(Rental)-Wooten Basketball Camp: Footwork & Finishing Drills

Coach Wooten’s Basketball Camp: Footwork and Finishing Drills

Developing players can help to grow your basketball program just as Bishop O’Connell (VA) HS head basketball coach Joe Wooten has proven. Coach Wooten has over 400 career wins and has coached five Virginia state independent champions. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the table and shares some of his secrets for helping players develop their footwork and finishing moves.

In the video, Coach Wooten, who is also the director of the prestigious Coach Wooten’s Basketball Camp, shares a number of ways for players to get the ball to the basket. Along with the finishing moves, Coach Wooten spends some time on stationary moves to help players get into position to finish at the rim. Wooten is big on players having a variety of moves so they can confidently attack a defense in any given situation.

Finishing Moves

The most basic of finishing moves is the layup, a move that every player at every level should be able to execute. Coach Wooten explains the “how” and the “why” behind the layup.

The finish actually starts much earlier than at the rim and Coach Wooten teaches players to create space first. Players can do so by ripping through with the ball and dribbling out in front to create space between themselves and a defender. Then, Coach Wooten gets into some high-level teaching of a variety of finishing moves.

• High Board Finish: players learn to use the backboard at various angles to score on drives against bigger defenders
• Euro Step: a deadly move that puts defenders in difficult positions
• Floater: all guards should be able to execute this move and it can help bigs too
• Pro Hop: an advanced move that will challenge beginners, but it helps to create separation between the ball and a defender
• Inside Hand Finish: a variation to the layup that can help players avoid getting the shot blocked
• Rondo: another advanced move that leaves defenders scratching their heads

Stationary Moves

As stated previously, Coach Wooten believes strongly in players learning a number of stationary moves to help them with their finishing moves. In the video, Wooten teaches the following stationary moves:

• Jab and Drive: players use a jab step to create space and deceive a defender while getting open
• Direct Drive: a fundamental move taught so that players get the most out of each attack
• Jab Reads: this is a drill that teaches players to use the various stationary moves they have learned

Coach Wooten has plenty of experience in player development which has helped lead to his program’s success. There is a wealth of information in this video that can help you develop your own players in an effort to build your program.