Offense

These notes from Dallas Wings Assistant Mike Neighbors. The topic starts as Transition offense, but there are a few ideas from other areas as well. They were originally posted on Bob Starkey’s HoopThoughts Blog

Two clinic curses:
1. Can’t take it all back
2. I can’t do that because…

“Be good at the things you do a lot.” -Pete Carril

Chart success of your line ups

How fast can you function

Reward role players
1. Win race
2. How many screens set

Transition is about race and space

MN: Player loses two races in a row and she comes out.
Not running floor you’re either tired or unengaged

Rim runners (MN calls “Rabbits”) make for a great transition offense.

Goal for rabbit is to occupy the deed defensive transition player

“Locks” are the left and right corner runners.

“Ball” refers to point guard

“Dragon” refers to trailer

Defender back peddling can’t defend offensive player running down hill

“Make the defense wrong.”

“Reward decision making, not actions.”

Outlet — must be quick or long (or both)

Point guard is passing up the street or crossing the street with the dribble

Doesn’t like to feed the “rabbit” below the foul line on the run — chases her opposite the ball.

“Quick Strike” drill

“Boom” is call for double drag when Rabbit is late.

“Pirate” = roll and post up

Need a good zone offense because people don’t want to guard you.

MN: We only have 4 players (with options)

Man: defense decides match up

Zone: offense decides match up

“If your best player isn’t getting the most shots, you suck as a coach.”

Key ball screen concepts: Arrive w/out a defender (change speed, direction, angles)

How are you occupying the help

“Argue with an idiot long enough and no one will know who the idiot is.”

Green light shooting…player is given “green light” on game day because she met a set numbers from a series of shooting drills. Players have to earn their “license.”

Ball screen defense — you need to play it more than one way. “Switchin’ and Fixin’”

Post defense: chin on shoulder

Wall up because their aren’t enough good post players to score

If transition defense walls up as a team to take point guard penetration away, your trailer has to be open.

Don’t let coaches pass in drills…use players do all the passing to improve their passing.

Advice he got from Coach Gary Blair: Be great at something.

Submitted by Coach John Kimble.

Retired high school and college coach

Follow him on Twitter @CoachJohnKimble

ZONE MOTION OFFENSES vs. ZONE CONTINUITY OFFENSES

Some coaches believe in choosing various forms of motion offenses in their zone offensive attacks that will then give freedom to their offensive players and also create a high level of unpredictability to opposing defenses. Coaches  disagreeing  with  this type  of  philosophy will state  that unpredictable movement is good, but movement with no purpose or fundamental value is not good.

It is difficult for the proper player to have proper movement at the proper time. This ‘motion’ philosophy may also give individual offensive players so much freedom that their indecisiveness in choosing their movement may actually stifle the movement desired.   Many offensive players (and teams) may need more structure in their offensive play and more help in their  offensive  decision  making.

Another group of coaches believe in maintaining a high level of controlling what their individual players can and cannot do, based on the coaching staff’s evaluations of individual and team’ offensive abilities.  This can be achieved by utilizing half-court continuity offenses that provide structure to offensive players.

Opponents of using the continuity offense philosophy complain that it makes the offensive players too predictable in their movements and the predictability makes it easier for opponents to defend.  Additionally, some coaches believe that it makes offensive players ‘robots on specific tracks.’

We want to institute somewhat of a blend of both philosophies and try to get the best of both worlds.  And that is a continuity offense that can smoothly transition from one phase to the final phase, which is a continuity offense that has some freedom as well as a structure in the form of rules.  Every time a player has the basketball and makes a pass to one of his other four teammates, there is a rule that provides structure and helps guide the movement of all five players.

It is not a rigid offense because the player with the ball realistically has at least three (of his four) teammates that he can almost  always  pass the ball.  Each pass from any of the five “spot-up” locations then has at least three potential pass receivers.  Therefore, there is the freedom of making the pass to different players and thus a high degree of unpredictability of what movement takes place after the unpredictable pass is made.

Depending on which zone offense is utilized, there are various (movement-of-players) rules based on the type of pass that is made. The various types of (purposeful and fundamentally sound) movement by players are dictated by the type of pass that is made. There are possible passes from a ‘wing spot-up’ location down to a ‘deep corner spot-up’ location that includes a corresponding movement rule.  Passes from a ‘wing spot-up’ location down to a ‘short-corner spot-up’ location has its own movement rule.

There can be passes made to post players that possesses “inside pass” rules.  There must be “wing pass” rules, “skip pass” rules, “down pass” and “up pass” rules as well as “reverse pass” rules. The opposition will have a high degree of difficulty knowing the type of movement that follows the specific pass that was made and therefore defending that type of movement.  These rules give the offense a degree of structure, but still provides freedom of fluid and unpredictable movement by all offensive players.

SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM ONE PHASE OF THE ZONE OFFENSEINTO THE FINAL PHASE of ATTACK

We want to place all of our offensive players “in positions to succeed.”   This means that every offensive play/entry out of the offensive sets/alignments has multiple objectives.  The initial objective of every play/entry is to immediately “place the right people in the right place” so that those players can utilize their specific strengths, minimize their individual weaknesses and therefore have better opportunities to score quickly  and  directly off of the play.

Another major (but not immediate) objective of each play is that if the entry does not produce a shot, all five offensive players end up in what we call “spot-ups.”  These “spot-ups’ are the five specific locations/positions on the floor that allow the designated continuity offense to immediately flow from the finished entry into the designated continuity offense—giving the opposition’s defense absolutely no time to adjust or recover from their attempt of defending the offense’s entry.

This philosophy of flowing smoothly and immediately from half-court entries/plays (that do not produce shots) should and is incorporated from the other offensive avenues of attack—Press Offenses flowing into Primary Fastbreaks that flow into Secondary Fastbreaks into the designated continuity offense as well as from ‘Defense-to-Offense’ Primary Fastbreaks that flow into Secondary Fastbreaks into the desired continuity offense.

In addition, all Baseline and Sideline Out-of-Bounds plays should also possess the ability of smoothly and instantly flowing into the continuity offense that is to be executed.

Utilizing various plays can highlight individual player’s offensive skills while attacking weaknesses of both individual defenders as well as the overall team defense in the form of quick-hitting  plays.  These plays can also serve as a conduit to smoothly flow into the designated continuity offense.

The entries can move the zone defenders as well as disguising how the offensive team is proceeding to attack the zone defense.  This adds another layer of unpredictability to the overall offensive attack.  The zone defense must first place all attention and effort into attempting to stop the entry/play and without any time for reorganization or regrouping to then attempt to defend the continuity zone offense.

This is the philosophy behind each and every zone continuity offense and its package of entries/plays that we firmly believe in.  It must be emphasized that a team can have an excess of entries/plays as well as too many different continuity zone offenses.  Therefore, a coaching staff must evaluate its personnel both physically and mentally to make sure the correct offenses and the correct number of offenses are chosen.

 

 

“ZONE  OFFENSE  CONCEPTS”

Concept 1:  A successful zone offensive package must require simplicity (for its own offensive players) possibly as its main component.  Players must know what their assignments and responsibilities are in each phase of the offensive attack.  Coaching staffs must evaluate their team’s mental abilities as much or more than their squad’s physical skills and talents to determine its mental capacity and how much that team can utilize other important characteristics and traits such as ‘’Fluidity,’ Multiplicity,’ ‘Flexibility,’ ‘Expandability,’ ‘Adaptability’ and ‘Unpredictability.’  From these characteristics comes the ability to be so unpredictable to opposing defenses that the offense can have such high degrees of success.

Concept 2:  Regardless of the number of offensive sets utilized and the number of offensive plays/entries/quick-hitters that are implemented; each play must have the ability to instantly, seamlessly and fluidly flow into the chosen continuity zone offense.  This gives the offensive package separate (on paper) phases of offensive attack that blend so smoothly that it appears on the court to be one long continuous offensive assault on the opposition’s zone defense. This is the very important ‘Fluidity’ characteristic.

