I was talking online with a coaching friend from Washington State the other day and we got into a debate about the pros and cons of the shot clock. My personal opinion is that shot clocks in general are a good thing because they encourage more flow in a game. But I can see my friend's point in that the use of a shot clock gives the advantage to teams that have superior athleticism, teams like his can run a delay offense to dictate tempo and offset the athletic gap with superior passing, patience, and shot selection.

I went through some more notes today and came across some notes on the offense used by the University of Tennessee Women's team, coached by Pat Summitt. I don't know if Coach Summitt has used it in the past few years, but I've seen some older footage where they did use it. It's a 5-out continuity offense which you could definitely adapt to use as a delay offense. It is slow developing and you probably would run it 3 or 4 iterations before getting a good defensive breakdown to take advantage of.

Setup

It's a basic 5-out set. Since it is a continuity, numbering is not all that important and all players are interchangeable. It really doesn't matter who is where, so long as they run the pattern correctly. The point guard, O1, dribbles into the middle of the floor at the top of the key. O2 and O5 are spread at the wings and O3 and O4 are at the corners to start. O1 passes to the right wing and cuts to the wing while O5 replaces,

O2 reverses the ball through O5 to O1 on the other wing. This is to create initial movement and to setup the cuts to follow,


Basket Cut and Downscreen

2 really basic basketball plays. First, the weakside wing, O2 here, does a straight basket cut. If open, O1 hits O2 going to the basket for a layup. If not, O2 begins to clear out to the same side. As O2 makes the basket cut, O5 begins to move towards the lane, O3 starts to move up,

O2 clears to the corner. O5 sets a basic downscreen on air, O3 sets up the cut going to the basket but then coming over top of the screen. O5 reads the play, if the defense hedges, O5 can roll to the basket for a quick hit. If the defense is underneath, pops back out. O3 comes to the top of the screen looking to receive a pass from O1. O3 can then reverse to O5 up top or down to O5 posting up or going to the hoop,


Repeat On Other Side

The action repeats on the other side. This time, O5 is the passer and O1 is the cutter,

O3 goes to set the downscreen this time for O4. Same as above, just different players and different side. If nothing is open, the action repeats back to the right side of the court,


A very simple 5-out continuity, but I think it is good because if executed properly and patiently, it can result in high quality shot opportunities. If you want to learn more about the Tennessee way, then check out Pat Summitt's DVD on Game Preparation.

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I was at an open gym recently and there was one group of players that were really getting out and running in the open court, but they weren't scoring very efficiently. Reason? It was their spacing. They were clumped up all in the middle most of the time and their angles were off.

I watched the Phoenix Mercury tonight and they really impressed me with the way they run the open floor. Since the last time that I ragged on them when they only scored 55 points and lost to San Antonio, the Mercury have gone on to win 3 in a row scoring 103, 81 and 99 tonight to beat the Houston Comets. They still play that zone defense that I don't like, but I can't argue with their offense, they spread the floor, run hard, and score efficiently, take a look,




It's all about the Angles:

The key to the fast break is to run your lanes and get a good angle of attack to the basket. You really can't attack and score efficiently if you attack head on to the basket. The dribble should only attack from the middle if the either wing is occupied, that way you can make the defense commit to you, then drop off to the wing cutting in or for the 3-pointer. If the dribbler is the first person on the break with defenders in front, the dribbler should dribble wide and wait for the trailers to come down the middle, like so with Diana Taurasi,


Before the break starts, off the defensive rebound, your wings should go underneath and again run their lanes wide. You see both wings go wide here,


Summary:

Now, the Mercury beat Minnesota, then Sacramento and now Houston, all average or below average teams. Their biggest test is coming up against Detroit on Tuesday. My understanding is that the top four from each conference make it to the playoffs, which means they would basically need to win out their remainder 3 games to make it. The Mercury have nothing to lose now but run, run, and run.

If you are looking for a run and gun style of early offense, check out Dave Arsenault's Running to Win DVD. Be sure to head over to the X's and O's Basketball Forum to discuss this and more of your favorite basketball topics.

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I watch a lot of basketball over the year and one of the common things that I see is players who get frustrated on the court either with their individual play, their team play, not getting the ball, getting double-teamed, etc.... And this is in addition to the most common complaint of not enough playing time. Now, most players react to this kind of frustration typically by whining; they claim they're getting fouled, or the pass is coming too late, or the offense sucks. If you watch the great players, they always find a way to be productive on offense, no matter the defensive situation.

