[Coach K]

Also entering our second year and I have reflected on similar ideas. I coach JV Boys basketball and 8th grade girls basketball.

I think the biggest issue I’m facing is how to split the time between fundamentals (I have players in both programs who are not strong with the ball, dribble needlessly, look down while dribbling, loopy passes, etc.), learning the offense, and finding time for competitive drills that keep them engaged.

I think I have a better idea of how to work in fundamentals to the R&R drills, but my question is concerning competition. Has anyone here experimented with how to make the reaction drills or team shooting drills more competitive / keep score?

My players tend to love competitive shooting drill (3 man 2 ball split up, 5 ball, etc.). They also tend to love transition drills with competition (11 man (continuous 3 on 2), 4 on 4 on 4, transition advantage (5 on 4 +1), etc). My concern is that by adding competition to the reaction drills, players might become more concerned with the score than learning the reactions, but at the same time players tend to lose their mental edge (engagement, focus, whatever you want to call it) when we work on the reaction drills (despite trying to keep the reaction drills to around 2-3 minutes).

[Coach K]

Send one my way please! [email protected]