High School Basketball Practice Plan (2 Hours)

Players line up in four lines on the baseline and work to half court and back.

• Minutes 0 to 6: jog, high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges with a twist, straight-leg kicks, side shuffles, carioca, and backpedal. One trip each.
• Minutes 6 to 8: three build-up runs to the far baseline at 60, 75 and 90 percent, walking back.
• Minutes 8 to 10: defensive footwork. From the baseline, slide to the elbow, drop-step, slide to half court, sprint to the far free-throw line, and close out with high hands and short steps.

Watch for hips staying low on the slides and players stopping under control on the closeout. If the pace looks like a jog, repeat the last build-up run.

Split the team by position, one coach at each end. With one coach, keep everyone together and run the guard series.

Guards and wings (one end):

• 4 minutes, ball handling: one ball each. 30 seconds each of pound dribble, crossover, between the legs, and behind the back, then repeat on the move from the baseline to half court.
• 5 minutes, pass and pivot: partners 12 feet apart. Two dribbles, jump stop, chin the ball, pivot, and pass to the partner's shooting pocket. Alternate forward and reverse pivots.
• 5 minutes, attack the closeout: 1-on-1 from the wing. The defender passes to the wing and closes out. The offense has three dribbles to score. Winner stays on defense.

Posts and forwards (other end):

• 4 minutes: Mikan drill and reverse Mikan, 10 makes each.
• 5 minutes: post entry and finish. Seal, catch, chin, then drop-step or turn and face. Five reps on each block.
• 5 minutes: screen and roll footwork with a coach passing. Set the screen, open to the ball, catch, and finish without a dribble.

Common mistake: picking up the dribble while the feet are still moving. Cue: "Land on two, chin it, then pivot."

Players work in pairs with one ball, spread across every basket you have. With only two main baskets, put three pairs at each basket on different spots (one pair in a corner, one on the opposite wing, one at the top), rotating spots together on the coach's call.

• Form shooting (3 minutes): 5 makes from three spots, all within 6 feet. One hand, hold the follow-through.
• Spot shooting (8 minutes): five spots (both corners, both wings, top). The shooter takes 6 shots at a spot, then switches with the partner, so each pair spends about 90 seconds per spot. Each player takes 30 shots in total. The partner calls out the running count of makes and records it at the end.
• Shots from your offense (5 minutes): two lines at each main basket, with a coach or player passing. Rotate through three shots your offense creates, for example a curl off a down screen, a lift from the corner to the wing, and a one-dribble pull-up after a shot fake. Four reps of each.

Every shot starts with a sprint to the spot and a catch with the feet set. Players who are fading on open shots hear one cue: "Land where you jumped." If you are behind schedule, cut spot shooting to three spots.

Players get water and put on pinnies for the team periods. Before they break, one coach names one thing that was done well and the three offensive actions for today's half-court period.

Choose three actions from your offense for the day, for example a ball screen on an empty side, a horns entry, and a down screen into a dribble handoff. Use one main basket. Two teams of five are on the floor. Extra players stand on the baseline and rotate in every three possessions, replacing the player at their position.

• 5-on-0 (4 minutes): each team runs every action twice, finishing with a made shot. Check spacing: corners deep, wings at the free-throw line extended.
• Guided 5-on-5 (8 minutes): four possessions per action, then switch offense and defense. The defense plays correct position, talks, contains the ball, bumps cutters, and contests shots with a hand up. Defenders do not reach for steals or jump passing lanes. Freeze the possession once per action to show the read.
• Live 5-on-5 (6 minutes): one possession at a time from a check at the top. The offense scores 1 point for a paint touch and 2 points for a basket. The defense scores 2 points for a stop. Play to 8, then switch.

Common mistake: the wing drifts toward the ball and closes the driving lane. Stop play, put the wing back on the spot, and replay the possession.

Run 4-on-4 shell at one main basket with the offense on two guard spots and two wing spots.

Groups: make three groups, named A, B and C. With 12 players each group has 4. With 13 to 15 players, one to three groups have 5, and the fifth player in a group swaps in for a teammate after every second possession.

Rotation: the drill has four 4-minute segments. Segment 1 is A on offense and B on defense. Segment 2 is B on offense and C on defense. Segment 3 is C on offense and A on defense. Segment 4 is live, with all three groups rotating. The group that is off stands on the baseline and calls out the help positions.