I watched the second half between the Los Angeles Sparks against the Minnesota Lynx the other night. It was tied at half and the commentators were talking about how the Lynx had done a great job defensively by packing it in and not allowing Parker and Leslie to go off. In the second half, Parker took over along with Leslie. The defense was the same, Parker was still getting doubled or tripled in the post, but she was doing everything else, rebounding, passing, running the fast break and even hitting outside shots, she would score 16 of her 24 points in that second half. Take a look,




First off, it pays to be versatile. If players do not have good fundamentals in all the major areas of dribbling, shooting, rebounding and defense, then it's a moot point. If they're one-dimensional, there isn't any point to have that conversation with what I'm about to write about next. That is exactly why it is critical that all players, regardless of height or size, should learn all the fundamentals and be well-rounded players.

Having said that, now, the next time your post-player gets frustrated, remind them of all the other things that they can do, to continue to be offensively productive.

Rebound the Basketball:

No matter the situation, the great forwards know that they can get easy baskets by playing smarter (angles) and getting rebounds. In this FT miss by Lisa Leslie, despite good defensive rebounding position, Parker is able to sky over, grab the board and put it back through the hoop,


Pass out of the Double:

Of course, this is the hardest of all the things because ego gets in the way. Good players think they must do it all. But a smart player recognizes that it's not only good for team dynamics to get the open man the ball and therefore score and win, but that strategically, the defense will naturally adjust back to a 1v1 situation,


Run the Floor:

Perhaps the thing a player has most control over is playing defense and running the floor. If you play good defense, it will lead to good offense. If you run the floor, you will have more easy fast break chances. It is as simple as it sounds. So why don't players do it? Because they feel it's too hard. It's so much easier to be lazy on defense and lazy running the break. It's just pure hustle and something that is well under a players control. Watch here as the ball is poked loose, Parker isn't even the first one to break. But she outruns her opponents, gets rewarded with the pass, then finishes off the easy basket,



Shoot the Open Shot:

Now, again this is assuming that your player can hit the shot, but that's where versatility pays off. By stepping out, spreading the floor, and hitting the outside shot, the defense must respect your ability to make those shots. If the defense is giving you the outside shot, make them pay for that,


Summary:

I liked the way the Sparks played that night. They used their strengths to their advantage instead of trying to scheme their way around the fact that Parker was getting doubled. With Parker and Leslie in the frontcourt, they are capable of scoring at least 60 points every night regardless. Defensively, that frontcourt is also formidable. By playing a half-court tempo, tough field-goal percentage defense, high field-goal percentage half-court offense, they could be the toughest team to beat. When you consider that Lauren Jackson from the Seattle Storm is out for the season, the Sparks certainly look like a contender from the West, with possibly only San Antonio in their way.

For a great video on developing well-rounded skilled players, then you should check out Kevin Eastman's DVDs on Skill Development. Coach Eastman is a skill coach with the Boston Celtics and this DVD features his famous Celtic 40 shooting drill. Be sure to check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to discuss your favorite coaching topics.

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I watched the first half of the game between the San Antonio Silver Stars and Phoenix Mercury tonight in the WNBA and it was a pretty good thumping by the Stars over the Mercury. The Mercury's defense had problems from the get go and they could never get on track the rest of the way.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've used a lot of zone defense on teams that I've coached. But the more and I think about it, I would not use the zone as my base. The Mercury use a matchup zone as their base, then they'll switch to a M2M on occasion (usually when the zone isn't working). But once they switch to M2M, you see them struggle with defending plays like the PNR. Watch this clip with the Mercury first in a zone, then twice in M2M, and the Silver Stars take advantage of the defensive weaknesses each time,




Zone Defense Breaks Down:

The Mercury use a 3-2 matchup zone mostly as their base. It's not a bad defense, but like most zones, there are inherent weaknesses. Here, the Silver Stars use a high-low to get the ball inside, then go back outside for the open 3-pointer. The way the zone is designed, ball-oriented, notice how both the top zone defenders turn and look at the offensive player with the ball,


M2M Problems on the PNR:

My theory, is that because the Mercury use a zone defense as base, when they switch to a M2M, they get all crossed up. On the PNR, the Mercury are trying to hedge the screen here, but on the backside they can't decide if they want to rotate or play straight up. If they're suppose to be straight up, as I've pointed out, the defense is playing to far out. If they're suppose to rotate, it comes too late.



The Silver Stars shot lights out tonight which is kind of out of character for them. I don't think it's a coincidence that they found their stroke against the confused Mercury defense, I think we all agree it's much easy to make shots when you're wide open.

