05 November 2026
Ep 2064 Are You Counting the Right Turnovers?
Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)
About
https://teachhoops.com/
Not all turnovers are the same, so sort the brave ones from the careless ones before you react.
Some of the best turnovers Coach Steve Collins ever saw his teams make, he would make again tomorrow. And some of the worst ones were the kind nobody in the gym even noticed. For years he went straight to the turnover column after every game, got mad before he reached the bus, and ran ball handling on Monday that was really punishment in disguise. The number went down, but so did the drives, the post feeds, and the extra passes. His team was not taking care of the ball. It was afraid of it.
In this deep dive for the first week of games, Steve explains why a turnover is not one thing but at least two. He walks through how to sort brave turnovers from careless ones in the moment, how to chart them by type so you fix the right problem, how to coach each kind differently, and how your own bench reactions can create more turnovers than any defense. If your box score already has a number that makes your stomach drop, this episode will help you read it the right way.
Part 1: Sorting and Counting
The surprising opener: why some turnovers are worth making again
How punishing every turnover made Steve's teams afraid of the ball, not careful with it
Brave turnovers versus careless turnovers, and the one question to ask before you react: right idea done poorly, or the wrong idea?
Charting turnovers by type, location, and player instead of staring at the total
The twenty one turnover game where eleven came on post entries, and the point guard who almost got blamed for all of them
Part 2: Fixing Them
Fixing careless turnovers with clear standards and a real cost in practice
Fixing brave turnovers with reps in shell, advantage, and decision making drills
Why pulling a kid right after a turnover makes him look at the bench instead of the defense
The aggressive junior who stopped attacking, the promise that brought him back, and the assists that doubled
Counting turnovers next to assists, paint touches, and shots at the rim, and tracking the trend through January
Chapters
00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
00:16 Opening: the turnovers worth making again
00:59 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com ball security drills and practice plans
01:22 Afraid of the ball
02:09 Takeaway 1: Sort before you react
03:51 Takeaway 2: Chart them by type, not by total
05:59 Takeaway 3: Fix careless with standards, brave with reps
07:18 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com advantage drills and charting sheets
07:42 Takeaway 4: Watch what your bench teaches
09:23 Takeaway 5: Count the good stuff right next to it
10:26 The weekly challenge
10:44 Post roll: TeachHoops.com
This week's challenge: After your next game, chart every turnover as brave or careless before you say one word about the total.
Format: Deep Dive, two parts.
Resources: Ball security drills, advantage drills, decision making progressions, turnover charting sheets, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Not all turnovers are the same, so sort the brave ones from the careless ones before you react.
Some of the best turnovers Coach Steve Collins ever saw his teams make, he would make again tomorrow. And some of the worst ones were the kind nobody in the gym even noticed. For years he went straight to the turnover column after every game, got mad before he reached the bus, and ran ball handling on Monday that was really punishment in disguise. The number went down, but so did the drives, the post feeds, and the extra passes. His team was not taking care of the ball. It was afraid of it.
In this deep dive for the first week of games, Steve explains why a turnover is not one thing but at least two. He walks through how to sort brave turnovers from careless ones in the moment, how to chart them by type so you fix the right problem, how to coach each kind differently, and how your own bench reactions can create more turnovers than any defense. If your box score already has a number that makes your stomach drop, this episode will help you read it the right way.
Part 1: Sorting and Counting
The surprising opener: why some turnovers are worth making again
How punishing every turnover made Steve's teams afraid of the ball, not careful with it
Brave turnovers versus careless turnovers, and the one question to ask before you react: right idea done poorly, or the wrong idea?
Charting turnovers by type, location, and player instead of staring at the total
The twenty one turnover game where eleven came on post entries, and the point guard who almost got blamed for all of them
Part 2: Fixing Them
Fixing careless turnovers with clear standards and a real cost in practice
Fixing brave turnovers with reps in shell, advantage, and decision making drills
Why pulling a kid right after a turnover makes him look at the bench instead of the defense
The aggressive junior who stopped attacking, the promise that brought him back, and the assists that doubled
Counting turnovers next to assists, paint touches, and shots at the rim, and tracking the trend through January
Chapters
00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
00:16 Opening: the turnovers worth making again
00:59 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com ball security drills and practice plans
01:22 Afraid of the ball
02:09 Takeaway 1: Sort before you react
03:51 Takeaway 2: Chart them by type, not by total
05:59 Takeaway 3: Fix careless with standards, brave with reps
07:18 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com advantage drills and charting sheets
07:42 Takeaway 4: Watch what your bench teaches
09:23 Takeaway 5: Count the good stuff right next to it
10:26 The weekly challenge
10:44 Post roll: TeachHoops.com
This week's challenge: After your next game, chart every turnover as brave or careless before you say one word about the total.
Format: Deep Dive, two parts.
Resources: Ball security drills, advantage drills, decision making progressions, turnover charting sheets, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices