Sunday, May 3, 2009

Meet Phil Handy -- better yet, train with him

Phil Handy, basketball trainer
When Phil Handy talks about coaching or training, people listen

You may not have noticed Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, the odds-on favorite for player of the year in college basketball in 2009, working out in San Francisco this past summer. Yes, he is 6-foot-10, weighs in at 250 pounds and therefore generally difficult to overlook but there was nary a cellphone photo or on-line video appearance of Griffin going through his paces. But the larger question is why was he here? Two words: Phil Handy.

If he was based in southern California, Phil Handy would be labeled "Trainer to the Stars." But such a label or niche is not what he is seeking. Handy's goal is working with middle school kids all the way to NBA players, attempting to elevate the basketball skills and therefore the future opportunities of his clientele. He wants those dedicated to improvement.

Handt has worked with Duke's DeMarcus Nelson, former Golden State Warrior and longtime NBA-er Tony Delk, Hilton Armstrong of the New Orleans Hornets, Anthony Randolph and Marcus Williams of the Golden State Warriors, Stanford's Anthony Goods, Dior Lowhorn of USF and Detroit Piston Aaron Affalo among many other players and receives referrals from a number of college and high school coaches throughout northern California. He has also traveled abroad to ply his trade such as working with Australia's Nathan Jawai, now of the Toronto Raptors.

However, Handy is also the head coach of Team 94, a local club basketball team that participates in the usual spring and summer tournaments throughout the country. This allows him to remain in touch with the pulse of local and regional basketball. Now remember the emphasis above on improvement? In just three years of competition, 13 players from Team 94 have earned D-I scholarships around the country.

So what are Handy' s pet peeves? "Kids that don't work hard," he said, "if you are going to play, then play hard." He added that this relates to defensive effort more than anything else. "Too often there's a misconception about work ethic -- what it takes to get to certain levels. It involves discipline and hard work."

Handy went on to say that besides Griffin and actually his brother Taylor who also plays for Oklahoma, three of the hardest working players he ever trained were DeMarcus Nelson, Tony Delk and East Bay native Eddie House. "They each had the drive to want to improve and did something about it in the right manner."

Continuing on about what raises the blood pressure of coaches, Handy said, "There is also bad shot selection and playing selfishly. Passing is just as important as scoring but it's a fundamental that is being lost."

About how to improve one's basketball IQ -- a greater court awareness of what to do and when -- Handy advises, "It [basketball knowledge] can be learned and then applied, it's not simply something instinctual. Some players have great instincts while other players need to play more to gain better basketball instincts." He advises young players to watch and break down film but after learning what to look for.

Regarding breaking down film, what is it that is to be looked for? Handy said, "When watching film, players can gain a lot of insight into many things. Like how they are being guarded, do they take plays off, is their shot selection go od, do they see the floor well, do they practice good footwork and balance, how do they defend, are they aware of help side, are they aware of screens, do they turn their head on defense, do they box out. Watching film is like a photograph -- it doesn't lie! I used to hate film sessions while playing college and pro ball because it showed me all the things I did wrong throughout the game and most times it always looked worse on film in front of the entire team. But I became more aware of my shot selection, of missed opportunities or just plan bad decisions. Watching film not only of yourself but other players is something that is very important to be successful in higher levels of play. Kids nowadays can break their games down really quick with some of new technology. Now most players are only interested in their highlights but watching film and being your own critic helps in understanding how they are playing the game and where they can improve."

Two other areas that Handy says are fundamental to playing productively are footwork and balance. "Basketball is a contact sport and you can't play well without mastering both," he advised.

As for footwork, Handy said, "there are a number of drills that can improve [it] but one of the biggest things is knowledge. Most players today do not even realize that they have bad footwork and it's not entirely their fault as some coaches are not great with footwork either. In a match between a great athlete with no footwork v ersus a subpar athlete with good footwork, who wins? Some will say the athlete but I will take the subpar athlete with good footwork because in the end they will get to spots on the floor quicker and have better balance. Footwork and balance go hand-in-hand in this game. There's footwork and balance to everything you do on the court -- layups, jumpshots off the dribble, spot shooting, defense, post play, attack moves, using screens, even something as simple as shooting a free-throw. Football and soccer players have the best footwork of all athletes and the best players in basketball today have the best footwork.

Handy recalls his own development, something that allowed him to play professionally. "I watched guys like Michael Jordan, Walter Davis and Tim Hardaway when I was younger and tried to emulate what they did best by being a student of the game."

Asked about the sense or the fallacy -- whichever way you land on this one -- that the Bay Area typically produces tougher kids than say up in Sacramento, Handy offered, "Some of that is lifestyle. If kids come from a tougher area then that tends to translate into how they live their lives. In everyday life, they have to compete and have that edge to them. This tends to also carry over into the sports world. Inner-city kids are more intense when it comes to sports, they are more physical and more aggressive. Sacramento has some great talent but the kids from the Bay generally play with more urgency.The Sac versus Bay Showdown is=2 0evidence of this as the Bay has a commanding lead in this event."

So there you have it. The rest is up to you.

1 comment:

  1. I feel everything he's saying. My son plays in Sacramento but he's from Southern Cal where it's ruff but he has no ruff edge. He's a freshmen starting on Varsity averaging 10-12 points per game, footwork is terrible, IQ is weak, but has what it takes if he applies himself. He'll block shots, then make a weak pass, other than that, just need to be self dedicated. I believe if he works on his game, he's a D1 prospect.

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