John Groce Transition Offense

Here are some transition notes from John Groce that have some influences from the Phoenix Suns that incorporate a lot of transition ball screen actions.  With style of play, your players will enjoy being able to get out and run and make some plays by using their athleticism.

John Groce Transition Offense

Match-Up Zone Defenses

Being someone who likes match-up zones, I thought I would share some resources on various match-up zone defenses.  There are a wide variety of match-up zone defenses.  They differ in their rules and alignments.  Here are some basic reasons why I like the match-up zone defense.

1. It is hard for other teams to simulate the defense at practice
2. A lot of coaches struggle deciding what to run against a match-up zone
3. It allows you to put tremendous pressure on the offense 
4. Incorporates man defensive concepts

Therefore, I am going share some variations of match-up defenses out there. 

Flip Saunders Match-Up

David Blatt 1-1-3 Match-Up

Ester Match-Up

Dover Match-Up

Matt Kellet: 2012 Individual Skills Workout

This is a great off-season workout that you should really take a look at.  It has a great breakdown of drills that address fundamental play.  Coach Kellet provides descriptions and diagrams of the season individual workout drills.  Hope you can take away something from this great resource.

Matt Kellet: 2012 Individual Skills Workout

Christine Stapleton Clinic

We are going to take a look at some clinic notes from a clinic where Christine Stapleton was the clinician.  Coach Stapleton provides some great perspectives on youth coaching as well as some drills that you can incorporate into your practices.

Christine Stapleton Clinic

Jim Christian Leopard Zone Offense

The Leopard Zone offense is a great way to attack zone defenses like the 2-3 zone.  It focuses on getting the ball to the middle of the zone, which will cause problems for any zone defense.  I think you will like this offense for attacking zone defenses.

Jim Christian Leopard Zone Offense

Will Rey Ball Press Notes

If you are looking for a different approach to applying full court ball pressure, you should take a look at Will Rey's ball press.  I think you will like the constant pressure on the ball and the trapping options you get out of it.

Will Rey Ball Press Notes

54 Wide Series

Today's basketball sets are from a series called 54 Wide.  These sets are based on the 5 and 4 man setting wide pin screens for scorers.  What I like about setting wide pin screens, is the slip action that the screeners get. Makes it hard for teams to show / hedge on the screen, because you then give up the slip.  If teams do not show / hedge on the screen, it puts more pressure on the cutter defender because it becomes a simple read for the cutter.

54 Wide Series

Troy Culley: Red 2 14 High Side PNR

Coach Troy Culley shows us a pick and roll set out of the 4 high set.  I think you will like the scoring action that this set provides. Thanks Coach Culley for sharing this play with us.

Troy Culley: Red 2 14 High Side PNR

Gary Nottingham: Late Game Special Situations

One of the most under taught and practiced aspects of basketball, in my opinion, are late game special situations.  So, today we are going to take a look at a resource on that very topic.  You will find tons of practice ideas that will help your team prepare for various special situations.

Gary Nottingham: Late Game Special Situations

University of California Speed Offense

Today, we are going to take a look at the University of California Speed offense.  I love looking at different philosophies to playing uptempo basketball.  Hopefully you get some good ideas to add to your offensive system.

University of California Speed Offense - Part 1

University of California Speed Offense - Part 2

Akin Shooting Drills

If you are looking to change up some of the shooting drills you are using this off-season, you should take a look at implementing the Akin Shooting Drill series.  These drills have a lot of repetition, are high intensity and are game like.  All which make up an effective drill.

Akin Shooting Drills

Auszuege DDB Playbook

I thought that this playbook had some good offensive actions as well as good spacing.  Even though it is written in a language that I am not familiar with, I still thought it was a good resource. Spacing is always important to me and think it is one of the most vital aspects to good offense.  This playbook clearly demonstrates this concept, thus all of the cutting and driving lanes produced in this offense.

Auszuege DDB Playbook

BCG Diamond Drill

Well, I want to start off by saying that graduate school sure takes up a large portion of my day.  I recently started working on my Masters in Pre-K-12 Administration.  Needless to say, this has been eating up most of my day and night, which is why I have not been able to post as frequently as I would like.

With that being said, I wanted to pass along some resources that I have come across lately.  The BCG Diamond drill is a good defensive drill that Billy Gillispie used as a part of his pressure defensive system.  I think you will like the effectiveness of this defensive drill.

BCG Diamond Drill

Atlanta Hawks Offensive Sets

Here are some offensive sets ran by the Atlanta Hawks.  In my opinion, NBA sets can sometimes be to complicated to run at the level that I coach, high school boys.  However, once in a while I come across one that I think our players have the ability to run.  In this case, the Jersey Pin play really appealed to me.  I really like setting pin (narrow and wide) because not only does it give great scoring options for the cutter, but it also has great scoring options for the screener.  If the screener can learn to read how his defender is playing the screen, he can get all kinds of good looks.  I hope these plays are a good addition to your playbook.

Atlanta Hawks Offensive Sets

Bark and Bite

He barked out his rules, listing them one by one. Boasting of consequences and the things he’d done. “This is how it’s gonna be, so this you’d better do! If you break these rules, then buddy you’re through! I wanna’ see this and I wanna’ see that! I don’t like this and I don’t like that! Don’t test me kid, I have done it before! If you don’t like it then there’s the door!” Well as the season went, discipline began to fade. Players lost belief in the threats he had made. Rules were broken; players were allowed to slide by. Teamwork was forsaken and thrown out to die. He warned us daily, but we knew him too well. He didn’t mean a word of the threats he would yell. Coach talked tough, but we never saw him fight, because our coach’s bark was worse than his bite.

--- Todd Howey

Argentina Base Line Out of Bounds Play

I found this baseline out of bounds play to be pretty interesting. It has a lot of screening actions, which can be  difficult to defend.  Even if you switch screens on in-bounds plays, I can see a lot of slip opportunities in this play.  I hope it is something that will be a good addition to your playbook.

Argentina Base Line Out of Bounds Play

Coach Troy Culley's New Basketball BLOG

I wanted to put in a plug for blog contributor Troy Culley and his new basketball blog.  Coach Culley has a wealth of knowledge and is great about helping other coaches out, so I highly recommend that you check out his blog.

Troy Culley's X's and O's

Scotland SLOB Isolation Play

I thought that this sideline play would be a good play to run with a short shot clock.  Not only do you have the isolation on the entry, but I love the rub action for a hand-off with the person in-bounding the ball.  So many times, defenders forget about the guy throwing the ball in and he/she can get a good look at the basket.

Scotland SLOB Isolation Play

Dean Smith: Building Team Unity

Today, we are going to look at a motivational resource focusing on building team unity. Dean Smith has managed some heavy personalities and great basketball players.  I think you like some of the ideas that Coach Smith provides to build strong team chemistry.

Dean Smith: Building Team Unity

Mark Swasey: 3-3 1/2 Court Sprint, Breakdown and Play Drill

Of all the practice drills out there, one of my all time favorites has to be the 3-3 1/2 court drill referred to as "Sprint-Breakdown and Play".  I was introduced to this drill by Keith Boucher, an extremely successful Women's Basketball Coach at Keene State College, while I served as his graduate assistant in the early 1990's.  Of all the drills over my career as a head coach, this is one of a handful of drills that I utilized on a consistent basis every year. 

3-3 can be a tremendous teaching tool for a coach and provides unlimited learning opportunities for players.  This particular drill can be used to stress virtually any aspect of the game that you desire and all while in a competitive, fast paced environment. 

The basic pattern is to pick two teams, I will base this on having 2 teams of 6 but any number can play.  I have often used captain schoolyard picks or if I wanted to have a few certain players get more time together/or apart, myself or an assistant could pick.

Once the two teams are established the rules for that day are established.  Each team will play offense for 3 minutes and defense for 3 minutes.  There is a 1 minute break in between for a transition and rest period.  A coach can use different methods for selecting which team goes first.  Shooting free throws or giving the option to the team which didn't get first pick are two options I like.  Getting the players to think for themselves and strategize is something I feel to be important in every practice session.  Would a group want the ball first and then have only 1 minute of rest to play defense?  The scenarios are great ways to get the players to think about strategy and learn from the decisions they make.  The goal of putting players in situations where they have to think the game in practice should be paramount in a coach's mind when preparing a practice plan.  I believe that when players are put in situations where they learn to think on their feet in practice, it helps them develop the confidence to figure things out on the court in games, by themselves.

