Coach Wilkens, along with Coach Dick Helm, delivers a video set worth every cent. The set includes two videos. Each covers a separate area, offense and defense. Coach Helm handles the commentary and Coach Wilkens offers analysis every step of the way. Everything covered on these tapes can be mimicked and improve your players’ games. Each section offers drills and demonstration. The only down side, if you call it one, is the amount of material covered. The coaches need every bit of tape to handle the aspects of the game they decided to include.

The first tape, on offense, runs right at 1½ hours in length. The three main areas of offense are discussed and analyzed. Ball handling, passing, and shooting skills demand proper technique and form. Coach Helm goes into great depth in delivering what a player needs to know and player demonstrations are offered every step of the way. Coach Wilkens offers analysis at the end of each section with his telestration and comments. The ball handling tips are excellent. The passing section goes into detail and offers several excellent drills. The section that I most enjoyed was on shooting skills. When the coaches talk about the B-E-E-F, it is time to listen. The proper mechanics of shooting are discussed and demonstrated expertly. This 45-minute section is basic enough for the beginner, yet offers insight to help the players that are struggling with their shooting. This section makes purchasing the videos worth it.

The defense tape is shorter around 30 minutes. It covers defensive stance and footwork, denial defense, rebounding, and help defense. Coach Helm offers the player the correct information on post play and pressuring the basketball. The basics of what it takes to become a great defender. The drills are excellent and Coach Wilken’s analysis is right on. The commentary offers the player the insight of the winningest coach in NBA history.

This tape set is good, really good. My players will be watching it as well as myself. Twice was not enough. Coach Wilkens has a great insight into the fundamentals of basketball. This tape set has improved my coaching ability that much more. The beginning player to the advanced player can benefit from the boxed set.  We did not receive the CD-ROM that is discussed in the workbook that accompanies the videos. So, we would have to assume that the CD-ROM is similar in quality. The workbook offers time sensitive data to locate the information that you are after. Just set your counter and off you go.

CD Review

The staff was anxious to view the CD set. The video set was excellent, so we had to assume that the CD set was the same. We were not disappointed. The CD set is awesome. They pick up where the video, if it does, leaves off. The video and CD's are similar. However, the CD set offers bonus video of each drill. It is nice to see uneditted video of the drills. We all know that not everything works the first time. This is your chance to see it first hand. The demonstration videos are concise, while the uneditted offers what can happen when not strictly following what Coach Wilkens offers.

The interface on the CD set is simple yet attractive. The menu system will prompt you to insert the correct CD, if it has not been loaded. Any questions are answered directly on the screen. There is no mistaking what path you are about to take. Ball handling,passing, shooting, and defense make the CD set complete. Each CD is full of relevant data to make your "life" easy. How can you go wrong? Lenny Wilkens, the winningest coach in NBA history, is right there to guide your odyssey to become a complete play.

Does it work? Absolutely. When I installed the system and began to "play" around, several players indicated that they found the CD quality much higher than the video, and they were watching basically the same as the video. The ability to interact appealed to them. The players ended up using the set more than myself and I must have spent over 2 hours enjoying the different camera angles the CD set offers. The camera angles may be a strong point for the CD set. Floor level and birds-eye offer different perspectives on the same drills. Neat stuff. Don't deny yourself the option of making a decision, buy it.

Guy Power
coach