The Underdog Hoops Times: Week of October 25 to 31, 2026
See every edition of The Underdog Hoops Times
The Underdog Hoops Times
Tryout Season Brings the Hard Calls
Seven new reads on cuts, open gyms and parent meetings, new film on ball screens and FIBA sets, a dozen plays of the week, a podcast on beating teams with more talent, and the questions coaches argued over.
On the Blog
- SUNAre Preseason Open Gyms Really Optional?
- MONWhat to Cover in Your Preseason Parent Meeting
- TUEAre Pregame Layup Lines Outdated?
- WEDShould You Cut at the Freshman Level?
- THUHow to Handle Roster Cuts With Respect
- FRIFall Sport Athletes Who Miss Tryouts: Guaranteed Spot or Earn It?
- SATThe Preseason Checklist Every Basketball Coach Needs
Every post lives at underdoghoops.com/blog
The Film Room
Ben Jacobson’s Keys to Defending Ball Screens
The positioning and communication your players need to stop ball screens, plus rotating, rebounding and transition defense.
The Prison Play and Other FIBA Tactics
Coach Ryan McCarthy’s read-based system: Prison, Pop Back, Screen and Go, and the classic give-and-go.
Build Plays From Scratch, Videos or PDFs
A walkthrough of the Underdog Hoops Play Lab.
- Press Break: two ways to beat the press
- Diamond Skip: zone offense skip play
- Wildcat: box baseline out of bounds
- Back: elbow entry into a back screen
- Iverson Wave: elbow entry set
- Circle: sideline out of bounds vs a 2-3
- Triangle and 2: beat the junk defense
- Line: baseline out of bounds line stack
- Beat the 2-2-1: press break
- Chips: line stack BLOB vs man
- Gonzaga: half court set
- Pirate: sideline out of bounds
On the Air
How Matt Gordon’s Matchup Zone Beats Talent
If your team won’t be the most athletic one on the floor this season, this one is for you. Your defensive system can close a gap your roster can’t.
Listen on Spotify or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Sunday.
Coach’s Tools
- Play Lab: draw up a play or build one with AI
- Practice Planner: drag and drop your next practice
- The Complete Practice Planning Guide
- The Complete Team Culture Guide
What Coaches Are Talking About
The questions that got the most coaches answering each other on our Facebook page this week, most comments first. Tap any one to read what coaches said and add your take.
“Freshman and JV defense: man-to-man only, or is zone fair game at that level?”Read the comments on Facebook
“The other team makes a great play. Do you clap for it, or stay neutral on your bench?”Read the comments on Facebook
“Coaching your own kid for the first time. What advice would you give?”Read the comments on Facebook
“What’s the hardest adjustment to make mid-game, without a timeout to explain it?”Read the comments on Facebook
“A player talks back in front of the team at practice. Address it right then, or pull him aside after?”Read the comments on Facebook
“Freshman or JV game, down two with two minutes left. Best five, or stick with the rotation?”Read the comments on Facebook
“Ninety-minute practices or two full hours: which gets more real work done?”Read the comments on Facebook
“What has actually worked to end a losing streak? Something concrete, not just stay positive.”Read the comments on Facebook