With 2010-11 Naismith National High School Boys Basketball Coach of the Year Kevin Boyle leading the way, learn about different ways you can win with undersized players. Boyle provides an overview of his offense before getting into specific team drills to practice the key concepts.

Motion Offense Overview

For undersized teams, the goal here is to spread the floor after we get over half court. However, the first problem is getting the ball up the court against pressure. You might have a lot of trouble even getting into your sets and plays.

First, you want to stretch high and wide full court against a more athletic team. Stay out of the corners so that guys have the opportunity to fade to the corners and drive when necessary. Second, look to keep 15 to 18-foot spacing between guards and 15 to 18-foot spacing between the wings.

With this first motion offense, we have a few simple rules: 1) If you pass below, you cut through, 2) If there is no post player on the ballside, aim for an inside cut looking for a layup or quick cut behind the defender, 3) When the passer cuts, the opposite guard fills in for him and the opposite wing fills in for the opposite guard, 4) If you pass the ball out, replace yourself, and 5) If you pass across, cut to the rim hard and fill the wing’s spot on the same side. Or, after passing across, look to get a little flare screen with the wing player screening for the cutter. You can also pass across and then screen down.

With these rules, you learn about spacing, cutting, and some simple rules to teach kids how to space the floor (especially against teams that are bigger, longer, and more athletic). The goal here is that we want to create good space for backdoors and gap dribbles.

If you feed the post, look to make a banana cut to the elbow with space, have players fill, and then pass it back out for the three-point attempt. It really makes a difference if you take the opponent’s big man away from the basket by having a high post instead of a low post. Remember, we aren’t screening a lot with this set because we’re relying on cutting.

Key Drill

Get two lines of players, one at the top of the key and near half court and the other on the ballside wing. Players on the wing will sprint off the screen and V-cut toward the pass. Look to create spacing.

Players will catch the pass, rip it, dribble hard towards the paint, jump stop, and then dish out to a flaring wing player in the corner. After players pass the ball, they should backpedal beyond the three-point line (for defensive balance).

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Kevin Boyle: How to Win with Undersized Players.” To check out more videos featuring set plays and drills, click here.

Sinclair (OH) head men’s basketball coach Jeff Price breaks down his transition offense for you before showcasing a few drills that emphasize key areas. With an emphasis placed on playing fast-paced basketball, this offense should go a long way towards improving your team’s scoring ability. This versatile system can also be used to transition into any half-court offense.

Overview of the Transition Offense

Here’s how we start out. The point guard gets the ball and pushes it up the floor as hard as he can go. We also have a 2 or 3 in the strongside corner (so we can advance the ball as fast as we can with the pass). Meanwhile, our other 2 or 3 player is in the weakside corner looking to balance the floor. The 1, 2, and 3 players are all interchangeable.

Also, 4 and 5 are interchangeable, but have much different roles. The first person down without the ball is going rim-to-rim (also known as a “rim runner”), looking to go to the strongside and post up. The “trailer” will trail and stay even with the ball as it gets advanced up the floor. Once the point guard passes to the corner, our first look is a shot in the corner and to get a shot as fast as possible. This puts a lot of pressure on the defense.

Our second look is a good post-up above the block and trying to get a 1-on-1 isolation in transition. If we don’t get this, we can reverse the ball back to the point guard. Our trailer is now into the play and the ball goes to him.  Next, the big comes to the middle of the floor at the free throw line, our opposite wing player now moves to the weakside block, and the strongside off-guard does a V-cut to get open and pops out. The ball goes to him.

The big man follows the ball and slides to the low block. Once this happens, the weakside guard now moves up and makes a backscreen for the trailer/forward for a lob going right to the rim. If we don’t get that, the screener pops out, we got bigs on both blocks, the ball gets reversed to our point guard, and then we go right into our man-to-man offense.

Note: We’ve only spent seven seconds getting into our offense running transition.