Concept 3:  Once the ‘Simplicity’ factor and the ‘Fluidity’ trait has been integrated into the package, many other very important characteristics/traits can be implemented, with the ‘Multiplicity’ trait quite possibly being the most important.  This is because the ‘Multiplicity’ characteristics are the bridge to many other more valuable traits.  Being able to have multiple plays, multiple sets/alignments and multiple continuities is invaluable to an offensive system.  This allows the offense to be more varied and less predictable to opposing defenses, while still maintaining a degree of simplicity for your own team.

Concept 4:  An offensive package that is ‘Multiple’ also allows the offense  to  be ‘Flexible,’  ‘Expandable’ and ‘Adaptable.’   If an offensive team has the ability to change its method of attack because of the opposition’s defensive strengths and weaknesses, it will be a much more successful offense and add more ways to attack the opposition’s defense, then it increases its offensive strengths exponentially.  This is the important characteristic of ‘Flexibility.’

Concept 5:  An overall offensive scheme that possesses the strength of also being expandable  always gives the offensive team the potential to add other types or forms of attack as the season progresses to become a more explosive offensive team. This is the characteristic we call ‘Expandability.’

Concept 6:  If an offensive team has the ability to change or vary its plan of attack because of  game ‘time and situation’ factors in the middle of a game or because of personnel changes in the middle of the season, then it increases a team’s chance for a more successful season. This is the important characteristic of ‘Adaptability.’

Concept 7:  An offensive package that is ‘Multiple,’ and/or ‘Flexible,’  and/or ‘Expandable’ and/or ‘Adaptable’ will very much possess the all-important weapon of being unpredictable to all opposing teams.   If an offensive team can make changes in how it attacks opposition’s  defenses from game to game and even from quarter to quarter of the same game, it makes it extremely difficult for any defense to attempt to solve the offensive plan that can constantly change. This is the important characteristic of ‘Unpredictability.’

Concept 8:  Utilize a primary and secondary fast break system that is compatible with and that fully complements your zone offense package.

Concept 9:  Use different sets/alignments and entries/plays to be more varied and less predictable to opposing defenses.  Various sets and entries can be used to become less predictable to the opposition while still maintaining a degree of simplicity for your own team.

Concept 10:  Every zone defense has inherent weaknesses.  Coaches should learn the particular styles of the zone defense that are being used by your opponents (the basic slides and responsibilities in that zone) so that they may attack and capitalize on the weaknesses of each defense.

Concept 11:  Capitalize on the strengths of the offensive alignment/set by distorting the shape of the original zone defense to stretch the zone  both  vertically as well as horizontally (such as wing players slightly below the FT line extended and/or post players aligned in the ‘short corner’ area.)

Concept 12:  Having a zone offense continuity with clearly defined responsibilities and assignments can create levels of specialization that will showcase individual player’s talent levels and improve the overall effectiveness of the zone offense.

Concept 13:  Capitalize on your offensive personnel’s individual strengths via various entries/plays or different alignments/sets.

Concept 14:  Use different entries and/or alignments to capitalize on an opposing individual’s defensive weaknesses. Make sure that the ending spot-ups of each entry/play fit the beginning spot-ups locations of the designated continuity offense.

Concept  15:  With some zone offensive sets, begin certain offensive plays/entries with ‘false ball movement’ and/or ‘false player movement.’ This concept could be compared to a football team “shifting” from one offensive formation and      actually ending up in a different offensive formation before the action actually begins (causing defensive problems).

Concept 16:  If an offensive team is mentally able to handle it, some offensive sets can be camouflaged by actually beginning in one alignment, then using a form of ‘false ball movement;’ before then ‘shifting’ into the actual desired zone offense set.

Concept 17:  Make sure that defensive transition responsibilities (i.e., preventing opponents from getting into their fast break offense) are clear-cut and carried out by all five players in the zone offense.

