"UCLA" is a play ran by many teams throughout the NCAA. This set is structured but gives players the opportunity to play out of it if they see an opening. Also, if the defense breaks down or is not ready, it is possible to get a quick layup. The key to this play is to hit a body on every screen. This will allow players the space they need and set up the next action. At the end of the play the players are in a 3 out 2 in set where they can go into their motion. 

In order to get a player an open look or create shots for teammates, a play needs to be designed with several options if the first does not go according to plan. "Blue Jay" is a set that contains a number of staggered screens and ball screens to free up people for open looks. If all fails, the ball can be entered to the post and players can play off of that.

Inbounds plays can be the difference between winning or losing a gameby two points. This is a time during the game when the ball is close to the basket and the defense is guarding from a position they are not used to being in on defense. With this being said, the offense needs to have a number of different options to go to from out of bounds. "Iowa" is a playset that forces the defense to play against their principles and often leads to wide open shots if the timing is correct.

During games, sometimes the opposition feels so confident on defense that they begin to lunge for steals and pressure the ball to the point where the offensive players are uncomfortable. "Release" is a playset that has a number of options and different looks to throw the defense off balance. If ran correctly, the defense will most likely stop playing the passing lanes and respect the offense which takes pressure off of the players. 

As the NBA continues to grow, new players, especially at the point guard position, are emerging into stars. With that being said, a legitimate argument can be made about who is the best point guard in the league. The first names that come to mind are Chris Paul, Tony Parker, and Russell Westbrook but young players such as Steph Curry are beginning to show how great they truly are and that they belong in the discussion with these players. Taking any of these players would most likely help your team but are you looking for in your point guard?

Sometimes a play does not have to be extremely difficult to be effective. With enough movement and misdirection some plays can be used in a rec league with 7 year olds and still be useful enough to use on a high major college basketball team. "Stack" is a set that can be used that doesn't take many risk of turning the ball over and also can slow the game down to get a clean look when the opposition is on a run. 

Praising your athletes and showing them that you appreciate them is much more than just saying good job.
Coaches need to be specific, the more specific you are, the better. "Good job" and "nice hustle" are better than no praise at all, but being specific helps reinforce the behavior you want the athlete to continue doing. The player will also know you were paying attention because it is not a cookie cutter praise.

"Good job following through on that shot" beats "good job." And "way to be tough boxing out" beats "Way to be tough out there."

It is very important for you to teach them what you want and why you want it. If an athlete isn't performing up to expectation, make sure you are communicating what you want. There are several ways to be able to reach the athlete; it is your responsibility to be able to learn which method works with what player. Calling an athlete lazy or stupid can be considered a personal attack. Yelling is an indication of a lack of control. It is no way to teach any player how to play learn the game.

If you want to change the athletes' behavior, you must have to tell them what they are doing wrong, what effect it is having, and, most important, what you are trying to teach them. For example, if a player has a tendency to reach on defense, you might say, "When you reach like that, your opponent can easily beat you middle. Let's work on keeping them out of the middle."

This approach to teaching your player the habits you want, will strongly increase your chances of getting the behavior you want. While it takes a little longer to deliver such a message, you can end up saving time by not having to repeat yourself. You will be able to give verbal cues to remind the athlete of what you had previously talked about.  Saving time is crucial when practicing but you will more importantly be able to reach more players with this type of communication.

During games, sometimes you may need an effective set that the other team hasn't scouted in order to score some points or get an easy look. "2 Game" is a great play that is simple to learn and can be used out of a timeout. This play is great to use against aggressive teams that are pressuring hard and denying all of the passing lanes because they can give up a layup if they guess wrong. Also, your players know that if they are willing to cut hard they will each get an opportunity to score.

On March 12, 2011, I was in Macon, Georgia to watch the Georgia High School State Championship Games.  After two close regular season battles, region foes Buford and Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC) squared off for the 3rd time in the boys 2A State Championship game.  I had a vested interest in the game, as Elite Hoops had trained the GAC team for 7 weeks in the preseason and I personally had been training their senior shooting guard and UVA signee Malcolm Brogdon since he was a sophomore. I had spent hundreds of hours with Malcolm in the gym over the past two years.  He was and still is the most determined and hardest working player I have ever worked with.  We perfected moves, shots, ballhandling, footwork and even his mental approach to the game and all of his hard working was paying off.

GAC won the game easily 76-36 and captured their 2nd consecutive state title.  Brogdon ended up with 21 points and 11 boards. As sweet as it was seeing both the team and Malcolm fully reach their potential that season and stand at center court with the state championship trophy, something else made me realize Why I Do What I Do.  

My phone had been buzzing all day long from other players, teams, coaches and friends asking for updates from all the action in Macon. So it was no surprise as I walked out to my car and headed to Atlanta that my phone buzzed yet once again.  It was surprising, however that it was from Malcolm, knowing that he was probably still in the locker room celebrating with teammates, he took the time to send me a text, "Thank You!" Although the text was only two words, it was an emotionally powerful two words that meant the world to me and made me once again realize Why I Do What I Do.

On September 27, 2011, I received an email from Tony Cornett, Founder of the North Georgia Irish travel team .  His sons attended one of our NIKE Basketball Camps a few months earlier and so he was added to our monthly email blast.  After he received the September email which contained a couple skill development videos, he emailed us back saying that he would implement them and our Living By Numbers program into the training program of his travel teams. We were thrilled.

