Passing and Receiving

Passing and Receiving Thoughts:

•If you can't pass and catch, you can't play
•Every pass is a shot, every shot is a pass
•Make a bad pass and you've taken away a shot
•Good pass= Right person, Right place, Right time

3 Things You Can Do On Offense

3 Things You Can Do On Offense:
1.  Move the ball
2.  Move People
     a.  Player being guarded with ball
     b.  Players away from the ball
3.  Screen

The 5 Elements of Post Play

Coaches hear all the time that there are no post players anymore. Everyone wants to be a perimeter. But I disagree. The key is in defining "post play". Many associate the term with "Bigs", "Back to the basket". We define post play through these 5 elements:
1.) Transition--more heart than speed. It's simply consistent effort.
2.) Post Feeds--ability to get & stay open, creating an angle to score.
3.) Drives--Ability to drive & finish, creating space & scoring off the drive
4.) Cuts--Straight line cuts, weakside flashes, pass & cut, etc.
5.) Rebounds--Getting offensive rebounds, & Finishing putbacks

We refer to our "post play" through these elements--not by specific players or specific positions. We set game goals for points in the "post". Obviously, we are referring to the paint/ posting area. But we want as many players and opportunities to score in the "post".

We identify getting the ball inside by labeling our scores/ and paint touches--T,P,D,C,R

10 Uses of the Dribble

Use the Dribble
a. Ball protection
b. To the rim
c. To a pull-up by getting your defender to run
d. Obtain a passing angle
e. Do not pick up your dribble without a pass or a shot
f. Speed dribble you throw it out and chase the ball
g. Power dribble versus a quickness mismatch
h. Versus full court pressure use 45 degree angle to the middle of the floor until the defense commits
i. Back Dribble
j. Pull back crossover between legs to protect

9 Simple But Successful Offensive Principles

1. Play within your capabilities--shot selection.
2. Think before you move and move with a purpose.
3. Play your defender on offense.
4. Read the defense.
5. Dribble to improve passing angle, balance floor, drive to basket or get out of trouble.
6. Pass away from the defense.
7. Set and Use screens properly.
8. Anticipate/ Rebound ALL shots.
9. Maintain proper spacing.

Thoughts on Passing The Basketball

General Ideas On Passing:
• Not very many good passers any more
• Everybody likes a good passer
• Good passing teams are happy teams
• Look to point and say thanks

Great passers can do these things:
• Pass with either hand
• Work on passing anytime they have a ball and a teammate
• Understand the people they pass to (right person, right place, right time)
• Zip their passes—with proper spacing you cannot throw a flick pass to hard
• Make the easy (simple) pass and pass away from the defense

Passing
1. Triple threat position
2. Use vertical fakes
3. Look off your pass
4. Step into the pass
5. Put your wrist in their forehead (flick pass)

Philosophy for Entries & Plays

1. Reasons for plays:
a. Special plays for special players
b. Some plays fit certain players, find what fit plays fit yours
c. Move your personnel to make the plays fit your team.

2. Run plays into your motion or continuity

3. Run plays at the end of a possession, end of quarter, game

4. Run a play for your post player to start your motion ( the idea is to give your best player a chance to score every time down the floor.)

5. If you are going to run plays...try to use the same alignment.

6. For plays to work..you should have:
a. Vocal Call
b. Visual Call.

7. Realize you can't use every good idea. Adapt what you can.

Getting Players To Cut Hard

Getting players to understand how to cut "HARD," is often difficult to do. Of course, all players think that they are cutting hard, but we know it's not hard enough.

Our general rule is that coaches don't pass in drills. However, one quick drill we do is to have our coaches start with the pass to make them go after the ball. To make them get a feel for how hard we want them to cut. Then add players passing.

Otherwise, they are passing and cutting at their own speed.

Dick Bennett Re: Big Games

"In big games versus quality opponents you worry about scoring. In those games you must be able to execute in the half-court as well as run the ball."

Objectives For Guard Play

Objectives For Guard Play

1. Create space on offense
2. North and South (no bellying out)
3. Body on body
4. Must be smart to be a guard
5. Focus on fundamentals, you’re not going to be great without them
6. Develop a “go to” move—have a hot spot
7. Between the legs is better than the crossover because the ball isn’t exposed to the defense.

Passing Out Of A Trap

A few thoughts about passing out of a trap:

• Never throw over an athlete.
• Use the crackback.
• Pass around the trap.
• Fake a pass to make a pass.

The 5 "S's" of Offense

Here are 5 Offensive items we will emphasize for 09-10:

1. Sprint the floor
2. Spacing
3. Sureness
4. Swing the ball
5. Shot discipline