Open Practice with Jim Larranaga: Half-Court Offense, Chin Series, Baseline Out-of-Bounds Scenarios & More!

Jim Larranaga,
University of Miami Head Men's Coach from 2011 to 2024;
2023 Final Four;
2x ACC Coach of the Year;
2013 AP College Basketball Coach of the Year;
2013 Naismith College Coach of the Year;
2013 Henry Iba Award;
2013 Adolph Rupp Cup;
2013 ACC Regular Season and ACC Tournament Champions;
George Mason University Head Coach from 1997 to 2011;
2006 Final Four with George Mason;
2006 Clair Bee Coach of the Year

The University of Miami has enjoyed much success since Jim Larranaga has taken the reins.  With over 250 wins in 11 years at Miami and 5 appearances in the NCAA Tournament including a 2023 Final Four run, Miami has entrenched itself as one of the top programs in the country. 

In this Open Practice instructional video, Coach Larranaga shows why he's earned a reputation for being an astute offensive mind that adapts his strategies to fit his personnel. The Hurricanes head coach takes you into his world as an offensive tactician and gives you a smorgasbord of ideas that you can utilize in your own program.

Coach Larranaga presents a variety of offensive ideas for building your offensive practice plan. From warm-up drills to breakdown drills, to 5-on-5 drills, this video gives you a variety of concepts to utilize and adapt to fit your own offensive system. 

If you are looking to spark innovative ideas to stimulate your offensive mind, this is a coaching video that's made for you.

Chin-Series Breakdown, Baseline Out-of-Bounds Series

Coach Larranaga begins the video by showcasing a 3-on-3 breakdown drill designed to work on and improve the execution of his team's Chin Series actions. Coaches who are running the Chin Series, or who are considering incorporating the Chin Series into their offensive attack will see a progression of options that Larranaga uses with his team. The Hurricane's coach offers specific insight on dribble-handoff techniques within this series that will help your team score more points against any type of defense.

Next, Coach Larranaga transitions into his favorite baseline out-of-bounds series. During this portion of his Open Practice, you will receive in-depth details on five base plays that Larranaga runs. He also provides counters to run off the plays that his team is practicing.

These plays are all taught and run specifically from a 5-on-0 practice setting, so you can gain insight and learn about the installation phase of this series.

Warmup Drills, Half-Court Offense

Next, Coach Larranaga showcases two transition drills that he regularly utilizes in practice to build his transition offense. The first one, a drill he calls the 'Celtic Drill' is a 4-on-0 warm-up drill that forces your team into running lanes and getting layups. It is a drill that also serves as a great conditioner, as well as transition offense teacher.

The '30-Second Cycle Drill'is a drill designed to get your team into shape. Your players will understand the level of conditioning both mentally and physically that it takes to get five layups from your secondary break within a 30-second time allotment.

Coach Larranaga then provides an up close look at a 4-on-0 progression drill he calls the 'OKC Drill,' which is a drill he utilizes to build offensive concepts within his ball-screen motion offense.

In the 'OKC Drill,' Coach Larranaga showcases three variations, showcased to give you an understanding of how you can use it to prepare your players to attack any ball-screen defense you may see.

The video culminates with Coach Larranaga putting in his Chin Series and Zone offensive concepts. In this segment, the Hurricanes coach places his team into competitive 5-on-5 situations to utilize the concepts presented earlier in the video and show them how they work against a live defense. 

Watching these 5-on-5 scenarios helps you understand why Larranaga's teams are some of the most efficient offensive teams in all of Division 1 basketball.

This is an excellent and highly valuable Open Practice instructional video that provides terrific coaching information and Coach Larranaga offers real-world basketball strategies that you'll be able to use in your own team's next practice.

39 minutes. 2024.