas money spent traveling to other practices
• We glorify scheme, success is made in your everyday practice.