Practice Drills for a Championship Offense: Shooting, Decision Making and Competitive Play

with Kelly Graves
University of Oregon Women's Head Coach;
3x Pac-12 Regular Season Champions;
2019 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four;
2x Pac-12 Tournament Champions;
2017 & 2018 NCAA Elite Eight;
2x Pac-12 Coach of the Year;
Gonzaga University Women's Head Coach (2000-2014);
8x West Coast Conference Coach of the Year;
10x WCC Regular Season Champions;
7x WCC Tournament Champions;
USA Women's Basketball U19 Assistant Coach;
2013 FIBA World Champions (Gold Medal)

In this instructional video, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves shares the practice drills and offensive concepts that have helped build championship-level offenses throughout his career. This presentation demonstrates how competitive drills, shooting development, and offensive actions can work together to create a more efficient and confident attack.

Coach Graves begins with his peer pressure drills, used at the start of practice to raise the competitive level of the entire team. These drills encourage players to generate their own energy while holding teammates accountable for performance, creating a more intense and productive practice environment.

Two foundational drills in this approach are the Loop Drill and the Scrambler. These drills develop passing, cutting, and finishing while emphasizing on-time catches, ball protection, and completing plays at the rim. Players gain high repetitions in a competitive setting while reinforcing essential offensive fundamentals.

Graves also introduces his Red Light / Green Light shooting drill, a competitive activity designed to evaluate and improve three-point shooting. Players must make consecutive shots from multiple spots before advancing, helping them identify strengths while building confidence through repetition and pressure.

Another key focus is teaching offensive actions while developing shooting within the offense. Coach Graves demonstrates how actions from the Horns alignment and away actions can be incorporated into shooting drills, allowing multiple players to become scoring threats within a single repetition.

Defensive and decision-making elements are also addressed through shell drills that emphasize positioning, communication, and closeouts, reinforcing habits that translate directly to game situations.

The presentation then progresses into the Ladder Series, a structured progression from small-sided games to full 5-on-5 play. Coaches will learn how to scale drills from 1-on-1 up to full team competition while emphasizing shot selection, passing decisions, and creating offensive advantages.

Coach Graves also shares methods for modifying competitive segments through specific constraints-such as limiting dribbles or restricting actions to guide players toward smarter decisions and more efficient offensive habits.

Throughout the video, Coach Graves demonstrates how to blend drills, competitive games, and offensive concepts into a cohesive and dynamic practice environment. You will gain practical tools to improve shooting, enhance decision-making, and build a confident, championship-level offense.

46 minutes. 2026.