Summary:

I've written about this before, but I think the Mercury have been scouted as to how they played last year. Teams know to force them to play half-court where they become impatient and take a lot of ill-advised 3-pointers. The zone defense they use as a base continues to be problematic. I'm not sure that there is time left in the season to correct their deficiencies.

For some more great M2M defensive drill info, check out Jamie Dixon's DVD on his 10 Point Shell Drill. Coach Dixon is the head coach at University of Pittsburgh. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.

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My Seattle Storm played in a huge game last night against the Los Angeles Sparks and it was a glorious day for the Storm coming up with the big win. It's been a couple of weeks since I watched the Storm play and I think they've definitely cleaned some things up. I especially like the way they've improved defensively, much tougher and more physical.

Offensively, there were some nice plays that I liked. This 3 play sequence comes from a critical 3rd quarter run which the Storm used to gain some separation between themselves and the Sparks and the eventual win. A couple of nice 3-pointers by Sue Bird, and Lauren Jackson and finally a sweet PNR stack play to cap it off,



Pick-n-Roll Stack Quick Hitter:

I love this quick hitter. It's all about the reads and great point-guard play. Sue Bird was really on yesterday, making her shots and finding her teammates. The play sets up like your typical PNR between Sue and LJ, the other 3 players stack up on the weak-side,

Sue comes off the ball-screen by LJ, simultaneously, the bottom player from the stack comes up while the middle player in the stack heads for the opposite low block. The top player in the stack sets a downscreen. LJ pops out after the screen looking for a pass from Sue for the 3-pointer,


Basically, there are 4 options from this play,

1. Sue can shoot the mid-range shot if the defense plays the ball-screen underneath and recover is late
2. Pass to Tanisha Wright coming off the upscreen for the mid-range shot
3. Pass to Swin Cash flashing to the low-block (wide open in the clip)
4. Pass to LJ on the pick and pop

Summary:

Huge win for the Storm who are now 14-7 on the season, the Sparks fall to 12-8. I could see the frustration in the face of Candace Parker, LJ played her straight up all night and did a fantastic job. She even did double-duty guarding Lisa Leslie as well.

For some more quick hitters on offense, take a look at Brenda Frese's DVD on Dynamic Quick Hitters. Coach Frese is the head coach of the Women's basketball team at University of Maryland. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.

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It's been over a week since the last Phoenix Mercury game I watched and it seems they are still resigned to running their matchup zone defense. They played the Los Angeles Sparks tonight in LA, and they Sparks absolutely picked apart the Mercury's defense. The Mercury made a few late 3-pointers in the 4th quarter to prevent the blowout, but essentially, they didn't make any required adjustments.

If the Sparks are set at any positions, it definitely is at the foward/center positions. Instead of having Candace Parker (CP3) run the point, I like the high-low zone offense here with Lisa Leslie the passer at the top of the key and CP3 finishing down low. Take a look at these 3 sequences,



High-Low Zone Offense:

There really isn't much X's and O's in the play. They position CP3 from block to block, and the Sparks reverse the ball from side to side. Once CP3 seals her defender, Leslie looks for the high-low entry.

Ball reversal, CP3 goes block to block looking to seal,


Back up top, CP3 seals the smaller Diana Taurasi,


The lob pass, easier with a tall Leslie to the tall CP3,


Summary:

So, the Mercury are at 8-9 now on the season. I don't think anyone can deny now, other teams have caught on to what they do offensively, and defensively, their matchup zone is too predictable to be effective. With 3 weeks left before they head to Beijing for the Olympics, I think it's time the coaching staff think about some adjustments, especially on defense.

As for the Sparks, I think they played the way they should, half-court, use their size. I know Coach Michael Cooper blew up the other day about their lack of backcourt skill, but I think that was counter-productive. They're not going to get any significant upgrade at this point, so instead of ripping his guards down, he should be looking for ways to make them useful. A slow-down half-court game plays to their advantage.

For more zone offense video info, check out Ronnie Arrow's new DVD on High Efficiency Zone Offense. Coach Arrow stresses post touches for each possession in his zone offense system. Coach Arrow is the head coach at the University of South Alabama. Discuss your favorite zone offenses at the X's and O's Basketball Forum with other coaches from around the world.

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Just when it looked like the Los Angeles Sparks would walk away with the home win, they let it all slip away with crucial turnovers and some bad decisions down the stretch. Credit to the New York Liberty, they made some big shots, including a few big 3-pointers for the comeback victory.

