Zone Offense Concepts & Actions

with Del Harris,
2022 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee;
2020 Recipient of the NBA's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award;
2019 recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award;
recipient of the 2017 NABC International Lifetime Achievement Award;
Jerry Colangelo Award (2010 NBA All-Star Game by Athletes in Action/AIA);
John Wooden 'Keys to Life Award' (2014 Final Four by AIA & Fellowship of Christian Athletes/FCA);
former NBA Coach (Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers); 1995 NBA Coach of the Year; 0ver 500 career victories;
Internationally he has coached with the national teams of Puerto Rico, Canada, the United States, the Dominican Republic and China. His teams won six medals in World Competition (two golds, a silver and three bronze medals)

and Ken Shields,
former University of Victoria Head Men's Basketball Coach;
won seven consecutive National Championships and four CAU Coach of the Year awards;
appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998, and received The Dr. James Naismith Award of Excellence for his contribution to Basketball in Canada in 2007;
Master Coach certificate (Coaching Association of Canada); Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (1999); BC Sports Hall of Fame; Canadian Sports Hall of Fame;
established the University of Victoria's National Coaching Institute; founding president of the Commonwealth Centre for Sport Development;
Ken Shields was cited by Steve Nash, 2x NBA MVP, in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech as "the first person to give me the opportunity" and a "formative figure in my basketball career"

Long-time NBA coach Del Harris has been around the game for over 40 years. His knowledge and expertise in the game, especially when it comes to zone offense, have allowed him to train and coach some of today's best players.

In this video, Coach Harris and his friend, noted Canadian basketball coaching legend Ken Shields demonstrates some of the key concepts that will make any team successful against today's trending zone defenses.

Zone Offense Philosophy

Running an offense where the ball does the work is key to beating any zone defense. Being able to use your post as a scoring option in order to space the floor and open up more attacking opportunities is a launching point for great zone offense. By shifting the ball from one side to the next, you will be able to open up room for more attacks. Coach Harris calls these 'swing and attack' opportunities, and this will help your team create advantages against the best defenses on your schedule.

Essentials

Using a 1-3-1 setup, your offense will be trained to look for the 2-man game by keeping the lane open. Keeping the lane open is important for high-low action and creating a power triangle before shifting the ball and attacking on the opposite side of the zone.

High-Low Action

Using two post players and cutting action into space, you can create a mismatch off of your initial wing entry. With one player flashing high on a ball reversal, you can use your low block post to seal low and force the defense to choose between an open drive or shot from the high post, or an open layup from the low block.

Automatic Cuts and Options

Any zone offense needs to have layers of cutting actions. Coaches Harris and Shields demonstrate options that players can use including automatic wing, corner, and high post cuts to provide numerous scoring actions. These easy-to-install actions will make your players more dynamic and versatile playing against a zone defense.

Harris and Shields provide a lot of scoring options and cutting actions for when your team goes against a zone defense. Both coaches focus on teaching players how read the defense and react to what they are given. By using intelligent dribbles, shift and attack concepts and high-low action, you can create an unstoppable zone offense that forces your opponent to play man defense.

This long-awaited companion video to the best selling book is sure to provide you with an excellent visual aid to some of the most effective and useful concepts in the game today!

58 minutes. 2019.