Superior Special Situations: Innovative Press Breakers, Sets vs Zones, BLOBs, Quick Hitters & More!

with Rick Byrd, Belmont University Head Coach from 1986 to 2019;
2022 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award;
2021 College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee;
3x OVC Coach of the Year;
5x OVC Regular Season Champions;
2x OVC Tournament Champions;
2x A-Sun Coach of the Year;
2011 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year;
2012 Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award;
2013 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductee;
2004 NAIA Hall of Fame;
1996 Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame;
1995 NAIA National Coach of the Year;
1994 Dr. James Naismith National Sportsmanship Award

Across his legendary coaching career, Rick Byrd has earned the reputation for being a coach who is an innovative master of basketball’s special situations. In this jam-packed, instructional coaching video, you will receive a unique glimpse into the mind of an offensive innovator. Coach Byrd draws from his vaunted playbook, used successfully as coach of the Belmont Bruins, to showcase winning strategies that will help you immediately improve your press-break offense, man-to-man quick hitters, zone offense and baseline inbounds plays.

Press Break & End-of-Game Scenarios

Attacking a variety of full-court defensive schemes with one basic press break – a tactic that can help all coaches at every level – Coach Byrd demonstrates proven strategies for breaking down a 1-2-1-1 press by utilizing diagonal cuts, pushing up the sideline against a 2-2-1 press and how to best use clear-outs versus man-to-man pressure. It’s a terrific lesson for coaches looking for new ways to dissect a variety of full-court presses.From there, Coach Byrd showcases four of his best plays for safely inbounding the ball at the end of games. These different out-of-bounds looks are a great way to force the defense into uncomfortable positions at the end of a game. Coach Byrd even shows you innovative ideas for combining these plays with some trickery that will fool the opponent every time.

Quick Hitters Vs Man, Sets To Attack ZonesCoach Byrd unlocks his playbook and showcases 10 quick hitters, including extra options, that all run out of his Down and Pop Series. These game-tested plays showcase innovative methods for creating open looks designed for your best shooters within the Down series. Coach Byrd then shows how easy-to-teach wrinkles can be installed into these plays to produce ball-screen and backdoor opportunities out of the same action. Demonstrating how the Pop Series can flow into multiple actions using simple adjustments, Coach Byrd then shows how to use this same action while also incorporating double ball-screens, stagger screens, lobs, screen-the-screener actions and more and more to attack man-to-man defense.

Byrd also provides insight into his five favorite zone plays to attack 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defenses. These sets include both base offenses against the 2-3 zone, as well as quick hitters. He then showcases the ‘Double-O Stack Play’ as a go-to tactic for creating open jump shots in the high post. 

Coach Byrd also provides an exclusive look at a play called ‘Slide,’ which is another effective solution for overloading a zone defense by using a 1-4 high alignment.

Finally, Coach Byrd also shows four baseline out-of-bounds plays – all run from a 1-4 Flat alignment. These plays quickly free up shooters coming off staggered screens or elevator screens. This same action can also be used as a decoy to get easy buckets off a backdoor screen when you need it most.

This is the perfect instructional coaching video for all coaches who are looking to add highly valuable, strategic gems into their basketball playbook!

73 minutes. 2023.