My Story

My name is Nick Sciria. I am currently a varsity basketball assistant coach at University School in Cleveland, Ohio. Let me quickly share my story with you.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -Charles Darwin

Like many first-year coaches, I started my coaching journey doing things the way I was coached. But by the end of that first season, it was clear: the same mistakes were repeating—on and off the court. I knew there had to be a better way.

"Ten years of coaching without reflection is simply one year of coaching repeated ten times." -Wade Gilbert and Pierre Trudel

I collected feedback from my players and reflected on my own philosophies. I challenged everything I believed.

"If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." -Sir Isaac Newton

I read The 21st Century Basketball Practice by Brian McCormick and began seeing the work of high-level thinkers like Chris Oliver, Alex Sarama, John Carrier, Coach Z and many more. In his book, McCormick highlights that so many of the coaching philosophies and teaching methods that are utilized today are based in tradition and not research. Although certainly uncomfortable for me to read and reflect at times, it forced me to grow.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." -Dr. Maya Angelou

I’ve now spent years adapting and adopting ideas from coaches around the world, shaping them into a more extensive and refined coaching philosophy of my own. My goal with this site is simple: to share what I’ve learned and to keep learning even more with your help.

I plan on presenting this approach in plain, accessible language, with a focus on applying the concepts directly in your practices and games. While I may reference research or resources that support these ideas because I believe the evidence is vital to the conversation, I’ll always aim to make the takeaways immediately actionable for you, your players, and your team.

You may think differently than I do. You may have different experiences (or more experiences!) than me. Regardless of your background, my hope is that we can find common ground and build on what you already do well. My goal is to share an approach that’s different from the one I had early in my career, explain how I’ve used it, show how I’ve seen it work, and hopefully inspire you to look more intentionally at something you already do. You don’t have to agree with everything I present—you just have to be open to rethinking how we teach the game. My intent is for this to be a respectful conversation: rooted in science, shaped by experience, and always centered on what’s best for the players we coach—because I believe that’s how we all can move basketball forward.

Through a database of ideas and practice games all stored in the vault, I will provide you with a range of coaching ideas you can plug straight into your next session. In the end, my goal isn’t to tell you exactly what to think, but really how to think.

Above all, let’s keep our eyes on this mission: get better, learn more, and help our players become their best. At the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about?

One last note: In this process of gathering and applying ideas from others, I may have forgotten where a particular idea or concept originated. If you believe anything on this site should be attributed to you or someone else, please reach out and I will gladly get it updated. Thank you.

I hope you join me in rethinking the game.

-Coach Nick