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Developing the Complete High School Basketball Player: 1-on-1 Play

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, June 12, 2013

In our latest player development feature, learn about key basketball tips, drills, and individual moves for effective 1-on-1 play. Follow along with De La Salle head boys basketball coach Frank Allocco as he reveals how players can gain an edge offensively by creating a window of opportunity.

1-on-1 Play Overview

According to Coach Allocco, the most difficult thing to develop in kids is getting the ball to the rim. There’s too much perimeter to perimeter movement going on and not enough penetration. So why exactly is that the case? Well, kids don’t play outdoors enough anymore. There isn’t an emphasis on the need to get to the rim and score.

For example, in New York City outdoor summer play, kids learn to compete and win on the playground. They figure out how arguments get settled and who’s tough. This is also where those individual skills get developed. If kids aren’t out on the playground and only playing structured tournament games all summer long, they just aren’t developing that 1-on-1 game. Therefore, as a coach, you have to stress 1-on-1 play with your kids.

1-on-1 Musts

Coach Allocco believes it takes three years to get a kid to become a great driver. One tactic that especially helps: A straight line cut. There should never be any banana cuts. Instead, look to go straight to the rim.

Meanwhile, get that defender off balance before you dribble the ball and don’t give up the dribble. If you do give up the dribble, then the advantage has changed to the defender. We need to be stressing that we are going to the basket and not doing any bailout five-footers or spin dribbles. At first your shot might get blocked in the lane. But a year from now, you’ll see that you’ll start getting by people. And when you can get to the rim, you have options.

Michael Jordan’s greatness was his ability to move the defender. By moving the defender, we create a one-second window of opportunity. If you can jab and move that defender back, you now have an opportunity to score. Therefore, get down nice and low. Make short jab steps and get the defender to move his top foot. Also, look to get inside the elbows when you drive.

Jab Series

In this jab series, all players get out on the court with a ball around the three-point line. Each player gets down low and into a triple-attack stance. Your mentality should always be attack, attack, attack. As you take your jab, you want it to be short. Keep your hand on top of the ball so you can go up and shoot it. Also, work on your jabs left. Don’t neglect the weak side.

Moves:

Jab and Shoot

Jab and Go – Push off that back foot and go. Your mentality: Play low to high, get past the defender’s hip, and take it hard to the rim.

Jab and Crossover – Rip it to the left hip and then step with the leg. Then put the ball on the floor and take to the basket.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Frank Allocco: Developing the Complete High School Player.” To check out more videos focusing on individual concepts, click here.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: 1-on-1 Play, BaskebtallCoach Newsletter, Dribbling, Drills, Frank Allocco, Issue #64, Offensive Drills

5 Quick-Fire Shooting Drills to Maximize Reps in Practice

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In this week’s player development feature, pick up five efficient shooting drills designed to pay major dividends for your basketball team. Follow along with De La Salle (CA) head coach Frank Allocco as he walks through each drill before players go through live simulations. These drills focus on using proper fundamentals, getting maximum reps in a short period of time, and instilling confidence in each one of your players.

Form Shooting

Consider This: It’s difficult for elite teams to put a player on the floor that can’t shoot. Every player must be a scorer and learn how to shoot the basketball. If you want to get quicker, shoot the ball better. If you can shoot, defenders must be able to extend out on you and now you have the edge.

How it Works: This is a drill that Coach Allocco does with his team every day. For form shooting, start with one-handed shots about five feet from the hoop. Stress perfection. Players should get their feet parallel and get air between the ball and their palm. Get yourself in a good stance and position and have your shoulders, knees, and toes lined up.

Tips and Variations: Take about four or five shots. The goal is to develop great form and technique. Extend that elbow and finish nice and high. Then move back a step and continue all the way to the three-point line. Form shooting stresses the importance of bending your knees when shooting. Remember that power comes from the legs and the extension of the elbow. This is also a great range finder.

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Box Shooting

Teams can get just about every possible type of shot out of this drill. First, let’s work on the inside pivot. Get two lines under the hoop. The first player up will come up the lane, make a good pivot, start to lower his/her shoulder, turn the left foot in, catch the ball, and pull the leg right up into the shot around the free throw line. The pulling of the leg helps with momentum. You can also break up your team on opposite ends and do this competitively and keep score. The players take it a lot more seriously when there’s a consequence.

