The first thing we have to look at is his roots. He comes from a small town where he excelled on that stage, but wasn’t highly recruited. The knock on him was that he was undersized, and didn’t have the speed to compete at the D1 level.

After arriving at BYU he quickly showed signs of being a very good D1 player. He has since improved his game to the point where he is the likely the NCAA player of the year silencing his critics again.

During the off-season Jimmer was invited to play with the team USA, and made an impression there. Here’s what Stephen Curry had to say about him.

Jimmer Fredette has the tools to stick on a roster in the NBA now. He has a work ethic, and demeanor that remind me of a John Stockton. He has a scorers mentality and killer instinct, and is the kind of guy who wants the ball at the end of a close game.

His biggest drawback is his size, and he is not seen as a great on the ball defender. Right now I think he is an asset on offensive end with his deadly range, but a liability on the defensive end.

I see Jimmer as a lottery pick somewhere just after the top 10. The thing to watch with him is his relentless work ethic. Jimmer Fredette will fight to make a roster, and then will fight to start. Them he will fight to become an all-star.

While I think he will be a good NBA player I’m as curious as the next guy to see where he maxes out. One thing is for sure, he has silenced critics from the beginning and I would never bet against him.

In any sport, kids are sometimes one of the most difficult and at the same time the easiest players to teach. Difficult because they can be impatient and can easily get frustrated. On the other hand they are on the stage where they are flexible both in mind and body. That is why it is important that in these early stages they are taught the fundamentals of basketball, but with a lot of diligence and patience they might just be your biggest success.

Since you are teaching beginners, and kids especially, remember to keep the training light and easy before moving on to some serious balling stuff. To help you with these here are some few tips:

Step by Step

Sometimes coaches forget to tell their players to not rush it. Most eager students want to take the fast lane and learn the tricks immediately. But as all things in life this is only good for the short run. If you really want to be good at something, invest time on it. Do it step by step to ensure maximum retention and in the end you’ll master what you need.

Get Your Head In The Game

Focus is good. But I’m talking about a different head here. Tell them to use their brain in basketball. If you really want to be good in basketball, do some research. Find stuff that could be useful to you as a player. Understanding the game better will help you become a better player. Watch some videos, read some articles and even go to live games and see what really happens on the court. This will eventually lead to you becoming a more knowledgeable player .

Simply, basketball needs a lot of things to be done at one time. Teach them to dribble and think of strategies at the same time and be good at it. You’ll see that this will come in handy in real live games.

Be Selective

As a coach do your part. Create drills that will ensure kids will love and be comfortable doing. Then practice them until they perfect it. Always remember that kids are a lot different than adults so there are a lot of things more to consider than just the game. If you do this, in time they will be the players you want them to be.

One of the most basic way of shooting in basketball is a layup. Usually layups when done openly are almost to always right on the target and never miss. Currently lauyps can be split into to kinds, the underarm and the overarm.

Fast breaks in basketball are basically supposed to be that, FAST. This is the most common way of scoring against an opponent. These fast breaks are your teams way of showing your defense and offense. These opportunities will mean the difference between winning and losing.

When executing fast breaks, it is important to practice more pass and less dribble. Dribble only when needed and when no one is open. Once you passed the ball, follow through. Be sure to cover your teammates behind to create another open position for a pass. If you find that your teammate cannot find an open person, cut back and create an opening. This is very important in fast breaks. Once, the defensive teams locks you in, then the fast break play will be over. Movement is the key and passing is the secret.

To be able to improve your team’s fast breaks plays here are some drills that you could integrate on your practice.

No Dribble Pass Drill

Since we’ve mentioned that in fast breaks, it is important to only dribble when needed, this drill does not involve any dribbling. You will need two players to do this drill. First, ask the players to start on one side of the court below the basket. Make them run as fast as they can towards the other basket. While running, as them to pass the ball back and forth with each other each time stopping so as not to “travel”.  The player who receives the ball last will finish it with lay up or a dunk. The player who did not make the shot will be the one to shoot on the next drill set.