Wing Jumpers

The goal with this offense is that we want to get our guys down the floor as fast as possible and get into scoring position. Here in this drill, we want to use a coach as a passer and simulate the 2 or 3 running the floor and catching the ball and making a shot or making a move.

First, start with jumpers right off the pass. Players will start at mid-court, pass to the coach at the top of the key, get the ball back in the corner, and immediately turn and shoot (right off the pass). This is a great drill to get loose and mimics game situations. Remember to always have shot-ready hands. This drill also simulates staying wide and outside the three-point line. Don’t forget that once you make the pass, you should be sprinting. It shouldn’t be a 3/4 sprint.

Next, to simulate game-type shots even further, let’s have players move into sweep through jump shots to the short corner. Be sure to square up when you shoot.

Free Throw Transition

Finally, set up in a free throw situation. Look to run off a make or miss. If it’s a make, have the 4 or 5 get the ball out of bounds. Take the ball out below the backboard and get the ball out quick. The point guard must make himself available and call for the ball. Meanwhile, 2 and 3 will release to space the floor.

Breakdown: Release the ball to a wing jumper. Be sure to crash the boards. We want either a solid three-point shot or a 15-foot jumper. Then switch to sweep through jumpers with one dribble to the baseline to close out the drill.

Goal: Touch 60 percent of all missed shots. Always look to get to your rebounding spots.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Comprehensive Guide to Transition Offense” featuring Jeff Price. To check out  more transition offense and fast break videos, simply visit our basketball library.

Hoosier for Three Points

Submitted by Eddie Sutton, Former Head Coach at Oklahoma State, Stillwater, Oklahoma

The Set-up: The point guard starts up top with the ball. The player you want shooting should be on the right wing. Your two best rebounders should be on the left-hand side of the court, with one on the left block and another on the left wing.

The Action: The point guard dribbles to the right-hand side of the floor. The low block player on the strong side pops up and screens for the strong-side wing player. The player on the wing uses the screen and breaks toward the basket but continues to cut along the baseline and then cuts around staggered screens set by the two weakside players. He pops up behind the opposite three-point line.

The Finish: The PG throws a skip pass to the player coming off the double screen and proceeds to shoot the three-pointer. The two low screeners should also be in good position to crash the boards.

Man Offense to Create a Mismatch

Submitted by Greg Goodwin, Former Girls’ Head Coach at Absegami High School, Absecon, New Jersey

The Set-up: 1 starts up top with the ball. 3 and 4 are on opposite elbows and 5 and 2 are on opposite low blocks (5 and 3 weakside).

The Action: 1 dribbles to a spot just about opposite of 5. 2 screen across hoping for a switch by the defenders. 1 looks for 5 coming across the baseline for a possible post-up scoring opportunity.

The Finish: If 5 doesn’t get the ball, 3 and 4 set staggered screens for 2, who comes to the top of the key looking for a jumper or drive to the hoop. If 2 doesn’t have the outside shot, 1 and 3 set down screens for 4 and 5.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Over 60 Plays to Attack Man-to-Man Defenses” by Winning Hoops. To check out more plays and drills in the Winning Hoops collection, visit our exclusive basketball library.

Seven Goals of Practice

1) Have Fun – Salisbury’s style of practices reflect this. Aim to go out and enjoy yourselves each day so that you’ll want to come back the next.

2) Get Your Guys Excited to Come Back – Leave practice thinking you can’t wait to be back on the field tomorrow. To do that, players need to enjoy being out there, the developing relationships, the drills you run, and the style of play you implement to keep it fun.

3) Development and Improvement – Each day, Salisbury looks to set up numerous individual drills at the beginning of practice to help develop players into complete players. Whether it’s shooting, footwork, or stick skills, we want to see them improving their skills so they can become better players and a better team overall.

4) Intensity – Try to play hard all the time. Simulate game-like intensity in every practice. The only way for this to happen is if you are fit, playing a high-paced style, and moving quickly from one drill to the next with no down time.

