08 November 2026
EP 2067 What Drill Would Hubie Brown Run Every Day?
Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)
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https://teachhoops.com/
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A coaching mentor once asked Hubie Brown for the one drill he would run every single day. Here is that four on four on four transition drill, and why the best teams beg to do it.
Years ago, before he ever coached, a legendary Seattle coach was working as a sports reporter and got the chance to interview Hubie Brown. He asked one question: if you could only run one drill every day, what would it be? The answer became a favorite for a guest coach on this episode, who now calls it simply the Hubie Brown drill.
Coach Steve Collins asks for a golden nugget a younger coach could take straight to practice, and gets a full walkthrough. It is a cutthroat style, three team transition drill with constant action, built around a four on two advantage, two trailing defenders, and the volleyball line. The guest explains how it is set up, how players will try to cheat it, why it doubles as a great tryout tool, and the one rule that forces players to actually break pressure. The best part might be the simplest test of all: good teams love this drill, and bad teams hang their heads when you call it.
The Setup
Where the drill came from: a Seattle mentor, a reporter's question, and Hubie Brown's answer
Good teams love it, bad teams hate it, and what that tells you
Three teams of four, cutthroat style
Four on two, with two defenders waiting on the sideline
Why the volleyball line matters, and using painter's tape if your gym does not have one
Letting the trailing defenders run in once the ball crosses the line
Running It Right
How players cheat by creeping down toward the action, and how to stop it
Why the action never stops: score, then press right away
Trapping, denying the point guard, and adding your own defensive rules
Using it as a tryout: two hours of this shows who can really play
Numbers: six per team works, and you need at least twelve
The key rule: no throwing it over the top to a player behind half court. Break the pressure.
Chapters
00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
00:14 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com
01:06 The golden nugget question
01:38 Hubie Brown and the one drill a day
02:34 Good teams love it, bad teams hate it
02:59 The setup: four on two and the volleyball line
04:54 How players cheat the drill
05:22 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com free trial
05:50 Score and press: the action never stops
08:10 Using it for tryouts
08:38 How many players you need
09:34 The rule that forces them to break pressure
10:38 Post roll: TeachHoops.com
This week's challenge: Run the Hubie Brown drill for ten minutes this week and watch which players lean into it and which ones hang their heads.
Format: Guest coach conversation.
Resources: Transition and press breaker drills, practice plans, and courses at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
https://teachhoops.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
CoachingYouthHoops.com/nuke: clean sports hydration made with coconut water. Use code youthhoops25 for 25% off
A coaching mentor once asked Hubie Brown for the one drill he would run every single day. Here is that four on four on four transition drill, and why the best teams beg to do it.
Years ago, before he ever coached, a legendary Seattle coach was working as a sports reporter and got the chance to interview Hubie Brown. He asked one question: if you could only run one drill every day, what would it be? The answer became a favorite for a guest coach on this episode, who now calls it simply the Hubie Brown drill.
Coach Steve Collins asks for a golden nugget a younger coach could take straight to practice, and gets a full walkthrough. It is a cutthroat style, three team transition drill with constant action, built around a four on two advantage, two trailing defenders, and the volleyball line. The guest explains how it is set up, how players will try to cheat it, why it doubles as a great tryout tool, and the one rule that forces players to actually break pressure. The best part might be the simplest test of all: good teams love this drill, and bad teams hang their heads when you call it.
The Setup
Where the drill came from: a Seattle mentor, a reporter's question, and Hubie Brown's answer
Good teams love it, bad teams hate it, and what that tells you
Three teams of four, cutthroat style
Four on two, with two defenders waiting on the sideline
Why the volleyball line matters, and using painter's tape if your gym does not have one
Letting the trailing defenders run in once the ball crosses the line
Running It Right
How players cheat by creeping down toward the action, and how to stop it
Why the action never stops: score, then press right away
Trapping, denying the point guard, and adding your own defensive rules
Using it as a tryout: two hours of this shows who can really play
Numbers: six per team works, and you need at least twelve
The key rule: no throwing it over the top to a player behind half court. Break the pressure.
Chapters
00:00 Coach Unplugged intro
00:14 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com
01:06 The golden nugget question
01:38 Hubie Brown and the one drill a day
02:34 Good teams love it, bad teams hate it
02:59 The setup: four on two and the volleyball line
04:54 How players cheat the drill
05:22 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com free trial
05:50 Score and press: the action never stops
08:10 Using it for tryouts
08:38 How many players you need
09:34 The rule that forces them to break pressure
10:38 Post roll: TeachHoops.com
This week's challenge: Run the Hubie Brown drill for ten minutes this week and watch which players lean into it and which ones hang their heads.
Format: Guest coach conversation.
Resources: Transition and press breaker drills, practice plans, and courses at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
https://teachhoops.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices