From last night's ESPN game of the night, the Memphis Tigers on the road against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. A lot has been made about Memphis Coach John Calipari making the switch to have Tyreke Evans play the point. I always thought that for the dribble drive motion offense, you should have your best player as the point, since you want your playmaker handling the ball, regardless of their size/speed. Of course, they need to handle the ball, but I think with the dribble drive, there are really 3 positions: the primary penetrator (your best all around scorer); the finishing/rebounding forward; the shooter.
I've watched a few Memphis games over the season and I think they've really gotten back to tradition dribble drive. I thought even last year, they veered away from it, especially when teams went zone, but I'm seeing a rededication to the ddm principles even against a zone. The move to put Tyreke Evans at the point just makes sense from a ddm point of view. He's not as quick as a Derrick Rose, but he can instead use his size and height advantage instead. Here are a few sequences,
Drive, Kick, Dump:
I won't spend too much time breaking the DDM down since you can look at the many prior posts. But just wanted to highlight the main principles of drive, the drive and kick, and the drive and dump. First the drive against a M2M defense, also notice that there is no ball screen,
Drive and kick. The shooter flattens to the baseline making it harder for the defender to closeout,
Drive and dump. The forward realizes that the drive is coming at him, so he relocates to the other block, gets the pass, and puts it back,
Summary:
I think it's important to have an open mind as a coach. You have a player like Tyreke Evans, he's 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, traditional thinking is that he's your SF/wing, SG maybe. But with an offense like the DDM which is highly dependent on a capable playmaker with the ball on the dribble, it makes sense to have your best player (whomever that is, regardless of size/speed) be that playmaker. Like I said, of course they need to be a good ball-handler, but I think that's almost a prerequisite for any guard/wing nowadays anyways. So, the fit is perfect, and I think you'll see Memphis rise up the rankings. I think they certainly are good enough to be a top 5 team again, top 10 for sure.
For more great dribble drive video info from the originator himself, take a look at Vance Walberg's 2-DVD Set on the Dribble Drive Motion 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.
More motion offense, this time from Bruce Weber's Fighting Illini of Illinois. They use what Bruce Weber calls a 5-man motion offense. It is similar to the blocker-mover in that there is no set continuity or pattern, it's predicated on screening and cutting. Unlike the blocker-mover though, the screeners who cut to the basket or pop out, become the primary scoring options.
This is from ESPN, Steve Lavin breaks down a few sequences of the Illinois 5-man motion offense. They take advantage of the "soft" spots on the floor, the short corner and high post. They usually start in a 5-out or 1-2-2 set with a ball-screen then a roll to the basket. There is not traditional post-up. The ball is constantly reversed while the weak side executes screen and replace. With all the constant movement, precise cuts, and screening, the defense usually gets caught out of position.
I watched the game today between Illinois and Purdue and against a very intense defense from Purdue, the Illini executed their offense very well. The thing is, as long as your team has confident, solid ball handlers, pressure defense shouldn't preclude you from running your offense, especially a motion offense. Because of all the movement, the defense ends up scrambling instead of pressuring and you get good looks anyways.
For more info from the man himself, check out Bruce Weber's DVD on the 5 Man Motion Offense. Be sure to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to discuss this and more of your favorite basketball topics.
A small schedule last night in college basketball action, catching some great games today. The University of South Florida beat number eight Marquette last night. I saw most of the second half. Most people will say it was slow boring ball, and the final score in the 50s reflected that, but as a coach, I enjoyed watching both teams play hard defense and execute a slow methodical motion offense.
I wasn't able to capture enough video, but I was able to gather enough about USF's offense to recognize that it was a form of a blocker-mover motion offense. It is predicated around setting screens for the movers, and screen the screener action for the forwards. Here are a few sequences,
Blocker-Mover Motion Offense:
This is a slow developing, patient offense, predicated on constant motion, no set pattern, and screen the screener action. As such, there really isn't any point to diagram it because it is a true motion, free-flowing offense. Depending on your personnel, most blocker mover teams use 3 blockers and 2 movers. It looks like USF uses 2 blockers and 3 movers. All movement is positioned around one of the forwards, whether he is at the high or the low post. The offense must read the defense and try to work for open shots for the best shooter on the floor, often coming off of double screens.
The blockers are usually divided up as free blockers and lane-to-lane blockers. They have the freedom to go and set a screen for a mover, set a stagger, or a blur screen.
Rules for blockers after setting a screen are: screen and re-screen; or cut the basket; or another blocker can come and set a lane-to-lane screen for the screener. The blocker should always wait for a 2-second count after screening before choosing the next option, to allow for the play to develop.
Summary:
As you can imagine, this kind of offense takes a lot of practice, and a lot of basketball intuition to play effectively. It is slow developing, and the criticism is that most players usually get lazy and jack up 3-pointers. On the plus side, if players really buy into the system, move with a purpose and pass the ball around, it can result in great shot opportunities both inside and outside. The other plus side of this kind of offense is that your team should be competitive in every game, because it emphasizes ball possession, and keeps the tempo of the game low, thereby reducing the overall number of possessions in a game. It can frustrate a team that wants to run all the time, and force them to play half-court defense for the whole 35 seconds.
There are many variations of the blocker-mover motion. Coach Bobby Knight uses one version. The "orthodox" blocker mover offense is Dick Bennett's Blocker-Mover Motion Offense which he used at Washington State and his son still uses there at WSU. As always, be sure to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to discuss this and more of your favorite basketball topics.