Concept 18:  Have clear-cut offensive rebounding responsibility rules for all five players in the zone offense and make sure that they are executed by every player in the zone offense.

Concept 19:  Reverse the ball to force the defensive zone to defend both sides of the floor. This allows  the zone to horizontally stretch and therefore weaken the defense.

Concept 20:  Attack the zone defense from behind the defense’s back-line of the zone  with various types of cuts, often from along the baseline.  This is another  way of stretching the zone defense vertically.

Concept 21:  Flatten the zone defense by getting the basketball down to the baseline and then reverse the ball quickly to the opposite side of the floor.  This is another way of stretching the zone first in a vertical manner and then in a horizontal manner.

Concept 22:  Maintain good floor balance and spacing in the zone offense.

Concept 23:  Zone offensive players should know the value of the dribble and utilize the dribble properly.  Utilize the various dribbles in each of the various zone offenses:  Pull Down Dribbles, Gap Dribbles, Pull Up Dribbles and Freeze Dribbles

Concept 24:  When catching the basketball, zone offensive players should be prepared to become immediate offensive threats as  shooters, passers, or dribblers.

Concept 25:  Zone offensive players should remember the value of ball fakes and shot fakes.  All zones are ball oriented  and will react to the basketball.

Concept 26:  Zone offensive players should remember the value and then utilize skip passes.

Concept 27:  Screen defenders in the zone defense with on-the-ball screens and/or off-the-ball screens (such  as  back, flare, pin and interior screens).

Concept  28:  Using cutters (from the perimeter who cut through the heart of the zone defense to the opposite side of the offense) is another effective method of attacking zone defenses.

Concept 29:  Anytime the ball is passed into the middle of a zone defense, the receiver should look to ‘extend the pass,’ to a teammate that is closer to the basket and on to the opposite side of the floor from where the original pass originated.

Concept 30:  If the ball is passed inside to a post player, perimeter players should flare-cut to the various soft spots in the zone defense and be prepared to quickly catch and shoot off of the pass.  This cutting action after inside passes are made again can stretch the zone both vertically as well as horizontally.

Concept 31:  Post players should ‘gap-cut’ in the middle of the zone defense. Once the defense’s perimeter has been stretched thin, the middle is vulnerable and should be attacked.  Attacking the middle of the zone with ‘gap cuts’ starting from behind the zone should be very productive.

Concept 32:  Zone offenses should have an ‘inside-out’ perimeter shooting attack as well as  an ‘outside-in’ type of attack.

Concept 33:  When passing the ball to offensive post players, perimeter players should use bounce-passes away from the post defenders (unless it is a lob pass to a player behind the zone).

Concept 34:  Offensive post players should look to obtain (and maintain) body position advantages over their post defenders.

Concept 35:  If  zone defenses try to deny the inside scoring of the offense, ‘skip passes’ should be utilized to attack the defense’s weaknesses in its over-commitment of its interior defense.

Concept 36:  After ‘skip passes’ are  made, post players should seal off the post defenders that deny them the ball on the original ballside and be prepared to receive the pass from the original weakside.

Concept 37:  When zone defenders react to the ‘skip pass,’ a second ‘skip pass’ back to the original ballside can be very effective.  A phrase “One good ‘skip pass’ deserves another” should be taught and utilized in every type of offense that is used.

Concept 38:  Post players should know and effectively implement specific offensive post  moves after catching the ball in the zone defense’s interior, such as:

*The “Show-and-Go-Opposite” offensive post move.

*The “Square-Up and Up-and-Under” move.

*The “Whirl” Move (sometimes called the ‘Olajuwon Move’).

*The “Duck-In” Move into either a power move or  a  face-up move.

*The “Spin-­and-Post-Up” move when the  defense is fronting the ‘duck-in’ move.

Concept 39:  The “Shifting” concept is simply when offensive personnel move or shift (on cue) from their original locations to different locations before the play/entry/quick-hitter begins—changing the offensive set from one to another (before the defense can adjust.)

