A closeout drill that trains both sides of the ball. Defenders close out and keep the ball in front, while the offense attacks downhill off the catch and drives to space. It builds one pair at a time into live 4v4.
Setup:
4 defenders in a line under the basket and 4 offensive players in a line at the top of the key, one ball.
Rules:
The drill starts with a pass from the baseline to the top of the key. x1 closes out on 1, who attacks right away. An uncontested layup is a score and ends the rep. Otherwise 1 passes back to the next player at the top and spaces to a corner, with x1 following. Each pair joins the same way, and once 4 catches the ball the possession is live 4v4.
Coaching points:
- Be there on the catch, not after it.
- On offense, attack downhill on the catch and drive to open space.
Progression:
Add box outs once the possession is live.