High/Low Motion Offense Sets with Special Situations

with Steve Forbes,
Wake Forest Head Coach;
2022 ACC Coach of the Year;
2020 Hugh Durham Award ;
2020 SoCon Coach of the Year;
former East Tennessee State Head Coach;
2020 & 2017 SoCon Tournament and Regular Season Champions;
former Northwest Florida State Head Coach, Back-to-Back NJCAA Division I National Runner-Up;
nine seasons as a D-I Assistant Coach (with Billy Gillispie, Bruce Pearl, & Gregg Marshall)

A long-time assistant coach who worked under the likes of Billy Gillispie (Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2005 at Texas A&M), Bruce Pearl (SEC Coach of the Year in 2008 at Tennessee), and Gregg Marshall (National Coach of the Year in 2014 at Wichita State), Steve Forbes has absorbed a wide variety of basketball knowledge in his time as an assistant coach. This knowledge has helped him become one of the up-and-coming coaches in college basketball.

Coach Forbes has created a motion-heavy offensive scheme that is designed to take advantage of big men with perimeter skills. By following the "more is less, less is more" program axiom, Forbes has simplified the "Two Game" scheme into a continuity-based, read-and-react that stresses misdirection on the perimeter in order to grab a defense's attention and lull them into disadvantageous positioning at the rim.

Basics of High/Low Motion Offense

Coach Forbes has scaled down his offensive scheme to a handful of motions, movements, and sets that allow players freedom to react as they see fit based upon what is happening around them. The offense is continuous by nature, movements are quick and precise, and sets flow into one another within seconds; all with the intended goal of playing fast, free, and inside-out. Labeled as "Two Game," the High/Low Motion Offense is creative and useful even for teams that are not blessed with great size, due to its great spacing and the ability to be initiated via four different entry points.

Forbes begins with his basic box alignment that goes into a 1-4 high set with four options for the point guard to enter the ball. With these entry options available to the point guard, the offense can be run on either side of the floor with one post player in the low post and another post player in the "sweet spot" at the top of the key.

The first set of options is the entry pass to either wing. The point guard can cut to either corner and the bigs get to their designated spots in the offense. Featuring down screens, cross screens, flash cuts, and stagger doubles, this entry is designed for the offense to work inside-out by getting the ball into the post, reversing the basketball from side to side, or getting an open shot from three-point range for a guard.

Next, Forbes introduces the high-post entry into the offense from a 1-4 high alignment. From this entry option, the backdoor for the ball-side wing, the fade screen for the point guard, and the double down screen are introduced as play options. Finally, the dribble option is explained in detail with the zipper cut, middle ball screen, and "Z action" presented from this option.

Quick Hitters

Coach Forbes gives you his best sets and situations as he teaches you what has made him a success at every stop. Implementing some of the best concepts from the different coaches he has learned from, Forbes gives you quick hitters that you can utilize today that will make you a better offensive coach.

• Learn a sideline out-of-bounds play that can get you the look you need at the end of the game.
• Learn plays that give you an outside and inside option that will leave defenses scratching their heads when game planning for you.

End-of-game scenarios are included to help you learn what aspects to not overlook when considering your late game decisions.

Special Situations

During the course of a season, coaches at the high school, college, and professional levels deal with late-game situations where a near-miracle is needed to win a game. Coach Forbes goes through what is necessary to make these situations work in your favor, from the inbound pass to the action to get the winning shot itself.

Forbes includes plays designed to get 3-point shots late in the game; one from a sideline inbounds play, and another if you need to go the length of the floor to get a game-winning 3-pointer.

Program Ideologies

Coach Forbes' insight can be utilized by all coaches at every level of basketball as it pertains to:

• Style of play and the need for a program to have an identity.
• Program expectations and how a team can evolve from week to week.
• Core values and how they relate to both on-court and off-court behavior.
• Player/program evaluations and how self-reflection can lend itself to improvement and ultimately meeting goals.

Steve Forbes has a dynamic offensive mind. The best part of this video is he gives you the counters that will allow your offense to take on the dynamic traits that have made his teams some of the most successful offenses in the college game. This dynamic offense, its special actions, and the preparation for special situations will have your team scoring all night, every night, at a higher efficiency.

Produced at the 2016 Iowa Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) clinic.

62 minutes. 2017.