Give your team something to rally behind

Prior to each season, coaches typically call a team meeting to get their players fired up for the upcoming year. You can shout words of encouragement or challenge your team to put in the extra... more »

Creating a summer open-gym regimen that gets results

Offseason open-gym workouts — in which specific skill areas are focused on — have proven critical in preparing our teams for the following season. There was a time when we wanted to play as many... more »

Strategies to improve your free-throw shooting

Using a strategy that employs innovative free-throw shooting drills dramatically improved my team’s foul shooting over a number of seasons. After using these strategies, our team’s free-throw shooting percentage was 7 percent higher than in... more »

Six drills to improve offensive rebounding

Most of the teams that I’ve coached over the years have been outstanding at grabbing offensive rebounds. Second-shot opportunities mean extra points for your team and, potentially, extra fouls for your opponents. Good offensive rebounding... more »

Player surveys take your program forward

As the season draws to a close, a coaching staff’s first job is to assess how it wants to improve the program before next year. But you can’t do that without knowing your weaknesses. Before... more »

The 55-minute shooting workout

Teaching the correct fundamentals of shooting can be frustrating at times, but it’s a must for every high school and middle school program. These days, it’s becoming commonplace to see players with a plethora of... more »

Proven entries from a 1-4 low set

These entries are all run from the same 1-4 low set, positioning 4 and 5 just outside the free throw lane. 2 and 3 always start in the deep corners outside the three-point line, with... more »

Building genuine relationships with athletes

Genuine relationship building takes time, and coaches today have to make a conscious decision to forge these relationships with their players. The ability to communicate with players is an invaluable skill. These relationships allow coaches... more »

Creating a pressure mentality

Our program’s philosophy is to run on offense and pressure the ball on defense. We do that through a combination of zone presses — including the 1-2-1-1 and 2-2-1 — but our bread and butter... more »

Setting expectations on and off the court

The accomplishments of your players on the basketball court only represent half the battle. Part of a coach’s job is to help players develop character and prepare them for adult life. Here is a list... more »