1. Mikan Layups   1:00

* Goal = 0 Misses & 0 Drops

2. Box to Box        1:00

* Passer on each wing. Post breaks block to block, receives pass and makes post move. Gets own rebound, throws it back out and breaks to opposite block

* Goal = 0 Dropped Passes

3. Elbow to Elbow Jump Shots 1:00

*Passer/rebounder underneath basket (variation – put passer on the wing)

* Goal = 75%

4. High Post Drive  1:00

* Start on block. Break up to High Post, receive pass, square up and drive. Get to basket in one dribble. Rebound own shot, pass it out, break up to opposite High Post

* Goal = 0 Misses

5. High/Low 3’s 1:00

* Post steps out to top of the key, receive pass from wing, and shoots the 3

Each one minute segment is to be run at full speed. Keep track of made shots and constantly try to set a personal best.

This could be run as a circuit with several players going through several repetitions. Keep score and the work out becomes a competition.

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The following ideas came from a clinic presentation given by Jerry Wainwright who is currently an assistant coach at Fresno State University.

1. To calm the players
2. To motivate the players
3. To run a special play
4. To reinforce individual assignments
5. To stop your opponent’s momentum
6. To quiet down the crowd
7. To ice an opposing free throw shooter
8. To let your players rest
9. To make an immediate offensive or defensive change
10. To stop the clock

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Let’s be honest – for the majority of players shooting the basketball is the most fun part of the game. But it’s also safe to say that shooting the ball is even more fun when it consistently goes in the basket. There’s just something addicting about watching the ball rip cleanly through
the net! For  true ballers there’s nothing like it!

Here is some sound shooting advice written by long time NCAA Div. 1 assistant coach Randy Brown:

1. Good Shooters spend time each day on proper shooting technique. Good Shooters use a chair to “form shoot” for 10 minutes before taking their first shot at the basket.
Poor Shooters spend time on their shooting technique when they “have time.” Poor Shooters grab a ball and go to the three point line to begin launching shots.

2. Good Shooters work on moving without the ball and “prepare” the shoot the ball before ever catching it.
Poor Shooters wait for their turn to shoot then think about getting a shot off.

3. Good Shooters start close to the basket and make 5 straight before moving back.
Poor shooters shoot from all areas of the floor “hoping to make it.”

4. Good Shooters study other good shooters and follow their habits
Poor Shooters shoot the ball the same way without any help from others.

5. Good Shooters study the path of the ball and where the ball hits the rim. They make adjustments based on where the ball hits the rim; long/short, right/ left.
Poor Shooters judge their shooting accuracy solely on whether the ball goes in or not.

6. Good Shooters square up to the basket before shooing, called “Ten Toes.”
Poor Shooters are not concerned with alignment they just want to quickly get their shot off.

7. Good Shooters shoot from an athletic position known as Triple Threat position. One quick movement from triple threat produces a solid shot.
Poor Shooters catch the ball in an upright position then take time to bend their knees before shooting. Poor Shooters do not play in triple threat.

8. Good Shooters use their whole body to shoot the shot. They know that their LEGS make shots with good form.
Poor shooters shoot the ball with their upper body only and throw the ball at the basket instead of shooting it.

9. Good Shooters follow through consistently by “throwing their hand into the basket.”
Poor Shooters are inconsistent in their follow through resulting in inconsistent results.

10. Good Shooters understand the importance of BALANCE before, during and after the shot! The feet are always under their head.
Poor Shooters shoot off balance from all different kinds of angles. Their feet are rarely under their head.

Key Questions:

1. How many of these describe YOU as a shooter?

2. Your goal is to accomplish all 10 of the “Good Shooter”
characteristics as you grow and develop as a basketball player.

3. What is your score out of 10 and how badly do you want to be a Good Shooter?

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Is it possible to have too much talent on a team? It is if everyone wants to be “the go-to guy” and won’t willingly accept any other role. In an article titled “A Will to Win; Rick Pitino on Motivation” on Allbusiness.com, Coach Rick Pitino talked about the importance of not only accepting team roles but embracing them for the good of the group.

I had one of the greatest college teams of all time at Kentucky in 1996. On that team there were seven guys who went on to play in the NBA. I started the five best players and we lost the second game of the season because it wasn’t a group that was cohesive. And then I took a walk-on point guard and made him a starter.

He was totally willing to sacrifice for the good of the team and worked to make the other players better. He didn’t care about scoring; he didn’t mind doing the dirty work. He just wanted to make the other people better. The other player who became a substitute still played the same amount of minutes and I made him understand that this was just about making the team better – it has nothing to do with your significance to the team.

We didn’t lose another game until the end of the season and we won a championship, all because that young man accepted his role.

I’ve written many times that I believe that there are guys (and girls) who play basketball and then there are basketball players and there is a HUGE difference between the two groups. Someone who gladly accepts and magnifies his role for the sole reason of helping his coach and his teammates is the ultimate basketball player!

