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Title: How Do You Evaluate and Assess Your Preseason?
Subtitle: A simple framework for measuring what actually got better before the first game tips off
Show Notes
Preseason flies by, and most coaches judge it by feel. Did practice look sharp? Did the team seem to click? Feel is a bad measuring stick. In this episode we break down how to assess preseason with evidence instead of vibes, so you walk into game one knowing exactly what your team can and cannot do.
What we cover:
1. Start with what you said you wanted
Go back to the three or four goals you wrote before preseason started. Install the offense. Establish shell defense. Build conditioning. Identify a rotation. If you never wrote them down, that is the first fix for next year. You cannot evaluate against a target that does not exist.
2. Assess in four buckets
Physical: conditioning tests, sprint times, weight room numbers, injury count. These are the easiest to measure, so measure them.
Skill: shooting percentages from your charted spots, live ball turnovers per practice, free throw numbers under fatigue.
System: can they run your top five sets without a whistle stoppage? Can they get into your press break in under three seconds? Execution under pressure is the test, not walkthrough.
Culture: who talks on defense, who sprints back, who picks teammates up. Track it. You will learn more about your rotation here than anywhere else.
3. Use scrimmage and situational data, not just eye test
Chart your own practices. Five on five segments, situational work, last four minutes scenarios. Keep it simple with three or four stats you actually care about. Deflections, defensive rebounding percentage, points per possession in your primary offense.
4. Ask the players
A two question survey works. What do you feel most confident in? What do you feel least prepared for? Their answers will surprise you and often expose a gap you were about to walk right past.
5. Rank your roster honestly
By the end of preseason you should be able to list one through fifteen and defend every spot. If you cannot, you have not seen enough competitive reps.
6. Write the postseason preseason report
One page. What worked, what did not, what to cut next year. Do it in the first week of the season while it is still fresh. Future you will thank present you.
Coach takeaway: Preseason is not about looking good. It is about gathering information. Evaluate it like a scout would, not like a fan.
More coaching resources, practice plans, and the Coaching Community at https://teachhoops.com/
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