Offensive Individual Musts

with Eric Bridgeland,
University of Redlands Head Men's Basketball Coach;
former Whitman College Head Coach;
led Whitman to a 273-62 record;
back-to-back-to-back unbeaten conference records in 2017, 2018 & 2019;
2018 Basketball Times D-II Men's Coach of the Year;
2018 HoopDirt.com D-III Men's Coach of the Year;
2018 NABC West District Coach of the Year

While head coach at Whitman College, Eric Bridgeland produced three players who have captured Northwest Conference player of the year honors. In this video, he includes a closer look at how he develops players' individual skill sets and gets them ready for the next level of competition.

Foundational Drills

Beginning with form shooting, Coach Bridgeland has his athletes use a low squat stance to collect power from their legs, hold their fingertips out, and over-exaggerate their follow-through to develop shooting technique.

In the Attacking Defenders drill, your players will play 1v1 and use Bridgeland's direct drive concept: players throw the ball out in front of them and chase after it to get to the paint in as few dribbles as necessary. It's here that athletes practice getting low and clipping the hip of their defender to separate themselves from the defense.

Advanced Skills

After laying out the foundation moves for his players, Bridgeland kicks things up a notch. In 2 Ball Shooting, players use a variety of actions to attack the paint and get to the rim. In Rip and Go, athletes play 2v1 and work on reading the attacker as the defender makes them pull up or stop in the middle of the paint. If a player can finish around the rim, Bridgeland requires them to do so. Meanwhile, if an attacker needs to kick the ball out, the offensive player creeps and swoops around the NBA 3-point line to maximize their spacing on the floor. Bridgeland finishes the drill using the jab & fake and separation moves to equip players with the tools they need to succeed.

In ASE Jump Shot, players relocate off of a baseline drive and work on rising into their shot. They also practice combining moves as they move around the floor, working on step backs, the rip and go, or using any other separation move they feel necessary.

This is an excellent individual skill development video taught by a coach who has sent six players overseas to play professionally in the last 10 years. His attention to detail and emphasis on attacking the rim are universal skills that will benefit any basketball player in any system.

58 minutes. 2019.