Concept 40:   The “(False) Motion” concept is when offensive personnel move from their original locations (on a designated time) after the ball and player movement—disguising what the offense’s final alignment and intended action (to confuse and weaken the defense.

Concept 41:  The “Combo Offense” concept is executing one continuity offense and when at a designated ‘trigger point,’  the offense simply converts to an entirely different continuity offense with no delays or interruptions.

About the Author

Coach Kimble was the Head Basketball Coaching position at Deland-Weldon (IL) High School for five years (91-43) that included 2 Regional Championships, 2 Regional Runner-Ups and 1 Sectional Tournament Runner-up. He then moved to Dunlap (IL) High School (90-45) with 2 Regional Runners-up, 1 Regional, 1 Sectional and 1 Super-Sectional Championship and a final 2nd Place Finish in the Illinois Class A State Tournament. He was an Assistant Basketball Coach at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, FL for 1 year before becoming Offensive Coordinator and then Associate Head Coach for 3 additional years He then was the Head Basketball Coach at Crestview (FL) High School for 10 years, averaging over 16 wins per season.

He has had articles published in the following publications such as: The Basketball Bulletin of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Scholastic Coach and Athletic Journal, Winning Hoops, Basketball Sense, and American Basketball Quarterly. He has also written and has had five books published along with over 25 different DVDs by Coaches Choice and Fever River Sports Production.

See him on Twitter @CoachJohnKimble and his Web Page “www.CoachJohnKimble.com”

—Excerpted from the book, “Stuff Good Players Should Know” by Dick DeVenzio

Posted with permission from PGCBasketball

PLAYERS OFTEN TAKE SHOTS IN PRACTICE THEY CAN MAKE AGAINST THEIR SECOND LINE, BUT NOT AGAINST THE BETTER PLAYERS THEY FACE IN BIG GAMES.

I invented the term LONHOBIRAT some time ago to indicate what I thought was most important about shot selection. It means, get a Lay-up Or a shot with No Hand up, On Balance, In your Range with Adequate Time to shoot.

The word covers most of what is important in selecting shots but, over a period of time, I found myself changing my own way of teaching shot selection. Yes, those are still the ingredients to be considered, but now I use a numbering system. I begin by simply watching a scrimmage and requiring that my players find a shot that elates me.

When they get a shot that elates me, I call it a 7. If we get a wide open lay-up—a shot we will literally make 99 times out of a hundred, I give that a 9. There is no such thing as a perfect 10. Even an NBA superstar with a wide open dunk can miss. So the best shot possible is a 9.

During a practice, when I call something as not a particularly good shot, a player is likely to argue, “Coach, I can make that shot.”

Indeed, he may very well have just made it. But the problem is, too many shots that athletes choose in practice may score against the second team defense but not against the better players they will face in big games. In other words, the so-so shot that manages to go in during practice too often misses during a game.

As a result, you look back after a big game that you lost by a few points and you have to admit that you chose your way to failure. The other team didn’t beat you. You chose shots that were so so and it’s no big surprise that you missed them.

You cannot let your team choose the very shots in practice that will assure them of losing big games for you. Therefore, other than wanting my players to know that being on balance, being within their range, and having adequate time are all important, I want them—during the action of practice scrimmages—to realize that I’m not interested in arguing about details. I just want to be elated. If the shot was taken a bit off balance, a bit too fast, or a bit too far out, who cares which bit it is? I’m just not elated with that shot, and so taking that shot in practice is not leading us to the promised land.

I give these so-so shots that most teams toss up willingly everyday in practice a 5. They go in fairly often, but they don’t lead to wins in big games, which is precisely what you practice for. (You can win easy games without practice.)

SO HERE’S MY RATING SYSTEM:

9 = A VERY EASY, UNCONTESTED LAY-UP

7 = A GOOD SHOT; I’M ELATED WITH IT

5 = A SO-SO SHOT; IT WORKS OFTEN—IN PRACTICE

3 = A BAD SHOT; A VERY LOW PERCENTAGE SHOT THAT EVERYONE REALIZES SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN—YOU JUST CAN’T HAVE THESE.

