Tom Izzo: Special Teams

Tom Izzo is one of the greatest coaches out there when it comes to designing offensive plays. Amazingly, he applies some football organizational concepts to his basketball philosophy.  Coach Izzo stresses that there are many games that are lost by 6 or less points.  Therefore, he has come up with 5 focus areas that he calls "Special Teams."  He feels that if his teams can get 15-20 points per game, they will be in a good position to win the game.  He breaks his Special Teams into the following categories:

1. Jump Ball Situation (Get the game started right): If you know you can control the tip, come up with 2 different quick hitters to start the game.  If you feel you cannot get the tip, set up a play that will allow you steal the tip.

2. Baseline Out of Bounds (Attack when they relax): You will be pleasantly surprised at how many baskets you will score if your team develops the mentality that they have a great offensive advantage when taking the ball out along the baseline.

3. Sideline Out of Bounds (Get an open 3): Many teams defend SLOBS by flattening their defense and we have found great success in screening this defensive set and bringing our shooters to an open area for a high-percentage three-point shot.

4. Free Throw Situations (Turning a miss into points): the best teams only shoot 75 percent from the free throw line, we decided to also emphasize attacking the offensive glass during a free throw situation.

5. After Time Out Plays (Execution and discipline): There may be nothing more frustrating for a coach than to call or diagram a play during a time-out only to have it improperly executed on the floor.  To combat this problem and to increase the focus and execution of our after-time-out plays, we will periodically call time-out during practice to diagram and set up a play.

Anatomy of a Timeout: Tip #1

Many games are lost and won with a timeout. There are so many things to consider during timeout situations, so it is vital that you practice different timeout situations during practice. Today, I am going to talk about the advantage of switching defenses after a timeout. Coach Bobby Hurley Sr. mentioned in his defensive DVD that at least 1 time during a game, he will switch defenses after a timeout in order get an advantage for 1 possession. Many times, coaches will design a set or quick hitter during a timeout. Therefore, I love the idea of making a defensive change while coming out of time out. You can make a very subtle change or you can get really creative. The type of change you make should depend on what you have practiced, the time of the game, and the collective basketball IQ of your players. Here are some ideas to consider:


Subtle Changes

1. All out deny the other team’s best scorer

2. Trap the other team’s best player on catch or dribble

3. Switch from man to zone or vice versa depending on what you were playing prior to the timeout

4. Switching all screens to disrupt the flow of a set or quick hitter

Aggressive Changes

1. Box and 1 or diamond and 1 on the other team’s star player

2. Triangle and 2 with chasers on the point guard and best scorer

3. Show zone defense and then match on the first wing pass

4. Show man and then zone on the first wing pass

5. Aggressive trapping scheme such as trapping wings/corners/post entries

As I already noted, there are many variables that play into what a coach should switch to after a timeout, such as your style of play, time and score of the game, your opponents, or what you feel your players are comfortable adjusting to. The last thing you want to do is over coach the kids and have a defensive break down.