Details

"If you go on the Internet, there are 20 recipes for pound cake. I go with the one that even describes to a quarter on an inch the size of the pan. Because is someone is describing that level of detail, you know they have gone through it." - Andrew Zimmern in Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans

Successful programs have successful processes. They focus on details of people, strategies, and execution to promote ethical competitive advantage. In Crystal Magnates, we learn how Coach Nick Saban added karate and pilates to players' workout programs to improve leverage and flexibility. Nothing prevents other programs from adopting those regimens. 

Warren Buffett has an enviable track record in identifying value for his investors. Buffett studies companies, determines what he thinks is their worth, and looks to buy at a discount. He reads annual reports as his advantage. He says, "Some guys read Playboy. I read annual reports." 

What is the difference between ethical and unethical competitive advantage? A baseball team that cuts the infield grass longer or waters down the basepaths changes conditions, but those changes apply to both teams. Urban Meyer's cultivating fraternities and students to cheer loudly and potentially disrupt other teams doesn't change the on-field playing conditions artificially. Using performance-enhancing drugs, piping in sound, or manipulating officials are all examples of unethical competitive advantage. 

New ideas and detail abound. We can all access high quality educational video on the Internet. Some of us have a coaching mentor. I think we have unlimited access to mentors through reading and study. Dean Smith's Basketball: Multiple Offense and Defense is a gold mine. Videos from international coaches Etorre Messina, Arik Shivek, Kirby Schepp, Mike McKay and others are invaluable for those willing to invest in themselves. 

When is a detail meaningful? Dean Smith's advocacy for having three timeouts for the final four minutes is a gem, provided they are used wisely. Teaching proper technique only becomes meaningful when players listen and transfer the instruction. Having all the plays in the world is meaningless without players capable of execution. Knowing that attacking the dribbler's pivot foot on the dead dribble matters not when players don't press that advantage. 


Details often demand TIME and SPACE. Passes have to be ON TIME and ON TARGET. Here's a play that we struggle to run correctly. 

The 2 has to wait for the 5 to uncover. 

Conversely, sometimes players play. 

Yesterday, we ran this out of an ATO looking for a sandwich screen and the players turned it into screen-the-screener for a layup. The time we spend teaching 'how to play' turned into a layup. 

Details matter when they facilitate execution. 

The Leadership Moment: Rehabilitating Your Organization

Sharing stories of success and failure can help us succeed and avoid some losses. 

Two key concepts for me are "the main thing is the main thing" and "people don't quit jobs, they quit people." The main thing in my position is development and for the players it should be improvement. We need a culture of teamwork, sharing, and accountability. 

Anson Dorrance includes The Leadership Moment as required reading for his dynastic women's soccer program at UNC. Michael Useem's book chronicles spectacular ascents and failures, sharing critical decisions that wrought success or disaster. 

His chapter on John Gutfreund, former Chair of Salomon Brothers, illustrates numerous key points worth disseminating. Salomon was a primary bond dealer with the United States. Gutfreund failed to discipline a rogue trader (Paul Mozer) violating trading requirements and compliance. Mozer misrepresented some of his trades as those of other entities. For violations netting the company a few million dollars, the company paid 290 million dollars in fines and saw its stock price crumble. Mozer and Gutfreund suffered severe penalties and lifetime industry bans. 

Here are a few of the author's key takeaways:

"There's nothing to teach you how as much about how much something is worth, than to almost lose it."

"The inverse law of uncertainty" - the more responsible the position, the less predictable the holder's actions.

"By implication: at the top of the organizational chart, where risks and uncertainties are greatest, decisions made or not made can have consequences that reach well beyond the organization to affect its very survival."

"By implication: Inaction can be as damaging to leadership as inept action." 

"By implication: The perquisites of high office do not lessen the need for specific and consistent exercise of authority to ensure accountability within an organization. Creation of a common understanding of preferred behavior may be especially important in harnessing the energies of those who are distant from or disdainful of the high office."

"By implication: Unequivocal cooperation, complete contrition, acceptance of responsibility, and a riveting focus on recovery are critical ingredients for restoring a beleaguered organization's reputation." 

Toughness Plays

Players hear it all the time, "the game honors toughness." What does that mean? 













"The power of the mind is the main difference between good players and great players." 

"That's when you find out who you are and who your teammates are." 

Defensive Musts

I am a hypocrite. I preach defense, but I'm spending 80 percent of practice time on offense, because we've scored in the teens and nobody can hope to become competitive without scoring. 