I want to look at these 2 critical plays with less than 3 minutes left in the game. The Sparks had a lead heading into the 4th quarter, but squandered it away with costly turnovers. At this point, 3 minutes left, the Sparks are behind by 7, then 5. But Coach Michael Cooper makes the ill-advised decision to press the Liberty. The problem, is they don't have the fast guards to keep up with Lelani Mitchell. Take a look,



Don't Press if You Don't Have the Quickness:

I maybe a little harsh on Coach Cooper, but it's actually something I see a lot of at the lower levels too. You cannot full-court press a team that has superior speed to you. It just won't work. You need players, specifically guards, that are at least as quick as your opponent. Take a look at these pictures, in both cases, Mitchell has already passed hip-to-hip and the defenders are in a trail position,

In this picture, Tameka Johnson can't keep up with Lelani and unnecessarily fouls her, putting the Sparks over the limit and 2 FTs which Lelani hits.


Nothing is more demoralizing then after you've just executed nicely on offense to cut to lead to 7 or 5, to see opponent, cut through your defense like a knife through butter and score an uncontested layup; or foul 50 feet away from the basket and allow your opponent to make free-throws.

Summary:

I said earlier in the year, the problem with the Sparks is the lack of footspeed in the backcourt. Coach Cooper wants to push the ball, but they don't have the speedy guards to be able to play that way. Unless that changes, against quicker teams, they will instead need to rely more on a half-court game and use their superior size advantage in Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie.

For a brand new video on press-break techniques, check out Blaine Taylor's DVD on Scoring Against Pressure Defense. Coach Taylor is the head coach at Old Dominion, one of the teams that I loved to watch last season. As always, please check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to talk hoops and exchange notes and ideas.

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Nothing gets me going more than watching a team play great defense. In their win last night against the Detroit Shock, the Connecticut Sun played some great man-to-man defense against the Shock and was the main reason why they won the game, their first in over 10 tries.

There wasn't one thing specifically, but I put together a few plays which showed what a good M2M defensive team looks like. They got their hands into the passing lanes to deflect and steal lazy passes, they had great help-side defense to stop penetration, and finally I liked the way they played tough against the Shock by bumping Katie Smith and making her work for her points. Take a look,



Deny Defense, Deflections:

In good help and recover M2M, it's important for your guards to get into good deny position 1 pass away. Facing the check, 1 hand outward with thumbs pointing down. Here, the Shock just make a lazy pass from the inbounds and Lindsay Whelan is in great position to jump the pass and turn it into a fast break bucket,


Help-side, Stop Penetration:

Now, regardless of whether you advocate fighting through screens, or switching all screens, the ultimate goal is to stop penetration. In this clip, the Sun do a great job of forcing baseline, then the help-side switches and forces the penetration all the way to the baseline and forces the turnover over,


Bump the Cutter:

The Shock run some great plays for Katie Smith and Deanna Nolan, their best shooters. In fact, I'd say, they run a lot of stagger sets that resemble what the Pistons ran under both Flip and Larry for Rip. One of the ways to disrupt that kind of offense, is to teach your help-side defenders to bump the cutters. What you're teaching is impedance, and not to actually initiate contact which is a foul. In this play, Katie is bumped preventing her from receiving a pass to her on the block. So instead, she ends up going back the other way off some more stagger screens, and takes a much longer shot which she misses,


Summary:

I watched the Sun last week when they beat my Seattle Storm and was very impressed with their toughness. After watching them beat the Shock last night, I was even more impressed with their attention to the little things. They rebound extremely well, they shoot a good percentage, they're patient on offense, they close out well, they stop penetration, they stay down on defense, etc... They play the game the right way, and that's a direct reflection of their coach, Mike Thibault.

For a unique video on defensive philosophy, take a look at Larry Shyatt's DVD on 7 Ways to Develop a Defensive Mindset. Coach Shyatt is an assistant on Billy Donovan's coaching staff at University of Florida. Talk about your late game situations over at the X's and O's Basketball Forum with other great coaches from around the world.

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It was my first game of the year watching the defending champion Phoenix Mercury so far, and like their 4-7 record indicated, their play was sub-par. They still lead the league in points scored at 87 ppg, but the problem is they're allowing 90 ppga. On Sunday, the New York Liberty blew them out by 30.

I think what's happened is that teams are more accustomed to the way the Mercury play, which is basically similar to the Phoenix Suns, 7 seconds or less. Teams are getting back into transition defense quicker and forcing them to use up more clock.

