with Chris Mack,
University of Louisville Head Coach;
former Xavier University Head Coach;
2018 Big East Coach of the Year; 2018 Big East Champions;
2016 USBWA Henry Iba National Coach of the Year award winner;
2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year; 2x Atlantic 10 Conference Champs (2010, '11);
2009-10 Basketball Times Rookie Coach of the Year,
tied the school record for the most wins ever by an Xavier rookie head coach (26).
Chris Mack shows some of his best skill development drills in this video. These two workouts, one for bigs and one for perimeter players, highlight how Coach Mack is able to get less-talented D-I players on the same level as more talented teams. He does this by continually focusing on player development.
The drills in the video highlight shooting and scoring from the offensive end, but the secret to Coach Mack's success is in how hard he's able to get players to work and the competitive edge that's consistently involved in his drills. If you want your players to get better individually, these drills would be a huge addition to your program.
Post Player Drills
Coach Mack begins with the bigs. The drills included in this session help with a variety of things, including:
- Footwork on shooting
- Fatigue while shooting
- Conditioners that are masked as shooting drills
- Full court sprints to fundamental layups
- Competition within drills
- Working toward a goal
- Dunks and free throws
One of the true secrets to Coach Mack's success in player development is the fatigue element that he includes in drills. This is highlighted in many of his drills, especially his Make 50 Shots drill. This drill requires athletes to make 10 shots at five spots, however they can't miss two in a row or else they have to reset from that spot and start from zero. Players have 5 minutes to complete the drill, and as seen in the video, accomplishing this is quite difficult. Your players will be forced to stay technically correct while also staying mentally tough. Shooting from the last spot is difficult, as the stakes are raised while the clock ticks down.
Perimeter Player Drills
Next, Coach Mack works with the perimeter players. In this session, players are on the go most of the time. Athletes not only compete against each other, but also against team records. This competition is one of the keys to Mack's success with his player development workouts. Players love to compete, and even though they're not physically going up against someone, the clock and records are always present.
One of the key terms Mack uses throughout these workouts is "getting your legs under you." While this seems obvious, as the players get more and more fatigued, their legs become the focal point of making sure they get a balanced shot off. You'll get two great back-to-back drills that highlight this concept. Full Court Sprint and Shoot and Full Court Dribble and Shoot force players to knock down shots as their legs get more tired. This game action truly simulates the fatigue players go through while playing a real game.
Learn how to help your players be prepared for the 4th quarter with the drills and teachings in this on-court instructional video from Coach Mack!
"I wrote down 5 of the drills that I plan on using with my gang immediately. These drills and the fatigue factor emphasized in them are really applicable to the game and will for sure help my guys get better." - Customer Review
51 minutes. 2017.
WARNING: 