Kansas Remarkable Rebound to Fast Break Offense

From Sunday, I took in the Kansas game against Mizzou and was very impressed with the Jayhawks. I saw that amazing game against Oklahoma last week where Sherron Collins just went crazy and single-handily win the game. I watched a few early Kansas games early in the year and they are a completely different team now in March.

Their offense is almost entirely from transition. Right out of the gate in the first half, they started running. What keys their break is the defensive rebound. I don't think I've seen anybody go from defensive rebound to fast break as fast as this. Here are some clips from the first half,






Rebound to Break:

I think something worth timing as a coach is the time to rebound and score. If you can reduce the time between when you get the rebound and when you get to the other rim, you can almost assure yourself of a very potent offense. The key of course is having the right personnel. You need good rebounding forwards (which the Jayhawks have), and 1 or 2 lightning quick guards (which the Jayhawks have),



Now it is interesting to note as well that the Jayhawks fast break is off the dribble. Some coaches like a sideline break. I think if you have quick guards, go with the dribble, it's faster. Sideline break is actually slower because players usually have to gather themselves to catch the ball, then gather speed.

Summary:

I'm amazed at how Bill Self has been able to adapt his team's style to suit their personnel over the season. You see it all the time though, a team you played against earlier in the year that you beat easily, then in March by the playoffs they are a completely different team. It works the other way as well (going downhill), but for the Jayhawks, everything is up and up. Now, where they are still lacking is halfcourt offense. When forced to play in the halfcourt, they have problems capitalizing on their size and in my opinion over-rely on Sherron Collins a lot to penetrate or shoot the 3.

If you want your teams to practice like Kansas, take a look at Bill Self's DVD on Better Practices. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.