@Mike Carlson is joining SAVI as our Director of Player Development. This is huge. As you know, we're committed to revolutionizing the way the game is taught and played. A NEW way to teach players how to see, think and play the game! The SAVI way. Here's why this matters. 20 years ago, players didn't have instant access to their own film. They had to trust what a coach told them. Now it's different. Film study is the most revolutionary tool in coaching and player development today — and most coaches and most players are not yet using it well or using it enough. We're going to change that. Want to develop IQ? Film. Want to learn reads? Film.Want to improve your shot? Film. Want to score more points? Film.Want more playing time? Film. Larry Bird said it best: "Film don't lie." Mike has been living this for the last six years — and the results, the pro players he's working with have produced! This is why I asked him to lead Player Development at SAVI. A NEW way to teach players how to see, think and play the game! The SAVI way. In his own words, here's the journey. The Mike Carlson Basketball Journey - in his own words I was never recruited. Didn't score 1,000 points in high school. Cut as a freshman from Division 3 Hope College. Walked on at Truman State (D2), redshirted, and earned a scholarship during the redshirt year. Then a coaching change happened, and the new coach told me to find a new school. Through tears at the thought of losing my scholarship, I told coach to put me through workouts and I'd show him what I could do. A week later, coach apologized and said he wanted me on the team. Three years later we won 21 games (we'd only won 7 when I redshirted), and I was named a Division 2 All-American (2014). I played the next ten years professionally. Won 2 championships (2017, 2022), and helped the clubs I played for exceed their goals — wins, playoff appearances, and one Final Four (2023). The single proudest moment of my career was hitting a game-winning three in my first game in the ACB (Spain's top league). There's a lot of meaning behind that shot — a story for another day.

Today we kicked off our June focus: LockLeft Defense. 🎥 Get the full recording of today's live training HERE! Whether you’re installing it for the first time or refining it in year three, the reminder was this: 💡 LockLeft is a framework, not a script. It can be run as man, zone, matchup, full court, half court, high pressure, or more packed in. The key identifier is the main objective: ➡️ Force the ball to jail. Here were the biggest topics covered: 🏀 What is LockLeft? - It’s a principle-based defensive system built around shrinking the floor, forcing the ball into the left corner, and disrupting the offense. 👥 Who is it for? - EVERYONE. We have youth teams, high school teams, college teams, and pro examples using LockLeft principles. It looks different depending on age, skill, and personnel. ⏳ How long does it take to install? - A day to learn, and a lifetime to master. 🧭 Transition Roles vs. Half-Court Defense - Wolf, Gap, Snipe, Nail & Wall are transition roles. Once the ball settles in the half court, players defend based on their relationship to the ball. 🚨 Ball-Wall-Danger - If matchups get messy, fall back on the order of operations. 🧱 Rebounding in LockLeft - Yes, you can still crash the offensive glass. How many players you send depends on your personnel, risk tolerance, and ability to communicate in transition. 🎯 Sniping Passes - A big growth area for many teams is committing to hunting passes (especially to the right). Reward deflections and snipes in practice to build that identity. 🟢🔴 Free Corner vs. Jail Corner - In red, we’ll trap aggressively everyone. In green, we usually avoid trapping the free corner and instead work the ball back toward jail. 🚧 Common Early Problem - Many teams either give up right-hand drives or straight-line left-hand drives early in the install. The fix is training proximity and angle, as well as emphasizing that the goal is not just “left” - it’s jail.

One thing we've committed to is making the membership more valuable every single month without raising the price. Our latest addition is something we've been building behind the scenes with developer @Shane Shearer Meet SAVI Sync. The goal is simple: Help coaches get more organized, plan better practices, and turn coaching ideas into daily application. 🛠️ Inside SAVI Sync you'll be able to: • Build and share practice plans • Organize your drill library • Manage your roster and attendance • Track your season with one dashboard • Assign staff responsibilities • Keep your schedule, practices, and events connected • And we're just getting started. MUCH MORE to come. This is a tool built by coaches, for coaches. 🎥 Watch the video below for a walkthrough of the platform and where we're taking it next. 💰 SAVI Sync is FREE with our Premium Membership, along with every course, weekly consulting calls, film breakdowns, and all future updates we continue to build. 💎 Here is how to access: 👉 Premium members receive SAVI Sync at no additional cost. Not premium? Upgrade now. 👉 Send me a DM to get your ACCESS CODE (you cannot log in without it). ⚠️⚠️⚠️ sync.savicoach.com (you need an access code to log in) We're not just adding content anymore. We're building tools that help coaches coach better. 🎙️ Watch The Hours episode to learn more about it. 👇 If you could request one feature for this tool, what would it be? We'll make it happen.