About 6 weeks later, we had a contest on social media.  We posted a shooting drill video and we offered a FREE team training session to whichever player could send us a video of them performing the same drill and knocking down the same shots in the same amount of time.  Tony's son, Aden sent us his video within the hour and a few weeks later we trained the North Georgia Irish for the first time.  Tony and his team loved the workout so much, that we have implemented a partnership with them and we still train their program on a regular basis. As awesome as that is, that's not Why I Do What I Do.

Below is an email I received from Tony a few weeks ago,

"Lee, I wanted to reach out to you this morning to say Thank You. You've helped me and my teams so much over the past few years. Directly with guidance and indirectly with my own son, Aden (6th grader)...we followed your program and put up 150-250 shots everyday along with some serious ballhandling work. I'm happy to say it all came together for him. Over the past 3 weeks, he went through tryouts at Blessed Trinity for the 7th grade team just to put him in a high pressure situation to prepare him for other tryouts and get a sense of what it will be like next year (as a 7th grader)...We received the news yesterday he was selected for the team. We never expected to have this opportunity at BT...but we are taking it and getting on board a year early. I was feeling grateful today and wanted to share since it was Aden who won your contest to get us a free training 2 years ago, consequently initiating our partnership...it looks like we will have 100% of our Irish players making their middle school teams this season. What a testament to the development you are providing to all of the kids/players in the area. Keep up the good work and I look forward to continuing our relationship."  

Coaches having their own son and 100% of their travel team players make their middle school team is Why I Do What I Do.

A little over two years ago, we had a 5th grader John Sexton come to one of our NIKE Camps and attend
our Sunday Skills Training sessions that fall.  Even though John a long road ahead of him in terms of basketball skill development, he had an absolute passion for the game and a willingness to work on his skills tirelessly. I knew his goal was to play basketball for whatever school he attended in middle school so we pushed him each and every single time he stepped on the court with us. Two years and 50+ extremely hard workouts later, his dream came true.  He made the middle school team at Marist. A few days later his dad sent me an email that stated, "if anyone was ever doing exactly the right thing at the exactly right time it would have to be you working with John and all the other kids."

Parents sending me emails confirming how powerful our program truly is another reason Why I Do What I Do.
Making players 1% better each time they step on the court is our motto. Recently, though, we have been working with coaches and league directors to make sure that their coaching staffs are properly trained and educated on how to train players more efficiently.  Typically, we work in a private setting and work directly with one league or program, but for the 2nd straight year we offered an opportunity for any coach to attend our Coaches Clipboard Clinic. This is a 3 hour crash course on how to effectively train your players throughout the season.  It is not an Xs and Os clinic, rather it is a clinic that teaches primarily individual skill development.  I was once again amazed, honored and humbled to have so many coaches come to me for advice on how to "coach" their players. Many of which stuck around after the clinic and asked for more advice and more drills.  I did not leave that day, until the last question was answered.

Having 45+ coaches attend our Coaches Clipboard Clinic is also Why I Do What I Do.

I have been blessed to have God give me this wonderful opportunity to touch so many players, coaches and parents lives and I thank each one of you for allowing me into your life. I can't imagine doing anything else.


Lee Miller
National Director
Elite Hoops
"Release Your Potential

With amazing athlete's coming in and out of the Kansas Jayhawks program, Bill Self has designed an offense that benefits these players and is tough for opposing teams to defend. Most teams in the NCAA do not have four guys that can play above the rim making the Jayhawks nearly impossible to defend. In the play below, you will see one of the sets ran that demonstrates how Kansas takes advantage of their personel. 

Doc Rivers has said to the media that he is putting an end to "lob city" and he is showing it with the controlled offense that he has the clippers running. Instead of setting ball screens 24 seconds for Chris Paul, LA now has added a number of scoring options to their offense. To better the movement and take some pressure off of Paul, Rivers has designed a way for CP3 to play off of the ball for part of the possession while still playing to his strength of making reads off of ball screens.

What makes the crossover so appealing to the basketball world? Who has the best crossover ever and how can it be used in your game? Not only is it entertaining to watch, but also the majority of the successful guards in the NBA have mastered this impressive and useful move. This quick left to right or right to left motion can leave your defender stuck on the court allowing space for a jumpshot or drive for a layup.

Players such as Allen Iverson and Tim Hardaway were able to perfect their crossover dribble and make it famous by using it against the greatest players in the world.  Some players say they cannot duplicate moves such as the ones mastered by these players and that is completely fine. Players need to do what is comfortable for them. For example, Tim Hardaway began trying to do the in and out before the cross then realized that the between the legs came more natural to him. With that being said, it is easy to see that there is a variety of ways to do the crossover.

One current player that has a very lethal crossover is Stephen Curry.  What makes his move so hard to guard is the fact that he is ready to shoot at any moment if there is too much separation. Because of this, defenders are often left frozen or off balance because they are worried about contesting the pull up jumper. This shows that the crossover can become even more dangerous by improving other parts of your game. If you are able to change speed and direction quickly, the crossover can take your game to another level when used correctly.

Check out the view of the crossover from some greats below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqs_BDugLOo

A.J. Holland

Elite Hoops Basketball

Need a play to get a hot player a shot? Most of the time coaches will put the best defender on a player to completely shut them down to the point where they can’t even touch the ball. Well “gate” might be exactly the play that you need. This play is great to use for any player on the team but is perfect for players who can stroke it but cannot create a shot for themselves.