I didn't watch them much last year, but in the game on Sunday, I noticed that the Mercury played a lot of zone, especially in the first half. The Liberty did a great job breaking the zone and in the process, blowing the game out wide open,



1-3-1 Zone Offense:

The basic formation of the Liberty's zone offense is the 1-3-1 against the Mercury's 3-2 matchup zone. The emphasis is on moving the ball side-to-side and using ball-fakes to move the defense. The ball also enters the high post area to draw the defenders in. The last part is teaching your O5 to play the weak side offensive rebound. The skip pass to 3-pointer is the scoring play here,


In this second clip, the Liberty penetrate the gap, then the kick out and reverse to the shooting guard who shuffles to the corner. When there is a big gap, like here between the top and wing defenders, you must penetrate and make the defense suck inward, then kick out,


Summary:

I'm a huge Diana Taurasi fan, ever since her days at UConn. Her and Sue Bird keep a pretty lively blog called the Buddy Blog, you should check it out if you can. I love the way she plays, she's like a bulldog, relentless, aggressive and hungry. I also like her emotion, she's not afraid to show her feelings. She still leads the league in ppg, but clearly, the defense has been a problem. I think the zone was introduced because they thought it might slow some other teams down, but I think it's working against them. I think they should go back to M2M and break their players down some on the fundamentals. The zone, IMO, is a band aid solution, and not a good one at that.

For more zone offense info, Ben Braun has a new DVD on Principles of Zone Offense. Coach Braun is the head coach at Rice University. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.

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First off, what a fantastic game last night between the Minnesota Lynx and the Detroit Shock. Just when it looked like the Lynx were going to walk away with the win in the 4th quarter, Deanna Nolan went crazy with the 3-pointers sending the game to OT where the Shock went on to beat the Lynx.

This is a really short clip. But the more I think about it, the more I don't like the idea of jamming the outlet or trapping the rebounder after a missed shot. Anytime you make an aggressive play like that, it's a risk/reward type deal. In my opinion, the risk of giving up an easy basket as a result of the jam/trap is not worth the reward which is the occasional chance to slow the other team's fast break. I know, it probably appears like I'm selectively picking a sequence just to prove my point, but I've seen this sequence play out more often than what the jam/trap was intended to do. Take a look,



Fast Break off Jam the Rebound:

In theory, if executed properly, the trap on the rebounder should force a TO, either a bad pass, travel or 5 second call. The problem here, specifically, is that Candice Wiggins of the Lynx is too quick of a ball handler to trap. Especially when she hasn't started her dribble yet. She gets around her defenders and it's basically a 5-on-3 break,

Even if they didn't double-team her, I still think the trap on the rebounder wouldn't be very effective. Wiggins would continue beating her defender off the dribble and it would be a 5-on-4 break.

Summary:

I think that in some very specific cases, jamming the rebounding may be effective. Maybe against a team that had a prolific outlet passer like Kevin Love, it may work to jam him so that he can't make that long baseball pass. But otherwise, I think traditional, run back to your own key is a better way for transition defense.

On the flip side, if I'm on offense and the other team is jamming my rebounders, I'm telling them to break to the middle of the floor and take advantage of numbers. Turn the other team's aggressiveness against them by getting out in transition. If you're a transition team, jamming the outlet really shouldn't prevent you from still running, and in fact will probably work to your advantage if you are quicker than the other team.

For more on transition defense, you should check out Chris Lowery's new DVD on Transition Defense and Halfcourt M2M. Coach Lowery is the brains behind the Southern Illinois tenacious defense. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk about this and your favorite basketball topics.

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The San Antonio Silver Stars took on the winless Atlanta Dream last night in the WNBA, and the result was as expected. The Stars took the game on the road thanks to strong games by the duo of Becky Hammon and Ann Wauters.

It was probably more to do with the poor defense by the Dream than excellent offense by the Silver Stars, but nonetheless, Hammon was able to drive at will last night. She reminds me of a Steve Nash type of a player, can get into the teeth of the defense, then make the right play. Here are a couple of drive and dish plays from the second half,



Drive and Dish:

That's why it's critical that your players are good 1v1 defenders, so that they won't get beat on the perimeter and require your interior defenders to leave their man and stop the penetration. On the flip side, if you have a penetrating guard like Becky, you have use her ability to get into the teeth of the defense, and allow her to make the right play.

The first play was just a wing drive by Becky, she's able to get all the way to the basket, then the easy dish to Ann,


In this second play, it's out of a 1-2-2 set. There is a stagger ball-screen for Becky. Ann rolls to the basket. Becky comes off the second screen and is able to turn the corner and go straight to the basket unimpeded, where she finds an open Ann,


Summary:

I think Becky Hammon is a great player, but I agree with the Team USA picks, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are better. I don't have a problem with Becky going to play for Team Russia, after all, she just wants to play. Russia has seen fit to give her a passport as she's played a number of years for CSKA Moscow. I don't see her less of an American now that she will play for Team Russia, but one things for sure, it's going to be one heck of a match between USA and Russia this summer.