Keep Moving On

This drill needs three players. Two to pass the ball and one to defend. Start the same way you started the first drill except this time, the defender will try to intercept the ball. Never dribble unless to distract the ball. The goal is to create a successful shot without being intercepted. Since there are only two players to pass the ball around, it will be more difficult to make a pass without being intercepted. Ask the defender to keep a tight defense to ensure a better drill.

The Flying V

This drill will need five players. Three for offense and two for defense. Following the V pattern one player mus be on the middle and two on both his sides. The goal is to keep passing the ball around between the three of you will moving on a inverted or regular V position. The defenders will try to intercept the ball as much as possible. The drill ends when a shot is made by the offensive team or until the ball is intercepted.

There are a lot of ways to improve a teams overall performance. Most coaches perform group drills that allow players to experience each others ability on a mock game situation. This is good for the most part as it give players insight on each others abilities. This also helps them have communication when on real live games. But this is not enough, in order to improve teamwork, the team must have team building activities outside practice and games.

Remember the games you play when you were kids? These kind of games are one of the most effective way of helping improve teams relationship. Not only are they fun but they promote familiarity with each other. This is important on real games where you need to know who you pass the ball to. Games also increase the bond between teammates and in turn this will help them trust each other on the court.

Another way of promoting teamwork is through group trips and dates. Eating together, camping and even watching movie together is good. Removing them from any game-like activities is beneficial for their minds. They tend to let their guards down and create interpersonal relationships with each other. These also promotes trusts with each other. Eating and sharing food is scientifically proven to increase bond between persons. The more comfortable they are with each other off the court, the better they will play on the court.

To summarize, it is good to do practice and drills as a team. But give players time to enjoy each other’s company. Time away from game-like situations is good and needed. Let players be friends and in turn they will play better on the court.

Free throws on a basketball game are like free gifts, take as much as you can. But some player’s fail to be effective at this. These missed free points sometimes can cause them the game or some even are the reason for winning. On a game where time is very important, having time to carefully calculate your shot is very useful. Although fans would be rooting for or against a player shooting a free throw, it is less difficult than having someone fight you to be able to score. That is why it is important to invest in basketball drills that could improve a player’s free throw shooting ability.

Free throws are different from regular shots. It’s more of a concentration game than anything else. A player can be good at outside shooting but be very bad at free throws. This is because there are a lot of factors that goes into free throw shooting. On a regular game you are focused and always on the hustle to score a point for your team. But on the free throw line, the adrenalin settles down and what is left is you, the ball, the basket and the crowd. When you lose focus on your goal and get distracted by the outside forces, you will surely miss the shot.

It is essential for a player to continually improve his shooting skills through different shooting drills. It is also important to consider to simulate real live game situations where players can get the feel of what really happens on a game. That way no matter what happens on the court, your sure the players can handle it. Remember to also practice stationary shooting drills. This will help on those crucial free throws that everyone is rooting to miss or to perfect. Long before you know it, you’ll be shooting point like there’s nothing but the net.

Rebounding is the most natural way of gaining possession of the ball. Learning the skill of rebounding is essential to a team’s success. It limits the scoring opportunity of the opposing team while giving your team a chance to score. Sometimes player’s forget to learn the fundamental of some skills that they lose sight of its importance. In order to fully understand rebounding, first it’s basic definition must be discussed.

Basically there are two kinds of rebounds, offensive and defensive. Both are very important to a team’s success. Offensive rebounds keeps the ball on the same teams possession after a failed shot or a free throw is made. Defensive rebounds on the other hand changes the ball’s possession. Most of the rebounds made on the court are defensive. This is because more often than not, the defensive team are closer to the basket than the offensive team.

Most players who aim for rebounds, are tall and strong. These players are usually the centers and the power forwards. These players are also known for their great sense of timing and high jumps. The most basic way to secure a rebound is through a technique called boxing out.

Boxing out happens whens a player who is trying to rebound a ball sticks closely to his opponent which he is guarding while staying as close as possible to the basket. This can be either man to man or a team boxing out. This technique requires a lot of strength and hustle that is why rebounding is often said to be a hard work.