As a kid, coaches told us, don't play "robotic" basketball. Nobody watches robots play basketball...almost nobody.
We practice "shell drill" with variations...including subtracting a defender, but also using different numbers of players and 'formations'.
Create an ecosystem with rules and constraints. Limit dribbles, insist on paint touches or ball reversals (or both), or number of passes before full attack.
Teach players to think, maybe not as fast as robots. Basketball robots lack the savoir faire to play interesting basketball.
We live Coach Wooden's world of EDIR(5)...explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition times 5. Create, create, create. Find advantages. I stepped in at the '2' for one demonstration with the second group. Set up the cut and got the off ball screen. 3 passed and 5 "saw" the roll and got an easy flip for a layup.
This was pedestrian basketball, but what made it extraordinary is 5 immediately recognized her advantage, rolled and scored. "The screener is the second cutter."
Celebrate those too infrequent moments where players "get it" and catch them in the act of doing something right.
Lagniappe:
One 'balancing act' all coaches perform is when to blow the whistle versus letting play proceed during evolutions. I'm prone to stop play when spacing fails or during purposeless dribbling. In our sixteen team league, we're second in scoring and third in point differential after eight games. When we space it, we score. It's 12 and 13 year-old girls so Brad Stevens has nothing to worry about.Noticed some double gap attacks this weekend from Iowa St. @CoachProhm emphasizes all players ability to attack and exploit space. He was a guest on #thebasketballpodcast with @BBallImmersion Listen here https://t.co/JTw9WxHUiT pic.twitter.com/sJV7otrju6— Luke Widger (@lukewidger) January 15, 2019