With many Basketball New Brunswick associations rolling out revamped and new Jr NBA programs for 2019-20, there has been some concern expressed over the 3-on-3 formats that are part of the formula.
That is not unusual, said Canada Basketball’s Ron Yeung.
‘I’ve been involved with youth basketball for a long time with parents, coaches and players,’ said Yeung, the manager of Domestic Development for Canada Basketball since 2007. ‘It usually is a paradigm shift that requires time, patience and communication. There are so many benefits in a 3-on-3 game and presentation. Players have the opportunity to practice the fundamentals of the game much more.’
Yeung said the reasoning for that is simple.
Youth players at under-8, under-6 and even those under-10 who are new to basketball will handle the ball much more, the room on the floor creates more open space and avoids players getting crowded and it removes presses and zone defences.
Handling the ball more is imperative.
‘In 5-on-5 games, one or two players can go an entire game rarely touching the ball and this especially happens in youth basketball where you have one or two dominant players who are by far the best ball handlers on the team,’ said Yeung. ‘The team tends to get the ball into those players’ hands and those players tend to take the ball to the basket. The problem with this is that other players are not developing their skills when they don’t get to touch the ball, and the team isn’t developing as a whole.’
In 3-on-3, it’s difficult for two players to monopolize the ball and still play well. The third player gets involved almost by necessity. All players get to handle the ball and handle it a lot. This allows all players to develop their skills in live game play.
With more spacing, Yeung said even at the youth level, 5-on-5 games can be crowded affairs. There are times all 10 players on the court can be gathered in one spot looking to get the ball.
‘Youth basketball at the under-10 age isn’t the best time or place for a child to learn to fight through double teams or pass into multiple coverage’, said Yeung, who was the coordinator of basketball development for the Toronto Raptors from 2000 to 2006. ‘The 3-on-3 games loosen everything up and allows young players more room to operate. This allows them to practice their basketball skills without the overcrowding. Once the basic basketball skills of dribbling, passing, rebounding, shot selection are learned and mastered, then they can advance to learn to beat double teams and making passes into tight areas.’
Considering Canada Basketball and almost all of its associations are trying to eliminate youth presses and zone defences, it still happens.
The 3-on-3 brand is strictly man-to-man coverage.
‘We want the children to learn the basic mechanics of basketball before moving on to play a more complex game,’ he said. ‘If your child is not having fun because they aren’t involved in their basketball outing, they will leave the game. That’s what we don’t want. The 3-on-3 brand will work, but we do stress patience and understanding.’
Should you have any questions about the Jr NBA program and 3-on-3 development, contact BNB’s Tyler Slipp at tyler.slipp@basketball.nb.ca.
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