5) Play Fast – The Seagulls look to play fast in every drill they do. A major goal is trying to move the ball and create a pace that opponents aren’t used to playing and to take teams out of their comfort zone. To do this in a game, you must do it every day and for 120 minutes in that two-hour practice segment.

6) Repetition – Practices should be game-like where players get numerous touches to repeat situations within the offensive or defensive game. This allows the players to improve and develop over the course of a season.

7) Develop a Core of Drills – For Salisbury, this has been in the works for more than 20 years. While this may be constantly modified and changed over the years, this core of drills should be known by every player to eliminate down time. When you go from one drill to the next, you don’t want to go more than 15 seconds by the time the next drill starts. To do that, players must know the drills and get to them quickly.

Roll Pressure

This team drill reinforces ground balls, rolling away from pressure, redirecting the ball, and keeping the stick to the outside. One at a time, players quickly scoop up the ground ball after it’s been rolled out from a coach. After picking it up, players sprint one direction before turning around and moving the opposite direction and passing to a teammate nearby or behind. Players need to be always looking up the field during a ground ball situation and find that outlet pass.

Breakout Drill

The Breakout Drill reinforces breaking out wide, redirecting passes, making accurate up and over passes, and cutting. It’s key to get to your spots on a save or any unsettled situation. We want the two bottom defenders to get wide, arc out looking for the ball (slightly behind the goal line), look up the field, redirect across the field, and then look to a third man up the field for the third pass. It’s key to get your players to the right spots on the field during unsettled situations or saves. If the redirect is done correctly, usually you have an easy clear up the opposite side of the field.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “30 Essential Practice Drills for Lacrosse” with Jim Berkman. To check out more practice drills, simply head over to our lacrosse library.

Full Field Skeleton Breaks

Start with a number of lacrosse balls down on one end with a goalie. Get three attackers inside the box on one end and three more on the other end of the field. Also, assemble a good amount of balls on the GLE on the opposite end with another goalie. Eveyone else is lined up on the three corners (opposite boxes and the midfield line) on both sides of the field (six spots total).

Goal: This drill is about getting players moving early in practice and improving full-field stick handling, especially while running. This is an opportunity to look high and away and diagonally up the field and to get attackmen a lot of extra shooting.

The first defender or midfielder gets the pass from the goalie and passes diagonally to the opposite midfielder or defender. He then throws to the next defender or midfielder diagonally. Like before, the receiver then throws to the highest attackman before all three attackers touch the ball. The last attackman shoots on net. Meanwhile, you should be going in the opposite direction at the same exact time.

Variations of the Drill: The midfielders and defenders stay in same line after each pass. Or  try “Two steps with the ball.” This is when you know where you’re throwing the ball, so throw it without carrying it to improve the quickness of the exchanges. Look to get two or perhaps three balls going at once.

Passing with Pressure

Start with two goalies behind the cage at one end, four defensemen in front of the cage, a group of middies or LSM at the midfield line, and then four attackmen down at the opposite end and in front of the cage.

Meanwhile on a different team, get four defensemen down where the four attackmen are, four middies at the midline, and then four attackmen down at the opposite end (lined up with the opposing defenders). According to Coach Starsia, “This drill is the essence of how we want to play in a full-field setting.”

The goal is that when we receive the ball, we want to move it up the field quickly while under pressure and make good passes. This drill really helps with fine-tuning these areas. Go 3-4 minutes in one direction and then 3-4 minutes in the other direction. Look to get two balls going at once.

The goalie will receive a pass behind the net and the near defender will break out and receive the ball from the goalie. The riding attackman will go with that defender and play him. We want some pressure here, but we’re not looking for checks. We want to have the guys be able to catch the ball under pressure. The skill for the defenders is to plant and turn. There should be no jogging to the side. Always be moving to the pass you’re throwing.

