Transition

1 Drill, 10 Perfect Reps, Zero Excuses: Our Fast Break Fix

By Brian Williams on August 25, 2026

Justin Leith, Head Girls’ Basketball Coach, Bullis School, MD

This video is a segment from one of the 120 Videos in Glazier Drive Basketball.

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The full video that this clip came from is available on Glazier Drive: Fast Break Building Blocks: Playing with Pace & Speed

DRILL OVERVIEW

This transcript breaks down “10 in a Row,” a fast-break conditioning and transition drill named for the number of players on the roster — each group must complete that many made layups in a row before earning a break. It’s designed to reinforce pace, spacing, and transition decision-making with zero tolerance for sloppy execution.

HOW THE DRILL WORKS

Starting at the free throw line, the ball-handler pushes the ball with two dribbles, jump stops at the top of the key, and hits a cutter running the lane for a layup. Immediately after passing, that player sprints to grab the ball out of the net to reset the drill and become the next outlet target.

KEY TEACHING POINTS

Spacing: The receiving player must get to free-throw-line-extended (not below it, ideally wide) so there’s room to push the ball in transition.
Outlet discipline: Players never receive or make outlet passes from directly under the backboard — getting stuck there in a game is described as one of the worst-case scenarios, especially late in a close game.
Eyes up / half-court simulation: A player stationed at half court simulates a game look, training the outlet receiver to catch the ball with their back to the end line, pivot, and immediately scan ahead rather than dribble it out passively.
Big man rule: If a big rebounds and no one is ahead in transition, the coach wants them to push the ball themselves and go coast to coast rather than wait for help.
One continuous motion: Catch, pivot, and advance — no hesitation, no standing still after the rebound.
Drill runs on both the right and left sides of the floor to build the habit in both directions.

ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARD

If two layups are missed in a single rep (sometimes even one, especially early season), the whole group runs as a conditioning consequence, and the count resets to zero. The coach frames this as upholding a competitive standard — missing point-blank layups with no defense present isn’t acceptable for a top program — while also using the drill as a built-in conditioning tool heading into the season.

WHY IT MATTERS

The coach emphasizes that daily repetition of these habits (grab-and-go outlets, wide spacing, eyes up) builds instinctive transition play that shows up in games — including training players to instinctively avoid getting trapped behind the backboard, a mistake that’s costly when it happens in a real game.

Turbo Transition Offense Drills (Hard to Guard)

By Brian Williams on June 10, 2026

Ryan Kapustka, Asst Men’s Basketball Coach, Dartmouth

This video is a segment from one of the 120 Videos in Glazier Drive Basketball.

Explore coaching clinic replays, practice plans, skill development videos, and more. Click here to see all that’s included.

The full video that this clip came from is available on Glazier Drive: Transition Offense & Concepts.

OVERVIEW

This video covers a basketball coach’s preferred drills and concepts for teaching transition offense (“turbo”), emphasizing pace, decision-making, and player development in fast break situations.

KEY CONCEPTS

The coach stresses getting all five players — especially big men — skilled enough to sprint the floor, pass, catch, and finish. The goal is to create an offense that is nearly impossible to guard when all five players can handle and move the ball at pace.

FEATURED DRILLS

The video walks through several drills: 2-on-2 early opportunity drills, a 5-man bust-out drill focused on dribbling ahead and looking opposite, a full-court transition shooting drill, and the “Cycle Drill” — their most important daily drill — which incorporates outleting, throwing ahead, paint attacks, proper spacing, and make/miss identification, all with a target of scoring in 7 seconds or less.

ADVANTAGE/WILLIAMS DRILL

A progression drill starting 2-on-1, building to 5-on-5. The coach values this as much for offensive aggression and quick decision-making as for the defensive reps most coaches focus on.

COACHING PHILOSOPHY

Live play is emphasized as the best teacher. Coaches must be “maniacal” about holding players to standards — especially early in the season and during scout-heavy stretches when habits slip. Celebrate the right plays, give constant feedback, and never assume good habits are automatic.

Davidson Transition (Video Breakdown)

By Brian Williams on April 10, 2026

Robi Coker, Asst Men’s Basketball Coach, McNeese State

This video is a segment from one of the 120 Videos in Glazier Drive Basketball. Explore coaching clinic replays, practice plans, skill development videos, and more. Click here to see all that’s included.

Full video on Glazier Drive: Davidson Break & Euro Continuity Ball Screen Offense

OVERVIEW

Coach Coker walks through film from Davidson College’s basketball offense, explaining how they adapted its principles for their high school team.

