Test it. Teach it. Then trust it.

Hey Coach,

Part 1 set the stage: special situations aren’t “end of game only.”

They’re the repeatable moments you can actually control.

In Part 2 of The Hours, Mark and I map out a simple way to stop guessing in the biggest moments: build a philosophy, pressure-test it, and teach it until your players can run it without you.

Below is the quick-hit playbook.

Use it today, whether you watch the episode or not. Then watch the full breakdown so you can hear the why, see examples, and plug it straight into your team.

What You’ll Learn in Part 2

Have a philosophy before the gym gets loud. Decide your defaults for common situations so you’re not inventing answers under stress.

Then beat the “fluency illusion” by testing and teaching it—walk through options, roles, and likely outcomes, and teach it to your staff and players until it sticks.

Make pregame matter: treat warm-ups like a mini practice, rehearse real reads at full speed (not two-line layups), and engage their minds with competitive decisions. Use short, sticky language your team already knows—“Nine or No” keeps shot selection simple and confident.

At halftime, cap it at three points using Start/Stop/Keep and tie it back to your pregame keys. Postgame, keep a routine: celebrate someone, state the next event, and get out—save teaching for film.

End-game management is simple: when you’re up, keep doing what built the lead, finish possessions on the glass, and don’t give up threes.

When you’re down, attack the rack, play faster in transition, crash, and turn up ball pressure. Use timeouts with purpose—on offense, only if the clock is short and you’re neutral; on defense, to set matchups and change looks so their drawn-up play is wrong. Subbing compass: down = offense; up = defense; tied = lean offense.

And when you’re on the whiteboard, color-code roles so players can actually see it under pressure.

Try This This Week

• Write your “Top 5” specials: pregame plan, halftime S/S/K prompts, late-game up 3, late-game down 3, and your last-shot philosophy (timeout or flow).

• Script a 10-minute pregame with three competitive, decision-making reps.

• Pick one sticky cue (e.g., “Nine or No”) and use it pregame and halftime.

• Run two 3-minute end-game minis (+6 and –6). Track defensive boards and opponent threes allowed.

If you take one thing with you: test it and teach it before you need it.

Then you can trust it when the gym gets loud.

Stay SAVI,
Tyler

P.S. RDS Sneak Peek
In the video, we also give a sneak peek at RDS, our newest iteration of Race & Space + Drive & Space. If you’re inside SAVI, we’re dripping the layers now (there’s a 7-day free trial if you want to jump in).