NABC On the Court Open Practice with Kyle Smithpeters: Improving Skills & Playing Efficiently

with Kyle Smithpeters,
Missouri Associate Head Coach;
Missouri Assistant Coach from 2022 to 2025;
John A. Logan College Head Men's Coach from 2012 to 2022;
2019-20 NJCAA Region 24 champions;
has coached seven All-Americans and one NJCAA Player of the Year;
6x GRAC Coach of the Year;
over 200 career wins

Kyle Smithpeters will help you bring pace to your practices! In this in-depth, open practice video, he provides you with the framework you need to increase intensity, teach positionless basketball, and build skills with a purpose.

Player Development

With most of practice devoted to developing his players, Coach Smithpeters has to be on top of skill development methods. With players wanting to get to the next level, his attention to detail and ability to push players to fatigue is what makes him a great coach.

In guard/post breakdown, post players focus on finishing around the rim and posting up around the rim. Technical details such as staying low, focusing on the first step to avoid traveling, and powering through contact to finish at the rim are covered. These simple drills will improve your post players' performance and finishing abilities.

Guards work on getting open for a good shot using various screening actions. Coming off of pin downs, flare screens and down screens, players practice making different reads. Smithpeters takes the time to discuss footwork and moving at game speed. His philosophy of getting athletes to work toward fatigue shows players how to keep going when they feel they don't have it in them.

In a 2 minute drill, Coach Smithpeters has players work on ball handling skills both stationary and on-the-move. Coaches use pads to try to knock players off balance. By using heavy basketballs to dribble, players will work on pounding the basketball, which will improve their handling of a regular basketball.

Next, athletes work on getting shots up at game spots and at game speed. Both posts and guards practice perimeter shooting to help them get used to stretching the defense. Coach Smithpeters has his players work on transition shooting and also making game-winners. As players come off of pin downs, they have the option to tight curl, or come off of a dribble hand-off to attack the basket.

One of Smithpeters' favorite drills comes from the Memphis Grizzlies. Players get out in transition, finish around the rim, and get shots from the wing as they push the ball up and down the floor. This drill can be a great conditioner and help athletes develop good decision-making skills while pushing through fatigue.

Defensive Concepts

Next, Coach Smithpeters demonstrates a drill that the Houston Rockets have used to work on their defensive presence. Players work on over-helping rather than recovering into help. In the Rush drill, the team puts things together in the full court. Smithpeters teaches his players to jam the ball and force toward the sideline to be able to contain the ball handler.

From 2v2 to 4v4 to 5v5, Coach Smithpeters puts it all together in his Free Throw to Transition drill. He gives his assistant coaches the opportunity to coach each team so players learn to respect other coaches and what they have to teach.

Rounding out this video is 60 point drill that combines offensive concepts and defensive pressure. The offense cannot dribble at all in the half court, and the defense has to get a turnover to switch places. This is a great drill to work on handling pressure and getting open.

Coach Smithpeters has developed some great shooters and offensive players over the past several years. His teams are consistently tops in the nation for shooting percentage and effective shooting percentage. In this video, he demonstrates the simplicity he uses in practice to help his players push through fatigue to make good decisions and become the best versions of themselves.

107 minutes. 2021.