Next, there’s a midfielder breaking out, with a defending middie mirroring him with some pressure. Then it moves to the attackman with a defender on his back. That attackman passes it to the goalie. Then on the opposite side, we are doing the same exact thing. All the players in similar colors are working together. If players are first catching a pass, the next they will become chasers on defense.

Goals: Work to get open and catch and throw under pressure while moving up the field.

Tip: After three minutes, reverse the ball and work the left-hand side.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Practice Organization and Drills for Lacrosse” with Dom Starsia. To check out more videos featuring drills and practice tips, visit our lacrosse library.

Agility is crucial for a lacrosse player, especially when it comes to cutting, dodging, changing direction, and changing pace of play. Follow along with Syracuse University Strength & Conditioning Olympic Sports Director Veronica Dyer as she leads you through a number of agility workouts that are particularly effective for lacrosse players. Whether it’s five minutes or a half-hour every day, look to implement agility training into your preseason regimen this year.

Agility Overview

At the beginning of the year, Dyer likes to make sure that players have a solid, general base of fitness. At Syracuse, athletes will do some kind of agility training every day, whether its five or 25 minutes. First, always trying to challenge your players and really work on cutting, change of direction, and change of pace. Players must be agile to get away from defenders and outrun opponents. This is a huge part of their game.

Cone Drills

This can be used as a warm-up or as part of an agility training session. All you need is one cone. Players will start by moving around the cone in a clockwise direction. Make quick choppy steps and look to get around the cone as quickly as you can. Switch directions.

Next, start behind the cone. Hop forward and back over the cone with both legs together. Go quickly when you hop forward and back. Then switch to side-to-side. After this, switch to using just one leg. Start with the right leg going forward and back over the cone. Then switch to side-to-side, working on lateral motion. Finish by going with the left foot for both.

*Note: Lateral drills can help strengthen ankles.

Finally, it’s time for straddles. Place your feet on each side of the cone and a little bit more than shoulder-width apart. You will jump, turn, and spin, ultimately facing the other direction. Go about five times like this before switching directions. The object here is to land solid on your feet and establish a good ready position.

“T” Drill

The “T” Drill is a combo of sprinting, shuffling, and backpedaling. You can use any combination of these in general. Work on sharp shutting here and getting that mobility of changing directions in quick fashion. Set up four cones in a “T” pattern, all about five yards apart. Each player will start with a sprint to the middle cone, then shuffle to the left cone and touch the cone, sprint to the far right cone and touch, shuffle to the middle cone, and then backpedal to the beginning. Start again immediately once you get back to the start.

Key: Be sharp and distinct with all movements.

“M” Drill

Set the cones up in a “M” pattern. You can do any combo you’d like, but try this one to start. Begin at the lower left cone. Start by sprinting straight up, shuffle to the middle, pivot and shuffle to the top right, then backpedal to the lower right. Walk back over to the start and repeat. Once done the second time, start again but reversing the motions.

Key: Give 100% effort on each rep. Remember, you want to train the way you want to perform.

Box Drill

Set up the cones in a simple box formation. Here, let’s sprint, shuffle, backpedal, and shuffle to the start. Then reverse the direction.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Agility Training and Conditioning for Women’s Lacrosse” with Veronica Dyer. To find more videos featuring lacrosse training and conditioning drills, click here.

In the latest edition of Coaches Corner, Championship Productions editor Adam Warner sits down with the Ephs’ head coach. Maker details some of his all-time favorite drills, reveals why he made the switch to Div. III hoops, and also dishes out advice for players and fellow coaches around the country.

AW: Your squad is currently 13-3 and about to enter into the bulk of its conference schedule. Talk about the current campaign so far. How would you assess the season right now?

MM: “It’s been an interesting year. We’ve had a lot of hurdles placed in front of us in regards to injuries, but I think our men have handled it well. We’ve had three setbacks and each time the next game we have bounced back. They are resilient. I’m confident in the guys and hopefully we are as close to being healthy as we have been all season and ready to make a run late in the season.”