BASIC PERSONNEL SPACING

In Davidson’s system, the two-man goes to the right corner, the three-man to the left corner, and the big man runs straight to the rim — ideally positioning himself at the center of the basket so the defense can’t dictate which side he works from.

THE TRAIL BIG AND BALL SCREEN ACTION

The four-man (the inbounder) stops at the three-point line with feet facing the rim. This eliminates moving screen violations and keeps him ready to shoot if both defenders collapse on the ball handler. The point guard plays cat-and-mouse off flat ball screens to gain an early advantage in each possession.

TRANSITION AND FAST BREAK PRINCIPLES

The point guard stays in the middle third of the floor in transition. This spacing kept defenses honest in the corners, often creating open layup opportunities or a trail three-pointer for the big man following the play.

STAGGER SCREEN ACTION

A key piece of the offense involves a stagger screen (two screens set in succession) for the two-guard. The ball handler has three options: reject the screen (go under), curl around it, or come off the stagger for a catch-and-shoot three. Defenders trained to stop one option become vulnerable to another.

HIGH SCHOOL ADAPTATIONS

Because the coach’s team was small, they ran a five-out formation (no post player) rather than Davidson’s traditional setup. They also improvised a unique sequence — a down screen flowing directly into a ball screen on the weak side — which they discovered by accident in practice but found highly effective given their personnel.

Fred Hoiberg: Secondary Break Options

By Brian Williams on October 5, 2025

In the video below, Coach Fred Hoiberg details secondary break options in the Iowa State system.

Coach Hoiberg utilizes the following 6 sets in his transition offense.

Flex Set ( with six options)
Wide Pin Down Set (four options)
Drag Series (four options)
Isolation Set (three options)
“1” Transition (three options)
“2” Transition (two options, plus transformation into 3-out-2-in, 4-out-1-in, 5-out set ups)

In the video below he details 4 options in his Flex Set.

For more information about all of the sets in Coach Hoiberg’s transition offense click the following link: Fred Hoiberg: Transition Basketball with Six Secondary Break Sets

The YouTube video below has audio so please make sure that your speakers are turned on.

Transition Offense Reads

By Brian Williams on March 29, 2023

In the clip below Gonzaga assistant coach Stephen Gentry (formerly an Illinois assistant) discusses some automatic reads in transition that were utilized when he was at Illinois.

The first scenario occurs when one big is trailing the play and the other has made a rim run. In this scenario, the read is a simple roll-and-replace.

The trailing big sets a ball screen and rolls and the big that made the rim run replaces him at the top of the key. If the rolling big does not receive the ball from the point guard he seals his man and looks to receive a high-low pass from the other big.

The second scenario that may occur in transition is when both bigs are trailing the play. This initiates an automatic double-drag screen. Coach Gentry stresses the need for 4 and 5 to set their screens at least 6-8 feet apart. He wants the defender on the point guard to negotiate two separate screens.

Coach Gentry states that it doesn’t matter which big sets the first screen but he always has the 5 roll and the 4 pop. The 4 should be careful and pop to the middle third of the floor so the defender guarding the corner can’t defend him and the offensive player in the corner.

The third scenario covered by Coach Gentry is the pitch ahead.

If the ball is passed ahead before crossing halfcourt the point guard will cut through to the opposite corner. This will signal the 3 to lift to the wing. The 2 that received the pitch ahead will hit the trailing big. The 3 man will now make a basket cut (Buffalo Action) and fill the opposite corner.

After the 3 cuts through the 1 will lift to the wing. The 4 man passes him the ball and chases into a ball screen. From here they simply flow into their offense.

This clip was taken from a full presentation by Coach Gentry at a TABC Clinic. Click the following link to gain access to the complete presentation: Stephen Gentry – Transition Offense

The Value of Running Wide

By Brian Williams on July 4, 2022

Coach Cody Toppert, a former Memphis assistant coach and current assistant at LSU, explains the value of running wide in transition and how it helps create early open looks in a 5 out offense.

In the clip below Coach Toppert does a great job illustrating his concepts using game footage.

Here is a quick breakdown of what he discusses in the clip.

Find the nearest sideline
Run wide and keep vision of the ball
Running wide creates opportunities for the trigger man in the middle third of the floor and creates opportunities to stretch the defense and find early shots.
Value the Corners – race to the corner and be shot ready
Put pressure on the rim and fill spots behind the 3-pt line

He also discusses that data shows that the 3pt % drops later in the possession. Players make a higher % of threes when they take them early in the possession.

This clip was taken from Coach Toppert’s complete course. For more information about that course click the following link: 5 Out Systems and Actions

For those interested Coach Toppert is a highly regarded player development coach and he has also put together a training course on that topic: Complete Player Development Masterclass – Turn Your Players Into Pro`s