3 Last-Second Plays From the 1-4 Low Set

Players start in a 1-4 low set. 1 is near half court with the ball. 2 and 3 are in the corners. 4 and 5 are in the low post.

For spacing purposes, players should start as close to the baseline as possible.

1 attacks and looks to score. I like to teach our players to attack with a lay up in mind. If effective, this will put the pressure on the defense and force them to adjust.

In this diagram, x5 helps high to stop the dribble penetration by 1. If this happens and the other defenders stay put, 1 can throw a pass to 5.

If 1 gets closer to the basket via the dribble penetration, 5 can also slide to the short corner.

When a low post defender helps and the wing defender slides over to take away the post entry, the point guard should look to pass it to the open player on the perimeter.

In the diagram, x5 helps and x3 slides over, so 1 would pass to 3 on the perimeter.

If necessary, the perimeter player can slide up the 3-point line to create a better passing angle.

This same read applies any time that the perimeter defenders collapse on the point guard.

A variation of the play above would be to have the perimeter players cross through baseline screens to occupy the help defense.

At the same time, 5 screens for 3 and 5 screens for 2. 2 and 3 sprint off the screen to the opposite corners.

4 and 5 open up to the ball after the screen in case their defenders chase the shooters.

You can toy with the timing for 1 to dribble attack after the screens have been set.

Another option is to have one of the post players set a high screen for 1 to dribble attack.

Vary the angle and the position of the screen to keep the defense guessing. You can screen on the left side, on the right side, or in the center. You can set a flat screen directly behind the defense, on the inside shoulder, or on the outside shoulder.

Typically, it's best to have your post player with the best shooting ability to set the screen.