3 on 3 basketball tournaments are popping up all over the country, and they are a great way to develop your players’ skill sets, have some fun and maybe even win a few prizes along the way. If some of your players are thinking about entering a 3 on 3 tournament or if you just want to shake things up a little at your next practice, try running a few 3 on 3 basketball plays.

3 on 3 basketball plays are most successful when the players are already familiar with each others’ skills, strengths and weaknesses. The keys to winning games are strong defense and rebounding skills so those are the drills you should focus on when coaching players to get ready for these tournaments.

The key to 3 on 3 basketball plays is keeping them simple and adaptable to the different situations that may arise. By developing 3 or 4 plays really well instead of trying to build an arsenal of many plays, your players will be able to hone in on their skills and coordination to really make those plays work.

For the first 3 on 3 basketball play, called the Give and Go, have your shooter stand at the top of the circle, your passer to the right and your blocker to the left. The shooter takes a fake step left before performing a quick lane cut to the right to receive the pass from the passer. Now, the shooter is free to perform a quick lay-up. When practicing this play, use a team of 6 players. Make sure each player has a chance to play each role on both the offense and defense teams for at least 2 minutes.

After your team has mastered the Give and Go, move on to the Screen Away play. For this play, start by having your players in the same formation as the previous play—shooter at the top of the circle, passer to the right and blocker to the left. Start by having the shooter pass the ball to the passer on the right. Next, the shooter moves forward to screen away for the blocker, while the blocker cuts to the basket. Once the blocker is in position and the opposing team’s defender is being blocked by the shooter, the passer throws the ball back either the shooter or the blocker, whichever one has the greatest chance of making the shot.

The key to pulling off the Screen Away play is impeccable timing. The blocker must wait for the shooter to arrive and act as his or her screen before cutting to the basket. Also, the shooter must set the correct angle for the screen for the play to be successful. One of the main advantages to these 3 on 3 basketball plays is that they can be adapted to a variety of situations. The option of having two different shooters instead of just one makes it much easier for the passer to successfully get the ball into someone’s hands that will put it in the basket.