Pat Skerry: My Favorite Drills for Basketball Practice

Pat Skerry is no stranger to challenges. In 1996, he become the second youngest coach in NCAA history at the age of 26. Along the way, Coach Skerry has learned from some great coaches and collected some outstanding drills, skills, and concepts he uses today to build a strong program at Towson University. In this video, Skerry dissects his favorite practice drills and concepts to help improve your program's habits.

Habits and Concepts

Practice helps build your identity. Getting coaches and players on the same page helps keep a constant flow within your program. As a staff, being aligned with your terminology and figuring out how your players learn best will give them an edge. Coach Skerry shares how his program has been able to build consistency and will help you implement the same flow within your program.

Transition Drills & Rebounding

One of the main concepts that can win teams games is transition defense. The ability to stop another team from running up and down the floor creates separation. Coach Skerry draws out several transition drills that will create a lock down defense that contains even the best attackers.

In Dry Run, the focus is on limiting turnovers and creating a good shot selection so players can put themselves in an advantage getting back on defense within the first three steps back. In 4v3 and 5v4, the use of a 12 second shot clock helps players focus on scoring late in the shot clock before getting back after a score. In this intense drill, players must have a quick memory and focus on the next play to ensure they shut down the offense.

An important part of defense is being able to block out and rebound. In 3 Line Rebounding, players go 3v3 to communicate who has shooter and who blocks out the other two offensive rebounders. This game-like drill will get your players ready for any type of crasher that your opponent has to offer. In Circle the Wagons, the defense rotates around the court as if the ball was moving around the perimeter.

Competitive Games

Rounding out this video are two highly competitive games that will get your players moving at game speed. In Warrior, players start with a live game and a 1-and-1 situation. Next, they transition down and back and play live. In Kill, players have to earn their way on offense with three stops - either three in a row or three in 10 possessions. This drill will help build toughness and grit in your players!

Coach Skerry has collected plenty of basketball knowledge over the years. This video includes some of his favorite daily drills to build toughness, grit, and a competitive edge!

64 minutes. 2021.