A Systematic Approach to Teaching Post Play

By Martin Gross

Marty Gross, a veteran college basketball coach with 46 years of experience, shares his wealth of knowledge in "A Systematic Approach to Teaching Post-Play." This book offers a comprehensive guide to coaching post-players and includes specialized offenses, skill development chapters, and valuable case studies of player improvement. Gross's key message is that post-play isn't limited to traditional big men; even perimeter players can excel in this role. His coaching expertise has contributed to the success of numerous pro players, including those from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Wichita State, Rice, Jacksonville, and Birmingham Southern College. Notably, Gross played a pivotal role in Wichita State's 2011 NIT Championship victory and helped develop NBA talents at Jacksonville, including Otis Smith, Ronnie Murphy, Dee Brown, and Tim Burroughs. His commitment to the game extends beyond coaching, as he has been active in Athletes in Action, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Join Marty Gross on his journey through the world of basketball coaching, where his passion and expertise have left an indelible mark on the sport.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martin Gross
• Release date: Jan 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224904570

Book preview

A Systematic Approach to Teaching Post Play

Marty Gross

Copyright © 2023 Marty Gross All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgment

Bob Wenzel’s Foreword

Willis Wilson Foreword

Greg Walcavich Foreword

Introduction

General Thoughts on Post Play

Chapter 1: How to Get Open in the Post

Chapter 2: How to Stay Open in the Post by Learning to Seal

Chapter 3: How to Safely Receive the Ball

Chapter 4: How to Finish (Simply) in the Post

Chapter 5: Offensive Concepts and Strategies Specifically Designed to Play Through the Post

Chapter 6: Player Development — Footwork Drills

Chapter 7: Player Development — Shooting for Post Players

Chapter 8: Player Development — Dribble Moves

Chapter 9: Defensive Post Rules

Chapter 10: Strength, Conditioning, Agilities, and Nutritional

Guide

Chapter 11: Case Studies

Glossary

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dedication

To My Family:

Thanks for your unwavering support, encouragement, and sacrifices. You fueled the fire that helped get me through 46 years of college coaching and led to the writing of this book. You have been a constant source of inspiration and my biggest fans. This book project is a tribute to the love that binds us together.

To my Esteemed Former Coaches and Coaching Colleagues:

Thank you for your wisdom and guidance. Your mentorship has been instrumental in shaping not just my understanding and approach to teaching the game, but also the lessons learned off the court. The discipline, leadership, and pursuit of excellence left an indelible mark on my coaching philosophy.

May this book help coaches everywhere and at every level, contribute to your growth, and at least challenge your thinking about how the game should be taught and played!  

Preface

The inspiration for this work comes from 50 years and countless hours spent on the hardwood, and the impact of former coaches, and colleagues, including high school, college, professional coaches, men and women.  When on the road recruiting, I just noticed the amount of time given to teaching post-play, the techniques taught, and the strategies implemented. It is not that post-play is not being taught, it is that post-play is taught in bits and pieces. It is my hope that this book will offer structure, order, and consistency to teaching post-play. 

The seeds of this systematic approach were sown when I attended Don Meyers Big Man Camp at David Lipscomb College in 1998. Coach Meyers had a storied coaching career. Until November 2011, Meyers held the record for most wins when Coach Mike Krzyzewski surpassed him. Coach Meyers influenced so many coaches, men, and women, throughout his career.  I was proud to be one of them.

Post-play is a foot fight and a chess match beneath the hoop where physicality meets finesse. This book outlines a structured framework for teaching and learning the essential skills from positioning and footwork to reading defenses and making split-second decisions. This book will not only teach the reader how players should get open in the post, stay open in the post, safely receive the ball in the post, and finish in the post, but will give specific drills to help players develop in these areas.

A Systematic Approach to Teaching Post Play is not just an X and O book. This book will dive into the psychology of coaching and teaching players what to do, how to do it, and when to react. The book also recognizes the integral role of communication and teamwork extending beyond the technical aspects of the game.