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Lift Fakes and Dribble-Ins/Outs

Lift Fakes: Keep the same set-up as our previous drill. Now after catching the ball, players will make a lift fake before shooting the ball.

Dribble-Ins: Now, players will catch the ball, lift fake, turn their body sideways, make one dribble, and shoot.

Dribble-Outs: Finally, on dribble-outs, the passer must run an inside course or else players will collide. Shooters will get the ball, make an inside pivot, lift fake, step out, then turn and get momentum into the shot. Remember, pass and follow inside.

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The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Frank Allocco: Developing the Complete High School Player.” To check out more videos focusing on team shooting, click here.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: BasketballCoach Newsletter, De La Salle Basketball, Frank Allocco, Issue #51, Player Development, Shooting, Shooting Drills

Essential Tips and Drills for Developing the Complete Basketball Player

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In this week’s player development feature, De La Salle (CA) HS head coach Frank Allocco reveals his secrets to developing complete high school players and putting together a winning basketball program. Coach Allocco also breaks down a pair of basketball drills that are particularly effective at maximizing development time. The renowned basketball coach has now sent more than 50 players to the collegiate level. Look to apply these exclusive tips and drills with your players as you get ready for the upcoming season.

Developing Complete Players

For Coach Allocco, he credits his main success as a coach from studying the game, getting better at it, getting as much knowledge as possible to become a better coach, and learning new techniques to teach kids today.

In reaching the modern kid, it’s harder to motivate them. You have to stay on top of finding ways to keep them going. At De La Salle, the school doesn’t have great talent. Therefore, the school takes great pride in taking those kids and growing them. It’s astounding to see the differences from freshman year to senior year. The school has had more than 50 athletes play college hoops. That’s why they refer to their workouts as “The Farm.” That’s where the program grows players and gets them to being college level players by the time they are finished.

The most important things you can do to develop a great program:

Create great habits. Do everything perfect and the right way.
Keep your workouts simple. Emphasize technique and execution rather than dazzle them with things you know.
Be a program of reptitions. You can’t get enough reps.
Sell your team on no regrets. The season is a race of repetitions until March. How many reps can you get in from the start of year to the state championship?
Be a program that makes kids better — as people and players.

According to Coach Allocco, the last two years, De La Salle has probably had the least amount of talent that they’ve ever had, yet most recently went to state title and regional title games. Simply, the kids were solid fundamentally on the offensive and defensive ends.

Remember, either you’re a program of players or a program of player development. De La Salle takes a lot of pride on focusing on player development and making kids better.

Two-Ball Dribbling

Player development drills are crucial in developing your high school players. What can you do to adapt these next drills to your style and ensure they work well within your offense?

Start with players standing just behind the three-point circle and holding two basketballs. Put their toes on the line with feet parallel. This two-ball drill is the best way to develop the weak hand. Start by pounding the dribble. Think about maintaining a good stance with your butt out and shoulders over the toes. Get into a good athletic stance.

Begin with shoulder length dribbles. Stress pounding the ball and think of your hand as a suction cup. Next, switch to the waist level and then bring things down to the ankles. Alternate high and low. Get away from your comfort zone and try to make mistakes. Move to the waist level and then down to the bottom. Finish by going one high & one low.

Next, bring your feet together and dribble on the side. Start low and go high and then alternate the dribble. Next up, spread your legs and take the ball and dribble with your left hand and take it around our right leg (making a figure eight). Switch hands. Then do a figure eight with both hands. Finally, dribble with one hand and do a half-spider with the other (where you dribble using the front and back of hand).

Big Man Drills

Try this drill in pairs with two kids and use all baskets in your gym. While one player is working on this big man dribble skills, the other player is doing the Mikan Drill. The Mikan Drill really helps develop your hands around the basket. Meanwhile, the other player is working on dribbling and ball handling to make himself better. He’s not just standing there and waiting.

With the Power Mikan, shoot the ball, grab it high in the air, and go up the other side. Reach up to the rim. Next, do five tips in a row and then tip the ball in. Go with your right and left hands.

Tips: The key here is getting a ton of reps in a two-hour time. Our concept is that we want to catch those teams with seven or eight college players. We can catch them through repetitions.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Frank Allocco: Developing the Complete High School Player.” To check out more videos focusing on player development concepts, click here.