Eric Bridgeland (4)

Basketball Offensive Skills - Individual Musts Teaching players to produce high percentage shots should be a must in any program. Whitman College head coach Eric Bridgeland has been teaching his players well. Since taking over the Whitman program, Bridgeland has produced three Northwest Conference players of the year and has produced a 104-14 record over the last four seasons. In this video, Coach Bridgeland gives you a closer look inside how he develops his players’ individual skills and gets them ready for the next level of competition. You will see Bridgeland’s foundational drills as well as the advanced drills he uses to kick things up a notch. Basketball Offensive Skills - Foundational Drills Coach Bridgeland begins with form shooting and has his players get in a low squat stance to get power from the legs. Players hold their fingertips out and over-exaggerate their follow through to develop proper shooting technique. The Attacking Defenders drill pits players in a 1-on-1 where they use Coach Bridgeland’s direct drive concept. Players throw the ball out in front of them, chase it, and try to use as few dribbles as possible to get the ball into the paint. Athletes practice getting low and clipping the hip of their defender to create separation from the defense. Basketball Offensive Skills - Advanced Skills With the foundation laid, Coach Bridgeland moves into more advanced drills. In 2-Ball Shooting, players use a number of different actions to attack the paint and get to the rim. Rip and Go is a 2-on-1 drill that helps players read the defender. If a player can finish at the rim, Bridgeland requires them to do so. If the attacker is forced to pull up, the other offensive player looks to get out by the NBA 3-point line to create more space. The drill finishes with players using a jab and fake and other separation moves giving players the tools they need to succeed. The ASE Jump Shot drill teachers players to work on rising into their shot. Players relocate off of a baseline drive before taking a jump shot. Here, players also try and combine moves working on step backs, the rip and go, or any other separation move. Coach Bridgeland’s 58-minute video is an excellent skill development presentation. The drills you see here come from a coach that has sent six players to play professionally overseas in the last 10 years. Bridgeland’s attention to detail and emphasis on attacking the rim are skills that can help benefit any player in any program. Rent th is basketball offensive skills DVD today.

The Fence Offense Whitman College head coach Eric Bridgeland has gone 104-14 over the past four seasons using an offense that creates space and provides plenty of easy scoring opportunities. Using the Fence Offense, Bridgeland and Whitman have gone unbeaten in conference play in each of the past two seasons. In this video, you get an inside look at how Bridgeland teaches the offense. Spacing and Positioning in the Fence Offense Players learn to space based off of the NBA 3-point line. Players move into the baseline corners, short corner post and on the sideline at the free throw line extended. Players are taught how to move and read as a ball handler gets downhill and into the paint. Bridgeland teaches players to attack the rim fast and furious looking to score off the dribble or hit a pitch, throw back, or post slide for an easy scoring chance. Coach Bridgeland has a “no standing zone” policy for players in between the baseline and free throw line where they are to be on the move. Offensive Actions Coach Bridgeland teaches a number of offensive actions. He starts with the flare screen. Players learn to over exaggerate screens to prepare them for game speed action As a ball handler attacks the paint, a weak side flare screen can set up an open 3-pointer. If not, the ball can be reversed to attack the paint again. When flares aren’t possible, dribble hand-offs can be use on the strong side of the floor. This can open up wing players to attack the rim. Off of dribble hand-offs, players have multiple options including the following: Catch and shoot Catch, fake, and shoot Catch, fake, and two-dribble attack Throw back for a shot after a paint touch Coach Bridgeland also shows you how to pair the flare screen with the dribble hand-off. You can use both actions together either on ball reversals or as your initial offensive action to get the ball into the paint for easy scoring opportunities. Reads and Film Coach Bridgeland finishes his presentation with a look at a read drill that helps players learn to read both middle and help side defenders. With the right read, players can create multiple attacking options. You will see a few game clips from previous seasons to get an idea of what the Fence Offense looks like at game speed. Coaches looking to implement the dribble drive offense can use Coach Bridgeland’s Fence Offense to reap the same benefits, but do it with much simpler teaching. Rent this Fence Offense DVD today.

