Mastering the Motion Offense: Critical Actions, Breakdown Drills & High-Scoring Entries

with James Jones,
Yale University Head Men's Coach;
2026 Ivy League Co-Coaching Staff of the Year;
2026 Joe Lapchick Character Award;
8x Ivy League Regular Season Champions (2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025, 2026);
4x Ivy League Tournament Champions (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025);
4x Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2020, 2023);
2x Ben Jobe Coach of the Year Award (2019, 2025);
2025 Coaches vs. Cancer Inspiration Award;
NABC Board of Directors;
2016 Hugh Durham Award;
2016 USBWA District 1 Coach of the Year;
2016 Advocates for Athletic Equity D-I Coach of the Year;
2016 NSMA's Big House Gaines Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year;
2014 CollegeSportsMadness.com Ivy League Coach of the Year;
Winningest Yale basketball coach ever;
Over 400 career coaching wins;
Member of the 2007 USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Coaching Staff;
played college basketball for Albany

At its most-effective, good motion offense eventually finds the weaknesses and cracks in even the toughest defenses – whether it comes from favorable matchups against the weakest opposing defender – or by taking advantage of how your opponent defends you tactically, such as how they switch how they fight though screens, where the help comes from or any other number of factors that you can exploit.

James Jones, the head men’s coach at Yale University, has earned a reputation of being a coach who has mastered the intricacies of motion offense, with an in-depth knowledge that has kept his team’s winning and toward the top the Ivy League almost every season. 

A good portion of this success stems from how Coach Jones utilizes ball screens within his motion offense. In this in-depth instructional coaching video presentation featuring on-the-court demonstrations, the winningest coach in Yale basketball history, pulls back the curtain to shine the spotlight on the ins and outs of what has made his motion offense so potent. 

In this video, you will get a detailed explanation of the offense, the breakdown drills he uses to teach it and demonstrations of his favorite motion entries.

Motion Offense Philosophy & Breakdown

Coach Jones begins the presentation by discussing his program building process at Yale University and how his coaching philosophy came together over time. Stressing that it’s imperative for a coach to make sure that his or her team is on the same page and understands the things you value most, he breaks down how to run his motion offense and explains the advantages it provides.

Next, Coach Jones discusses important things that every coach who runs motion should consider. He covers key motion principles such as: what to do when the ball is in the post, how to relieve pressure and how to utilize the dribble. 

Coach Jones shows the framework of his motion offense with on-the-court court demonstrations run by players – covering simple rules and concepts that provide structure while allowing for player freedom to attack and maintain an aggressive style of play. 

Coach Jones then provides details of how he teaches players to use ball screens to create pressure on the rim while maintain proper space and best take advantage of player strengths.

Breakdown Drills, Motion Starters

Any offense would be incomplete without drills to teach it. In the next segment of the video presentation, Coach Jones provides you with multiple drills to help install motion offense and helps your players to develop the skills needed to successfully execute it.

Coach Jones begins with a series of drills designed to create the habits and reads for players once the ball gets into the post. He shows a variety of cutting actions and places players into two- and three-player drills that teach it.

In the ‘50-Passes Drill,’ perimeter players learn how to attack pressure while properly executing cut-and-screen movements without using the dribble. The objective of the drill, as explained by Coach Jones, is to be the first team to get 50 passes.

Pick-and-roll actions are broken down into easy-to-learn, two- and three-players drills that focus on a combination of skills that players will need to possess to successfully run this motion offense. 

Trying to give your team an advantage while keeping the defense on their heels is something all teams strive for. In the next segment, Coach Jones shows eleven different motion starters or entries designed to give your team early opportunities to score. 

Coach Jones demonstrates a variety of plays that are designed to open up driving lanes or set up opportunities for backdoor cutters, as well as his favorite plays set up by the use of multiple screens.

This is a highly valuable look at how to successfully execute motion offense and Coach Jones does a terrific job of providing you with everything you need to revamp your own motion offense or energize it with tweaks and new wrinkles that will give your team an advantage over the competition!

Coach Jones provides a complete motion offense package and this is a must-own video for any offensive-minded coach!

54 minutes. 2023.