Middle School Basketball Season Curriculum: 10-Week Plan
By the Practice Plan App Coaching Team · Published August 2026
- 1.Who Is This 10-Week Plan For?
- 2.How Is the Season Structured?
- 3.How Are Practices Organized?
- 4.How Do Games and Playing Time Work at This Level?
- 5.How To Use the Linked Practice Plans
- 6.The 10-Week Curriculum
- 7.What You'll Need
- 8.How Do I Run 7th and 8th Grade Teams in One Gym?
- 9.How Do I Handle Playing Time and Cuts?
- 10.What Changes on Game Weeks?
- 11.How Do I Keep First-Year Players in the Sport?
- 12.Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is This 10-Week Plan For?#
This curriculum is for the middle school coach — often a teacher with 7th and 8th grade teams sharing one gym — running three 90-minute practices a week for a season that starts with tryouts and ends at a conference tournament. Most players are ages 11-14, many are in their first organized season, and the schedule carries two games a week once games begin around Week 6. Every session is built from fundamentals (ball handling, footwork, shooting form, stance) before any system, so the same practice serves the returning 8th grader and the first-year player.
How Is the Season Structured?#
Four blocks: Weeks 1-3 install routines, ball handling and footwork, shooting form and finishing, and man-to-man defense fundamentals. Weeks 4-5 install the two systems the team will run all season: 5-out motion offense (pass-cut-fill, then screens away) and a press break. Weeks 6-9 are the game block — a repeatable game-week rhythm, then zone offense recognition, transition, and special situations added one week at a time, with a fundamentals reset in Week 9. Week 10 tapers into the conference tournament with shorter practices and no new material.
How Are Practices Organized?#
Every practice keeps one skeleton: the team warm-up and ball-handling routine from Week 1, a teaching block with one concept and no more than two teaching points, skill periods with counted reps (layups made, closeouts done correctly, free throws), a live period sized to the concept (3v3 or 4v4 before 5v5), and a short competitive finish. In-season weeks follow a fixed pattern — Monday film-lite and skills, Wednesday situational sharpener at 75 minutes, Friday full teaching day — with games on the days between.
How Do Games and Playing Time Work at This Level?#
Middle school seasons typically run 8-12 games with two a week, 6- to 8-minute quarters depending on the league, and equal-ish playing time as the norm rather than the exception. This plan assumes a posted sub rotation for every game, a roster where every dressed player enters in the first half, and league rules that may restrict full-court pressing with a large lead. Coaches with two teams in one gym split baskets for skill periods and share the full court for scrimmage time.
How To Use the Linked Practice Plans#
Eight of the ten weeks link a complete practice plan matched to the week's theme — first practice, shooting and finishing, man defense, 5-out motion, press break, zone offense, transition. Four of the linked plans were written for middle school and run as written; the youth and high school plans carry adaptation notes in the practice summary (extend to 90 minutes, cut running volume, downsize the shell drill). Run each linked plan as written the first time, then keep its period structure and rotate your own corrections into the teaching block on later days.
The 10-Week Curriculum#
10 weeks · 3 practices per week · 90-minute sessions
Week 1
Tryouts, Routines & Ball Handling
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Week 1
Tryouts, Routines & Ball Handling
Goal
Every player runs the team warm-up and stretch routine without a coach calling it, completes the two-ball dribble series (pound, alternate, high-low) for 30 seconds each hand without losing the ball, and can name the three footwork stops (jump stop, stride stop, pivot) on command.
Practices
- Middle School First Practice · 90 min
Run the linked 90-minute middle school first-practice plan as written: warm-up routine, ball-handling series, passing and layup lines, stance introduction, and 3v3 to close. Every later practice reuses its first 15 minutes.
- Tryout-Week Defense & Evaluation · 90 min
Run the linked high school tryout-week defense plan adapted for 11-14 year olds: keep the stance, slide, and closeout periods, cut the shell drill to 3v3 instead of 4v4, and replace the transition-defense period with 15 minutes of footwork stops and pivots.
Tryouts and the first practices are the same week for most middle schools. Evaluate while you teach: the routines you install now are the ones the team runs on every game day.
- Mon (tryout 1): Team warm-up install, ball-handling stations, jump-stop and pivot footwork, 3v3 to a score for evaluation.
