Big Ten Conference Best Practices: Minnesota Defines Player Development

This blog is all about inspiration. We're going to spend 3 days elevating best practices from the squads that make up the Big Ten. You can tune in on this blog, or you can follow along on Facebook (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.

What makes something a best practice? This isn't about the most intricate experience. It's about looking at the world from your consumer's point of view and delivering something that hits it right smack on the head. In the case of colleges, I'm treating the primary consumer as that prospective student athlete.

Cool?

Let's move.

Click into the Minnesota Athletics site, click into basketball, and you'll find a bold tout for Coach Tubby Smith. His website, available here, offers you quick access to the critical components of his squad: Coach Smith, The Gophers, Minnesota Basketball, Minneapolis, and Life as a Student Athlete. It's Minnesota Basketball that I want to signal out.

Why? Because Minnesota Basketball doesn't have a defined system to it. Most college hoops fans know they show up come tournament time but don't know exactly what type of player the Gophers recruit and how to evaluate their style of play. Enter this site.

Player Development is outlined as a critical component to the Minnesota Basketball experience. And, as you'll note in the images below, we see a glimpse both of the commitment the coaching staff has for their players and for how that commitment leads to the system they employ.

The image below explains things very well: Players could expect to improve in "Fast break, Secondary Break, and Pressure Defense." These same 3 attributes are listed as components of their system. Essentially this site is telling us that you have the opportunity to put in the time with the coaching staff and you'll improve in the areas that mean the most to the Gophers. Nice.

Now, check the next image. Great set up, huh? "Off Season: Where the REAL improvement begins..." True.

The Gophers provide a list of drills that I am assuming are part of their student-athletes' off-season programs. These are offensive components that lead to being aggressive. And it implies that aggressive, athletic players are what they are looking for.


How could this be better? Build. There is quite a list of off-season drills. But those aren't illustrated or even talked about. I'd love to see a description of the drill, and/or even a description of the progression players have had in this system. Open up the books to what Gophers student-athletes are doing and you will connect the program more deeply with future student-athletes.

Tune in tomorrow as we share more inspiration from the Big Ten! And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm @pawlow34.