Who do you see as your toughest foes to beat in order to capture that elusive national championship?

“For us it’s about getting better each day. It’s not about what team we play. That’s been our theme for the last few weeks. We value each day and see it as an opportunity to compete in practice and get better. We have one of the most challenging schedules in the country. In my opinion, we play in the best conference in all of Division III — one with deep talent — and we need to be at our best.”

Can you take readers through a typical week of practice? How does the format change from the preseason or early season?

“Each year is different. We accumulate a lot of information from previous seasons. It’s my fourth year here and we haven’t done the same thing this year as previous years. This week, it’s about us. We play Skidmore tonight at home. This week, we’ve done a lot of film work, making lots of corrections, and working on getting better quality shots. Our three-point shooting isn’t close to what we are accustomed to, so we are working hard offensively to get better.”

How would you describe a typical Mike Maker practice?

“I’ve had a lot of mentors and I’ve learned a lot from each of them. My practices are similar to Coach (John) Beilein’s at West Virginia or Michigan. We try to learn a lot from him and have adopted a lot of his concepts. Our team tries to be very skilled-oriented and we work hard on the offensive end of the floor — concepts like dribbling, passing, five guys playing as one, and shooting a high percentage from the field.

We want to be aggressive offensively and score in the 80s, shoot 50 percent from the field, and make more free throws than our opponents attempt. We’ve been doing that except for the last few weeks and we hope to get that confidence and rhythm back. Defensively, we’ve been good by the numbers. It’s been solid this year. We don’t try to steal, rather, we try to keep people in front of us, protect the basket, and keep teams off the foul line.”

What’s the key to motivating players throughout a long season – especially during tough stretches?

“My job is easy. I have highly motivated players and great assistants. I think I’ve surrounding myself with quality people who are motivated – -especially when it comes to community, the classroom, and basketball. We have a rich basketball tradition here. It doesn’t supersede the academic experience, but it’s important. We have 15 players that don’t put themselves above the team agenda. Our assistants add so much to the team and are great role models for our players. We try to embrace each day and try to get better.”

Talk about some of your favorite all-time drills. Why are they so effective?

“I learned a number of them under Coach Beilein at West Virginia. Our drills reflect our offensive schemes. For instance, we do a lot of layups, driving layups, and backdoor layups from various angles. We use our dominant hand around the rim, no matter which side of the rim we are at. We take a lot of shots in practice from behind the arc in various ways. It could be two guys and one ball, team shooting, and a lot of shooting off the catch.”

Can you recall a favorite drill of your players?

“It’s the Moneyball shooting drill. It’s highly competitive and game-like and involves shot fakes, drives, starting and stopping your dribble without traveling, and passing to teammates. Each player takes four shots. One shot is worth three points, and the rest are worth one point. It really simulates late-game situations, too.”

After roughly 17 years as a coach at the Division I level, why did you decide to make the switch to Division III?

“I didn’t look at it as a Division III job, but as a premier job at any level. With its academic reputation and rich basketball tradition, Williams is like Duke of Division III. I grew up an hour south of Stanford in California, so if I can’t be the coach there or at Duke, I can’t imagine a better place to coach than Williams. I believe I’m surrounded by highly-motivated student athletes who use basketball as a vehicle to get the best education in the world. I think I learn as much from my players as they learn from me.”

What’s unique about coaching at the Division III level?

“Well, coming from Division I, you can’t start practice until November 1 in the NESCAC, and you’re not allowed to do individual fall or spring workouts – and I love to teach. Yet, the model is a healthy one in regards to fostering a positive overall experience for individual student athletes. There’s not an overemphasis on athletics.”

What do you look for in the ultimate basketball player?