When I analyze a game, I want to know where the points were scored and where they were allowed. Yesterday, during warmups we noticed our opposition had a girl who made four treys consecutively. We gave her special attention (no help off her) and held her down (single digits). 

But we didn't play fundamentally sound INDIVIDUAL and TEAM DEFENSE. That's the quiz I'm going to share with players today. 

Kevin Eastman teaches, "KNOW YOUR NOs". We're past the halfway mark and I'm not sure we know. 

NO EASY BASKETS

NO PAINT

NO MIDDLE

NO TRANSITION LAYUPS 

NO UNCONTESTED SHOTS

NO SECOND SHOTS

NO "BAD FOULS" 

Where do these principles arise? Dean Oliver's classic Basketball on Paper shared many key concepts...including success related to field goal percentage differential, rebounding differential, turnovers, and free throws taken. You see how these translate above. 

But what 'nuts and bolts' apply? I reminded players yesterday, good players find ways to attack the basket and keep opponents from attacking. Here are a few: 

"Play out of stance." 

"It's a shouders game; low man wins." 

"Jump to the ball." (Evidently some of my players have not heard that, the hundreds of times I've said it.) 

"The ball scores." (Help is a four-letter word)




COMMUNICATE. Failure allows separation. 

"Deny cuts to the ball." 

"Help and recover." (The help can't get beaten.)

"Close out under control."

"Great help will expose defense to ball reversals." 

"Contest shots without fouling." (Never foul a jump shot.)

"Block out." (Sylvia Hatchell's 'hit and get') 

We may identify talent on offense, but defense reveals competitors. 

What's My 'B'? Intent Matters.

We find meaning through different symbols. Jaromir Jagr wears number '68' to honor his late grandfather and the Czech revolution. 

Richard Betts, master sommelier, one of 240 in the world, has a tattoo 'B', not necessarily the one above. 

Tim Ferriss in Tools of Titans asked him what it means, and Betts answered, "it was a note to self to just be kind, be thoughtful, benevolent...just be a good guy." Sometimes we all need reminders. 

In addition to asking ourselves our "why", ask about our "what" our identity?

What's my 'B'? 

- Be on time. (Dean Smith time was ten minutes early)
- Be prepared. 
- Be confident. 
- Be clear. 
- Be better.
- Be fair. 
- Be realistic. 
- Be specific. 
- Be transparent. 

Fast Five: Engage Your Audience

"The first price you pay is paying attention." Effective educators capture our audience to add value. "Make practice a clinic every day."  What would you want to see, hear, and do at a clinic and how would you want it presented? 

1. Each player is unique. We learn via different domains - visual, auditory, kinesthetic (doing). Contemporary coaches have a special challenge because we see more players with recognized and unrecognized learning disabilities. How do we reach them? We have to change their inner voice, the message they tell themselves. 

2. Establish emphasis and priorities. What's our philosophy, culture, and identity? What are our core beliefs, values, and process? 

Good leadership requires good followership. "You have to fight for your culture every day." Embed caring, commitment, discipline, and sacrifice in our daily process. 

3. Take care of your garden. 

4. Study excellence and share. 

Helping our players grow as individuals is our obligation, not an option. I heard a D1 star's friends talking about his priority, "I need to score more, be seen more, and get to the NBA." Leadership? Winning? Team? Character? All about you (AAU) becomes "all about me." 

Jaylen Brown declined participation in the NBA Slam Dunk contest. 

Brown came in and worked on his "off day"...and scored a career high 20 points with 8 rebounds last night...

5. Deeds not words matter. Ideas may be the currency of the future, but actions are the purchases. 

Our players may not hear us but they see our actions. Model excellence. 

Basketball Words Become Echoes in the Wells of Silence

"Fools" said I,
"You do not know, silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence - Simon and Garfunkel, "Sounds of Silence" 

Every coach drills messages into players. Brett Brown just told his 76ers during a timeout, "Finish plays." OSU football coach Urban Meyer says, "A to B, 4 to 6 (seconds)." Coach K reminds players, "next play." My coach, Sonny Lane taught, "the ball is gold" and "I'm pleased but not satisfied." 

Finding ways to communicate better and get players to talk more both at both ends is a key to finding success. 

There's some evidence that we use "mirror neurons" to activate other's brains during communication, especially nonverbal communication. We need to engage our team's mirror neurons. 

