Paul Mills on Mid-Season Focus, Limiting Turnovers, and Studying the International Game {Oral Roberts}

Inside the Episode

“I can remember walking out of meetings just so mad, like, ‘if we guard middle thirds that way I am telling you, we’re gonna lose’! Coach (Drew) would always caution us about the ‘meeting after the meeting’. You don’t run back to your office and then have another meeting after this meeting. Have the courage to say whatever it is you need to say now, because when we leave here we’re all on the same page.” – Paul Mills

Oral Roberts MBB Head Coach, Paul Mills, joined us on the podcast this week to discuss a variety of helpful on and off the court topics. Coach Mills led Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 last year and he lent a ton of wisdom on topics including:

• Maintaining Focus and Energy as a Head Coach During the Season: Coach Mills talked about the strategies he has learned over the years when it comes to keeping his energy and attention on the right things during the season. 
• Keeping a United Front as a Staff: We discuss how coaches and staffs can have differing opinions in meetings behind closed doors, but why it’s so important for you team to leave that meeting as a united group when they step onto the floor. 
• Teaching International Concepts at the College Level: Coach Mills is a huge student and fan of the International game and talked discussed how he tries to implement certain aspects of it with his teams at Oral Roberts. A great conversation about only taking things that will work for your team.
• Limiting Turnovers While Playing with Pace: Oftentimes, playing with a faster pace can lead to more turnovers. Last season, Oral Roberts played with one of the fastest paces in college basketball while also having one of the best turnover margins in the game. We discuss his concepts and teaching points on how they try and do both, especially when it comes to playing in transition. 
• Different Ways to Apply Defensive Pressure: During the “Start, Sub, or Sit?!” segment we dove into subtle ways teams can apply pressure defensively even if you’re more of a “Gap”, Zone, or “Packline” type of team.

Podcast Extras:

• Watch Paul Mills discussing the differences in “Right vs. Left Corner 3’s”​
• Watch Paul Mills talking about the importance of a “Middle Game” against the Switch​