With the popularity of the dribble-drive offense, more videos have been coming out for it. Here is Jerry Petitgoue's new DVD on the Dribble Drive Offense. I like Petitgoue's stuff on the open post for youth players, so I'm sure this one is a good one as well. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.

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We talk alot about X's and O's, but sometimes basketball is as simple as: play good defense, and run the court. The wrote about the Los Angeles Sparks earlier in the month where I saw the Sparks try to be a more uptempo game.

Last night, the Sparks made a big run in the second half and it was just that. Good defense, and running the court to open up the fast break. Good defense, leading to good offense, it's as simple as that.



Rebound/Outlet/Break:

When you play good half-court defense, more often than not, you can turn that into a fast break the other way. You stop the ball, rebound the ball, the outlet,

Don't forget those trailers. On the dribble break, watch Candace Parker trailing the play. You never know what's going to happen on the break, so it's important to have the trailer that can either take a pass or followup a miss.


Summary:

The Sparks still don't have a ton of speed, but they are taking advantage of turnovers, and good defense by leaking out early and getting easy baskets. Basketball is a give and take, they have a lot of size inside, so the Sparks guards can gamble and not rebound down and leak instead. Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker are good enough down low to snatch the rebound, even when the numbers are against them.

For more great info on the transition game, check out Billy Donovan's DVD on the Unstoppable Transition Game. Coach Donovan is the 2-time national championship winning coach of University of Florida. Discuss your favorite inbound plays at the X's and O's Basketball Forum with other coaches from around the world.

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From last night's WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Chicago Sky. For most of the game, both teams played tough M2M defense, deny 1 pass away, good help side and recover. It forced both teams to shoot a poor percentage, particularly from beyond the 3-point line.

As the game wound down to the final 2 minutes, both teams switched their defenses (which I do favor tactically), the Mystics went to a 2-3 zone and the Sky to a packline M2M. Both teams offense reacted accordingly and made their first 3-pointers, take a look,



Penetrate and Kick vs Zone Defense:

The Sky did a good job out of the Timeout to move the ball side-to-side then penetrate the zone and find the open 3-pointer in the corner,


Inside to Outside vs Zone/Pack Defense:

Against the matchup zone that the Sky were using, the Mystics got the ball inside into their post, waited for the defense to collapse, then found the wide open shooter on the wing (with the shot clock winding down no less),


Summary:

I like the idea of switching defenses at the end of games to get the other team out of their offensive execution. But I think the zone is an invitation for the other team to shoot open shots. If you change defenses, I think the general philosophy would be to take a risk, either a trap, or a double, or a switch of matchups, the zone gives up the open shot.

For more tips on zone offense, take a look at Mike Krzyzewski's DVD on Attacking the Zone. For more great basketball discussions, be sure to check out the X's and O's of Basketball forum.

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A little late on the take here, but I'm trying to catch up. This is from Sunday's WNBA action, specifically between the New York Liberty and the Sacramento Monarchs. The Monarchs won the game, but I liked the offensive and defensive sets that the Liberty used.

In this offensive set, it's a 1-2-2 set with the hi-lo finish. I like the 1-2-2 set, I see a lot of it in the european game. It frees up the lane and gets your bigs moving to the basket to establish position which has its advantages over your bigs fighting down low for position in a more stationary spot from the low block. Here it is,



1-2-2 High Low:

This quick hitter takes advantage of the overly aggressive defense by the Monarchs at the end of the half. Because the Monarchs are in deny at 1 pass away, O4 can do a quick basket cut losing her defender. O5 pops up to receive the pass and does a quick touch pass to an open O4,


From the 1-2-2, you can also run a lot of good PNR, pick n pop, drive and kick to those corner 3-point shooters, handoffs, etc... It's a very flexible set that can fit many different kinds of teams. The best part that I like is the opening up of the lane, this frees up the critical scoring area from help defenders.

Summary:

The Liberty are a young team, so they're still working through some things. I like their soft full-court 1-2-1-1 press that they use, it doesn't force that many TOs, but it takes up a lot of the 24 shot clock and makes the offense a little hurried. The Monarchs have some very talented players. They're a little inconsistent but if they can put it all together, they could go deep this year.