Long after I'm gone and a few of my player become coaches, I hope some of my words become echoes in the wells of silence. 

- "Passing and cutting." 
- "Shots and stops." 
- "Stops make runs."
- "Take care of the ball." 
- "No paint." 
- "Ball pressure." 
- "Sprint don't run." 
- "Energy!" 

What messages are you sending? 

Horns into Gold

Horns into pick-and-roll with attack drawing the corner defender. 5 helps clear space on the right slot and creates options for herself and 2. x2 has a difficult choice, helping or opening the corner 3. 

Game Changer: Retail to Roundball, CEO Interview

NPR shared an interview with my sister, Laura Sen. She always stayed on top of her game and her message has relevance to our game...the focus, the relentlessness on performance. Interdisciplinary messages translate...retail to roundball. 

"My mother wanted us to be the best we could be."

"Performance trumps prejudice." 

Interviewer: via Amy Chua, "You've got to be number one; you've just gotta do it. It's not an option."

"It was never a burden, the expectation was a welcome one." 

"Retailing is the perfect blend between art and science." (In basketball, we blend creativity with fundamentals, functionality, and analytics. 

"Customers move on to the retailers they find to be more relevant." (Great coaches move on to the more relevant players. As a player or coach, how do I stay relevant? We have to evolve constantly.)

"...what they know is so valuable..." (We need feedback from team members.)

"I think hard about what works." (Do more of what works and less of what doesn't.)

"The world is round...you always run into people...again and again." (Treat people well because you will see them again.)

"I get way more back than I ever give." (Share!)

"The tool we have...in finding solutions...is communication." (Develop communication skills and emotional intelligence. Ask the question that everyone wants to know.)

Fast Five: Just Watching

I ask myself, "am I watching or am I just looking?" 

1. Basketball is not a democracy. Get your best scorers the most chances. When I see a team stop passing, I wonder what they're thinking. Coach Wooden remarked, "Happiness begins when selfishness ends." There's a difference between missing shots, rushing shots, and forcing shots. 

2. It's never "your turn". I want my best shooters to shoot, but I die a little every time someone takes a "My Turn" shot. The clock in their head says, "gotta shoot, gotta shoot." Turn that mental shot clock off. 

3. Progress is an illusion. I sometimes end practice by lining up the girls on the baseline, and calling out individuals for a free throw. A miss earns a half-court and back trip. I won't call it a sprint, because once sprinting meant full effort. Last night the girls (8th grade) made 10 of 14...not much running and no sprinting. 

4. "Don't cheat the drill." Cheat the drill, cheat yourself and cheat your teammates. Kids have a lot going on in their life. I have one player who rarely cheats the drill. She's off to a concert this weekend...YOLO. 



5. Can you handle the truth? If you want to succeed, find enough players who want success as badly as you do. Those players go on the floor, get the 50-50 balls, set great screens, take charges, fight through screens, show their hands to avoid stupid fouls, block out, come to the ball, find the open man, don't force shots, and serve their teammates. 

Video Breakdown: Decision Making

Teaching points from Mike McKay

Does an activity (drill) result in "transfer" and "retention"? 

Develop an IPP (Individual performance plan)...

I like his concept of "outside lane" (outside the volleyball court). I'm tired of yelling "run wide"...

Prefers pull-ups over floaters "a floater is a reason for a bad shot". 

Includes requiring finishes "outside the smile" (NBA charge line) 

"Space pivot" to get both force and balance (at about 11 minutes)

"Dribble center" - parallels into "turn the corner" or "crossover dribble"

"Talk your demonstration..." - show and tell. 

Fakes to "enlarge the space" passing ("find the window")

"Break the three-in-a-row" (Simple concept for receiver)

"Burning daylight" (tempo) 

Combination entry and decisions for 5/1 with defense

"Coaches are making judgments on you...even when it's boring stuff from an old guy." 

My culture is the most important thing...learning, energy giving.

Critical for players to anticipate/read teammates movements. 

"PVAD" - good POSITIONING, improves VISION, allows ANTICIPATION, yields DECISION

Disruptive defense disturbs positioning. 

"You cannot get position"...totally disruptive. "The most disruptive thing you can do on defense is ball pressure." 

"Are you allowing players to 'play darts'?" 

"The game is won by the team making the most uncontested layups." Tough to win if you aren't getting inside scoring. 

