Why Every Basketball Coach Needs a Play Creator

Drawing plays on a whiteboard or paper during timeouts is not an efficient use of your time. As a coach, I always felt like every second drawing a play was a wasted second. If I use a 30-second timeout then I want my 30 seconds. But everyone else uses the ol' expo so I did as well. I'd sketch a play, explain it half a million times, then still watch my guys do it wrong because they could not see what I was seeing.

Static Diagrams Don't Work Anymore

In my opinion, this is why basketball, and other sports, need to move away from static diagrams. In the age of TikTok and YouTube Shorts, kids need visual stimulation. My circles on napkins don't do any of that — despite how it embarrasses my wife when I ask for more napkins. Players see a mess of lines, nod, then go play street ball.

Animation Changes Everything

A play creator with animation changes things. You draw up a play — player 1 passes to player 2 while 4 sets a drag screen for 3 — and then click play. The whole thing animates. They see it and see themselves move. They see timing. They see where they need to be and when.

I've watched players understand a play in 30 seconds from an animation that took me 10 minutes to explain on a whiteboard. That's not an exaggeration. When they can see the spacing and the movement together, it clicks.

Timeouts Are Too Short for Drawing

Like I said before — timeouts aren't long. You take a full timeout, players come to the bench, and before you know it the first horn sounds. You had maybe 30 seconds of coaching time? That's why I am moving away from the traditional way of drawing plays and going electronically.

Imagine a play creator on your tablet with every play you have ever created saved and available instantly. Open it, swipe to the play you need, show the team. No drawing, no erasing, no "okay pretend this circle is you." Just the play, animated, on screen.

Share With Your Staff and Players

How many times have you tried to explain a play to an assistant coach over text? Or sent a photo of your whiteboard that looks like hieroglyphics? With a digital play creator, you share a link. They see exactly what you drew, animated, on their own phone.

Send it to players before practice. Let them study it on their own time. When they show up already knowing the play, practice time goes to reps instead of explanation.

Film Review Makes More Sense

When you're watching film and you see a breakdown, you can pull up the play you designed and compare. Here's what was supposed to happen. Here's what actually happened. Where did it go wrong? Was it the timing on the screen? Did someone cut too early?

Having your plays saved digitally means you can reference them instantly instead of trying to remember what you drew on a whiteboard three games ago.

It Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

Look, a lot of creator tools out there are either too expensive, require an app download, or take forever to figure out. I got tired of finding something that matched my efficiency so I built CourtBook's play creator. It's free, runs in your browser, and you can draw up a play in under a minute. Add steps, hit play, watch it animate. Pull it up on your tablet during games.

Would I rather you use my app over others? Yes, not because I want all the traffic but because I genuinely think it will help you. But it is important to choose what is right for you. I just want to push coaches to meet the kids where they are. I truly believe this is a necessary next step.