From Clipboard to Click.
Two Coaches Talk Season Prep in the Digital Age
As summer winds down, basketball coaches across the country are eagerly anticipating the season ahead. We recently sat down with two experienced coaches—Darren Lee, a high school varsity coach, and Philip Conner, who’s rebuilding a program with promising young talent—to discuss how they’re preparing for the upcoming season and how digital tools are changing their approach.
The Time Crunch Reality
“My primary experience coaching is with a high school team, and we have practices six days a week for two hours, and it’s still not enough time for everything,” Coach Lee explained, highlighting the universal challenge coaches face. “That’s what we say all the time—not enough time.”
Coaches try to make the most of practice time, but it never feels like you have enough, especially in pre-season.
This constraint becomes particularly evident early in the season when implementing offensive and defensive systems. With limited practice hours and players who absorb information at different rates, efficiency from day one becomes paramount.
Playbooks: The Foundation of Season Prep
Both coaches emphasized the importance of having a solid playbook established before the season begins.
“The drills are the drills. You’re gonna run a drill for a week, and then you might find another drill that you like. But you put in a play in the beginning of the year, and that’s what you’re gonna run,” Coach Lee noted. “It’s one of your plays that you’re gonna run the whole season. And the kids need to know it, from the starting five to the last kid on the bench. Everyone.
A screenshot from Hoops Lab, the only playbook you’ll ever need.
Coach Conner agreed but added an important dimension: adaptability. “Your heart might be set on the Princeton offense, and you have a group of kids that the Princeton Office is just not going to work with. You know, how do you make that adjustment?”
The Off-Season Laboratory
For Coach Conner, the off-season is his laboratory—a crucial time for experimentation before committing to systems for the upcoming season.
“During the off-season, that’s where I’m really trying to implement certain things during summer league to see what’s working, what flows. So I can determine how I’m going to start running my sets and how I’m going to start teaching the kids about the concepts I think we should run. And I’m sketching things out non-stop!”
This approach allows him to evaluate which systems best fit his personnel before the pressure of the regular season begins.
HoopsLab gives coaches a digital space to test, tweak, and share their playbook ideas—so when the season starts, the system is already in motion.
Coaches’ Consensus: The Best Preseason Timeline
Darren and Phil agreed, the stretch between the first day of school and the official start of practice is one of the most crucial parts of the season. It’s quiet, but it’s where deep learning starts to happen. Here’s a simple week-by-week guide based on their advice:
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- Weeks 1–2: Reconnect with players and staff. Set clear expectations for academics, attitude, and communication. Keep it fun.
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- Week 3: Start open gyms and light conditioning, if permitted. Pay attention to who shows up and how they show up. Introduce your digital playbook. Develop a practice plan based on your team’s perceived strengths and weaknesses
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- Week 4: Lock in your calendar, clarify coaching roles, and start noting leadership potential. Sure up team and parent communication through digital channels.
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- Week 5-6: Emphasize core concepts and culture points—nothing heavy, just early teaching. Elicit understanding of the playbook and player feedback.
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- Week 7: Confirm eligibility, finalize rosters and gear, and share your opening practice plan with staff and team, along with parents.
Final Week(s) Before Practice: Get the group together socially and excited. Make sure everyone builds chemistry and good communication skills. Pre-season meeting with parents.
When everyone is on the same page, coaches can focus on the in-game execution details that matter.
Digital Tools Changing the Game
Both coaches discussed how digital tools are transforming their preparation process. The ability to create, share, and modify plays digitally offers significant advantages over traditional methods.
“If there was a way to have the kids be able to access plays that we want to run this year, then they can start to visualize the first steps of the play,” Coach Lee explained, noting how this could dramatically improve the efficiency of those limited practice hours.
Coach Conner, who’s rebuilding a program with four freshman starters, sees digital tools as essential for developing basketball IQ. “I’m trying to really educate them and develop their IQs a little bit better in the sport so they can learn how to read and react better. They’re on their phones all the time, except practice of course. I’m trying to give them something they can scroll through and retain.”
Looking Ahead: Digital Everything
As coaches prepare for the upcoming season, those embracing digital tools find themselves with distinct advantages:
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- Extended Learning Time: Players can review plays and concepts outside of practice.
- Visualization: Complex systems become easier to understand through digital animation.
- Consistency: Everyone sees the same information presented the same way.
- Adaptability: Plays can be modified quickly as coaches learn what works for their team.
- Communication: Players, parents, care givers, and staff all share the same information, all in one place.
As the new season approaches, coaches who embrace these digital advantages like Darren and Phil, may find themselves with the extra edge that turns good preparation into great results.*Want to learn how Hoops Lab can help your team prepare for the upcoming season? Try Hoops Lab and start your free trial today.*
Special thanks to Coaches Phil Connor and Darren Lee for their time and input. We wish you a successful season!