“I want someone who is highly passionate about basketball, has a high basketball IQ, a good teammate, and has a certain toughness about them. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack with the parameters we have here academically, but I enjoy the challenge of finding young men that fit the cores values of our institution, can thrive here, and fit into what we’re trying to do as a basketball program. I look for skilled players that put the team first; young men with good vision that share the ball.”

What’s some of the best advice you can give to an aspiring coach or new coach in basketball?

“Put the kids first. I’ve learned from my coaches that you’re teachers first. It’s a wonderful profession to mold young people and learn life lessons through sport. Basketball is a great vehicle for that. Also, learn how to handle success with humility and how to handle adversity when life throws you a curveball. This is a great venue to do that as an educator.”

What do you consider your greatest achievement as coach to date?

“I’ve been really lucky. I have one of the best jobs in the country and I feel blessed. I’ve had some high and low moments personally, but I think the best one in basketball was actually as a sibling and watching my brother (Wyatt) cut down the nets on the 1985 Villanova championship team.”

To check out Maker’s exclusive Championship Productions DVD, click here. To read more Q&A’s featuring some of the nation’s top coaches and instructors, click here.

4 on 3 Passing

Efficient passing is a necessity when it comes to attacking the zone. As a team, you want to attack the paint, collapse the defense, and then finish the play from there. While this is a great passing drill for anything really, it is especially helpful for reading the defense. For coach Rice, if Rutgers is about to play a zone team, this is the drill that the squad starts out practice with. It gets players to keep their heads up, make ball fakes, play low, and understand who is open.

Four players start out on the blocks and elbows and three other players begin in the middle of the paint. One defender is closing out to the ball, and the other two players play how they want but must get in the passing lanes. The only rule is that the defense has to play the ball and be active. Coach Rice often implements the rule that after eight passes, if the defense deflects the ball, they put a point on the board.

Gap Shooting

Start with three lines of players around the arc. The drill begins with a pass to an adjacent player, he makes a shot fake or ball fake, and then immediately gets into a gap. Coach Rice will often use coaches or even chairs so that players can effectively get into the gaps.

Next, players will kick out the ball to an adjacent player. From there, players can either fade and pivot or go behind their teammate from there. Once the ball gets to that third player, he/she will shoot it. A coach will also have a ball on the side and will pass to the middle player for a shot. The only person that doesn’t get a shot here is the player who started the drill.

Tips for Zone Offense: Don’t be lined up exactly where the defense lines up. Remember, a possession in basketball comes down to whether your guys can make better decisions than the opposing players. You do this through drills so it eventually becomes instinctive.

The drill eventually moves into “Next Pass Shooting.” Any of the three offensive players can start out the drill this time. But this time, there’s only one penetration, then a shot fake, a next pass, another pass, and shot. According to Coach Rice, sometimes we over-penetrate, so we need to practice making the drive and short kick.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Mike Rice: Zone Offense and Zone Concepts.” To check out more videos focusing on zone basketball, simply head over to our basketball library.

17 Seconds Drill

Submitted by Richard Dardenne, Northeast Christian Academy, Kingwod, TX

Overview: This is a terrific drill to develop trapping abilities and defensive footwork among your defensive players. It also focuses on transition offense and getting players to pass the ball effectively under heavy defensive pressure.

The Set-Up: A coach will inbound the ball on the baseline. Two defensive players (X1 and X2) will start off in the lane near the baseline. Have them disrupt the inbounding of the ball by the coach. Offensively, player 1 is off on the wing to the right and near the sideline. Player two is on the nearside of the court, just over the midcourt line, but on the opposite side from 1. 3 is on the same side as 1, but just over the opposite midline. 4 is on the opposite low block and 5 is in the nearside corner on the same side as 3.

The Action: The coach inbounds the ball to 1. X1 and X2 immediately sprint to player 1 and form a double team trap. Player 1 must hold the ball until the trap arrives. Player 1 passes out of the double team to player 2 on the opposite side. The two defensive players sprint to trap player 2. 2 passes to 3 and the two defenders sprint toward 3 and form the double team trap. 3 must wait to throw to either 4 or 5 until the trap has arrived. Once 4 or 5 have the ball, they begin a quick 2-on-0 fast break transition going the other way down the court, passing the ball back and forth until they make the layup.