When watching practice, I can yell out instantly what a shot is worth. Anytime I’m not sure, I yell the number in between. Am I elated? Then 7. Not sure, but it’s better than a so-so 5? Okay, I give the shot a 6.

When you start thinking about shots in this way, and get your team thinking about them in this way, it becomes a lot easier to get everyone on the same page about shot selection.

Should everyone be allowed to shoot an open shot? Of course not. Everyone should be allowed to shoot a shot that elates me.

The more you practice and the better shooter a player becomes, the more I am likely to be elated by his choices. But every player has the same requirement: elate me.

The reason I have gotten away from talking much about LONHOBIRAT is the L part, the lay-up. I find one of the most common problems teams have is the number of lay-ups they choose and miss, particularly by post players inside.

You work hard teaching guards to look inside and get the ball inside to your big men, and then your big men toss up some whirling loopty-doo shots and—Hello? We’re supposed to all be happy with them?

Sorry. Just because a shot is taken close to the basket does not mean it’s a good shot. In fact, most big men have a habit of turning potential 7s and 9s into 5s and even 3s by tossing up shots that have very little chance of going in.

Often they are going to their weak side, tossing up shots over the hands of defenders who are taller, stronger, and better than the players they face in practice each day. Small wonder that they miss these shots.

Your big men have to be taught to go strong to the basket with their strong hand; otherwise, there is a very good chance they will take a shot that will go in only occasionally when it really matters.

Even more important, big men are very likely to shoot too fast, a problem most young coaches fail to recognize because they think the shot must be taken quickly to avoid nearby defenders.

Yet the best big men in the world take their time and take the shot they want. They don’t hurry. They rely on strength and technique, not speed and surprise.

You must make sure your big people take high percentage shots, just as you have to assure it in your guards who want to stand beyond the three-point arc and toss up prayers. If you don’t demand great shot selection during your practices, you are very unlikely to find yourself elated with your shot selection after your games.

The best way I know to get the shots you want is by making them a requirement in your daily line game scrimmages. When you see a shot that fails to elate you, you don’t need to bother with explanations that irritate your players. Blow that whistle.

Get them to the line, and let some of your players say it. “You weren’t exactly elated with that shot, were you, Coach?”

No, you weren’t elated. The shot went in. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. It wasn’t what you wanted your player to select. It was so-so, and you were glad the team recognized it.

You could use a shot like that some day, at the end of a quarter or when a shot clock violation is about to occur. But you don’t want your players choosing that shot in practice; and it makes things a lot easier to have some of them telling you, rather than you constantly having to correct and criticize them.

—Excerpted from the book, “Running the Show”

To learn more about PGC Basketball, including additional training tips and videos, you can visit their YouTube Channel

These statements are from the Princeton Hybrid Offense eBook.

Whether or not they fit your beliefs and players, I hope that they will at least prompt you to clarify in writing what your beliefs are. It will clarify things for everyone in your program and allow you to be more specific and efficient in your planning and use of practice time.

Princeton Offensive Philosophy

We believe that one basic formation in the half court followed by different options will be the most successful style of play for us. The first thing we want to do after a defensive rebound is to push the ball to see if we have an advantage. Anytime we have a good shot in transition, we want to take advantage of our numbers. A good shot for us means a lay-up or an open shot for a very good shooter. We want to get to the foul line through hard drives and cuts because that is where games are won and lost.

