Archie Miller: Accelerating Your Transition Offense

Accelerate your transition offense!

In this presentation, Elite Eight coach and USA Basketball staff member Archie Miller showcases:

• two styles of transition offense for made or missed shots
• quick hitters that will flow into in your early offense
• an effective system for breaking full court pressure
• drills for building an up-tempo style of play

Using this transition offense, his teams have opened up games, created foul trouble for opponents and scored before the defense could get set.

Phoenix Offense Off Missed Shots

The Phoenix fast break will have your players pushing the ball off of rebounds and turnovers in a flexible system that can take on a variety of alignments. Whether you are looking to play small ball or load the floor with post players, this transition offense thrives with any combination of personnel on your roster. Using the Phoenix Build-Up Drill, Coach Miller shows how easily you can flow into different drag ball screen situations by utilizing a set of motion-like principles.

Carolina Transition Off Made Shots

If an opponent scores, Coach Miller employs his Carolina transition offense to create scoring opportunities and flows right into motion offense. Carolina maximizes efficiency by cutting down on reaction times and provides a family of actions where each position is utilized as a scoring threat. Using the 5-on-0 Run Through Drill, your players can learn how to feed the ball into the post on rim runs or by advance passes "up the street" or "across the street."

Transition Triggers

No transition offensive system would be complete without triggers and ways to attack the press. Coach Miller demonstrates three triggers that the point guard initiates: flip, spin and through. If your opponent wants to press to slow down your transition offense, no problem.

Coach Miller shows how the Carolina break can be modified to attack the defense with the Alive and Dead press breaks. You will learn how to quickly inbound the ball and make the defense pay for denying the point guard with the Hook & Slice option. Player spacing and rotations are also explained to maximize your passing options at all times against the press as you advance the ball up the floor.

Transition Drills

Learn four practice drills that will help you install these transition offenses. The Read and React Drill forces players to think on the fly and run into a set play using the Carolina break. The Phoenix/Carolina Combination drill develops both fast break styles in the same full court trip with a 5-on-0 run through. The competition is increased with two different 5-on-5 scrimmage formats: Circle Transition and Free Throw Transition.

Q&A segment

Coach Miller gets specific on ball screen technique in the Phoenix break in addition to strategies he uses to counter defensive tactics versus ball screens, such as switching and trapping. He also shares further information on maintaining floor balance in the Phoenix break and point guard options in Loaded Side situations. You will also learn how you can modify the Phoenix break based on your personnel to accommodate five guards or two post players on the floor at once.

This is one of the most complete transition offensive systems you will find. Coach Miller does an excellent job demonstrating how to teach and install the Flyer transition offense into any program. This system is sure to put pressure on your opponents and create more scoring opportunities for your team.

Produced at the Spring 2015 Pittsburgh (PA) clinic.

41 minutes. 2015.