EP T5-3 Players’ Page

Players – Welcome. Here you will find some good stuff 👇

Our Plays
Team Values/Goals
Highlight Plays
Skills to Learn
Prize Board

Plays

“PACIFIC” Offense = PAss, Cut, FIll

This is the offense we’ll be running most of the time. It’s the foundation of what we do all season. This constant flow of “pass, cut, and fill” movements with lots of ball movement will create opportunities for easy baskets if you are looking for your teammates first and reading the defense well. Simple rules:

  1. Keep great spacing
  2. Never pass and stand
  3. Cut like you mean it & expect the ball
“Pass, Pass Throw” (PPT) Opening Set

This is one of the set plays we can use to start an offensive series. If the play doesn’t work, no problem…don’t force it!…just settle into our standard PACIFIC offensive motion. 

“Head Tap” Opening Set

This is one of the set plays we can use to start an offensive series. If the play doesn’t work, no problem…don’t force it!…just settle into our standard PACIFIC offensive motion. 

“Eagle {or any bird name}” Inbound Play

We will have many opportunities to get a cheap basket with this under the basket inbound play. Remember, the key to this play is for the main target to delay, then peel hard to the hoop. 

Press Breaker

Sometimes the defense will be applying full court pressure. If necessary, this is how we’ll break that pressure to get the ball up.  

Highlight Plays

Coaches’ favorite plays of the season:

Play 1 - Total Team Basket vs. Edina (Nov 4, 2023)

Ryne uses a great screen by James to cut with a purpose down the lane. Mustafa has his head up looking for teammates and hits him with a dime. Nash’s spacing and Evan’s clearing of the lane gave Ryne the space he needed and kept the defense away. All 5 guys earned this bucket. Flawless! 

Play 2 - Beautiful Assist by Logan; Finish by Evan (Nov 18, 2023)

Logan creates a fast break opportunity when his defender gambles on a pass. He runs the court, recognizes the help defense has left Evan open, who he hits with a perfect pass. Evan is quick to finish the play with an easy basket.  

Play 3 - Sneaky Assist by Nash; Finish by Evan (Nov 18, 2023)

Nash spots Evan open for a split second and makes a quick, decisive pass to seize the opportunity. Evan finishes the play just before the defender has a chance to recover. Caden does a nice job clearing the space, bringing his defender away from the ball, otherwise Nash would have been doubled and the play could not have happened.   

Ryne Owns This Space

Compilation of Highlights from Eden Prairie Tournament

All edited together:   

Inbound Play Success

It worked!

Nice Cut with a Great Pass/Assist and Quick Finish

Our standard PACIFIC motion offense run well. 

Good Spacing Allows for Dribble Penetration

Proper spacing keeps the lane unclogged. Nice explosive crossover by Mustafa and strong drive. 

Multiple Highlights from the Jan game vs. Chanhassen 5C

Lots of nice highlights in this win. Our best all around game of the season so far. 

Highlights from the Roseville Tournament

Lots of great examples of team play that led to a 3-1 record in this tournament.  

Highlights from the Prior Lake Tournament

Compilations of some of our best plays:

Highlights from the Last 4-5 Games of the Season

Some of our best plays:

Skills to Master

Here are Coach Marcel’s favorite drills/skills that he thinks will lead to the biggest improvements in your game in the shortest amount of time:

M1 – Ball Handling
M2 – Shooting drill 
M3 – Layups 
M4 – Mikan drill 
M5 – 1-person passing drill 
M6 – Shooting form lesson 
M7 – Post skills

Coach Culver has a list of key skills he hopes for 5th graders to know by the end of the season. Here’s the list. For many of them, I link to a short YouTube video that will help you learn the skill. 

A. Dribbling and Footwork

  1. How to hold the ball
  2. Triple threat position
  3. Front pivot
  4. Reverse pivot
  5. Stationary 1 ball dribbling (great drills)
  6. Dribbling on the move (e.g. punch stop tip)
  7. Single change of direction moves
  8. Change of speed
  9. Jump stop
  10. Stride stop (video 2)
  11. Pump fake
  12. Jab step
  13. Bonus: The Iverson Crossover by the Professor

 

B. Shooting

  1. Lay-up no dribble 
  2. Lay-up with 1 dribble
  3. Lay-up with either hand
  4. Jump-stop Layup
  5. Outside/Inside Layup
  6. Lay-up with dribble from 3 point line
  7. Lay-up with dribble from half court
  8. Reverse lay-up
  9. Euro step
  10. Same foot, same hand
  11. Inside hand
  12. Floater
  13. BEEF shooting

 

C. Screening/Cuts

  1. Setting screens
  2. Screen away
  3. Backdoor cuts
  4. Straight cut
  5. Down screen
  6. Flare screen
  7. Ball screen
  8. Dribble hand-off

 

D. Defense

  1. Athletic stance
  2. Stay between man and hoop
  3. Stay in front w/dribble
  4. Defending live change of direction
  5. Contest shots
  6. Closeouts…short choppy steps
  7. 1 pass away off-ball defense
  8. 2 pass away off-ball defense
  9. Full Shell
  10. Getting over/through screens
  11. Switching
  12. How to take a charge

E. Passing

  1. Chest pass
  2. Bounce pass
  3. 1 hand push pass
  4. Overhead pass
  5. Passing on the move
  6. Pass Fake
  7. Fake a pass, Make a pass
  8. Post Entry
  9. Backdoor pass
  10. Skip pass
  11. Pass ahead in transition
  12. Screen and roll

 

F. Post Skills

  1. Baby hook
  2. Drop Step
  3. Up and Under
  4. Turn around jumper
  5. Bonus: quick spin

 

G. Team Offensive Concepts

  1. Floor awareness (head up)
  2. Identify areas on the floor
  3. Inbounding the ball
  4. Half-court spacing
  5. Transition offense
  6. Recognize advantage/disadvantage situations
  7. Movement without the ball
  8. Press Break
  9. Zone offense

 

H. Team Defense Concepts

  1. Help side defense
  2. Defensive rotations
  3. Transition defense
  4. Rebounding – Grab ball with 2 hands
  5. Rebounding – Hit (Make contact with opponent)
  6. Defend ball screens – hedge and recover
  7. Defend curl screens (over the top with help)
  8. Defend flare screens (over the top with help)
  9. Defend back screens (help and recover)
  10. Switching screens

Prize Board

Hang on to those chips. You can redeem them for these prizes. This board will be updated throughout the season as the coaches get prize donations and come up with new ideas. 

Nash's Halloween Candy - 1 Chip for 1 Piece
Make Coaches do 10 burpees - 3 Chips
Large Candy - 5 Chips (Thanks to Sullivan's Family for donation)
Get out of burpees for 1 practice - 5 Chips
Do the tip-off for one of our games - 7 Chips
Shooting Contest vs. Coaches to End Practice (instead of free throws) - If you beat us, no burpees - 8 Chips
20 Basketball Cards from Coach David's Stash - 10 Chips
1 Pack of Modern Basketball Cards - 10 Chips (Thanks to Sullivan's Family for the Donation)
Custom wrist band with your jersey # on it. - 15 Chips
2 T-Wolves Tickets Donated by the Wolves. - 40 Chips

Team Values

  1. “We,” not “I”
  2. 100% effort
  3. Play with class

Team Goals

  1. We all have an awesome experience with basketball
  2. We build a true team that knows how to work together. 
  3. Every player gets significantly better in terms of individual skills. 

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