with Dave Richman,
North Dakota State University Head Coach;
2015 Summit League Regular Season Champions;
2x Summit League Tournament champions ('15, '19);
2015 Summit League Coach of the Year
Dave Richman has guided the North Dakota State Bison through an impressive five-year run that includes two NCAA tourney appearances, three Summit League Tournament titles and over 90 wins. His attention to detail on the offensive side of the ball has his program primed for continued success.
In this video, you'll get a detailed look at Coach Richman's attention to detail and focus on fundamentals and how he applies them in his practices to prepare players for game situations.
Warm-Up & Fundamental Drills
'5-4-3 Passing' helps Coach Richman set the tone for his practices. Within the drill, players start out slow and take great care into catching the ball all the way into their hands. Using two hands, two eyes and two feet, players get up and down the floor and prepare to play at a fast pace.
Getting players to buy in to focusing on fundamentals can be a challenge. Athletes often want to go from 0 to 100 within a matter of seconds without focusing on the little things that matter most. Coach Richman demonstrates how he gets his players to slow down and focus on the details of basketball.
In 'Post Feeds', players move slowly to over-emphasize pass fakes and make sure they connect knee-to-knee with their post entry passes in order to keep the defense away from the ball. In 'Passing and Catching', players learn to change their speed within their cuts and catch with two hands, two feet and two eyes. This will help your players play a fast-paced game without making small mistakes that lead to turnovers.
In Richman's '4-on-5 Passing' drill, players put everything together in the half court. With one defensive player allowed to float and be a free safety, the defense applies aggressive pressure, forcing the offense to turn the ball over. The offense must complete 10 passes using all the principles learned from the build-up drills covered earlier in practice. This is an excellent drill to combine being strong with the ball, making hard cuts, and moving with and without the ball.
Offensive Breakdown & Shooting Workout
You will see how Coach Richman emphasizes and teaches to "go up on two, finish on two" in order to protect the ball against contact when finishing. Players are taught to attack the rim in a variety of ways (attacking baseline, attacking middle, and cutting off of a post entry) in order to finish against contact.
To run an effective offense, you must have great shooters. Building a great shooter starts close to the rim with an emphasis on form. In the middle of practice, Richman slows his players down to focus on catching, finding the rim, and holding their follow-through to create consistent shooting mechanics.
Next, you will see a variety of shooting drills to build confidence and range in your athletes. In '3's in 5 Minutes', players focus on their footwork and catching off of a pass in order to get enough power to go into their jump shot from NBA range. In 'Star Shooting', your players have to mentally focus on where they will move next. Athletes are tasked with shooting a free throw then moving to another spot around the floor, depending on the outcome of their free throw. Coach Richman also demonstrates how he keeps his players locked in after a break in practice by pushing them to review sets, go down and back within their transition break, or put them in a BLOB/SLOB situation to get them moving up and down the floor.
Coach Richman has built NDSU into a successful program by paying attention to the details that win games. His players play the game with solid fundamentals and make few mistakes on the offensive end of the floor. This video is a detailed look at how he accomplishes all of this within a practice setting and will provide you with the drills, concepts, and skills Richman uses to build his players to perform against the best.
166 minutes. 2020.