- Wed (tryout 2 / first practice): Run the linked first-practice plan as written — the warm-up, dribbling series, passing lanes, layup lines, and stance intro become the season's skeleton.
- Fri: Rosters posted; 7th and 8th grade split baskets. Repeat the skeleton, add a defensive stance and slide evaluation using the linked tryout-week defense plan trimmed for the age group.
Week 2
Shooting Form & Finishing
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Week 2
Shooting Form & Finishing
Goal
Every player shows a repeatable form shot from 5 feet (balance, elbow under, follow-through held) and makes 7 of 10 right-hand and 5 of 10 left-hand layups from a dribble; each player's baseline layup and form-shot counts are logged on the season sheet.
Practices
- Youth Shooting & Finishing (Extended) · 90 min
Run the linked 75-minute youth shooting-and-finishing plan extended to 90 minutes: add a 15-minute partner form-shot period before the layup lines and finish with a 10-make layup contest each hand so every player leaves with a logged number.
- Skill Stations Day · 90 min
Run the linked high school first-practice plan adapted for middle school: keep its four skill stations at 10 minutes each, drop the full-court transition period to a half-speed 3-line layup drill, and finish with 3v3 where every score must follow a pass.
Middle school players shoot how they are taught in the first two weeks and rarely change it. Slow down, get the form right close to the basket, and count makes.
- Mon: Form shooting progression (one-hand from 3 feet, add guide hand, step back to 8 feet), Mikan and reverse Mikan, one-dribble layups both hands.
- Wed: Run the linked youth shooting-and-finishing plan extended to 90 minutes: add a 15-minute partner form-shot period before its layup block and log baseline counts.
- Fri: Skill-stations day from the linked high school first-practice plan, adapted: four stations (form shooting, finishing, ball handling, passing) at 10 minutes each with the transition period cut to half speed.
Week 3
Man-to-Man Defense Fundamentals
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Week 3
Man-to-Man Defense Fundamentals
Goal
Every player holds a defensive stance through a 20-second slide series, closes out with a high hand and short choppy steps on 8 of 10 reps, and calls ball, deny, or help correctly in a 4v4 shell drill on three consecutive passes.
Practices
- Man-to-Man Defense Install · 90 min
Run the linked 90-minute man-to-man fundamentals plan as written: stance and slide series, closeout progression, and the shell drill from 3v3 to 4v4 with ball, deny, and help positions called out on every pass.
Man-to-man is the base defense for the season and the only defense taught before Week 7. Teach it in the order the linked plan uses: stance, on-ball, one pass away, help.
- Mon: Run the linked man defense fundamentals plan as written — stance, slides, closeouts, 3v3 shell.
- Wed: Repeat the skeleton; add the help-and-recover period and 4v4 shell with a live drive after the third pass.
- Fri: Defense circuit (slides, closeouts, box-out reps) plus 5v5 controlled scrimmage where the defense scores a point for every stop.
Week 4
5-Out Motion Offense Install
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Week 4
5-Out Motion Offense Install
Goal
All five players fill 5-out spots and run pass-cut-fill for 30 seconds without a coach cue; by Friday the team adds a screen away and completes six straight possessions of 5v0 motion with correct fills, then scores on 4 of 10 possessions in 5v5 against the Week 3 defense.
Practices
- 5-Out Motion Install · 90 min
Run the linked 90-minute 5-out motion plan as written: spot spacing, pass-cut-fill in 5v0, then down screens and dribble handoffs added one at a time before live 5v5 against the Week 3 man defense.
Motion beats set plays for this age: every player learns to space, cut, and read. Install pass-cut-fill first and do not add screens until the fills are automatic.
- Mon: Run the linked 5-out motion plan through its spacing, pass-cut-fill, and 5v0 periods; leave the dribble-handoff period for later in the week.
- Wed: Review fills, add the down screen and screen-away rules from the linked plan; 4v4 no-dribble motion.
- Fri: Full 5v5 motion against the man defense; coach only spacing errors, let the reads be imperfect.
Week 5
Press Break & Handling Pressure
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Week 5
Press Break & Handling Pressure
Goal
The team inbounds against a full-court press in 5 seconds or less on 8 of 10 reps, advances the ball past half court in under 10 seconds on 7 of 10, and every guard completes the two-dribble pass-out-of-a-trap drill without a travel or turnover in 4 of 5 reps.
