If You Can Script “Down 3”… You Can Script This
I saw a post today about coaches using playing-card “special situations” to prep for late-game chaos. I used to do the same thing — random cards, random scenarios, one pulled each week. Great coaching. It proves what we already know: guys need reps in hard stuff if we expect them to succeed when hard stuff hits.
But here’s the miss: We’ll script “down 3, five seconds left,” but we won’t script the situations that actually put our players’ lives, futures, and relationships at risk.
What about:
“Your group chat is blowing up after a big Friday night and you know the plans could go sideways.”
“You are sitting in the car after a date and you know what your boys will say if you don’t ‘make a move’.”
“Your best friend is a ghost for a month on text, on video games and rarely at school…and you know something at home isn’t right.”
These are special situations too. Higher stakes. Zero do-overs.
The question isn’t whether we know how to teach situations — we clearly do. The question is why we won’t bring that same intentionality to the ones that matter most.
If we can carve out five minutes for a baseline inbound, we can carve out five minutes for the moments that could cost them far more than a possession.
COACH PROMPTS
What “off-court special situations” do your guys already face every week — and when’s the last time you walked them through one?
Where in your practice plan can you consistently carve out five minutes for life-prep?
What’s one scenario you could script this week that speaks directly to your team’s reality?
PLAYER PROMPTS
Which off-court moments feel hardest to navigate — and why?
When have you wished you had a “replay” or a second chance in real life? What would you do differently now?
Who on your team could you talk to when things start to get sideways?
