Kellie Harper: My Favorite Drills for Basketball Practice

Finding different ways to teach basketball skills and translate them into winning plays in games is something that Coach Kellie Harper has done throughout her career, including at the University of Tennessee. In this presentation complete with video clips and diagrams, Coach Harper shows how she uses drills to improve the performance of the Lady Vols in daily practices.

Warm-Up Drills

Coach Harper introduces her warm-up drills, starting with 2-on-0 Feed the Post. In this drill, the Lady Vols work on their passing, ball handling, and finishing as part of their warm-up. Adding in layups and transition work, Fast Break Tight is a drill utilized and one that Coach Harper added to her repertoire. With three lines and two passers who rotate into lines, each player is able to get a layup while also working on passing as if they were running a 3-on-2 fast break. The drill also places an emphasis on "finish all bunnies" and making quick passes.

Another layup drill that simulates transition basketball is Alternating Layups. In this drill, two lines are set up at half court with a player in one line taking two dribbles before passing to a cutter from the other line for a layup. The first passer will then go down to the other basket and look for a similar pass from the opposite line and score a layup on the other end.

Shooting Drills

One of the first shooting drills demonstrated is the Kamikaze Drill. This five-minute team shooting drill requires developing accurate shooting and making good decisions with passes. For game day shoot-arounds, Competitive Skip Pass Shooting works on passing and shooting as a team in a way that can create energy. The drill incorporates "bunnies", short jumpers, elbow shots, and threes.

3 Down Shooting is a one-minute shooting drill that requires players to run hard and make shots in the process. With three players on each baseline with a ball and three players in the middle, the three middle players will sprint to an end and receive a pass for a shot. The passers then run to the other end and look to catch a pass for a shot.

"Meat and Potato" Drills

A stickler for rebounding, Coach Harper places a heavy emphasis on this skill. One of the drills demonstrated is 3-on-3 Circle the Wagons, which works on rebounding the basketball and incorporates transition work. Three defenders in the paint will rotate until the ball is shot, at which point they will block out the nearest offensive player. As soon as the defense secures the rebound, they attack in transition and look to score with a numbers advantage. This drill can be modified with 5-on-5 Circle the Wagons as well.

More transition offense work comes from "5 on ?" which is done once a week. One coach starts with the ball and five players in the paint while another coach is on the sideline with the remaining players. The coach with the five offensive players will shoot the ball, with the offense getting the rebound before attacking in transition. The coach on the sideline determines how many defenders to send out to defend the offense in transition while the offense must choose whether to run their primary or secondary break.

The variety of drills that encourage fundamental skill development in this video from Coach Harper is well worth the watch. Add it to your collection today!

52 minutes. 2021.