Practices
- Press Break Fundamentals · 90 min
Run the linked 90-minute press break plan as written: inbounding alignment and 5-second count, first-pass and safety options, two-dribble trap escapes, and a live press-break period against a 1-2-1-1 that trims to a controlled scrimmage.
Middle school games are decided by turnovers against pressure. Install the press break before the first game, and check your league's press rules (many restrict full-court pressing when a team leads by a set margin).
- Mon: Run the linked press break fundamentals plan as written — inbound alignment, first-pass options, trap escapes.
- Wed: Repeat the press break against a live 1-2-1-1 press; add the sideline and dead-ball versions.
- Fri: Game-simulation scrimmage: 8-minute quarters, referee whistles, press break on every made basket, subs on a rotation so all players get equal minutes.
Week 6
First Games & Game-Week Rhythm
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Week 6
First Games & Game-Week Rhythm
Goal
The team plays its first two games with every player knowing the game-day routine (arrival, warm-up, bench conduct, sub rotation); the coaching staff logs turnovers against pressure and defensive stops per quarter and picks one fix for the following Monday.
Practices
- Monday Film-Lite & Skills · 90 min
A 90-minute skills day that opens with 10 minutes of whiteboard review (three clips or diagrams, one fix), then the ball-handling routine, form and game-spot shooting, press break walk-through, and 20 minutes of controlled 5v5 with no conditioning finisher.
- Day-Before Sharpener · 75 min
A 75-minute session between games: warm-up routine at game tempo, press break inbounds and trap escapes, five 5-out possessions with the screen away, closeout reps, and 25 free throws per player. Legs stay fresh for tomorrow.
From this week on, most weeks carry two games. The practice pattern stays the same every week: Monday skills and film-lite, Wednesday situational sharpener, Friday teaching day. Adjust labels to your league's game days.
- Mon (film-lite/skills): 10 minutes of whiteboard review from Friday's scrimmage, then the ball-handling and shooting routines; no conditioning the day before a game.
- Tue: Game 1. Sub rotation posted before tip so playing time is equal within a few minutes.
- Wed (day-before sharpener): 75 minutes: press break reps, five possessions of motion, free throws, out.
- Thu: Game 2.
- Fri (teach day): One correction from the games (usually spacing or closeouts), full-length teaching block, controlled 5v5.
Week 7
Zone Offense Recognition
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Week 7
Zone Offense Recognition
Goal
Players identify a 2-3 or 1-3-1 zone within one possession and call it out; the team runs the zone spacing rules (gaps, short corner, high post flash) in 5v5 and scores on 4 of 10 possessions against the 2-3 the scout team shows.
Practices
- Zone Offense vs 2-3 and 1-3-1 (Extended) · 90 min
Run the linked 75-minute zone offense plan extended to 90 minutes: keep its recognition, gap-spacing, and high-post flash periods, then add a 15-minute period of 5v5 that alternates man and zone each possession so players must read before they run.
Middle school opponents play zone often. Teach recognition and three spacing rules, not a separate zone offense; the 5-out spots already give the gaps.
- Mon (film-lite/skills): Whiteboard the 2-3 and 1-3-1 shapes; skills routine; run the linked zone offense plan's recognition and gap-spacing periods extended to 90 minutes.
- Tue: Game 3.
- Wed (day-before sharpener): 75 minutes: 5v5 vs the scout team's zone for 15 minutes, press break, free throws.
- Thu: Game 4.
- Fri (teach day): High-post flash and short-corner reads from the linked plan; skip pass shooting; 5v5 alternating man and zone every possession.
Week 8
Transition & Conditioning
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Week 8
Transition & Conditioning
Goal
The team runs lanes on every made and missed basket in 5v5 (rebounder outlets, wings sprint wide, ball in the middle), converts 5 of 10 numbers-advantage breaks in 3v2/2v1, and sprints back with a called matchup on 8 of 10 transition-defense reps.
Practices
- Transition & Conditioning (Adapted) · 90 min
Run the linked 90-minute varsity transition-conditioning plan adapted for 11-14 year olds: keep the lane-running, 3v2/2v1, and finishing periods, cut sprint and suicide repetitions by half, add water breaks every 15 minutes, and finish with 5v5 where the defense scores for every stop in transition.
Conditioning for this age lives inside basketball drills, not on the baseline. The linked plan was written for a varsity preseason: cut its running volume roughly in half and keep every finishing period.