Whether you are a seasoned coach looking to refine your approach to teaching post-play, a player aspiring to dominate in the paint, or a basketball enthusiast eager to deepen your understanding, this book is written for you. It is a resource, a guide, and an art form to teach all players to be better in the post! 

As you dive into The Systematic Approach to Teaching Post-play, may it serve you, your staff, and players as a blueprint for teaching and foster a deeper appreciation for the art that unfolds in the post!

Let’s get started!

Acknowledgment

My post-play philosophy and basketball philosophy culminate with 46 years as a college basketball coach. I have had the good fortune to have coached with and against the very best in this profession. I have learned from these coaches as well as numerous people in the basketball world. Like most coaches, I have tweaked what was taught, given our personnel and system at the time. 

I would like to give credit to the late, great, long-time, small college coach Don Meyer and his long-time assistant Mike Roller for much of my post-play philosophy.  Both coaches made post-play an art form, and their Big Man camps at David Lipscomb College were well attended by not only campers but coaches from all over the country wishing to teach post-play better. 

I would like to thank Dana Ford, Missouri State University, for bringing me out of retirement. I coached at MSU in the 2022-2023 season, finishing 17-15. Dana lived with me in our garage apartment as a young 21-year-old graduate assistant while I was at Wichita State. I am grateful for the opportunity and learned so much. As good a coach as Dana has become, I am especially proud of the man he has become. I have seen him up close and personally care for six kids with his wife, Christina. I enjoyed corroborating with an outstanding staff in Jase Herl (North Texas), Sheldon Everett, Buzz Carruthers, and Randy Peale. They are all superstars that will make great head coaches. Randy has been a head coach, and that experience gave our staff invaluable knowledge and wisdom. In addition, I would like to thank Marcus Brock (Baylor, FAU, Texas, Missouri State) for his contribution to this book's strength and conditioning portion. For such a young strength coach, he has a lot of experience and wisdom.

I would like to acknowledge my long-time friend, colleague, and mentor, Willis Wilson. We coached together for 25 years, 15 years at Rice, and 10 years at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. His influence on me goes well beyond basketball. I am proud to call him a friend and mentor. To say Willis influenced my philosophy on and off the court would be an understatement. 

We coached with so many great coaches while at Rice and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Todd Smith (current athletic director at the University of St. Thomas in Houston) and I coached together for 15 years at Rice, and we remain friends today.  John Herndon (Second Baptist High School), Trent Johnson (Nevada, Stanford, LSU, TCU, CSU Northridge) and his son Terry Johnson (Houston Christian University), Carlin Hartman (associate head coach at the University of Florida), KT Turner (head coach UT Arlington), Collin Authier (head coach Mount Marty University), Shawn Respert, Marty Gillespie, Will Chapman (assistant coach OKC Thunder), Eli Gore (Andrews Osborne Academy), John Hoye (John Cooper School), John Coakley (Point Park University), Rob Edwards, Derrick Cook (Edinboro University), and Kevin Reynolds (Point Park University) were all outstanding in their own right, and I learned much from them. 

Also, I would like to acknowledge Bob Wenzel, Rich Haddad, and Greg Blatt.  Coach Wenzel allowed me to come back to my alma mater, Jacksonville University, to coach with an all-star staff. Our staff chemistry was extraordinary and carried over to our players on and off the floor. While at JU, I was fortunate to have coached with many incredible coaches like Sam Hare, Jeff House, Jeff Mitchell, Jim Dolan, Glynn Cyp Cyprien, and Kevin Moran.

Also, I would like to thank Gregg Marshall for allowing me to coach at Wichita State. No one loves basketball more than Shocker fans. I worked with Gregg from 2007 to 2011. There was not a better coach during the game than Gregg Marshall.  He knew what to do, how to do it, and when to react. He was a master at exploiting matchups. His system to sequence plays vs. man and zone is unique and hard to do, but he was elite at it. In my last year at WSU, we beat a Klay Thompson-led Washington State team in the semi-finals of the NIT and would go on to beat Alabama in the finals. It was a clinic every day at WSU. We had a terrific staff in Chris Jans (head coach Mississippi), Earl Grant (head coach