Steve Smiley: My Favorite Drills for Basketball Practice

with Steve Smiley,
University of Northern Colorado Head Men's Coach;
Assistant Coach at Northern Colorado (2016-2020) and Weber State (2014-2016);
Sheridan College Head Men's Coach from 2008-2014;
4x North Sub-Region 9 titles; 4x Region 9 Final Fours;
2x Championship game appearances;
Played for Hall of Fame coach Don Meyer (Northern State) and was an assistant coach with him from 2006 to 2008

Through the use of analytics, teams are able to effectively determine where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and what specific areas of improvement will be most critical to their success. One outcome of this is the development of your program's defensive philosophy. Once this philosophy is arrived at, your program will have the direction necessary to achieve at a whole new level.

After years of charting many statistical defensive categories, Coach Steve Smiley has determined that the shots that beat you are those stemming from put backs/offensive rebounds, +2 passes, paint touches/drive and kick 3-pointers, assisted plays at the rim, and getting beat on defensive rotations. Out of this, his defensive philosophy of eliminating 3-pointers, assists, and offensive rebounds was born.

In this video, Coach Smiley explains and demonstrates how he utilizes a series of drills that focus on each major category of his defensive philosophy. These drills are dual purpose, competitive, and provide for a carryover effect from drill to drill to supercharge the learning process of your players.

Drills to Take Away 3-Pointers

• Learn how to ramp up your team's 3-point percentage defense by drilling proper closeout technique, guarding the ball off the bounce, and contesting shots.
• Eliminate transition 3-pointers in the first two passes of a possession.

Drills to Limit Assists

• Learn build-ups that will teach your players to use the concept of verticality to their advantage and to "guard their yard" by winning the first dribble.
• Eliminate the need to ever have two defenders on the ball.

Drills for Rebounding the Ball

• Learn how to drill the "superman, check and chase, and whip" series to keep your opponents off the glass and take away second chance opportunities.

This video contains 16 drills that provide for the building of foundational technique and the transfer of learning from one drill to the next. One such drill is "No 3's - Technique - Closeouts vs Coaches." In this drill, players learn to "guard their yard" by closing out on a live ball, ride the dribble into a dead ball, contest without fouling, and take two hard steps to gain a rebounding advantage.

Coach Smiley describes his defensive philosophy (eliminating 3-pointers, assists, and offensive rebounds) and gives you the foundational drills that he uses on a daily basis to address each component. His drills are dual purpose, which improves the efficiency of your practice by allowing your players to hone their offensive and defensive skills within the same drill series. The drills in this video were crafted to provide a carryover effect from drill to drill and a transfer of knowledge from practice to games.

If you want to teach your players to effectively guard their yard in both transition and the half court, take away open 3-pointers, limit assisted scoring opportunities and dominate the boards, this video is a must add to your defensive collection.

86 minutes. 2022.