Drunken thoughts on "Hoosiers"

In Hickory's first game of the season against Oolitic, coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) often yells out "four passes," indicating that his team is to not take any shots until they've passed four times. What the hell kind of coaching is that? Are they supposed to ignore an open shot if they haven't passed four times yet? And I'm sure the defense likes knowing they don't have to worry about defending a shot until after the fourth pass.