Pace Meets Efficiency: 5-Out Offensive Philosophy & Actions with Lamont Paris

with Lamont Paris,
South Carolina Head Coach;
2024 SEC Coach of the Year;
Chattanooga Head Coach from 2017 to 2022;
2022 SoCon Coach of the Year;
2022 Regular Season Champions;
2022 SoCon Tournament Champions;
Wisconsin Associate Head Coach from 2015 to 2017;
Wisconsin Assistant Coach from 2010 to 2015;
2015 NCAA National Champion Runner-up;
2014 Final Four

Features and Benefits:

• You will gain a clear understanding of “pace” versus “efficiency!”
• You’ll see how to create an efficient offensive system that plays with pace!
• You will learn how to teach basic offensive actions that will create opportunities for your team!

Trends in offensive basketball have largely been centered around “playing with pace” versus being an efficient offense. With the desire to play with pace, offensive efficiency has often been sacrificed. In this video, South Carolina’s Lamont Paris shares and demonstrates how to have an efficient offense that plays with pace.

Pace vs. Efficiency
One of the biggest buzzwords in basketball is playing with “pace.” It has mostly been associated with playing up-tempo basketball and getting the ball up and down the court as quickly as possible. However, “pace” has not always been about how quickly to shoot the ball.

The problem with “pace” is that there are times when “efficiency” can be sacrificed in the name of a faster offense. What Paris sets as a goal for his team is to play with an efficient offense before fixating on pace in the attempt to marry the two together.

Paris has defined “pace” as being able to do the following offensive actions urgently:

• Cut
• Screen
• Drive
• Pass
• Get a catch

Offensive Math
Coach Paris looks to use an efficient offense that can execute actions urgently in his attempts to marry “pace” and “efficiency.” These can be based around players being able to execute plays or having players learn how to play the game.

In creating a more efficient offense, he looks at a step-by-step approach to getting more wins with a more efficient offense using what is called “Offensive Math”:

• More actions = more defensive decisions
• More defensive decisions = more mistakes
• More mistakes = higher quality opportunities
• Higher quality opportunities = higher efficiency
• Higher efficiency = more wins

In marrying “pace” to “efficiency,” Paris discusses how to utilize offensive actions in a quick manner and to use them to attack the defense. This also includes actions for team play including quick ball reversals and actions away from the ball.

Actions for the 5-Out Offense
To make any offense work, actions are at the center of what teams want to do; with the goal to force defensive decisions that ultimately lead to higher efficiency and more wins. Coach Paris demonstrates actions that are part of his offense that can be easily implemented with other systems.

The first of these is “throw and go” as opposed to setting ball screens. With the creativity of defenses when it comes to guarding a ball screen, the ability to pass and go get the ball back forces defenses to make decisions on coverage. Meanwhile, the offense can read the defense’s actions based on how “throw and go” is being guarded.

Screening away from the ball with “diagonal” and “away” screening actions are ways to force defenses to defend additional off the ball actions. The “grenade” action is also shown as a great way to throw the ball into the post to set up a handoff and downhill drive to the basket.

Coach Paris does a great job of teaching the “why” when it comes to offensive basketball. Any coach who needs help putting some perspective, purpose and life into their offense will not be disappointed with the concepts in this video!

75 minutes. 2025.