- Mon (film-lite/skills): Whiteboard lanes and outlet rules; 3-line and 5-line layup transitions; 2v1 and 3v2 finishing.
- Tue: Game 5.
- Wed (day-before sharpener): 75 minutes: 11-man break for 15 minutes at controlled tempo, press break, motion, free throws.
- Thu: Game 6.
- Fri (teach day): Run the linked transition conditioning plan adapted for middle school (see practice summary), then 5v5 with transition-defense scoring.
Week 9
Special Situations & Late-Season Reset
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Week 9
Special Situations & Late-Season Reset
Goal
The team executes one baseline and one sideline out-of-bounds play against man and zone with a legal entry on 8 of 10 reps, runs the last-possession and foul-to-give scripts without a coach cue, and every player re-tests form shooting and layup counts against their Week 2 baseline.
Practices
- Out-of-Bounds & End-of-Game Situations · 90 min
One baseline and one sideline out-of-bounds play taught 5v0 then 5v5 against man and zone, followed by scripted end-of-game situations with the clock and score announced before each rep: up 2 with 30 seconds, down 1 with 10 seconds, and when to foul.
- Fundamentals Reset (Shooting & Finishing) · 90 min
Re-run the linked 75-minute youth shooting-and-finishing plan extended to 90 minutes with a 15-minute retest period: every player repeats the Week 2 form-shot and layup counts, and coaches correct the two or three drifted habits before the tournament.
Late-season middle school games come down to inbounds plays and free throws, and eight weeks in, young players' fundamentals have drifted. Fix both in the same week.
- Mon (film-lite/skills): Baseline and sideline out-of-bounds install (one play each vs man, one vs zone), free-throw routine, skills.
- Tue: Game 7.
- Wed (day-before sharpener): 75 minutes: end-of-game scripts (up 2 with 30 seconds, down 1 with 10 seconds, foul situations), press break, free throws.
- Thu: Game 8.
- Fri (reset day): Run the linked youth shooting-and-finishing plan extended to 90 minutes and re-test every player against the Week 2 sheet.
Week 10
Conference Tournament Taper
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Week 10
Conference Tournament Taper
Goal
Practice volume drops about a third while press break, motion, and free throws stay sharp; every player knows the tournament-day routine and rotation, and the team enters the conference tournament with no new material and legs fresh.
Practices
- Tournament Sharpener · 60 min
A 60-minute session that mirrors game day: warm-up routine, press break inbounds and trap escapes, ten possessions of 5-out motion with the screen away, both out-of-bounds plays, and 25 free throws per player. Short on purpose so legs are fresh for the bracket.
Nothing new this week. Shorter practices, the same routines, and every player told exactly what their role is on tournament day.
- Mon (sharpener): 60-75 minutes: warm-up routine at game tempo, press break, ten motion possessions, out-of-bounds plays, free throws.
- Wed (walk-through): 60 minutes: tournament-day routine rehearsal, opponent tendencies on the whiteboard, situational reps, no scrimmage.
- Thu-Sat: Conference tournament. Same warm-up before every game; sub rotation posted; handshake line to close the season.
| Week | Theme & Goal | Practices |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Tryouts, Routines & Ball Handling Every player runs the team warm-up and stretch routine without a coach calling it, completes the two-ball dribble series (pound, alternate, high-low) for 30 seconds each hand without losing the ball, and can name the three footwork stops (jump stop, stride stop, pivot) on command. Practice routinesBall handlingFootwork & stops |
Tryouts and the first practices are the same week for most middle schools. Evaluate while you teach: the routines you install now are the ones the team runs on every game day.
|
| Week 2 | Shooting Form & Finishing Every player shows a repeatable form shot from 5 feet (balance, elbow under, follow-through held) and makes 7 of 10 right-hand and 5 of 10 left-hand layups from a dribble; each player's baseline layup and form-shot counts are logged on the season sheet. Shooting formLayups both handsSkill stations |
Middle school players shoot how they are taught in the first two weeks and rarely change it. Slow down, get the form right close to the basket, and count makes.
|
| Week 3 | Man-to-Man Defense Fundamentals Every player holds a defensive stance through a 20-second slide series, closes out with a high hand and short choppy steps on 8 of 10 reps, and calls ball, deny, or help correctly in a 4v4 shell drill on three consecutive passes. Stance & slidesCloseoutsShell drill positions |
Man-to-man is the base defense for the season and the only defense taught before Week 7. Teach it in the order the linked plan uses: stance, on-ball, one pass away, help.