Learn to Play - Kirby Schepp Teaching

We sometimes lament a lack of basketball IQ and creativity among young players. Here are a few exercises from Manitoba Basketball (YouTube) and Kirby Schepp. 

Schepp incorporates a designated screener to help players 'learn to play'. He demands that the screener call out the screened player. Initially, he does not use a defender for the screener. We teach that "the screener is the second cutter", so screeners should never feel anything but opportunity. Screening is another way to create separation, but requires cutters to read a defender's response. 

Training wheel off-the-ball screening - man, defender, screener. 

Spacing and off-the-ball screening. 

Pick-and-roll decision-making for the ballhandler. 

Emergency Shots

Watch any high school game and some "intermission" shots by young players. They're taking out-of-range and half-court shots for their amusement but NOT improvement. Jay Bilas reminds us "it's not your shot, it's our shot." 

But situations arise where "emergency shots" come into play, especially at the end-of-quarter/half/game and shot clock. What are "emergency shots" for most players? They are the outliers, the 'violations' of good VDE (vision, decision, execution). 

• Fallaways
• Turnarounds
• Distance runners
• Pump fake threes
• Double pump jumpers

You can add more but you get the drift. 

As part of individual shooting as a youth, I'd take maybe five percent of these "bad shots" (my coach used alliteration). You know, these are "driveway fantasy" with you the ball and the imaginary clock, "three, two, one...". We've all done it. Note, I do not advocate using team practice time for this. But at the playground or driveway, if you're taking several hundred shots, it's a small investment in your total shooting development. 

Of course, balance is better. 

Villanova Perimeter Actions via Herb on Hoops

Herb Welling of the Facebook Group 'Herb on Hoops' requested a breakdown of Villanova perimeter actions (with diagrams when appropriate). 

0:05 Jump stop series with outside hand layup from corner
0:20 Layup from top with jump stop and lefthanded finish (players finish with either hand)
0:53 Note shot fake without bringing the ball above head (limits traveling calls)
1:30 Floater series (off jump stop)

Possible drill (use multiple baskets) into jump stop with floater. One to two dribbles...

1:57 Pullup series (midrange jumpers) 

2:10 Pullup off pump fake (could use same layout as above) 

2:27 Pivot series (initially R foot, front pivot) then L foot, front pivot. Players create space off the pivot. 

3:15 Penetrate and pitch off jump stop. Shows a variety of scenarios ranging from 3 point shots to back cuts. 

4:36 Shot fake into driving layup. 

Shot fake, max two dribbles with ball side and reverse layup practice (ideally) 

6:18 Shot fake into penetrate and pitch. 

7:36 Spectacular "inside-outside-inside" action for layup. 

8:35 Shot fake into pullups. 

9:50 Pump fake, jump stop, floater. 

The excellence of execution involves:
- superior footwork and balance, including pivoting (front 360 pivots into shots or passes)
- a variety of "finishes" including layups, floaters, midrange shots, and assists
- composite moves including initiating shot fakes 
- unselfish play, under control 

Fast Five Plus: Measuring Basketball IQ

Gauging improvement without measurement creates subjectivity. We can ask our players questions to get and give feedback. 

1. Describe how score and situation might affect our TEMPO. 

2. Describe an inappropriate shot for a specific situation. 

3. Name a couple of offensive basketball actions benefited by tight defense.

4. Describe a few situations where a coach might call a timeout. 

5. Describe when strategic fouling might have value. 

6. How does spacing help you offensively or limit the defense? 

7. Describe any three ways to defend the pick-and-roll. Which is our primary technique? 

8. Name any disadvantage of ball screening. 

9. Draw an inbounds play (BOB or SLOB) and ask players to run it on the court. 

10.Define "defensive balance" and what is our teaching about it. 

If we gave our team this test, what percentage of the players do you think would get over forty percent correct? 

Fast Five: Wisdom in Coaching, Q & A

"On one level, wisdom is nothing more than the ability to take your own advice. It's actually very easy to give people good advice. It's very hard to follow the advice you know is good..." - Sam Harris in Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans

We can all con ourselves. Our inner voice doesn't necessarily give a true representation of 'what is'? Last night I spoke briefly to the team about the difference between THE BEST and YOUR BEST. "It's unessential to be THE BEST, but if we consistently apply OUR BEST, we will experience more success at sport and in life...at school and with your family."

1. Am I bringing energy? We can energize or enervate our team. The coach and the point guards always have to engage. That's a conscious choice. Energy is contagious. 

