(Rental)-Preston Spradlin's Favorite Basketball Drills

A complete defensive build-up that emphasizes communication. No straight line drives. Contesting every shot. Finish possessions with a rebound.

• Use the shell drill for ball screen defense, tag-and-scrape on ball screens, post-scraes and help-the-helper rotations
• Simple drills will help you focus on energy, effort and building identity, rather than overwhelming players with details.
• Your program should have a culture and identity that helps athletes remain focused on the mission of the team.

Preston Spradlin, fresh off his win in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, and being named OVC coach of the year, shares with you how he coaches basketball for Morehead State. Coach Spradlin shares his program's culture with you through a mix of practice video and whiteboard presentation. This will allow you to see how you can take your team to new heights.

Building an identity and culture

Spradlin emphasizes effort over details when building his basketball program. Spradlin emphasizes effort in his basketball program. A lack of effort will result in the drill having to start over. It's more than just getting the job done. You must also put in a lot of effort to complete the task.

Spradlin stresses effort in order to coach a strong defensive team. He also emphasizes drills that teach technique as well as effort. Spradlin discusses the non-negotiables he believes are essential to his team's success. Communication, contesting all shots, contesting straight-line drives and being an elite rebounding group are some of the key points. The offensive non-negotiables include execution, sprinting on the floor, avoiding "hunt shots" and getting three-and a half to the glass for all shots.

Drills to Rebound and Defense

Spradlin starts practice with five spot closeouts. Five players are instructed to close the circle with their high hands and keep the ball in line. Athletes also practice defending against jabs and dribble drive during this drill.

As Coach Spradlin uses a series 2-on-2 drills, he also explains how drills are used to strengthen defense. The 2-on-2 On/Off gap drill teaches defensive positioning in gaps to protect against middle drives. Players also work on 2-on-2 defense by jumping to the ball, improving their positioning, and making passes.

There are also a number of Shell drills. These drills are 3-on-3 Shell and 4-on-4 Shell. They work to defend against 3-out and 1-in alignments. These drills aim to get you close to the ball and to sprint to the midline to assist. Spradlin also uses 4-on-4 rebounding to teach rebounding. This is a competitive format.

Ball Screen Defense

Coach Spradlin outlines his principles for protecting ball screens, which are becoming more common in basketball. The Arizona Drill is a method that isolates ball screen defenses. To blow up the screen, you need to be hip-toÐhip when guarding the ball.

A Tag and Scrape drill was created to help with open pick and roll actions. It teaches how to communicate three, loud and early and uses the ball-side defense one pass away to tag and tag the roll man. To protect against help-side players, help-side defenders can also be involved.

This Coach Spradlin video explains succinctly how to manage a basketball program that creates energy and intensity at both ends of the court. This is a great video that you should add to your collection.

90 minutes. 2021.