BTW, I had to switch up the ads on the site, you know to pay the bills. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this has caused you faithful readers.
From ESPN, this is a nice five minute segment with NBA legend Mark Price on the art of shooting the basketball. I love all the technologies that they use in the video. Probably more than us high school coaches can afford with our shrinking budgets. But I think all you really need is a camera and a laptop and you can simulate what they are doing in the segment. I think using video is a great way to show players where their faults and corrections are. It's a lot easier to show someone what they're doing wrong by watching it on replay than to re-enact it.
Couple of great points from the segment. Don't raise your head before the ball, let your arms and ball dictate the motion. A good symptom of this is when players end up fading away instead of finishing slightly forward.
We all know about keeping the shooting elbow in, but also talked about the follow-through. Mark Price emphasized finishing with two hands high, not something I've thought about but makes sense in terms of keeping your body square and not twisted.
For a unique look on how to strategically incorporate the 3-pointer into your offense, check out Billy Donovan's DVD on Shooting and Defending the 3-pointer. Coach Donovan is the head coach of the University of Florida. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to discuss this and any of your favorite basketball topics.
My goodness, in the past 2 games Lebron James has simply been dominating in the 4th quarter. Against the Pistons, the Cavs used a pick and roll and the Pistons just couldn't stay with. If they went underneath the screen, Lebron just got his running start then went around. On the switch, Lebron simply ran over top of Iverson is too small to guard. If they doubled, he found Z in the corner for the 3-pointer,
Against the Knicks tonight, the Cavs simply spread the floor because they knew that nobody on the Knicks could guard Lebron 1v1, and any help coming would leave a shooter open. The Knicks chose not to double, and so Lebron burned them. Look at all that space,
Enough to leave a coach scratchin' his head. Should we double, or not. Should we switch or fight through. The Cavs really look unbeatable at the moment. The only thing that I haven't seen a lot of teams try is to force double on the perimeter to get the ball out of Lebron's hands. Or attempt to trap him on the PNR.
For more late game pointers, take a look at Steve Smith's DVD on End of Game Situations. Coach Smith has built Oak Hill Academy into a prep school powerhouse with famous alums in the likes of Jerry Stackhouse and Team USA's own Carmelo Anthony. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.
Caught the late game yesterday in Mountain West conference play between Wyoming and New Mexico. Coach Steve Alford had the Lobos on a roll all night and it was great shooting and a tough packline defense that soundly trounced the Cowboys of Wyoming. I thought that Wyoming stuck with their 2-3 zone too long while New Mexico went on like a 15-0 run as they hit back to back to back 3-pointers.
On defense, I really liked what the Lobos did, essentially running a combo or junk defense. They run a packline defense, but they adjusted it to take away Wyoming's best player Brandon Ewing. At times, they left other Wyoming players wide open to shoot 3-pointers, which they missed. Here are a few sequences from throughout the game,
Packline Defense:
When Brandon Ewing went to the bench, New Mexico went with the traditional packline. Everyone 1 foot inside the 3-point line, the ball defender closing out hard on the ball with high hands,
Pack And 1:
When Brandon Ewing was on the floor, New Mexico would switch up to a Pack and 1. Basically, once the ball was passed out of Ewing, X1 would stay with in denial defense. The ball defender was closing out hard with high hands. The other 3 players were in normal packline position,
Summary:
I like the packline defense generally because it allows you to keep M2M principles but adjust it based on the situation as shown by New Mexico last night. You can still play up the line on the line as an option out of packline as well. So basically, you can play up, down, or a mixture of both depending on the opponent. In a way, it's probably easier for your players to run than switching up different zone defenses, especially if you want your players to still keep their M2M principles in the back of their mind.
For more info on New Mexico and how they practice their defense, take a look at Steve Alford's DVD on M2M Progression Drills. As always, be sure to check out the X's and O's of Basketball Forum to discuss this and more of your favorite basketball topics.
The new number one ranked UConn Huskies on the road to take on number seven ranked Louisville. I wasn't surprised that UConn won the game, despite being on the road. UConn is probably the most balanced team in the country. They may not have the pure speed of a UNC, the pressure defense of a Duke, but the Huskies can beat anyone because they can play any game, fast or slow.
I really like UConn's half-court 3-out 2-in offense. Their ability to beak Louisville's press was the primary reason why they won the game, but I think that UConn's half-court offense is their biggest asset because they utilize the talent of their players as Coach Jim Calhoun is known for developing great players. They move the ball from side to side and attack the gaps in the offense. Here are some sequences along with a Dick Vitale breakdown,
Attacking the Gaps:
A lot of drive and kick, DDM principles at work. They incorporate good spacing, ball movement, and court awareness into everything they do. They're patient, and wait for the defense to become compromised, then they attack the gaps,
Summary:
Besides the turnovers, I felt that UConn's ability to execute in the half-court was the difference in the game, especially late when UConn was sitting on the lead. As I mentioned in another post, Louisville may have the best full-court defense in college basketball, but right now, they have some problems scoring in the half-court. What that means is that they can beat the mediocre to bad teams, but against good teams that can handle Louisville's pressure defense like UConn, it's going to be a problem. They're going to have to learn to execute better in the halfcourt or they won't go all the way in March.
If you want to learn more about UConn's 3-out 2-in motion offense, take a look at Jim Calhoun's DVD on the 3-out 2-in Motion Offense. To discuss this and other basketball coaching topics, head over to the X's and O's of Basketball Forum.
