4 Basketball Drills from Coach Nate Oats
Jan 09, 2025 6:54 pm
Coach ,
Implementing new basketball drills mid-season can be refreshing for a team looking to fine-tune its performance.
One of the most respected coaches you know is Alabama head men’s basketball coach Nate Oats, who has turned his program into one of the most elite teams in the country.
In 2024, Coach Oats led Alabama to its first Final Four appearance in school history. I discovered some great clips from Coach sharing some great drill from his ‘Nate Oats - Coaching School - Play Fast’ clinic when he was still at Buffalo, Coach Oats details several plays that he likes to employ in the middle of a season. We have pulled four that you can use to immediate benefit.
3 on 2 Shooting Drill
Coach Oats swears by the 3 on 2 shooting drill, which starts with one offensive player on each wing, one in either corner, and two defensive players stacked up to each other in the paint.
The player that’s higher up in the key starts the drill by passing the ball to any of the three offensive players. This prompts both defenders to run out and close on their man. Once the offense receives the ball, they only get to make two passes before a shot must be taken.
If the team on defense gets a stop or the offense misses their shot, they go on offense. The key here is to make quick decisions and good, fast passes.
1 on 1 Transition
Coach Oates is a fan of this 1 on 1 transition drill, which starts with one player being tossed a ball as they’re crossing half court, with the person defending them standing at around the three point line. The player on offense only gets a maximum of four dribbles, at which point they need to get a shot up.
Coach Oats noted how it’s extremely difficult to defend in this drill if players are just standing flat-footed at the three point line, which is why he urges players to take steps forward and engage the offensive player before they reach that point.
Texas 333 Drill
Coach Oats is also a fan of what he calls the Texas 333 drill, which begins with a 3 on 2 drill with a person trailing the action that will join in if the transition stalls. After this first part of the drill ends, the team who started on defense will go on offense and do a full court transition as part of a 3 on 3.
The most important aspect of this drill is that the shot clock is only 7 seconds, which will force players to think and play fast.
Martelli Drill
Another drill that Coach Oats swears by is what he calls the Martelli drill, which can be done as a 5 on 5, 4 on 4, or 3 on 3 and offensive players along the baseline with the defensive players at around the wing.
The drill begins with the coach calling out a player’s name on defense while throwing the ball to a player on offense. This prompts the defensive player whose name was called to run and touch the baseline, which will put his team at a disadvantage.
This drill forces the offense to play fast so they can capitalize on that advantage.
Never get out coached,
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