Once offense and defense are decided the coach will stand under the basket with the ball.  Every possession starts with the coach passing the ball to one of the 3 offensive players in the wing/wing/top of key spots.  The defensive players must have all feet in the paint.  On the pass the players must assume a proper defensive position.  For the sake of the drill, I do not stop play.  After the drill is over, I like to ask the players what they thought worked well and what didn't.  Inevitably the players figure out that not jumping to the ball, closing out well and getting into the proper lane lines or helpside position is the main cause for giving up baskets. 

Once the ball is caught by the offensive player he/she can shoot it immediately, drive or pass.  The game is on!  A defensive team that doesn't anticipate where I might be passing the ball, is slow and/or low on the close out or not jump to the pass will typically struggle in this drill on the defensive end.  From an offensive standpoint I always give 2 points for a 3, 1 point for a 2 and 1 point for any foul by the defense.  A manager or an injured player keeps track of turnovers and 1 point for each turnover is to be taken off at the end of the 3 minute possession. 

For the Offensive Team, you can also create additional scoring opportunities.  You can give points for offensive rebounds, a point for an assist, really anything that needs to be emphasized can be scored.

For the Defensive Team I give 5 points for taking a charge, 1 point for a deflection, 2 points for a steal.  I don't give a point for a defensive rebound.  Depending on the day and if there were certain areas that need work, I like to award or take away points at the end on the defense as well as the offense.  Great block outs, great seal in the paint, great post feed etc..  Not closing out, not jumping to a pass, not communicating etc..  Any area you want can be focused on.  I try to keep it simple early in the season and as the season goes on, add to the difficulty with more take away points on both the offensive and defensive ends.

The coach calls the fouls and a manager or injured player runs the clock and keeps score on the board.  I want to give the offense as many possessions as possible and make life as hard as possible on the defense.  The 6 players involved in the first possession have to get off the court immediately following a change in possession.  The ball should be passed to the coach appropriately or a take away point results for that team.  Immediately upon receiving the ball the coach throws it to the next offensive player at either wing or top positions.  This can sometimes lead to confusion on both offensive and defensive ends if the teams are not being alert and communicating early and often with each other.  Keep an eye on those defensive players for trying to cheat outside the paint, that is the only time I call them back and the players learn quickly that getting into a low defensive stance, anticipating my pass and being on their toes is the only way to stop that 3 pointer from going up.  Offensive teams learn that just shooting the 3 is only effective if they are making them!  Many teams lose because all they shoot are 3's, making the defensive team's job easy.  The lessons to be learned from this simple drill are endless.

I like mixing up the "consequence" for the losing team.  Most times, I'd allow the winning team to determine the losing team's fate.  It's always interesting to see how the players would handle that responsibility. Sometimes it was just 5 push-ups, other times it was a ladder and other times it was something foolish or funny.  The best teams I ever coached would actually all run together, win or lose.  It was those few precious teams that were the most fun to coach.  Getting to that level of teamwork is truly special.

Enjoy the drill.  I certainly welcome any feedback on this drill should you choose to use it and am always available for questions if you have them.

Mark Swasey

3-3 1/2 Court Sprint, Breakdown and Play Drill

Daly Wisdom: Chuck'isms

Even though I am a die hard Celtics fan, I can still appreciate rival coaches and their approach to the game. This resource provides plenty of thought provoking basketball nuggets for all of us to think about.

Daly Wisdom: Chuck'isms

Cuba Zone Offense

Today, we are going to take a look the Basic Cuba zone offense.  Being a coach that runs a very aggressive match up zone defense, I can appreciate what this zone offense is attempting to accomplish. If you are looking for a zone offense, you might want to check this out.

Cuba Zone Offense

2011 Alabama Coaching Clinic Notes

Today's clinic notes are from the 2011 Alabama Coaching Clinic.  I really loved the section on Kevin Eastman.  He has such a wealth of information and he presents in such a simplistic and practical manner.  Probably why I like him as a coach.

