By Brett Ayers
mikeness71@hotmail.com
I have written
things on offenses and entry plays for guards, wings and shooters, figured
perhaps since I have been writing about things for the big guys maybe I should
write up an offense that can be used with either a non-traditional and or a
traditional big man.
I think that regardless of what
kind of big man you have, it is imperative to understand the weaknesses
defensively of probably 90% of centers out there. Most centers are okay defending on the inside where they can body
up to the offensive player and do not usually have to move their feet a
tremendous amount and can keep that constant contact with their guy.
Here is what I propose as a
continuity offense with a primary focus on getting the ball inside. Just like
the long diatribe I wrote regarding things to do with non-traditional centers,
I took and used the short post as the primary starting point for the post man
in my offense. Post defenders are fine
defending block to block and or even high post to low post or vice versa.
The basic set up off the offense
is this, you have your point guard up top either to the right side or left side
depending upon which side the 5 man starts out in. If he starts out in the short post (that spot four feet off the
block and two feet down towards the baseline, pretty well even with the
backboard) on the right side the point starts the ball on the left side of the
free throw lane extended back towards half court. The 4 man then starts at the high post area on the elbow, same
side as the point guard. The 2 and 3
men start on either wing at the free throw line extended outside of the
three-point line. It does not matter
which one is on which side.
The 1,2, and 3 men will be the
ones exchanging positions while the 4 and 5 men will basically run the same
cuts and set the same picks maintaining a constant high low scenario as I shall
explain here in a moment.
Now, you have your 1 man with the
ball facing the basket on the right side with your 4 man at the high post and
either your 2 or 3 on the right wing free throw line extended. On the other side you have your 5 man out in
the short post. It is imperative your
five man does not creep in but stays there and does not move until he is picked
for. You have either your 2 or 3
depending on that opposite side wing at the free throw line extended.
The 1 man dribbles the ball over
delivering to the wing on the ball side.
He then runs off of the pick that the 4 man at the high post steps out
and sets for him. This is called a UCLA
cut. He then cuts off of this pick and that is the first option. Obviously the middle will be pretty clear
for the most part. If he does get the
ball there, pulling over 5's man who will be most likely positioned in the key
either a little or a lot, the 5 man should then of course step from the short
post towards the basket where the 1 man can lay off a bounce pass to him for
the easy score.
Now, if the 1 man is not open he
then goes and finds the 5 man's defender and sets a pick on him. The 5 man can either come over the top of
the pick and or underneath the pick depending upon what his defender does. Now, if the defender cheats way into the
key, even waiting for him at the opposite block, the 5 man should start his cut
then just stop on the near block and if the wing with the ball is paying
attention he will be able to throw a shallow lob to him right there. But it
cannot be a lob with to much air underneath it.
The 1 man sets the pick on 5's
defender and five then is to come to the block ball side. It is key for the 5 man to look to post with
his bottom foot on the block, not his top foot. He wants to do this for a whole
host of reasons, but if he is not open off of the pick right away, and his
defender fights through the pick and fronts or he 3/4 fronts the 5 man, the
five man then turns his back towards the defender posting up his defender for
the next pass which would be a lob from the high post area.
Once the 1 sets the pick on 5's defender
he then fills out to the corner behind the three-point line. As the 5 man comes off of 1's pick, 4 who is
at the high post ball side turns and goes straight out to the opposite side and
sets a pick on the weak side wing man's defender. That opposite wing then comes off of that pick a foot or two off
of the free throw line but straight across and the 4 just turns and backs out
to the position that the wing was just in, but only for a second. The wing with the ball then looks to get the
ball to the wing coming off of 4's pick to the high post. Once this wing gets
the ball at the high post his first look is to throw the little lob to the post
who should be pinning for this. Now, if
the other team leaves or drops off their man guarding your 1 man the guy with
the ball at the high post only has to look to the corner for the direct pass to
1 who is spotting up outside the three point line.
If the wing coming across is
not open or if he gets the ball and none of these options are open he then just
pops straight out to the top of the key getting the ball and or dribbling the
ball back out. As he does this the 4
man on the wing comes back in again to the high post area on the elbow on the
opposite side of where he started from. The 1 man fills up to the wing on the
side he is on and 5 fills back out to the short post on the other side. You are now back in the same alignment you
were in with 1, 2, and 3 exchanging places and now the guy with the ball at the
top dribbles it over to the other side and you start it all over again.
