If you haven’t read it yet, I’d highly encourage snagging a copy of Dick DeVenzio’s book, “Stuff! Good Players Should Know”.

DeVenzio breaks down hints, tips, and ideas that players can add to their games.

These ideas range from offensive rebounding to what to do at the end of a game to being unruffable.

There’s something in here for every player (and coach). Most of these hints below are directed to players, but they’d be GREAT things to work on/teach your kids how to use in their own games.

Here are 10 of my favorites:

1/ SOFO (Spin Off the First Obstacle)

• A great tactic when pursuing offensive rebounds…whoever you run into first, spin off them and go after the ball.
• “If you are constantly spinning off the first obstacle, over the course of a season you are going to get a lot of offensive rebounds.”

2/ Alternating Current

• I used this as a player; it works. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but it’s a good concept to have in your head.
• “There are no hard and fast rules, but especially against a zone it is wise to use an “alternating current” situation. If the guy who gives you the ball holds it awhile, you should try to get rid of it immediately.”

3/ Go At Defenders to Get Free

• This applies to cutting and dribbling.
• When I think of this, I also think of getting open during inbounds situations — especially full-court pressure.
• “When you are dribbling downcourt and there is a defender between you and the basket, go straight at him rather than show him which side you want to go. By going straight at him, you “paralyze” or freeze him until you decide, just a few feet from him.”

4/ Availability

• Being available is a trademark of a good player.
• “A player who is constantly available defuses a lot of potentially troublesome situations and prevents a lot of teammates’ turnovers.”
• “Good players ask themselves constantly — Can the ball be thrown to me now with no problem?”

5/ Bent-Elbow Pass

• This is my favorite DeVenzio personal story. I was at his camp, there was a cocky camper who thought he was “elite”, and DeVenzio decided to do an experiment.
• Basically, the kid had to guard DeVenzio and get a deflection on a pass. He had 10 chances to do so. The only rule was that DeVenzio couldn’t dribble or even pivot. Just ten passes.
• DeVenzio bet the kid (I think it was $50 or something, but don’t quote me on that) that he couldn’t get one tip in 10 passes.
• The kid lost.

You’ll have to get the book to read the whole passage, but basically:

• ball is at your side/waist level
• elbow is BENT (this is important, because all you have to do is flick your wrist to make this pass)
• if the defense has a hand low, zip it by their ear
• if the defense has a hand high, throw the low bounce pass
• again…I’ve used this and it’s impossible to defend

6/ Equiangular Triangles

• Another great zone offense concept that worked wonders for me as a player.
• Basically, when you don’t have the ball…try to stand equal distance between the two defenders most responsible for you. Do NOT allow both of them to guard you at one time or make it too easy for one of them to guard you. Put them in a tough situation.

7/ Imaginary Lines

• The basic idea here is to stay away from the baseline and sideline — where unforced turnovers occur. DeVenzio recommends creating your own personal sideline rules.

8/ Nostril Time

• When you’re in the paint trying to finish, go through the nose of the defense…even if they are taller than you.
• This makes the shot tougher to block and increases the odds of shooting free throws.

9/ P-Dribble

• This is a famous “DeVenzio-ism”.
• The goal here is to eliminate needless and wasteful dribbles because they kill your impact as a player AND they kill your team’s offense.
• “So many players P-Dribble, stand around bouncing the ball on the floor, going nowhere.”

9/ You Are Responsible

• “One characteristic of nearly every good player is the habit of looking inward, of taking the blame, of feeling sincerely responsible for losses and failures.”
• “When you walk away from the court having scored 30 points in a losing effort and you can feel sincerely responsible for the loss (not pretending as though you are responsible), you are a player, you are a winner, and you are the kind of athlete everyone wants to play with and coach.”

There you have it, 10 of my favorite Dick DeVenzio highlights from Stuff!

If this book isn’t in your coach library, I recommend nabbing a copy today!