|
| Week 4 | 5-Out Motion Offense Install All five players fill 5-out spots and run pass-cut-fill for 30 seconds without a coach cue; by Friday the team adds a screen away and completes six straight possessions of 5v0 motion with correct fills, then scores on 4 of 10 possessions in 5v5 against the Week 3 defense. Spacing & 5-out spotsPass, cut, fillScreens away |
Motion beats set plays for this age: every player learns to space, cut, and read. Install pass-cut-fill first and do not add screens until the fills are automatic.
|
| Week 5 | Press Break & Handling Pressure The team inbounds against a full-court press in 5 seconds or less on 8 of 10 reps, advances the ball past half court in under 10 seconds on 7 of 10, and every guard completes the two-dribble pass-out-of-a-trap drill without a travel or turnover in 4 of 5 reps. Inbounding vs pressureTrap recognitionBall security |
Middle school games are decided by turnovers against pressure. Install the press break before the first game, and check your league's press rules (many restrict full-court pressing when a team leads by a set margin).
|
| Week 6 | First Games & Game-Week Rhythm The team plays its first two games with every player knowing the game-day routine (arrival, warm-up, bench conduct, sub rotation); the coaching staff logs turnovers against pressure and defensive stops per quarter and picks one fix for the following Monday. Game-week rhythmGame-day routinesEqual playing time |
From this week on, most weeks carry two games. The practice pattern stays the same every week: Monday skills and film-lite, Wednesday situational sharpener, Friday teaching day. Adjust labels to your league's game days.
|
| Week 7 | Zone Offense Recognition Players identify a 2-3 or 1-3-1 zone within one possession and call it out; the team runs the zone spacing rules (gaps, short corner, high post flash) in 5v5 and scores on 4 of 10 possessions against the 2-3 the scout team shows. Zone recognitionGap spacingHigh post & short corner |
Middle school opponents play zone often. Teach recognition and three spacing rules, not a separate zone offense; the 5-out spots already give the gaps.
|
| Week 8 | Transition & Conditioning The team runs lanes on every made and missed basket in 5v5 (rebounder outlets, wings sprint wide, ball in the middle), converts 5 of 10 numbers-advantage breaks in 3v2/2v1, and sprints back with a called matchup on 8 of 10 transition-defense reps. Transition lanesNumbers-advantage finishingTransition defense |
Conditioning for this age lives inside basketball drills, not on the baseline. The linked plan was written for a varsity preseason: cut its running volume roughly in half and keep every finishing period.
|
| Week 9 | Special Situations & Late-Season Reset The team executes one baseline and one sideline out-of-bounds play against man and zone with a legal entry on 8 of 10 reps, runs the last-possession and foul-to-give scripts without a coach cue, and every player re-tests form shooting and layup counts against their Week 2 baseline. Out-of-bounds playsEnd-of-game situationsFundamentals reset |
Late-season middle school games come down to inbounds plays and free throws, and eight weeks in, young players' fundamentals have drifted. Fix both in the same week.
|
| Week 10 | Conference Tournament Taper Practice volume drops about a third while press break, motion, and free throws stay sharp; every player knows the tournament-day routine and rotation, and the team enters the conference tournament with no new material and legs fresh. TaperSharpeningTournament routines |
Nothing new this week. Shorter practices, the same routines, and every player told exactly what their role is on tournament day.
|
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What You'll Need#
- One basketball per player (28.5-inch for girls' teams and most 7th grade boys, 29.5-inch for 8th grade boys per league rules)
- Two full-length practice courts or one court with six usable baskets for the 7th/8th grade split
- Cones or flat discs (12-16) to mark 5-out spots, closeout lanes, and press-break landmarks
- Pinnies in two colors for scout-team zone looks and press-break scrimmage
- Scoreboard or a coach with a stopwatch and whistle for end-of-game and press-break clock reps
- Whiteboard and markers at each end of the gym for the daily plan, sub rotation, and film-lite review
- Clipboard with the season skill sheet (layup makes, form-shot makes, free-throw percentage by week)
- Ball rack or cart per team plus a first-aid kit and the school's concussion protocol card
How Do I Run 7th and 8th Grade Teams in One Gym?#
Put both teams on the same week number and split the gym by baskets, not by time: each team owns two baskets for the warm-up, skill, and teaching periods, then the full court alternates in 15-minute blocks for 5v5. Two coaches means each team always has a voice; one coach means the 8th grade captains run the ball-handling and form-shooting routines at their end while you teach the 7th grade block, then swap. Post the plan on the whiteboard so both ends can see the clock and the next period.
