I started the preseason w/the dribble drive offense and the inner city players(varsity level)hate it!! As i reflect back now, I realize that the players think they have the green light to shoot 3's despite my encouragement to drive. Also they appear confused as to what to do in general. I thought this team was good @ penetrating so i put this offense in but I'm having second thoughts now. I think we have to incorporate breakdown 3 minute drills on attacking some one off the dribble and stationary moves. Any suggestions? Season opens in 4 days.

Coach Turner,


I often compare basketball skill development to a marathon. It's a very long race, takes forever and very few ever finish. Most prefer shorter races with quicker feedback and less preparation time.


I don't know what to tell you this close to the season. But I will tell you a brief story about Coach Wooden and perhaps this will help you as you approach your season.

He was convinced his HS and Indiana State teams could have "named the score" against the UCLA kids he inherited in his 1st season in Caiformia. Strong athletically, their skills were terrible. All he worked on his 1st year was conditioning and fundamentals. 12-13 the year before he got there, 22-7 his 1st year at UCLA.


I have a saying I use all the time "if it was easy, everybody would be good." Coaches and players generally do not want to work on the hard scrabble parts of this game. I am confident only the best coaches have the guts and patience to make their players do the required work it takes to compete at the higher levels. I t may not be glamorous in the short term but winning has a tendanacy to change people's minds.

In short, I would re-double my efforts in the basic areas of the game (vision skils, foot skills and hand skills), make you rteam the best conditioned team on the floor and move forard from there. Good luck.

I work my MS girl's team out very hard. We are the best conditioned! But we can't throw it in the ocean. I work on shooting but we also see a lot of press so we work on press break too. But we have trouble with simply making a lay up. We are the most athletic team on the floor just can't shoot........

Shooting is the topic most recently raised by pin21. Here goes.


Players do not shoot as well at the younger ages as they used to. At the higher levels (college and pro), I don't think I've ever seen so many GREAT SHOOTERS as there are today. There is a natural funnel of players as they amture and the good shooters continue to work hard at shooting, even those who are considered good shooters already.


I have a firm grsp of shooting mechanics, which remain unchanged from 30, 40, 50 years ago. What has changed are our players willingness to practice shooting, instead of playing all the time. This problem of kids playing too much and practicing too little permeates the game. It's why the NCAA and NBA are now full of guys from Europe, China and all 4 corners of the globe. Players do not improve playing basketball, they improve in practice and then apply what they are learning into the game. Then (big surprise!), they should practice some more.


So what do you do? I am a believer in developing solid shooting mechanics using a rim and net only about 50% of the time. The issue is when kids miss all the time (RESULTS), they begin to belive they can not shoot. What they should focus on is the PROCESS, which as pretty much all coaches know is not that hard to teach from a shooting mechanics standpoint. (see this link for basic mechanics above Nowitski's photo: http://mybasketballbasics.com/ShootingClinics.aspx and this link for video clips describing several key shooting drills: http://mybasketballbasics.com/SkillsVideoClips.aspx).


The wall is a terrific tool for helping improve shooting. There is no hoop on the wall so there are no results (makes or misses). Teach the players the proper fundamentals, and then have them shoot 200 shots a day on the wall. Each repetition is important. Since there is no hoop, the entire goal of the drill is to get into the correct position and then pull the trigger. The wall drill is perhaps the best drill to help create the habits required, to get in to position quickly, to be a great shooter.


I hope to add the Wall Drill to the Skills Video clip link shortly. Good luck.

tturner and pin21 : Both of you have some things in common with your teams as odd as it may sound. One has a team that everyone thinks they can shoot 3's and the other " can't shoot a layup". Shooting is a learned skill and as such must be taught from the floor up ( feet first ). Shooting is an attitude. Some kids have a lot of confidence which frees them up to take shots without fear of missing. Some kids only shoot if they have to and they guide the ball at that point.

For the team that has all 3 pointer attempters you need to do some charting of your shooting drills and scrimmages, just you telling them to drive is does not convince them. They have to see the numbers that say hey all I'm throwing up is a fastbreak for the other team. If after looking at the numbers they still persist in jacking up threes, to quote a famous coach, " sitting on the pine sends a message to the mind ". Remember they have to please you to get playing time, it's not the other way around.

To the well conditioned team that can't shoot lay-ups incorporate their conditioning into lay-up drills with a time limit and a number of made shots. Sacrifice any and all purely running drills and use that time to work on the mechanics of shooting. It takes time to break habits that have been in effect for years due to poor coaching or lack of strength.

What a great line; "Shooting is an attitide." This is so true. Kids either think they can score or they don't.


It helps to have solid mechanics: see skills video clips for some advice: http://mybasketballbasics.com/SkillsVideoClips.aspx.


Great shooters shoot with their feet. Teach them to do 2 things:
1. Learn to JUMP TO THE BALL as often as is possible. Too many kids play the game flat footed. The best players are always jumping to the ball.

2. Teach them ther proper use of the inside pivot. Inside Pivots create space (Watch Kobe next time he plays; he is ALWAYS using his inside pivot when he scores off the dribble. And his pivots are REALLY DEEP, they push the dfefender back, which naturally creates space. )