⛹🏽TSF 85: My All-Time Favorite Drill


What’s up, internet basketball junkie?

Toughness, chaos and fundamentals can make for a heck of a drill.

And that’s exactly what you’ll get with the 5-Pass Deny.

Now disclaimer alert: This is likely my favorite drill of all-time so I may be a bit biased.

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THE STARTING FIVE

🥇 Best of the Week The "Deny & Disrupt" package was updated last week and now includes over 1 hour of film breakdown:

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Matt Hackenberg
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@CoachHackGO
9:0 AM • Jun 28, 2025
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SG - 👻 Slip screens capitalize on and create indecision in a defense, and they are featured prominently in the "5-High Ghost Offense", where the two-man game happens on the empty side with everyone lifted above the free throw line

SG - 🎯 Looking for a SLOB to get your shooter a look?

The rim is open, so 2 slipping the flare is an option

SF - 💎 The key to the 1-2-1-1 Diamond Press is undoubtedly the "Interceptor"

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Matt Hackenberg
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7:1 PM • Jun 26, 2025
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PF - 👬 Coach Desmond Robinson shows off zoom rip action - I love keeping things in the middle third with corner spacers

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Desmond Robinson.
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@TripleDoubleXO
10:2 AM • Jun 29, 2025
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C - 🏀 Richmond's Princeton is filthy

Fake the point series into a ghost screen into the backdoor

OFF THE BENCH

🏀 Mark Few... good ball coach

🧙 Horns ball screen into a baseline double

🎥 What am I working on? Continued working on the Bucky McMillan pressing system and EuroLeague subscription package... The EuroLeague subscription is really shaping up with at least TEN high quality initial features for the release next week... also updating Powerhouse Program Building (the update will come for free if you already purchased Powerhouse)

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So back to 5-Pass Deny... What does it work on?

Despite its name, 5-Pass Deny is actually an offensive drill.

In fact, it works on a few key fundamentals every program would benefit from, including:

  • Two-foot catches
  • Purposeful dribbling (1 dribble max)
  • Pivoting
  • Fundamental passes (away from defenders, two hands)
  • Passing under pressure
  • Off-ball movement
  • Playing in “safe zones” (away from sidelines)

Create chaos with 5-pass deny

But the true beauty in this drill rests in its intangibles.

Basketball can get chaotic.

With unpredictable refs, loud crowds, yelling parents/fans and much more; game day is stressful.

So instead of running from the chaos.

Learn to control it.

In 5-Pass Deny you do that by:

  1. Limiting dribbles
  2. Limiting boundaries
  3. Swaying calls (heavily favour defense over offense)

In this way you are creating a stressful and disadvantageous environment for the offense.

Nonetheless, it is an environment they must learn to adapt and play through - similar to adjusting to a bad referee or an aggressive defense.

With that being said, it’s easy to mentally fold in this drill.

There’s a lot of hacking going on, a ton of pressure and even more limitations being placed on the offense.

So you want to try and instill as much mental toughness and next-play mindset as possible.

Try to remind your club the importance of staying composed under pressure.

Do that and you’ll get the most out of 5-Pass Deny.

Have a great week!

-Coach Hack

PS. I would like to connect with you on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook


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