In Basketball Coach you play as a coach and call in plays as you try to become a world champion on your way to developing a hall of fame career. The game is a variant of and homage to Shanghai Rummy while incorporating the theme and tension associated with coaching basketball. Each game is made up of stops and runs.
A stop is a play with at least three of the same card. Suit does not matter when playing a stop. Think three of a kind.
A run is a play with at least four cards in sequence of players from the same suit. Think straight.
On your turn, you must: 1) draw a card from the top of the deck or the top of the free agent pool (discard pile); 2) Set your roster in hand; 3) Discard a player. The round ends when the first person gets rid of all of the cards in their hand.
You may also: Call in a play if you have the right players in hand. Plays are called after a card is drawn and before a card is discarded.
The game ends after the 7th round and the Coach given up the fewest points wins the game and is on their way to a Hall of Fame career!