Recap: The goal is to do this entire drill under 17 seconds. Come up with a reward system for any steals, deflections, or forced turnovers that X1 and X2 get. Rotate the players after each drill simulation. X1 and X 2 become 4 and 5. 4 and 5 become the next two defenders on the baseline.

Paint Drill

Submitted by Gary Williams, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

The Set-Up: The drill begins with five offensive players (“O”) lined up around the perimeter of the three-point circle. They are paired off against five defensive players (X) and are lined up against each offensive player but inside the three-point line. All players should be facing the basket. O1 and X1 must always be at the top of the key, but it doesn’t matter where the other player start. Three coaches are standing behind the players, each holding a ball.

The Action: To start the drill, one of the coaches shoots and misses a jumper. The offensive and defensive players must battle for the rebound. If an offensive player secures the board, they must try and put the ball back up and score. No tip-ins are allowed. Players must secure the rebound, land with both feet, and put up a strong power move to score. This puts the players in game-like situations when it comes to getting the board, drawing the foul, and looking for the three-point play.

If a defensive player gets a rebound, that player throws an outlet pass to a teammate on the wing and the X team runs a fast break down the other end of the court. The O team must hustle back on transition and try and stop the score. If the O’s stop the initial fast break, they must get back to defend the paint and set up into whatever man or zone defense you want them to apply. To improve team communication, have your point guard call out the defense during the transition. If the X’s don’t score on the fast break, they must run a secondary attack until they score or the defense gets completely set up.

Run the drill to a set number of scored points or have a set time limit as the goal. Whichever team has the most points at the end of that time is the winner.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “25 Aggressive Transition & Conditioning Drills” produced by Winning Hoops. To check out more drills in the Winning Hoops collection, visit our basketball library.

This zone offense is a structured motion, which is highly effective against odd front zone defenses. Through this offense, you can take full advantage of the 3-point shots and get the ball comfortably to the post players in scoring position. It is a simple offense and can be taught easily. Overall, there are lot of skip passes made which create gaps in the zone. Plus, defensive players have to make a lot of adjustments which gets your shooters open for three-pointers.

Diagram #1

1 passes the ball to 2 and cuts to the ball side corner. 3 makes a V-cut and replaces 1′s spot on the floor. 5 sets a screen into the middle for 4 who is flashing to the ball side elbow and sets back to the low post area.

Diagram #2

2 passes the ball to 1. 5 holds the low post for a few seconds and then clears away to the opposite low block. 4 now cuts hard to the basket looking for a pass from 1. 3 flares to the wing looking for a skip pass from 1.

Diagram #3

2 passes the ball to 4 at the high post. 5 seals the middle. 1 flares to the corner looking for a quick three-point shot.

Diagram #4

If 4 hits 1, 5 clears the lane and cuts to the other block. 4 will go for a strong cut to the basket expecting a pass from 1.

Diagram #5

If 4 passes the ball to 3, then 4 has two options: A) Look for a lob pass from 3 off 5′s back screen OR B) 4 can cut directly to the ball side block.

Diagram #6

5 comes to the ball side elbow. If open, 3 can go for the three pointer. Otherwise, he can dribble to the corner to attract the defensive player on him so he dish off to 4 with an easy pass.

Keys to Remember

1. Do not rush for a jump shot. Attack the zone in and dish the ball out to the open shooter.
2. Use ball-fakes and exploit the gaps in the zone.
3. Screen the zone and use skip passes to open shooters.
4. Dribble less and pass more against the zone, as it will take the thinking time away from the defensive players.
5. REBOUND! Whenever a shot is attempted, attack the board because you can rebound better against a zone and win the battle on the board.