Simple Fast Break Offense With a 104-14 record over the past four seasons, Whitman College head coach Eric Bridgeland has made a name for himself at the Division III level. With over 300 career wins, Bridgeland has an offensive system that is fast-paced, fun, and puts up plenty of points. In this video, Bridgeland teaches you his fast break system that is simple and attacks all defenses. Philosophy of the Simple Fast Break Offense Coach Bridgeland teaches players to get to the paint no matter what. Players dribble and attack, hit the wings and get up the floor and attack the middle. If a player has an opportunity to drive to the basket, he takes it. If he can fill a lane to get to the paint, he does it. By applying this constant pressure on a defense, opponents often find themselves in foul trouble and frustrated because of the number of easy baskets allowed. You will also learn how to draw two defenders to open up the floor and create more driving lanes. With all of your players looking to attack the paint, it becomes hard for defenses to take away any single player in the offense. Spacing and Rules To space the floor properly, Coach Bridgeland uses a traditional setup with two wings, an inbounder, a post runner, and a ball handler. The ball handler looks to move the ball up the floor as quickly as possible either by dribbling or passing to an open wing. There are three rules that point guards must follow: Get the ball inbounds as quickly as possible Get to the paint as soon as possible Make sure you have a trail inbounder Simple Fast Break Offense Drills To teach players to get used to sprinting to their spots in transition, Coach Bridgeland uses a 4-on-0 drill. Players start at 75 percent pace learning how to move up and down the floor and create proper spacing and positioning. Coach Bridgeland uses other traditional fast break drills as well to help players develop the speed and passing skills needed to play fast and get the ball to the paint. Guards use a 2-on-2 drill to focus on getting open off the inbound pass and attacking the middle of the floor. In 5-on-0 and 5-on-5 drills, players put everything together. With an emphasis on time, players get an idea of how quickly they must move up and down the floor. This 61-minute video is an outstanding resource for any program at any level. Players love transition basketball and coaches love it when their players are collecting easy fast break points. Rent this simple fast break offense DVD today.

On Ball Screen Offense that's Unscoutable  Today’s basketball offenses must understand the ball screen. In this presentation, Whitman College head coach Eric Bridgeland shows you how to teach your players on ball screen offense recognition and reads in an effort to increase the number of easy scoring opportunities. Bridgeland is the 2018 HoopDirt.com Division III Coach of the Year after leading Whitman to its second consecutive unbeaten conference record. In four seasons at Whitman, Bridgeland is 104-14. A big reason why the Blues have won so often is Bridgeland’s system of offense. On Ball Screen Offense Philosophy The idea of the offense is to create scoring opportunities as close to the basket as possible. Ball screens are the best way to get the ball into the paint and close to the basket. Coach Bridgeland teaches his players how to run, get into the paint, and apply constant pressure to defenses. Ball screens create the offensive action, which gives players extra incentive as they are the ones applying the ball screens. On Ball Screen Offense Guard Play There are a number of ways that defenses attack ball screen offenses: hard show, soft show, switches, and icing the ball handler. Coach Bridgeland teaches his guards how to attack each when coming off of a screen. Using 2-on-2 drills, guards learn to change their speed as they approach the screen. They can look to square up just as they pass the screener creating some misdirection. Guards can also get low using a bulldog drive into the paint. Whatever they do, your players can create advantages to get to the paint. On Ball Screen Offense Post Play Coach Bridgeland teaches his post players how to set solid screens and keep appropriate spacing. Posts learn how to pop off a screen if they have the range to help spread a defense. Posts also learn to roll to the basket by going wide outside the lane line. This allows the ball handler to continue attacking the rim and get to the paint. Bridgeland uses a 1-on-1 drill to teach post players how to set the screen and then read the help side defender and react off of him. Coach Bridgeland’s presentation ends with 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 drills where players learn to read screens at game speed. These drills help Bridgeland control the practice environment and help players adjust to the faster pace of game action. If you are looking to complement your offense with balls screens, this 81-minute video can help you master the concept. Coach Bridgeland can teach you how to open up a number of scoring opportunities using ball screens. Rent this On Ball Screen Offense DVD today.