New Mexico's 2-out 3-in Motion Offense

Some really great college basketball games yesterday. I decided to watch the New Mexico game because I wanted to see more of Coach Steve Alford's 2-out 3-in motion offense. I watched some games last year but many teams played zone defense so the Lobos used a zone offense. Tonight, against Grambling State, the Lobos used their 2-out 3-in motion offense and through some hot shooting and great passing, they trounced GSU. I managed to catch several sequences, so enjoy...




Download the video here.

Just a short disclaimer, I'm still trying to get the jist of the 2-out 3-in, so if I'm butchering it, feel free to let me know, as I'm sure a lot of coaches want to know more about it.

2-out 3-in Motion:

From watching the video, the goal is to get the ball inside, when you establish the post-game, it will open up 3-point shots. It isn't really a driving offense, but there are some drive and kick opportunities.

The setup is 2 players up high, 2 players in the low blocks, and 1 player in the corner/wing. So, you basically have a 2 man game up top, and a 3 man game down low. You also have a 3 man game in the corner like a triangle offense, and the 2 man game on the weak side,

Like every motion offense, the ball must be reversed. It starts out by the one pass to the other player up top. Then there is a stagger screen set by the low post players,

After the stagger, the two players split off and from the video sequence, you acually see that this is where the best opportunities come from as the motion can confuse some defenses and players open up to the basket for open shots,

Once the ball is fully reversed, you'll have the same setup on the other side of the floor and repeat until you score or miss,


Summary:

The 2-out 3-in motion offense that New Mexico uses by Steve Alford looks a very flexible offense. I think it's kind of a combo of the Bo Ryan Swing, with elements of the triangle offense. Like all motion offenses, it assumes that all of your players are versatile enough to post-up, shoot the outside shot, handle the ball on the perimeter, and make good passes. The Lobos looked great on this night, we'll see if they can maintain their consistent shooting. The Mountain West will probably only send 1 maybe 2 to the NCAA Tournament so we'll see if they can be that team.

To learn more about the 2-out 3-in motion that New Mexico runs, take a look at Steve Alford's DVD on the 2-out 3-in Motion Offense. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.