Shooting Makes Success

Written by Octavio Parral | @octavio_parral

 “I want to be the best shooter to ever play college basketball.” – Bryce Watts

Bryce Watts During a Shooting Drill - Photo Cred: Dorina Pope

Shooting the basketball is an essential component of the game. It requires skill, timing, and work ethic in order for it to be efficient and effective. Today, shooting has become a lethal weapon on the court. With teams like the Rockets and players like Steph Curry, the game has shown that to be successful in basketball, a player must be able to shoot the ball.

Bryce Watts, from Nashville, understands the importance of shooting. The strength of his game is shooting the basketball. “I have a good rotation [on my shot] and footwork,” says Bryce. He explains that he can shoot anywhere on the court with those two skills. As a sophomore in high school, Bryce was named top 10 in the state of Tennessee for 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage.

These accomplishments are the result of Bryce’s work ethic. Coach Jeremy Pope, of Next Level Skills, runs training sessions with Bryce. Here are 3 drills that have improved Bryce’s shot.

                  

      1) Shooting Off the Screen

The focus of this drill is catching the ball off the screen with correct footwork. Bryce comes from the left side of the court with his left foot first and then his right. As he sets up, he rises up with his shot and leaves a follow-through release. He does the same on the opposite side but with his right foot first. 

     2)  Off the Dribble Shooting

      

      

      This drill works with ball handling into a player’s shot. First, Bryce starts the drill with ball handling through 3 cones. Notice how he stays low in his position as he dribbles through his legs around each cone. After the third cone, Bryce sets his feet by using a hop step jump. He rises up with his shot by leaving his follow-through release. 

     3) Advanced Off the Dribble Shooting

This drill is an advanced version of the previous drill and focuses more on ball handling. Bryce dribbles in front of 4 cones. At each cone, the ball is dribbled 2 times in the front, 2 through the legs, and 2 behind the back. He then sets up for his two shots: a set shot after dribbling and a shot coming off the screen. Notice how Bryce continues to stay low in his ball handling.  

“The workouts have helped me put up a bunch of game shots.”-Bryce

These drills are some of the many drills that Bryce works on. Next Level Skills has added necessary training that is improving his shooting. “The workouts have helped me put up a bunch of game shots,” says Bryce on his improvements. His workouts consist of 500 plus game-shots everyday, which leads to him shooting a very high percentage during games--high enough to be honored in the state of Tennessee.

He continues to work with Coach Pope on techniques and small details that improve footwork, release, and speed. His goal is to play for Samford University and win the NCAA tournament. Check some of Bryce's game highlights here.

             If you want to hear more from Bryce contact Next LevelSkills Basketball Academy. 

-Next Level Skills