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Few people in the country get to see as many college basketball games each year as television sportscaster Jimmy Dykes. Before getting into broadcasting Dykes was an assistant coach at several major college programs including Kentucky, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State and so he definitely knows his basketball. The following are some his thoughts on the game:

1. Coaches want ‘everyday’ players. (Play hard every possession, Go to class every day, Do the right thing all of the time)

2. Coaches must look at themselves first after game. (What did I not get done to prepare?)

3. If you are not tough, you will not win consistently!  (Get loose balls, Refuse to get screened, Don’t let one mistake compound)

4. If you can’t talk it – You can’t execute it.

5. You must score consistently from these three areas: 1. Free Throw line 2. Around the basket 3. Open shots

6. Quality of our shots vs. quality of our opponent’s shots determines Wins vs. Losses

7. Cut with a purpose. Cut like you are going to get the ball!

8. Must shoot 30% or better from the 3-point line. (Shot selection, Who is taking the shots?)

9. It’s not the number of plays you run, it’s how well you run them that matters. (Execution is everything!)

10. Great players embrace contact and get through it. They make plays regardless.

11. Protect against straight line drives to the basket. (Guard your yard)

12. Contain the ball in middle third of the floor.

13. Communicate on all ball screens.

14. Any form of selfishness must leave. It can’t be tolerated! (On the court and off the court)

15. Substitutions (Trust their effort, Trust their memory, Trust their talent)

16. Emphasize who you are every practice and every game. (Create and maintain an identity!)

17. Everything in your program is either taught or it’s allowed.

18. Fix problems immediately. Don’t let something small turn into something big.

19. Work them as hard as you are willing to love them.

20. Hold everyone in your program accountable for everything they do.

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Still looking to buy a last minute Christmas present for your “favorite” basketball coach? Then by all means consider subscribing to Basketball Classroom! (Especially if your favorite coach is you!)

Basketball Classroom is the first of its kind in terms of coaching programs. It’s no nonsense, straight to the point information produced by real coaches for real coaches and is presented in several multimedia formats to accommodate all learning styles – just like a real classroom. The program contains dozens of videos, special reports, audio files, charts, diagrams, interviews, and animated plays. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting to coach your first team or if you’ve been pacing the sidelines for years, you can benefit from the information in Basketball Classroom.

Some Christmas gifts lose their value almost as soon as they are opened. The benefits from enrolling in Basketball Classroom can be career changing and will last forever! The best part is that you can check out the first module absolutely free at www.BasketballClassroom.com.

Check it out – you and your players will be glad you did!

Merry Christmas from your friends at HoopSkills!!

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• Do you have set plays that can be run from all locations on the court, regardless of how much time is left on the clock?
• If you are behind 1, 2, or 3 or if the game is tied, do you want to take the last shot or will you take the very first good one?
• When do you start fouling?
• When do you quit fouling?
• If you play with a shot clock do you want a “two for one” even if it means taking a rushed shot that first possession?
• If you are ahead by 3 do you foul to prevent your opponent from shooting a 3 to tie the game or do you trust your defense to get a stop?
• After gaining possession with time running out do you call time out to set a play (and allow the defense to set up as well) or do you just push the ball and attack?

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It’s pretty common for coaches to tell their players to get into the gym and work on the weakest parts of their game. But is that really great advice? Anson Dorrance, the women’s soccer coach at the University of North Carolina, and possibly the most successful coach in NCAA team sport history, had this to say about aspiring to greatness in his book Vision of a Champion. It certainly applies to basketball players of all ages.

A lot of players focus on correcting weaknesses, but as any good coach will tell you, to develop into a great player you have to highlight your strengths.

That doesn’t mean that you stop working on your weaknesses, but you want to focus on getting even better at what you’re already good at. Seek to become truly excellent in a t least one or two areas of the game. After all, what sets you apart is what makes you great to begin with.

If you are going to rise to the highest possible level, you need at least one quality that permits you to dominate in some aspect of the game.

So the next time to head to the gym work on your weaknesses but don’t neglect your strengths!

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I was watching a video recently entitled The Pick, Pop, and Roll Offense, which is produced by 5 Star and features NBA assistant Scott Adubato. I thought the tape was going to talk about a specific offense but instead it was a very thorough discussion of the pick and roll and all its many options.

According to Coach Adubato, the pick and roll, which is basketball’s oldest and still most widely used offensive action is effective for four main reasons:

1. It forces the defense to make quick decisions
2. It causes mismatches which result in match up problems for the defense
3. Gets defensive players in foul trouble
4. It forces defenses into rotations and eventually into scrambling to recover

These four things are what we  should be looking for in any offense. Now I must admit that the pick and roll hasn’t been a huge part of our offensive playbook but after watching this tape I am going to make some additions. You might want to think about doing the same!

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In an article written for Winning Hoops magazine in May 2009, Coach Kevin Sutton offered some great insight into what it takes to “own the paint.”  According to Coach Sutton, a player “rents” the paint by simply posting up on the block. If that player actually wants to “own” the paint then he needs to do the following things:

1. Have the proper mentality
2. Be legally physical
3. Score against contact
4. Be efficient with post moves
5. Get to the free throw line
6. Be a relentless rebounder

As a player you have to ask yourself whether or not the paint is just a place to hang out or is it really your “house” – a place that you own and dominate.

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