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You are here: Home / Blog / The 12 Basketball Plays of Christmas

The 12 Basketball Plays of Christmas

By Hoops U.

12 days of Christmas? That’s cool … but why not get the 12 Plays of Christmas!!

Beginning on December 13th and ending on December 24th, we will be posting a new basketball play to Hoops U. That’s 1 play a day for 12 days!

We’ll be including quick hitters, inbounds plays, buzzer beaters, and more so you can start teaching your players and dominating the competition right away! It’s also a great way to add a dozen more plays and ideas to your basketball playbook!

christmas-12-days-hoopsu-banner

Come back to this page starting on Sunday, December 13 or subscribe to our email newsletter to be informed and reminded!

Merry Christmas to you and your team! Now go get some easy buckets….

Play 12: Diagonal Up Post Entry Play

From the box set, this basketball quick hitter is designed to get a player open in the low post. Obviously, the idea is getting the ball to a good low post scorer … whether that’s a post player or a player who has a scoring advantage against his defender.

Get the bucket…

Play 11: Cross to Double Low 3 Play

Here is a simple screen-the-screener basketball play that is quite effective. By ‘screen-the-screener’, one player sets a screen and then immediately uses a screen. The passer has multiple options to create a scoring opportunity.

Get this play…

Play 10: Box Double Down 3

This basketball play from the box set formation is simple to execute at all levels. With an effective double downscreen, this play can create a 3-point shot or a few other options.

Nail the ‘3’ now…

Play 9: Breakout SLOB Play

This sideline out of bounds play is intended to get a scoring attempt when there are but just a few seconds left on the clock. It will also work quite well against a defense that is up and pressuring/denying.

Hit the Breakout…

Play 8: Flare Isolation Pick and Roll Play

The Flare Iso Pick and Roll Play can be a very useful quick hitter coming out of a timeout or even at the end of a quarter or game. This play can be used when a 3-point shot is needed or when you simply want to isolate a guard on the wing with the option to drive or use the pick and roll.

Get this play now…

Play 7: Reversal Counter Screen-In Play

Here is an effective quick hitter you can run against a zone defense. It will probably work best against a 2-3 zone defense, but can be used against other zone defenses. This zone basketball play uses a quick reversal and then counters back the other way to get a good shot attempt. If the potential shooter is defended, he has multiple passing options to create a scoring chance.

Beat the Zone ‘D’ with this play…

Play 6: Full Court :05 for 3 Last Second Play

As the title of this basketball play suggests, this is a last second play you can run when you need to go the full length of the court and need a 3-point shot. Often, last second “3’s” become long-range pull-up jumpers. This play will help your team get a high-percentage look at a 3-point shot attempt. A great play from Coach Osterman that should be in your playbook for this specific special situation!

Get this Buzzer-Beater…

Play 5: High Ballscreen Dribble Drive Play

The purpose of this basketball play is to get the basketball in the hands of a player who can dribble-drive to attack the basket. The main looks are for his own shot, but options abound for creating a shot for a teammate.

Dribble-Drive this play now…

Play 4: Avery High Line Inbounds Play

Avery High Line is a different take on the ‘normal’ line out of bounds play. In this version of the line play, the intent is to run this against a man-to-man defense. As you’ll notice from the diagram, the players also set the line starting at the elbow instead of toward the low block. This gives space and room to cut into open areas.

Get this line out of bounds play…

Play 3: Zipper Isolation Play

When you want to use a quick hitter to let your best scorer create his or her own shot, the Zipper Iso play is a great choice! Zipper Isolation Play is a basketball play from a box set formation that utilizes a couple of zipper cuts to get your best scorer in a one-on-one isolation situation.

View the isolation play…

Play 2: Triple Stack Lob Play

Triple Stack Lob Play is an excellent play when a lob pass is wanted. This play can be successful against teams who overplay and/or overextend their defense. It can also be a great play to run as a last second option. Many teams shy away from defending hard for fear of fouling … this lob play will force the issue!

Catch the lob here…

Play 1: Box Pick-and-Roll Drive Option

Box Pick-and-Roll Option is a fantastically simple basketball play from the box set formation. It is especially useful for a team that has a point guard who can penetrate and score effectively.

Get the play here…

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