Griff Aldrich: Transition Offense & Ball Screen Reads

with Griff Aldrich,
Pepperdine University Head Coach;
Virginia Associate Head Coach from 2025 to 2026;
Longwood University Head Coach from 2018 to 2025;
2x Big South Tournament Champions (2022, 2024);
2022 Big South Coach of the Year;
2022 Regular Season Champions;
2022 Big South North Division Champions;
UMBC Director of Basketball Operations & Director of Recruiting from 2016 to 2018;
2018 America East Conference Tournament Champions;
biggest upset in NCAA tournament history (in 2018) - beat the No. 1 overall seed as a 16 seed;
spent 16 years in the private sector as a lawyer/private equity CFO while also starting and coaching an AAU basketball program;
Hampden-Sydney College Assistant Coach from 1999 to 2000;
played college basketball for Hampden-Sydney College

In his time at Longwood University as Head Coach, Griff Aldrich has demonstrated time and time again how well prepared teams like his can compete with any team regardless of the perception of his team being the 'underdog' entering the game.

By sharing the concepts and set-ups to his transition offense, Aldrich explains how any team can increase offensive efficiency by playing with a faster purpose.  In addition to his transition offense, Coach Aldrich includes some key concepts in this video that help his players negotiate ball screen reads.

Ranger Fastbreak

Coach Aldrich begins the video by explaining his offensive philosophy and the "why" behind transition offense and how this up-tempo style of play attracts players and puts fans in the seats! He then explains the roles and terminology he employs to help players conceptualize the objectives of the offense. 

Aldrich calls it Ranger Break. You will get the names for each position in the primary break and the spacing that is gained as they run down the court. Aldrich also discusses how to advance the ball and the different options they look for out of the Ranger Break. 

Not letting the ball stick and making quick decisions to put the pressure on the defense is key to the success they have had playing this way.

He teaches you the concepts and spacing that he utilizes to build his team's offensive transition attack.  He also tells you how to instruct your players in a conceptual attack of the defense.  These basic concepts lead to a more efficient offensive attack.

Transition Drills

Next, Coach Aldrich gives you several drills to help your players master transition offensive attack.  He begins with Ranger shooting drills that feature breakdowns of the transition attack.  These drills can easily be incorporated into any practice to help your players become comfortable with the looks they will get in transition.

After giving you several shooting drills, Coach Aldrich introduces his Ranger Conditioning Drills.  This series focuses on 5v0 drills that help you develop your complete transition offense.

Finally, Aldrich ends this segment by giving you a small-sided game/drill called Recognition Game.  The Recognition Game is a 5v3 and 5v4 disadvantage drill that will help your players understand how to read and keep the advantage in the transition offense.

Ball Screen Execution

Coach Aldrich goes through a conceptual overview of ball screen reads and attack.  These can be utilized by ball-screen continuity teams or teams that utilize the ball screen only in sets.  

Learning the three level of reads will help any basketball team better attack an opponent's defense; these three levels of decision-making are shown:

 Level 1: Point guard versus their man, 

Level 2: Point guard versus the big man, and 

Level 3: Attacking the helper. 

By showing it in stages, your players will know who they are supposed to be reading in a step-by-step, layer-by-layer method. A shooting drill that will give you ideas on how to practice the different shots out of half-court ball screens is shown as well.

Ball screens and transition offense are a huge part of the new brand of basketball. Spacing in the half-court, coupled with unpredictable ball screens, give teams offensive advantages and high percentage shots. Playing fast in transition also provides multiple opportunities for high percentage shots.

No matter what you run, every team can always learn to play faster and can always use more effective ball screens. This style of basketball is fun to coach, fun to play, and fun to watch! 

Learn how to get your team to start playing faster today!

73 minutes.  2024