2011 Alabama Coaching Clinic Notes

2012 Buckeye Offense

Today's offensive playbook is over the 2012 Bucknell Offense.  There is a lot of good ball screen sets in this playbook.  I hope it helps your team this season.

2012 Buckeye Offense

Iowa Press Break

Here is a nice little press breaker you may want to consider using.  Seems like it would be simple to put in, while being highly effective against pressure teams.

Iowa Press Break

Bobby Hurley: Player and Parent Contracts

Gives players a Basketball Contract to sign and parents sign.
 Address Team Standards

1.  I will represent myself, my team, my family properly at all times.
2.  I will take my education seriously, knowing that my education is for a lifetime.
3.  I will refrain from the use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.
4.  I will be on time for school, school or team activities, practices, and games, and understand that I must communicate in advance when I will not be able to attend via a parent or guardian

Dave Leitao: Building Your Profile

Here is a great resource on how to build your coaching profile as told by Dave Leitao.  I think this resource will give you some good things to think about.

Dave Leitao: Building Your Profile

200 Shot Workout

If you are looking for a way to track your players shot totals throughout the off-season, you may want to checkout this workout.

200 Shot Workout

Troy Culley: Defensive Mindset Article

Coach Troy Culley provides us with a great resource on establishing a defensive mindset.  Being a coach who emphasizes a defensive mindset, this article really appealed to me.  Like rebounding, I strongly that one of the biggest keys to playing good defense, regardless of your defensive philosophy, is effort and then wanting to play good defense.  Hope you enjoy this resource that Coach Culley has provided.

Troy Culley: Defensive Mindset Article

2 Flair to 51 PNR

This play out of the Horns sets is a great action to run if you have a 2 guard who is a strong scorer.  If teams try to switch the flair screen, you will have a nice isolation.  Furthermore, if there is a switch on the flair action, you will have the post slip option as well.

2 Flair to 51 PNR

Buford 14 Series

Today's basketball sets are from the Buford 14 Series.  In this series, you will find a number of variations to 1-4 high actions.  I particularly like the 14 pin set because I think setting a wide pin screen is a great scoring action.

Buford 14 Series

Minnesota Fall Clinic 2010

Today's clinic notes are from the 2010 Minnesota Fall Clinic.  There are great coaching nuggets in here as well as great X and O, including the Wisconsin Swing, Iowa State Early Offense and a wide variety of practice drills.

Minnesota Fall Clinic 2010

Robert Bauer U19 Sets

Here is another playbook that has some great sets from an U19 team.  Hope that they are a good edition to your playbooks.

Robert Bauer U19 Sets

Robert Bauer U18 Sets

Here is a great sets playbook for an U18 team.  You will find a number of great scoring actions along with great spacing for driving lanes.

Robert Bauer U18 Sets

Triangle Rebounding

Here is a great rebounding drill for you to add to your drill book.  It emphasizes a bunch of fundamentals involved in rebounding. As always, it appealed to me because it is intense, game like, involves multiple players and competitive.

Triangle Rebounding

Troy Culley: U14 Youth Quick Hitters

Today, Coach Troy Culley shows us some youth 1-4 High Quick Hitters.  1-4 high sets can serve as a great pressure release for teams that like to put high amounts of ball pressure.  They also give you great driving lanes from the wings, as well as strong post up opportunities.

Troy Culley: U14 Youth Quick Hitters

Hurdle Shot Drills

Here are some interesting shooting drills you can use to improve the footwork of your players.  They are called Hurdle Shot Drills, and they will add some creativity to your shooting drill collection.

Hurdle Shot Drills

Troy Culley: Serbia Horns Set

Troy Culley shows us some more set actions that can be ran out the Horns set.  Personally, I like the wide pin screen action that the post players set for shooters.  If you have players who are good at reading that screen, you will get lots of quality shots.

Troy Culley: Serbia Horns Set

Troy Culley: Last Minute Zone

Coach Troy Culley shows a nice zone hitter that uses a post X action and some misdirection to get a quality perimeter shot or post feed.

Troy Culley: Last Minute Zone