We can't feel sorry for ourselves and have to stay in the fight. "Am I going to give in and give up, or get in and get up?" I started practice by asking the girls to repeat "the game honors toughness" and then asking them what that means. 

2. Is it simple? Do our player have a 'feel' for the game? 

I talk about VDE - vision, decisions, and execution. But are we teaching players 'are you giving instructions or teaching?' It's great to see a 'finished product', a player developed and making good decisions and executing. The 'queen' can move in any direction in chess and basketball. 

3. Am I giving them what THEY need? Do they need conditioning, rest, praise, focus, position-specific practice? To give them what they need, I have to know and teach. 

4. Are you expanding THEIR role? Offensively, you begin as 'The Fool'. But the power comes from becoming more, a screener, facilitator (passer), or scorer. Every player should improve with the synergy or our teaching and their 'acquisition'. Last night we spent much of the practice on shooting. We had a five minute segment of "Bill Bradley" (Beat the Pro). In "Bradley", you score one for a make and "Bradley" scores three for your miss. To win you must make 11 and miss 3 or less. My players will seldom win but it allows them to compete, as we play with a rebounding partner. Because we had an uneven number of players, I played (only took one shooting round) with a partner. But I showed her that you can win...and she can expand her role (she's more of a screener than anything else now). 

5. Do they understand what separates them from a better team? I asked them why the stronger teams score. They knew they're scoring inside (and we're not). So during parts of 3-on-3 inside the split and 4-on-4 no dribble half-court, I added the constraint of ONLY LAYUPS score. Also, we played some "Commando" with groups of three...in "Commando" (you may call it something else)...it's one on one on one, with all rebounds (including made baskets) live. "The game honors toughness." 

Fast Five Plus: The Truth in Basketball

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." - Oscar Wilde 

What immutable truths apply to basketball? 

1. Kevin Eastman says, "You have to tell the truth, hear the truth, and handle the truth." Great players want to know the truth so they can improve. 

2. I say it's a game of "passing and cutting", but it's not. It's really a game of "shots and stops." Of course, along the way, those emerge as a consequence of Bob Knight's concept, that "it's a game of mistakes." 

3. Communication matters...among players, among coaches, and between coaches and players. "The conversations we need to have are those we don't want to have." 

4. Success follows "the more aggressive team" and the team consistently wearing down their opponent. We need to find or create relentlessness. 

5. "The game honors toughness." Jay Bilas' landmark 'Toughness' article (and book) belongs on every serious player's shelf. My favorite reminder for players, "It's not your shot, it's our shot." 

6. Success has no shortcuts. That being said, there are ways to improve your situation and perception. An example: "Drama queens and kings crave attention, so ignore them."

As coaches, we need to be consistent in our energy, enthusiasm, and effort. We must diagnose and refine our product, adding value daily, and give and get feedback. 

Fast Five: Paint Job - Defending the Paint

"The main thing is the main thing." Defensively, we have to decide what we most want to take away...the paint or the perimeter. And whatever we prioritize, our team must understand and adhere to that philosophy. 

1. We value "No easy baskets." Restate that as "one bad shot" or "hard 2s". "Repetition makes reputation." 

2. "Know your nos." The Zen mantra is "the obstacle is the path." That doesn't apply in basketball. The path must become the obstacle. NO penetration. 

3. "Force to tape." Drill. Tape off areas of the court (X) at practice. Contain the dribbler by 'forcing' to tape. 

4. "Get numbers." The weak side (help side) defense protects the paint. 

                            

5. "Transition...not tradition." 

One of the most important "paint jobs" is defeating transition. Some teams give specific assignments for transition D (e.g. the 1 and 2 must get back) with everyone else expected to "sprint don't run" back. 

Fast Five Quotes: Kevin Rose

Regular readers know that one of my core principles is interdisciplinary translation. That is, lessons from business, medicine, education, sports, et cetera apply between each other. 

Kevin Rose is an angel investor who has repeatedly succeeded, with belief in concepts and Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Finding 'early adopters' is a key, just as Simon Sinek has discussed individuals and organizations who can touch our "why?" button. 

1. Good followership catalyzes good leadership. We need to be able to delegate and that requires mutual trust. 

2. "I love well-designed products that combine form and functionality." Excellent teams have an "it" factor. You know "it" when you see "it". They combine purpose and execution. For example, who doesn't know the "iPad" or "Keurig"?

