Shawn Nelson - Basketball Coaches Guide to Advanced Offensive Skill Development

About the Author

Shawn Nelson is the head womens basketball coach at Carroll College. In his first five seasons, he has amassed an overall record of 141-30 and has taken the program to five consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament. The Fighting Saints have been to the round of 16 three times and the Elite Eight once in their five trips. Under Nelsons leadership, the Fighting Saints have consistently been ranked in the NAIA top 15 and were ranked as high as number two at one point. The team has won four conference championships and Nelson has been named Frontier Conference Coach of the Year twice. Nelson is the fastest coach (men or women) to 100 wins in Frontier Conference history.

The Saints have led the nation in three-point percentage for four straight years and are among the nations leaders in scoring and defensive points allowed. Nelson has coached two WBCA Kodak All-Americans, including Jolene Fuzesy, who is the most accurate three-point shooter in the history of college basketball at any level (and any gender) over a four-year career. She shot an amazing 51.7 percent from behind the arc for her career. During his time at Carroll College, Nelson has been instrumental in the development of the following: Two WBCA Kodak All-Americans Three professional players Five Frontier Conference MVPs 17 NAIA All-Americans 35 All-Frontier Conference selections Two Frontier Conference Freshman of the Years Three national three-point leaders Two national assists leaders Before becoming the head coach of the Fighting Saints womens basketball team, Nelson helped the mens team to three straight trips to the NAIA national tournament, with each team setting school records for wins in a season. During his seven-year post as the assistant coach, the Fighting Saints advanced to the NAIA national tournament four times and held national rankings each of those years. Nelson graduated from Carroll with a bachelor of arts in sociology in 1996 and played basketball for the Saints for four years.

He was named All-Conference for two seasons and was the Frontier Conference scoring champion his senior year. He was inducted into the Wendys of Montana Carroll College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Nelson earned his masters degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama.
Shawn Nelson
2009 Coahes Choice. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Coaches Choice. Throughout this book, the masculine shall be deemed to include the feminine and vice versa. ISBN: 978-1-60679-030-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008939227 Book layout: Bean Creek Studio
Cover design: Bean Creek Studio
Front cover photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Coaches Choice
P.O. Box 1828
Monterey, CA 93942
www.coacheschoice.com Dedication

This project is dedicated to my family, who encouraged me to always pursue my dreams. Dad, I would spend countless hours watching you coach and I learned so much from conversations after games. Even though you made me play shortstop instead of second base, I appreciate your approach with me in sports.

Its not always easy being the coachs son. To my mom, who would spend countless hours in the backyard hitting me ground balls and rebounding for me, I thank you for supporting me in my career even when you had to physically push me out of the car for my first soccer game. I would get so frustrated with my younger brother because he didnt want to play basketball all the time, but I learned from him that its all right to have different dreams. His dream was to serve our country and Im proud that he protects us so we can pursue our dreams. To my wife, Laura, and our two sons, thanks for the support and understanding during those long hours of the basketball season. Especially to my wife, thanks for being such a great mom and role model for our two boys.

Acknowledgments

I dont know where to begin with acknowledgments, so I will start with the person responsible for my opportunity in college basketball, Coach Gary Turcott of Carroll College. Coach Turcott recruited me and later offered me an assistant coaching position. Ive learned so much about basketball from him, but more importantly, Ive learned more about life and how to treat people. To the Bennett family, who welcomed me into their family because I married their daughter and have been there for all the life-changing experiences. Thanks also to the McCarvel family; if it wasnt for them, Im not sure I would have made it through Carroll College. They were my second family and did so much for me that I learned how important it was to always be there for others.

To Father Eugene Peoples, who always knew when I was tempted to take the wrong road and would randomly show up (sometimes even at halftime), bless me, and remind me to make good decisions Shawn. To my assistant coaches, Carly and JD, who never get the credit they deserve. If it wasnt for their dedication, our success would not be possible. In addition, I would like to acknowledge our past and present players who have demonstrated the work ethic, desire, and passion needed to take the program to new heights. We will never forget the sacrifices you have made for the program, our school, and us. Your effort and loyalty will always be appreciated.

Foreword

Coach Shawn Nelson is one of the outstanding coaches in college basketball. In his first five years as a head coach, with a record of 143-30, he was able to completely turn the program around at Carroll College, putting his team in position to compete for a national championship every year. His success is due to the system he has developed for teaching the skills of the game of basketball. His terminology, breakdown drills, and teaching progression make his system easy to understand, but very difficult to play against. Coach Nelson has constructive new ideas about how to teach and coach our wonderful game of basketball. In this book/DVD package, he shares some of these concepts with all of us.

Gary Turcott
Head Mens Basketball Coach
Carroll College

Introduction
The Basketball Coaches Guide to Advanced Offensive Skill Development features an intensive and comprehensive program that is specially designed to help basketball players at every competitive level improve their offensive skills. For example, the footwork that the top players at every level use is covered. Live-ball moves and a variety of creative scoring opportunities off these live-ball moves are also detailed, as well as the proper fundamentals and footwork for shooting off of screens and transition shooting. In addition, advanced dribble concepts, along with skills conditioning, are included in this program, which utilizes a progressive teaching technique to help ensure that all offensive concepts are grasped in a step-by-step fashion. Furthermore, the book explains how each athlete can practice with a purpose and apply offensive concepts to competitive situations. The information presented in the workout book corresponds directly to the concepts and philosophies taught and shown on the accompanying DVD.Next page