UConn's Box Set Play for 3-pointer

UConn is one of those college teams that runs a very pro-style offense. Jim Calhoun has been fortunate enough to be able to recruit some of the best players from the talent-rich Northeast region and is one of the best at developing players and preparing them for the NBA.

I wrote earlier about a similar box set play UConn uses. This is actually the same exact play, except they hit the baseline runner to the corner for the 3-pointer. There is a lot of player movement in this play with a lot of screens which can cause a lot of confusion for the defense. Take a look at it live,



The backscreen to get your 3-pointers space to shoot is critical. In your zone offense, you also want to back-screen the weak-side on the skip pass to give your shooter that extra space.

Box Double Stagger:

Run out of the box set, it looks really good when run with athletic players. Your forwards are setup at the elbows, your shooters at the low block. Starts off by O5 and O4 setting a stagger screen.

The first stagger screen is actually for both O3 and O2 so O3 curls around first, then O3 curls around. This time, O2 gets the pass from O1 at the top of the key.

At this point O2 can shoot (which he doesn't this time around). But the play continues as O5 and O4 continue to set a second stagger screen for O3 who comes across the baseline.

O2 can then hit O3 coming of the second stagger screen for an open 3-point shot in the corner. The backscreens here are critical because it really makes it difficult for the defender to chase the man through all those screens.

Summary:

I'm a big fan of Jim Calhoun. He's honest with his players, coaches, the media. Some say he can be too hard on them at times, but I think he does it in a tough love kind of way. We can't always baby these kids, they need to learn about discipline, respect for authority and being a part of a team. You look at all the guys he graduates to the NBA, all great teammates, individuals of character. As a coach, it won't be the wins and losses you remember the most, it's the players and what they turn out to be.

One of the great things you can tell about UConn is the way they practice. Much like Roy Williams at UNC, coach Calhoun runs a tight ship. If you want to learn how UConn practices, take a look at Jim Calhoun's DVD on essential practice drills. Coach Calhoun teaches the teachers in this DVD on what are some of his most effective practice drills. To discuss this and other basketball coaching topics, head over to the X's and O's of Basketball Forum.