My Practice Philosphy

Small Sided Games

We incorporate small-sided games into our practices to enhance player engagement, decision-making, and teamwork in a competitive yet controlled environment.

  • Games for Skills
  • Fun and Engaging
  • Increases Conditioning without just running

Fun

We believe in making practices enjoyable and exciting for players, using innovative drills, challenges, and games to keep them motivated and eager to improve.

  • Builds Trust
  • Allows Competition
  • Develops Teamwork

Awareness

Developing basketball IQ and situational awareness is a key focus of our practices, with drills designed to enhance players' understanding of game situations and decision-making under pressure.

  • Situations in Practice
  • Drills to Develop Decision Making and Skills
  • Built into Games and Scrimmages

Game Situations

We simulate game-like scenarios in our practices to prepare players for real-game situations, focusing on executing plays, handling pressure, and making quick decisions.

  • 2 min left game/drill (Down or Up by certain score)
  • 10 s or less left game situations and specific plays
  • Constatnly practice them to know how to execute in game situation

Conditioning

Conditioning is integrated into our drills and activities to improve player fitness, endurance, and resilience, ensuring they can perform at their best throughout the game.

  • Incredibly Important for my Philosophy and Playstyle
  • Starts Day 1 - Builds Daily
  • Goal is to Run Teams out of Our GYM!

Sample Practice Plan

There are lots of different types of practices:

  • Early in the season vs. late in the season
  • Day before a game vs. day after a game
  • Shootaround vs. full practice
  • Etc.

While each practice type is different, below is an example of what a typical skills- and games-focused practice might look like from me:

Time Drill Description
0.00-0.02 Opening Remarks Quote of the Day
0.02-0.14 Dynamic Warm-Up / Injury Prevention
0.14-0.17 Shooting "tune-up" "Tune-up" your shot like a mechanic would tune-up a car --> go through different progressions.
0.17-0.22 5v0 / 5v1 full court offense progressions / Transition Review primary and secondary break options as a unit.
0.22-0.32 5v5 "Circle Drill" Full court 5v5 game with rules that help encourage transition opportunities.
0.32-0.34 Water Break Free Throws - Make 5
0.34-0.44 Shell Drill Drill used to teach quarter-court team defense concepts. Man and Zone
0.44-0.49 1v1 Shooting Small-Sided-Game Game designed to encourage 1v1 shot vs. drive decision-making.
0.49-0.54 2v1 Finishing Small-Sided-Game Game designed to encourage decision-making in a 2v1 scoring scenario at the basket.
0.54-0.59 Finishing School Dry reps practicing different finishes driving to the basket.
0.59-1.14 3v3 & 4v4 "Advantage Games" Games where offense "plays from an advantage". Progress to 4v4.
1.14-1.16 Water Break Free Throws - Make 5
1.16-1.23 5v5 "Situational" Game #1 Live 5v5 game that simulates an end-of-quarter and/or end-of-game scenario.
1.23-1.29 Guard/Post Breakdown Guards: Floater School (mastering floaters); posts: Post School (mastering post moves).
1.29-1.36 5v5 "Situational" Game #2 Live 5v5 game that simulates an end-of-quarter and/or end-of-game scenario.
1.36-1.38 Water Break Free Throws - Make 5
1.38-1.43 Special Defense Implementation Whether it's a full-court press, a quarter-court zone, or some other special defensive wrinkle, this is the time to teach it.
1.43-1.48 Competitive Shooting Drill Whether competing as a team or as individuals, this segment will allow players to get game-like shots with the pressure on.
1.48-1.58 5v5 "Mystery Box" Game Game with "mystery" defensive wrinkles designed to keep the offense off-balance. Offense is encouraged to "figure it out".
1.58-2.00 Closing Remarks