COACHING STYLE

OFFENSE - FAST

We have built our offense around the fundamentals of tempo, spacing and movement based on the READ & REACT system, and a few simple sets designed to produce quick results

 

It is our philosophy that you optimize each possession early in the shot clock, before the defense is set.  It is during this narrow window, that we believe, the defense is most vulnerable to attack.  In addition, this is when the offense controls the space on the court.  Once the defense gets set, it controls the primary spaces the floor, the passing lanes and the paint. However, early in the shot clock, the offense has a distinct advantage.  The offensive players you can stake claim to any position on the court -- and the ball can get there before a defender can recover.

 

If you are the first man down court on offense, set a drag screen while the defense is backpedaling, then dive to the basket. The defense has to either collapse, allowing the point guard to find any number of open perimeter shooters, or the ball will be delivered to you with your momentum carrying you to the basket against a defense stepping up to the ball.

 

We are constantly pushing the ball, trying to create mismatches, and keeping the middle of the floor open creating all sorts of driving lanes and cut paths.

 

Our players move with purpose and speed on offense, then must think about the most logical place to maintain spacing.  In the half court, our offense generates movement in a number of different ways.  First is a simple PASS and CUT through, to the front of the basket, then go opposite of your pass. This forces a rotation to the ball. The secondary option is the ball handler dribbling sharply at a teammate to whom will either dive to the basket or the ball handler will hand the ball off or use to rub off the pursuing defender to get just enough space to launch a quick-release jumper. With the movement the defense will be stretched thin and constantly pulled out to the arc, the interior is open for back door cuts.

 

 

PLAY FAST | READ & REACT PRINCIPLES | DRAW & KICK | PICK & ROLL | POST PLAY & KICK OUT

 

 

DEFENSE – FURIOUS

The effectiveness of our defense is based on forcing opponents into shots from the least effective area of the floor.

 

Our scheme represents the zenith of team defensive. We play a continuously rolling and evolving defense that spans a variety of different man and zone principles.  Our defense adjusts and evolves to take away the strength of the offense we are playing against.

 

We play with strong side, weak side defensive responsibilities and we focus on teaching our athletes how to defend against pick & roll, how to help and recover as well as pressing and trapping.  We want to dictate what the offense is doing when we are on defense. In our pick and roll defense SLICING is when the on-ball defender cuts off the ball handler’s ability to use the screen. We want to send everything away from the middle of the court and force lob passes or bounce passes out to the perimeter, allowing defenders more time to get back to their men.  We would prefer to force the ball handlers to their weak hand.

 

At times, we will load up the strong side while having the weak side defenders zone the backside of the defense. In effect, we force ball handlers -- whether in isolation or in side pick-and-rolls -- to the baseline and then send a second defender from the weak side over to the strong side block to stop dribble penetration and trapping a key areas on the court.

 

Off the ball, every defender must have their hands up and remain on their toes and active.  Keeping their arms stretched as wide. The objective is reduce the passing lanes and to take away the first passing option of the offense this isn’t actually to get deflections, as so many may think, though that happens.  If we can slow down the pass by making the ball handler hesitate and throw a lob pass rather than a quick chest pass to an open shooter. This gives us more time to recover from screens and cuts and often forces the ball away from the offense’s primary option.

 

We can’t defend everything, so we attempt to take away high-percentage options for the offense to tilt the odds heavily in our favor and from here, it is cohesiveness that will lead to our success and the future defensive efficiency.

 

 

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