Our half court offense is designed to take advantage of the most difficult defense to play against – half court pressure man to man. This type of defense forces most offenses out of what they want do and breaks down most offenses into one on one play. Our offense is superior for the following reasons:

· We are able to use our quickness to get to the basket and the foul line
· From our 2-3 high set we are able to attack any kind of half court trap without adjusting our alignment
· We are difficult to scout because we don’t call out plays
· We move without the ball and force teams to match our physical conditioning
· We have an open attack where anyone can score rather than specific plays for only a few players
· We only have to learn one position and focus on execution instead of remembering set plays
· We will improve as our shooting, passing, and execution improves
· It relies on mental quickness, fundamentals, and shooting – 3 things we can control
· We don’t have a primary PG because anyone of our players can bring the ball up to start the offense

We believe our offensive attack incorporates the following principles of offensive play:
1. Drive to the basket (Fouls)
2. Inside out game (three point shot)
3. Pass/Cut opportunities
4. Penetrate and pitch
5. Single screens
6. Screens on the ball
7. Screens on the screener
8. Slipping screens
9. Backdoor cuts
10. Curl cuts
11. Feeding the post
12. Movement with the ball in the post
13. Offensive rebounding position
14. Taking weakside help away
15. Defensive balance
16. Organized team play

Princeton System of Play

Our core three beliefs in priority are:
1. NO TURNOVERS
2. Great Shot Selection
3. Contain the Basketball

Basic Philosophy of Play

1. If you can pass, dribble, and shoot well, you will always dictate to the defense what they do. If you can’t and are not fundamentally sound, they will dictate what you do.
2. You must be able to dribble, pass and shoot, screen and cut – ON THE MOVE UNDER PRESSURE. The quality of your passing determines the quality of your shots! You must dribble with a purpose and the other four players must read the dribbler.
3. Think change of direction–think five players high. Five players must work together.
4. There is a counter for everything the defense does. Do the opposite of what the defense is doing. Must read the defense–are they playing hard or soft–any denial cut backdoor.
5. Think layups and three point shots in that order.

6. Don’t run to the ball!
7. Hit the cutter with a bounce pass (it is OK to use one hand passes). The offense is about hypnotic cuts, passes and hand offs. Timing and cutting are essential to establishing flow and success for the offense.
8. This offense is more about cutting than screening. Move to open spaces. When you screen don’t just screen, screen- and read each situation.
9. CUT CREDIBLY -look for the ball where you are coming open–then get back outside to perimeter as quickly as possible.
10. STAND JUDICIOUSLY – Float to open spot and occupy your man. Have fingers up and butt down, think ball in air feet in air.
11. Five players must work together. UNSELFISHNESS is more important than brains–must couple this with discipline.

 
These notes on post play are from Dennis Hutter, Head Women’s Coach at North Dakota.

Three types of game all teams should have:

1. Perimeter game
2. Intermediate game
3. Lane game – post play

Post Play Thoughts:

-Whether you are a fast paced team or a team that slows the pace down, you have to have the ability to get the ball to the block

-You can have great post play without great size – Posting up guards is an option

-Easiest way to “loosen up” a defense is to consistently make them defend the ball on the block

-A great post player always has the ability to have two defenders defend them

1. Double team from away from the ball after the catch
2. Fronted post with backside helpside defenders

-We want our post players shooting 55% from the floor – where they catch the ball and operate their low post game is

a BIG part of this shooting percentage.

-All offenses should be built from the inside/out – that starts with a great “lane game” – Post Play

-Defenses are also built inside/out – Post players have to work even harder because of this concept

-Five characteristics of a great Post Player

1. Head – The ability to learn – Shows great patience
2. Heart – The desire to learn – Plays with great energy and toughness, not afraid of contact
3. Hands – Ball Security is number one thing when ball is passed into the post
4. Feet – Always fighting with their feet – footwork is the key to a great seal
5. Ability to Score the Ball – finishes well around rim with both hands, can make FTs

-Post players need to E.A.T. every day – Effort, Attitude, Toughness

-Great post players sometimes need to show great patience – They let the ball find them, instead of always looking to find the ball

-Play SLOW in the post before and after receiving the ball – USE YOUR HEAD AND READ DEFENDER

-Great perimeter players make great post players – Dean Lockwood

-Play BIG in the post

-Not tall – But Wide & Strong

-Not High, Higher, Highest – But Low, Lower, Lowest

Four Keys to Being a Great Post Player:

