Youth Basketball Coaching Tips

Hi All,

I coach third grade boys in a recreational league — nothing too serious but games are competitive. I manage a roster of 13 kids. Half the team can barely catch a rebound - it will land on their feet or face and go out of bounds. This same group of players can’t dribble, nor can they hit a 10 ft rim when shooting. The other half is decent, but still very raw. Despite the rest of the league playing zone, I have them play man-to-man defense, and they’re actually not bad at it — just need more practice and game time experience, however, I am struggling to find the right offensive system to play against zone. 3 of the 13 players can shoot from the free throw line and beyond with decent accuracy and while I’d love to give the mass majority of shots to those 3 players, I do want others to feel involved and have opportunities to shoot. I am trying to balance the lineup so that we have 2-3 decent players on the court at all times. Any tips on a simple offense that allows most of the players on the court to get some touches to at least pass the ball around? It is quite disheartening to see these boys lose games, but the other teams simply have better skilled players so I’m just trying to make it fun and give everyone the chance to feel like they’re involved on offense.

Thanks