For more offseason development stuff for your bigs, check out Ganon Baker's new DVD on Post Player Development. Footwork, contact and positioning are what Coach Baker stresses. Discuss your favorite offensive plays at the X's and O's Basketball Forum with other coaches from around the world.

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It's one of the reasons why you need good shooting, to spread the floor and make sure that when you get into the lane either through penetration or post-entry, you can kick it out to the open 3-pointer shooter.

From tonight's game between the Indiana Fever and the Houston Comets, Katie Douglas of the Fever is definitely one of the players that you can't leave to help on penetration. Watch these 2 plays as the Fever are able to make the defense collapse, then the kick out to Douglas for the 3-pointer,



Another reason solid M2M, 1v1 defense is so important now that dribble drive is becoming so popular. Once you beat your man off the dribble, it causes all kinds of problems playing 5 on 4. Watch here as Tan White of the Fever drives baseline. Tina Thompson decides to leave Katie Douglas to help on the penetration.

The rotation comes late (as it usually does) and Douglas strokes in the first bucket of the game for a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

I think the 3-pointer has changed the game and the way it is played. Offensively, it has helped to space the floor and made the game much more guard-oriented. Defensively, it has created a lot more space in the lane for post and drive opportunities. Of course, all of this means that the players have to be able to hit those 3-pointers...

Looking for improvement help during this summer? Take a look at Jay Wright's DVD on 28 Competitive Drills for Shooting and Footwork. Coach Wright is the head coach of Villanova. As always, please check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to talk hoops and exchange notes and ideas.

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The game between the Seattle Storm and Detroit Shock last night was a game played between 2 different styles. The Storm are a finesse skill team, emphasis on running the break, shooting, and skill. The Shock are bangers, they play physical, knock you down type basketball. The tough physical style won out, by 10 points.

I took a few clips from the game in which you can see how that kind of style makes an impact. The first clip, is a misdirection stagger screen play which I diagram below, they key to that play is the pick at the end. The next couple of clips are a hard block leading to a fast break, and finally a Katie Smith loose ball scramble,



Mis-direction Double Stagger Quick Hitter:

I like this quick hitter play because like in football, I think mis-direction is a great way to gain an advantage when you wouldn't normally have one. They have the defense going one way first, it looks like a triple stagger for O2 going wing-to-wing,

Except, O2 does a quick change of direction (requires good lateral quickness). O4 and O5 turn around and re-screen setting up a stagger. The key is the last screen, you can see from the clip that she gives an extra pop sending Swoops to the ground,

The last screen might have been an offensive foul, but hey, if the refs don't call it, the play is good.

Summary:

As much as I like the Storm, they could use some of the physical toughness that the Shock have. Like player, like coach. Katie Smith plays the way Bill Lambier used to play. Tough, hard-nosed, take what I want kind of attitude. She's probably tough enough to play in the NBA in my opinion.

For a brand new video on offense, take a look at Lon Kruger's new DVD on his Flexible Offense. Kruger emphasizes offensive rebounding, creating contact in the post, and finishing strong to the basket. Be sure to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk about your favorite basketball topics.

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I watched a couple of WNBA games tonight. The Seattle Storm are my favorite team but I decided to switch to take in the Los Angeles Sparks against the Chicago Sky, to take in the Candace Parker hype. I've watched Candace play before at Tennessee, but I didn't realize just how versatile she was when watching her at UT. I knew she was listed as a forward and was extremely long and athletic but she made some moves tonight that some NBA guys can't do. Check it out,



The best one I like is the last one where she goes way up for the rebound, puts the ball on the floor, goes behind the back, and fires a no-look bullet to Lisa Leslie who can't handle the ball. But the 3-pointer was nice, and the drive and hook shot was pretty good too. I think Candace can be the Magic Johnson of the WNBA, she can literally play any position.

I was looking for some plays to break down with the offense the Sparks were running. I know the Sparks want to be more of a running team this year, but the problem I see is that they don't have a lot of team speed. They're long and athletic but they don't have quick guards that can push the envelope, that's going to a problem for their early offense. Also, I don't like it when they have both Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker in the post, they clog up the middle.

The Sparks have a similar problem on defense, they can block a lot of shots, but they get beat on penetration because they lack foot speed. They won the game in OT, to go to 5-1 and clearly they are the team with the buzz that everyone is talking about this season, but the season is still early so we'll see where they stand in September.

If you're looking for a nice video set that has both perimeter and post development, check out Jason Shay's 2-pack DVD on Player Development. Coach Shay is an assistant coach for the Men's team at Tennessee under Bruce Pearl. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.