3. "Founders: there is no shame in failing, take pride in that you have the guts to try something new." That reminds me of the Bon Jovi lyrics in Just Older, "you can't win unless you're not afraid to lose." We have to play to win. 

4. "One of the things that I've always loved to do is brainstorm ideas with friends and get together and talk about what they're building..."  This piggybacks on my core value, "share something great." Adopt the best practices and ideas that you hear. Transform it if you can make it better and make it your own. 

5. "If you believe in something, work nights and weekends, it won't feel like work." I want to remember David Cottrell's quote from Monday Morning Leadership, "the main thing is the main thing". That reminds me that the subtitle of my book is "The Game is for the Players." As a coach I need to add value constantly, for the team and the coaches. 

Fast Five: Becoming Our Best

"There are two kinds of best, THE best and YOUR best." - Kevin Eastman

As a young (baseball) player, I dreamed of playing college baseball and making it to the College World Series. As a walk-on Harvard freshman (frosh ineligible for varsity at that time), I pitched batting practice for a team that went to Omaha. That's the closest I got to Omaha. Talent matters. 

1. We all need a process to get there. It starts with attitude. Are you ON the team or FOR the team?

2. Become  Matthew Kelly's "Better Version" of yourself. We can all improve. But it starts with process and that starts with habits. What's your plan to improve today? 

3. When in doubt: THINK. 

4. How do you know if you're improving? Measure it. Think SMART goals...specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely. 

5. Plan your work; work your plan. During Pulmonary training (lung disease), we used to talk about the Bruce Jenner Protocol - diet, exercise, sleep, supplements (meds), meaning (something to work for). I am NOT mocking Caitlyn Jenner, just providing historical reference. If you have GOLD MEDAL DREAMS, then you need a GOLD MEDAL PLAN. 

A young player (from Nigeria) sought my advice online. Here's part of the conversation. 

How can I match my work to my dreams.?

Commitment, discipline, and measurement. Are you spending time (e.g. video games) or investing it (reading, working out, studying your area of interest)? Read TWO hours a day and in 3 months that's 180 hours of expertise that the next person doesn't get (40 percent of Americans NEVER read a book).

that's a start...measure it...if you take 100 free throws are you making 90? Are you getting better month by month? Measure what you do.

Do you contain people off the dribble, deny cuts to the ball, block out, set great screens, communicate on D, take charges, get 50-50 balls, limit turnovers, find open teammates, set up your cuts, play hard all the time? Do you make teammates better? Are you a great teammate? You can be.

Fast Five: Constraints I Use in Practice

If it doesn't translate to games, what does it do? A practice 'evolution' MIGHT have value if it simulates game activity and improves player's VDE (vision, decision, execution). Are we great? No. I can't even say we're good. But we're improving slowly. 

I wish I had a situation where we had enough talent and experience to emphasize three "major" activities like shooting, transition D, and pick-and-roll. We don't. We need to learn basic fundamental basketball. 

When we build in 'constraints' to practice, then we approach more realistic 'conditions'. Here are some examples. 

1. Stanford 3 on 3. 

The "split" (line bisecting the court) is out of bounds. "Basketball is a game of cutting and passing." This game is 3 on 3. You cannot take more than two dribbles consecutively. If you immediately catch and dribble (without a specific attack)...turnover. 

2. Four on four no dribble. 

Players should think "space, cut, screen, and pass." We vary this among man-to-man (individual assignment), box (zone) and diamond (zone). We don't play zone during games, but face a lot of it. 

3. Four on four no dribble (layups only) against man. 

This modifies the above to require only shooting layups. I want to teach players not to 'settle' for the first open shot (we don't have knockdown shooters). 

4. Full court scrimmage with constraints. 

Add in rules...whatever you emphasize. 
a) No more than 2 consecutive dribbles in the forecourt
b) East-West dribbling...turnover (whistle blows, dribbler drops ball). We want opponents to play East-West ball while we play North-South ball. 

5. Press break super advantage-disadvantage. 

a) 5 on 8 or 5 on 7 (depending on attendance). 
b) No dribbling in press break - emphasis on short, quick passes and 'pass and cut' mentality.

Game conditions 5 on 5 with dribbling - what's the big deal? 

Bonus: 

Navy SEALs free throws. "It pays to be a winner." Pair up, each player gets 2 or 3 free throws competing against her partner. Loser earns a lap.