Coaching - Great drill for conditioning

If you want to get your team in good shape for the season, try this 2 on 2 full court drill. You should perform this drill with 6 players or more. You have to divide your team into teams of two. Have two teams start out in the center of the court and have them jump ball for possession. The other teams have to wait for their turn at half court. Whoever gets the ball on the jump ball chooses a basket and attempts to score there while the opposing team defends. At this point, the teams on the court are playing 2 on 2 full court (each team has to score on their own basket). When a team finally scores, then they get to sit out and the opposing team takes the ball out of the basket and heads to the other goal. The next team waiting on the sideline jumps onto the court to defend the team that just got scored on. Now these two teams are playing 2 on 2 full court. This will go on until one team scores a certain number of points or the activity is managed via time limit.

Coaches, be careful that one team doesnt stay on to long. This drill can tire players out quickly and if a team is on too long, they may get over-heat or decide not to play hard. In cases like these, even if a team scores you should tell the opposing team to sit and the scoring team to stay on. With this drill you will quickly see your players huffing and puffing, but its a great way for them to get in shape for the season.

Offense - Flash, Roll and Fade off the Screen

When using an off the ball screen, there are a few things that a player can do to get open. The player using the screen can either flash, roll or fade off the screen.

If the defender cheats over the screen, in other words going over the screen in front of you, then instead of following, flash behind the screener so that you are between the basket and defender in good position to receive a pass and score.

If the defender follows you around the screen, then curl to the basket so again, you are between the basket and defender in good position to receive a pass and score.

If the defender avoids the screen completely by sagging towards the key they have an advantage whether you flash or roll. In this scenario, you can not use the screen at all and fade towards the three point line. This gives you plenty of space between the defender and you so you can setup and shoot. Here is a link to a video where Rick Pitino demonstrates how fades work off the screen: Pitino Training Video

These off the ball mvoes can be used if they do not disrupt the offense the team is running. In some cases you cannot do these things unless the offense allows for these different cuts off the screen.