• Segment 1, positioning: the offense passes on the coach's call and holds each catch for two seconds. Defenders move while the ball is in the air: pressure on the ball, deny or gap one pass away, and help position in the lane two passes away.
• Segment 2, drive and kick: the offense may drive one time per possession. The nearest help defender stops the ball, and everyone else rotates and recovers to a shooter with a closeout.
• Segment 3, screens: add an on-ball screen or a down screen. Defenders call the screen early and use the coverage your team is playing this week, for example forcing a side ball screen toward the baseline, or trailing the cutter over the top of a down screen.
• Segment 4, live: the defense stays on until it gets three stops or has played six possessions, then rotates off. A stop only counts when the defense secures the rebound.

Cues: "Move on the pass, not the catch." "See ball and player." "Box out first, then go get it."

Players get water while a coach or manager sets the scoreboard for the transition and situational periods. Name one defensive point from the shell drill that you expect to see in the scrimmage, such as calling every screen.

This period carries the conditioning load for the practice. Use the full court.

• 3-on-2 into 2-on-1 (7 minutes): two defenders start in tandem at the far end. Three offensive players attack from half court. After a score or a stop, the two defenders attack the other way against the offensive player who took the shot or lost the ball. The next three step on as that possession ends. On the 3-on-2, allow one dribble after crossing the three-point line, which forces a pass ahead and a quick decision. For an experienced group, raise the limit to two dribbles or remove it.
• 5-on-5 conversion (7 minutes): play one half-court possession. On a make, a miss, or a turnover, the defense converts to offense and pushes the ball to the other end for one possession, then both teams reset. Substitute extra players in at each reset.

On offense, look for the ball advanced with a pass ahead, wide lanes, and a paint touch before a three-point shot. On defense, the first player back protects the basket, the second stops the ball, and everyone else sprints to the lane and then finds a matchup by talking.

Half court only: play 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 to one basket, starting each possession from half court.

Play 5-on-5 full court with the time and score on the scoreboard. One coach officiates and the other runs the clock.

Timing: four situations, each in its own 4-minute block, with 30 seconds to reset between blocks. Inside a block, both teams take a 15-second huddle, play the situation once, switch roles, and play it a second time. Every situation has less than 1:15 on the game clock, so two runs fit in the block. When the 4 minutes are up, finish the possession and move to the next situation.

• Situation 1: the offense leads by 3 with 1:10 left and the ball in the backcourt.
• Situation 2: the offense trails by 2 with 0:45 left, inbounding from the sideline.
• Situation 3: tie game with 0:28 left, and the offense has the ball at half court.
• Situation 4: the defense leads by 1 with 0:35 left and needs a stop and a rebound.

Practice rules for this scrimmage:

• The clock stops on every whistle (fouls, out of bounds, timeouts) and runs after made baskets.
• Fouls are simplified so late-game free throws come up often. This is a practice rule, not a game rule: every defensive foul sends the player who was fouled to the line for two shots, and play is live on the rebound of the second. An offensive foul is a turnover and the other team inbounds from the sideline. In games, follow the bonus rules your state association uses.
• Each team has one timeout per situation.
• The score resets at the start of every run.

In the huddle, a player states the plan out loud: the set on offense, and the coverage and foul plan on defense.

Judge the decision as well as the result. A good shot at the right time is a win for the offense even if it misses, and a quick three-pointer when the team needed a two is a loss even if it goes in. Extra players substitute at each reset and track timeouts on the sideline.

Players shoot free throws while their legs are tired from the scrimmage.

• Team free throws (5 minutes): split evenly across the baskets you have. Each player shoots two free throws, rebounds for the next shooter, and goes to the back of the line. Every player goes through twice for 4 shots. A manager or coach charts makes and misses.
• Pressure shooter (1 minute): three players chosen by the coach each shoot two free throws in front of the whole team. The team goal is 4 makes out of 6. Record the result either way and move on.
• Wrap-up (2 minutes): huddle at center court. Name two things the team improved today and one thing that has to be better tomorrow, then give the schedule for the next practice or game.

Remind players to use the same routine on every free throw: same number of dribbles, a breath, and eyes on the rim.