How Do I Handle Playing Time and Cuts?#
Decide the playing-time rule before tryouts and say it out loud to players and parents: most middle school programs commit to every healthy player entering the first half and minutes being equal within a few per game, with close-game exceptions in the fourth quarter. Post the sub rotation before tip and let an assistant or manager run it. If your school cuts, cut early in Week 1, tell each player one specific skill to work on, and point them to a rec league or intramural option so they stay in the sport.
What Changes on Game Weeks?#
The pattern is fixed from Week 6 on: Monday is film-lite and skills with no conditioning finisher, Wednesday is a 75-minute situational sharpener (press break, motion possessions, out-of-bounds plays, free throws), and Friday is the only full teaching day. Film-lite means 10 minutes of whiteboard and two or three clips, not a film session. With two games in a week, do not compress everything into Friday; pick one correction and let the rest wait. Water breaks every 15 minutes, and any player with a suspected head injury sits until cleared under your school's concussion protocol.
How Do I Keep First-Year Players in the Sport?#
Count reps, not wins. Every player has a Week 2 layup and form-shot number and a Week 9 retest, so the first-year player who has never scored in a game can still see progress on paper. Celebrate stops and assists the way you celebrate baskets, rotate the player who leads the warm-up, and end every practice with the same handshake line. Middle school is where most kids either commit to the sport or quit it; the routine and the roster are your retention plan.
Frequently Asked Questions#
How should a middle school basketball season be structured?
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In fundamentals-first blocks: three weeks on routines, ball handling, footwork, shooting form, and man-to-man defense before any system; two weeks installing a 5-out motion offense and a press break; four game-block weeks that add zone recognition, transition, and special situations one at a time; and a one-week taper into the conference tournament. This plan maps that arc across 10 weeks with three 90-minute practices a week and two games a week once games start in Week 6.
What should the first week of middle school basketball practice cover?
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The team warm-up routine, a ball-handling series both hands, jump stops and pivots, layup lines both hands, and a defensive stance introduction, all run at the same time as tryout evaluation. This plan's Week 1 links a 90-minute middle school first-practice plan that installs those routines and a tryout-week defense plan adapted for the age group. Post rosters by Friday and split 7th and 8th grade baskets from the first practice after cuts.
How long should a middle school basketball practice be?
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90 minutes is the standard for ages 11-14: long enough for a warm-up routine, a teaching block, two or three counted skill periods, and a live period, and short enough for attention to hold. On game weeks this plan cuts the day-before session to 75 minutes and the tournament-week practices to 60 minutes. Three practices a week plus two games is a full load; if your school schedules only two practices, run the Monday and Friday sessions and fold the sharpener's press-break reps into Monday.
What offense should a middle school team run?
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A 5-out motion offense built on pass-cut-fill, with screens away added only after the fills are automatic. It teaches spacing, cutting, and reading a defender, which every player needs at the next level, and it works against man and zone with the three spacing rules this plan adds in Week 7 (gaps, short corner, high post flash). Set plays are saved for out-of-bounds situations in Week 9. The linked 90-minute 5-out motion practice plan in Week 4 installs the whole thing in one session.
How do I handle playing time in middle school basketball?
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Set the rule before tryouts and post it: every healthy player enters in the first half and minutes stay roughly equal, with fourth-quarter exceptions in close games. Write the sub rotation before tip and let an assistant or manager run it so the head coach coaches. This plan's game-week rhythm assumes that rotation from Week 6 on, and the Week 2 and Week 9 skill retests give every player a measurable number regardless of minutes.
How do we prepare for the conference tournament?
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Cut practice volume by about a third in the final week and teach nothing new: a 60- to 75-minute sharpener of the warm-up routine, press break, ten motion possessions, both out-of-bounds plays, and free throws, then a 60-minute walk-through of the tournament-day routine and opponent tendencies. This plan's Week 10 does exactly that, and Week 9's end-of-game scripts and fundamentals reset are what carry the team through a close bracket game.
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