1. Getting Open –Proper Post Stance

-There are two types of offensive post players:  Stationary Post Players & Mobile Post Players

-There are a few different ways that you can get open in the post – you always want to try and get open in your scoring area. A few ways you can get open in your scoring area are as follows:

1. Seal In – Proper Post Up – seal the defense into the lane
2. Seal Out – Seal defender out of the lane for a “hi/lo” post feed
3. Set Up for the Lob – Against a fronting defender
4. Cutting – Cutting into an area to receive ball
5. Rim Runs – Post Player runs the middle of the floor in transition offense
6. Offensive Rebounding – Treat very shot like a pass and “go get the rebound”

-Focus on a Proper Post Stance when trying to get open:

-Post up in an athletic stance – with bent knees and bent elbows

-Wide Base, Low Hips & High Hands

-“Lower and Wider is Better” – The player that wins, is the player that is lower and wider

-Wide enough base that you have great balance, but are still quick

-“Sit Into Your Game”

-Great Balance – Keep head back and in between knees – Keep a still head (baseball hitter)

-DEMAND the ball with your voice and also with your position

-Make contact with defender and move them back a step – “Own your spot on the floor”

-Two ways to create and make contact with your defender

1. Step over the top of defender
2. Pin & Spin Technique

-Push hands out, so you can see the backs of your hands

-Take up as much space as you can in the post –take up space with your base and your wide hand placement

2. Staying Open

-Keep your feet between your defender and the ball

-Stay light on your feet –Boxer Mentality

-Fight with your feet all the time

-Constantly show your #’s to the ball – Don’t turn your body and become “skinny”

-If the ball can’t see your numbers, you are not open

-Make and MAINTAIN contact through the entire seal – LOSE THE CONTACT/LOSE THE SEAL

-Keep your hands high – limits offensive foul calls and also allows to be ready to receive ball

-“Talk to the ball” – Where do you want the ball fed from????

-Great post players are always thinking one pass ahead – set up defender to seal to the ball

-One defender should not keep you from receiving the ball

-Always try to get both paint and angles when sealing in the post

-Four reasons to release your seal of the defender:

1. Go catch a pass
2. Up against a 3 seconds in the lane call
3. If you get out of your scoring area
4. On any dribble penetration

3. Receive the Ball Safely

-Catch the Ball with your eyes, feet and hands

-Ball security is number one thing when ball is passed into the post – Catch the ball!!!!

-Catch, Chin & Look Middle – Play Slow in the Post

-Exception to this is if you have a direct angle to rim on post catch

-Block & Tuck Concept on every catch – Block the ball and quickly tuck the ball under your chin

-Catch the ball with a “piece of the paint”

-Catch with two feet in the post – Jump stop as you catch the ball

-Allows you the ability to use either foot as your pivot foot

4. Scoring Simply

– A great post player is efficient with BOTH HANDS around the rim

-Try to score with limited amounts of dribbles – no dribble moves are the best “Sweet”

-Get the ball up on all shots – contact on the shot, shortens your shot

-Three Point Plays are the ultimate goal – Absorb the contact and score the ball – TOUGHNESS

-“Scoring Simply” means getting all of your work done before the ball arrives – just like a great shooter

-“Less is More” in the post

-Too many post moves = too little production in the post

-You should have one “go to” move and one “counter” move in the post

-Great post players have one signature move in the post

-Finish closer to the rim, than where you caught the ball

-Shot Fakes in the Post:

-2 Inch vertical shot fake – no elongated shot fakes – short quick fakes

-“Take it up, Keep it up” – Don’t bring ball back down after shot fake – CHIN

St. Louis Assistant Zak Boisvert has assembled some of the ways that the Golden State attacks defensive switches.

Coach Boisvert has posted several videos of some of the better schemes he has seen. His You Tube channel is: Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

Coach Boisvert has also diagrammed the plays from the video and has provided a download link to the pdf. You can download the pdf here.

The voice over that you hear is Coach Boisvert

 

How Golden State Attacks Switching