Give & Go
Learn the most basic two-player play: pass and cut to the basket.
What this drill teaches
The idea that the pass is the start of the play, not the end of your involvement. Cutting hard immediately after passing rewires the youth default of pass-then-stand — and pays it off instantly with a layup.
In games: Fixes the offence where the ball moves but nobody does — the give-and-go creates the easiest baskets in youth basketball and teaches kids that passers get the ball back.
- The cut starting the instant the pass leaves the hands
- A change of pace — walk the defender in, then explode
- A target hand shown early for the return pass
U10: cuts will be late and half-speed — walk it until pass-then-cut is a reflex. U14–U16: expect full-speed cuts against a defender and backdoor reads.
Equipment
1 ball, 1 hoop
Setup
Player at the wing, a passer (coach or teammate) at the top of the key.
Steps
- 1Pass to the top, then cut hard to the rim.
- 2Show a target hand as you cut.
- 3Catch the return pass and finish a layup.
- 4Rotate and repeat on both sides.
Coaching points
- Cut immediately after you pass.
- Change speed on the cut — slow, then explode.
- Give a target hand for the return.
Why kids love it
Kids feel like they ran a real 'play' — and it teaches that passing leads to easy baskets.
Variations
Add a defender on the cutter.
Walk it through with no defender until the cut comes the instant the pass leaves.
Have the receiver overplay the return so the cutter goes behind them for a backdoor layup.