Basketball Plays for Youth Basketball Coaches

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Full-Court Desperation
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Description Use this buzzer-beater play when the ball is being inbounded from beyond half-court. Use your post players for the screener and initial pass receiver and your best shooters filling the lanes on the wing. Play Setup Player 1, or your player with the strongest arm, is the inbounder. Players 2 and 3 line up at each of the wings in front of the inbounder. Player 4 lines up around center court. Player 5 starts at the far end of the court near the foul-line. The Play ANIMATION Player 1 is the inbounder and slaps the ball to start the play. He also must be aware that he can run the baseline if the inbound is occurring after a made basket. This may be necessary to get an open lane to make the long baseball pass. The referee will usually inform them if this option is allowed. On the slap of the ball players 2 and 3 run toward the inbound baseline calling "Ball! Ball! Ball!". This is done to distract the defense. Meanwhile, player 4 wheels and flashes to the other half-court to set a solid screen for player 5. Player 1 makes the baseball pass to player 5 who is coming clear around player 4's screen. As player 5 receives the pass, players 2 and 3 have turned upcourt and are running hard to fill the outside lanes. Player 5 must attempt to hit the open player in stride so that they can attempt an open shot or a three-pointer if necessary. Players 2 and 3 must get separation from their defenders so a sharp V-cut as they turn upcourt is necessary. If both player 2 and player 3 are covered, player 5 can look to throw a lob pass to player 4 or use their dribble to get within shooting range and take a shot. All players should be crashing the boards and looking for a rebound on the shot attempt. Key Coaching Points If you are running this play from a timeout, be sure to inform player 1 whether they can run the baseline or not. The rules allow a player to run the baseline on an inbounds after a made basket. Players 1, 4, and 5 should be your bigger players. Players 2 and 3 should be your best shooters. Have a name designated for this play in the event that you need to run it without a timeout.