I believe there are two things all basketball offenses should do, no matter what type of defense you face, or what your players’ strengths might be. And I think too many coaches get away from this…
First, I believe you should always try to get the ball inside against ALL types of zone and man defenses — even if you have NO players that can score in the post area.
Quite often I see coaches stop emphasizing inside touches when they face certain types of zones (like a 1-3-1 trap) or if they have players on the floor that are not good at scoring in the post.
I believe this is a mistake for a long list of reasons.
A good defense will try to take you out of your game and get you to do things that you don’t want to do. For example, a good 1-3-1 zone trap can fluster your team and take them out of their offensive flow. Many times these defenses will get your team to stop going inside and getting the ball near the basket.
The last thing you want is the defense to take control. YOU want to dictate the situation. And if you want to score lots of points, you need to get the ball as close to the basket as possible.
As a defensive minded coach, my philosophy is simple. I want to keep the ball as FAR FROM THE BASKET as possible. This includes stopping dribble penetration and getting the ball deep in the post. It doesn’t matter how the ball gets there. From a defensive perspective, I want the ball to always stay as far from the basket as possible.
I know that when the ball gets close to the basket, the odds of a made basket or a foul is much higher. I also know that when the ball goes inside, my defense breaks down and it’s more susceptible.
This is why I believe all offenses should try to get the ball inside, drill the concept, and emphasize it.
If you have small players that can’t score in the post, you should still try to get the ball near the basket and threaten the defense. You can get the ball close to the basket with dribble penetration, cuts, screens, or have your players post up. If the player is not good in the post area, they don’t have to score often (maybe never). They just need to be a threat and get the ball down there.
Then you can attack the defense from the inside out. Even against a zone defense you attack from inside out.
If your players are not good at taking care of the ball when it’s down low, then you need to practice it (whether the penetration comes from the dribble, cut, pass, or post up).
Once the ball is inside, all the defenders have to turn their head, adjust, and rotate. From there you can kick the ball out for an outside shot, reverse the ball, and just play basketball. By getting the ball inside you force the defense to rotate and move. This creates seams and opportunities for you.
If you just swing the ball and keep the ball outside all the time, you are an easier team to play against. Defensive rotations are easier and it’s easy to take things away from you.
Find ways to get the ball inside, practice those situations, and you’ll have better offense – whether you’re facing zone or man defense.
The second thing I think all offenses should do is reverse the ball. Again, this comes from me being a defensive minded coach.
The hardest things to guard are teams that are good at getting the ball inside and reversing the ball. It is very hard to guard a team that does that well. This makes my defense susceptible to openings, missed rotations, out of position help, and so on. I just don’t like it. I want to keep all teams from getting the ball inside and reversing it because I know how difficult that is to guard.
Does your team do a good job of reversing the ball in every game you play? Does your team do a good job of getting the ball inside in every game you play?
I personally think too many coaches make the mistake of conceding the post up and inside touches because they have small players that can’t score inside.
Let me know what your thoughts are.
I agree with you to the point even if it is just the simple fact of moving the ball and keeping the defense guessing where it is going. If all of your passes or game is outside then it’s easy to shut down, and on the flip side if all of your game is inside it’s easy to shut down. Moving the ball and using all of the court is an important part of spreading out the defense and getting an open shot opportunity.
My team consists of 3rd and 4th graders and we can only press in the last 3 minutes of the game if we are not 10 points ahead. When we are not pressing we always start our aggressive defensive at the 10 second line. In our league we are only allowed to play man to man defense, but when other players come to help out we can double team the ball. We create a lot of turnovers this way and get a lot of open lay-ups.
One thing that is really cool about our league is that we play in the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, IN. The Hoosier Gym is the gym that the movie Hoosiers was filmed in.
I have seen EXACTLY what you are talking about happening with my high school girl’s team. Our toughest competitor uses a 2-1-2 zone defense that works like a well-oiled machine and intimidates everyone they play against–including us. I’ve been trying to convince my girls that we are capable of beating that zone both inside and outside, but they lack confidence when it comes to passing to a player that is cutting across the lane. They also hesitate to drive inside. Are there drills that you would suggest for teaching how to attack a zone? I would really love to pick that defense apart next time we play them!
Kay – I think that’s something you just practice and simulate so players get used to it. Practice some controlled half court scrimmages. With practice and direction from you they will get better. You can also play games with certain rules like – 2 points for every touch with in 9 feet of the basket, minus 2 for turnovers, 3 points for scores near the basket, etc. Make up the game and award points based on what ever you want to emphasize.
Also, for my zone offense drills I usually just take a piece of the offense and drill that piece. That might just include isolating the perimeter players, isolating a certain cut, or isolating the post players. But it depends on your offense and what you’re trying to accomplish with that offense. You can start with 1on0, 2on0, 3o 0, etc. And then add defense.
What does it mean to reverse the ball? Our we just talking about forcing turn overs?
Good article, though it might help the misunderstanding of “reverse the ball” to correct your statement, “The second thing I think all defenses should do is reverse the ball. Again, this comes from me being a defensive minded coach.”
You meant, of course, to say “offense;” the defense wants to contain the ball and prevent it from reversing court.
Kevin – Thank you for pointing out that error in the article. I fixed the error and it should make sense now.
I appreciate this article. I coach H.S. boys and this is exactly what we have been doing wrong all year. We’ve been reversing the ball well with a 5-Out spread offense but we have not been getting the ball inside. We just started to do so with a 3-Out offense and it’s been frustrating me because my guys don’t know how to play with their backs to the basket but I now realized that we don’t have to score from there. We just need to be a threat and kick it out to cause problems. Thanks again!
Coach Montes, you can still go inside via a 5-out. However, it might be through the dribble drive rather than through post ups. You could also have a player with post abilities post up out of the 5-out. He could be 5’11, but if he can bang down low with another 5’11 kid, that’s all that matters.
The important part is to get the ball inside to make the defense collapse or score if they don’t.
I totally agree with you about trying to get the ball inside as much as possible. That said, I don’t think the ball should STAY inside. You touched on it, but once you get the ball inside, it’s easier to pop the ball back out and make a shot or another play of some kind. This is good strategy… and a good way to throw off the defense.
I too like the fact that you are such a defense-minded coach. I don’t know if this comment belongs here or somewhere else, but do you think that offensive players should also be constantly thinking about defense? I mean, just because you are trying to score doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about the defensive strategies of your team… right? Just a thought! Great post… thanks!
Coaches let my daughter, 12-yr old play only as a post since she is taller than other girls on the team. But she is a good ball handler, likes dribbling and taking it to the hoop. What should I do to find a team that can play her all positions. Please give me your advice.
You’ll just have to search the internet for local teams and ask around. Talk to the coaches and maybe players on the team. Find out how they go about things to see if it would be a good fit for your daughter.
Thanx a lot coach…coach plz hw do i perfect my jump shot???i would b glad if u helped me out.Thank you