Texas Dribble Weave Motion Offense

If you have a couple of great guards that are quick, can shoot, and handle the ball extremely well, then the dribble weave motion might be the offense for you. In many ways, I like it better than the dribble drive motion that Coach Walberg and Calipari use because it uses a lot more screening action which I think allows your guards to get more open as opposed to 1-on-1. Texas uses the dribble weave quite a bit and I caught this clip off of their first possession against Rice last night. Texas looks to be a really good team this year, possibly better than last year and that's without Kevin Durant. They have more balance and the dribble weave is perfect for their guards in A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin, they will be very exciting to watch in the coming months, that's for sure. Watch the video and read my thoughts below,



Dribble Weave Quick Hitter:

Right off the bat, the offense looks for a quick hitter. In any offense, you want to be able to strike quickly. It's also important to be patient, so if the quick hitter isn't there, you have to pull back.

O1 dribbles to the wing, and hands off to O2 on the wing. The handoff works great because it's a safe pass and it's an automatic screen. O2 gets the ball and drives hard to the top of the key. If O2 has that shot, he can take it. Instead, he reverses the ball to the opposite wing, then the corner. O2 cuts through the hoop and looks for a quick give and go. If it's not there, they setup the secondary motion.

Fake Handoff:

So, now that the first options weren't there (even though they were but Abrams chose not to shoot), they run their secondary dribble weave handoff.

O4 sets 2 screens, first for O5 who curls up to the top of the key and receives the pass from O3 on the opposite wing. Then O4 sets another screen for O1.

O5 receives the pass. O1 comes off O4's screen and curls up top dragging the arc. O5 fakes the handoff to O1 who curls around O5.

Then dribbles hard to the wing and hands off to O2. X2 is screened out by the handoff and this time Abrams takes it hard to the free-throw line and pops the jumper. O4 sets an upscreen on O5 in a screen the screener action so that should O2 not have an open jumper, he can find O5 rolling to the basket underneath.

Summary:

Like most motion based offense, you should be patient. The first option isn't always the best one. The longer you make the defense work throughout the possession, the better look you will most likely have. The dribble weave is a great offense to use against any M2M defense because it can really disrupt the defense with all the switching that goes on. If you have a couple of great guards, it can be a lethal offense as the constant change of direction can really put the defense on their heels. If you want to watch more dribble weave, Missouri, Ohio State and Notre Dame all run versions of the dribble handoff and weave.

For some great drills to help develop your guards take a look at Jason Shay's DVD on 33 perimeter drills and moves. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk about all of your favorite basketball topics.