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With the reduced NBA schedule, I had a chance to watch a women's college game tonight. Stanford is a top 10 team this year and I saw for myself why they are such a good team after they soundly beat Arizona. The Cardinal have notched impressive wins so far this season over top teams like Rutgers, Tennessee and cross-town rival Cal. They definitely seem to have what it takes to go all the way.

The Wildcats tried a 2-3 zone to slow the Cardinal but the Cardinal were just too disciplined. I recorded a couple of clips from the game of their M2M offense. They like to get the ball into the high-post where they will look for a few different options, hi-lo, drive, handoff to drive and backdoor cut. Seemed to be very effective throughout the game, take a look,



High Post Handoff to Drive:

I like any high-post set especially if you have very versatile dynamic forwards. Once you get the ball there, you have so many options. The Cardinal start in a 3-out 2-in set. The 2 forwards start out low, but the weakside forward O4 cuts diagonally to the ballside elbow,

The PG gets the ball to O4. Simultaneously, O3 looks to cut backdoor. O4 looks to get the ball to O3 first. O1 then goes to set a downscreen for O2 who goes down then cuts back up.

O2 cuts around the O4 who executes a handoff to O2 who drives to the basket and scores. X1 switches on the first screen to cover O2 but is too late.

Summary:

Stanford does all the things that great teams do. They defend, rebound, move the ball well, and shoot the lights out. They can beat a zone defense, they can break full-court pressure. What more could you ask from your team! Head coach Tara VanDerveer obviously knows what it takes to win championships.

I'm a big fan of UConn lady Huskies coach Geno Auriemma so if you like the high post offense, you should look at Coach Auriemma's DVD on teaching the high post offense. To discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics, head over to the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk with other coaches from around the world.

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If I had more hours in the day, the top of my list would be to watch more women's college basketball. The main reason is because girls just execute better than the boys. Boys tend to freelance, deviate from the play, and do things their own way. Girls generally listen better and do what is asked of them.

This is a nice box inbounds play that Nebraska ran against Oklahoma St. in the second half of their game. One of the advantages of scouting is knowing how your opponent defends inbounds plays. If they use a 2-3 zone, you can get an easy score almost every time by sending 2 cutters into the lane going opposite ways. As someone on the X's and O's forum mentioned, it's a score every time. Here is what it looked live,



Box Inbounds vs 2-3 zone:

They start out in a box set. Your 2 forwards start out at the elbows, your guards are on the low blocks.

O1 and O3 split out wide to the corners. They are the safeties and should be open should none of the forwards cutting are open. O5 cuts first from the opposite elbow coming across the lane to the ball. This will draw X5 to that side.

O4 now cuts from the opposite elbow down across to the open side of the low block. Since X5 is covering O5, X3 is zoned in between O1 and the lane. O4 should be wide open on the basket cut for the layup.

I'm a big Bruce Pearl fan and he has a great DVD you'll probably want to check out, Bruce Pearl's DVD on OB nuggets. Though he talks more about executing BLOB, it's a good insight into the mind of a great X's and O's coach. Be sure to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to discuss this and more of your favorite basketball topics.

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I like watching women's basketball because as a coach, you really can see how an offensive scheme works. In men's basketball, it's usually athleticism first, scheme second. I watched the first half of the Marshall game against Tulsa. I really liked the offensive execution of Marshall. They are very structured and you can tell they prepare for games very well. This is just one of their set plays that they ran from a box formation. They also like to use a double-stack and 1-4 high sets. Watch the video and read my thoughts below,



So, the first sequence results with Bosh getting blocked, and the second is a turnover. But with a little work, the motion should give players more opportunities to score.

Box Hi-Low Play:

I think anything hi-low works really well for women's basketball. Unlike men's basketball, you don't really have players who can make moves like a baby hook, or drop step dunk. The hi-lo allows you to get the ball into the post from the top of the key so that your posts can turn and make a move either way and shoot it. The box is also good for women's basketball in that it allows you to get the ball into the post on the move.

The low player from the box pops out to receive the pass. O5 drops down, O4 sets a pick on O3's defender so that O3 can get to the top of the key to receive the pass from O2. O1 fades to the weak-side.

O5 moves from the weak-side block to the strong side block. Duck in and post up the defender. O4 moves to the opposite block, the weak-side.

O3 makes a middle post-entry into O5 who turns, and banks it off the glass for an and1 opportunity.

If you like box offenses, take a look at Kelvin Sampson's Multiple Option Box Offense. Coach Sampson has some really great insights into motion principles. To discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics, head over to the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to talk with other coaches from around the world.

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