Basketball Offense - 2-3 Man Offense
From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net
Consider the 2-Out, 3-In offense if you have two or three strong inside post players, or if you do not have great outside shooters, or if you are not blessed with a great point guard. This offense is designed to be a deliberate, tempo-control offense that looks to get high-percentage inside shots. As in any good offense, the 3-point shot can be taken when open, but our main goal here is inside shots, post-moves, lay-ups, free-throws, and attacking the offensive boards for rebounds. Big strong teams usually don't like a fast-paced, running game and often tend to do better with a slower, tempo-controlled game. Players must be patient and value each possession. Game scores tend to be lower with this style of offense.
Here we present two basic patterns... a "2-3 Low" offense and a "2-3 High" offense. Either (both) can be used by simply having the point-guard call "High" or "Low". Both offenses have continuity and can be run patiently, indefinitely until the defense breaks down and a good inside shot is obtained.
2-3 "Low" Offense
This 2-3 low offense is somewhat similar to what Coach Bruce Pearl runs at the University of Tennessee, although the offense I am presenting here is actually something we have seen at the high-school level. There is some similarity to the Flex offense, but unlike the Flex, the Flex down-screens are not used, and the "bigs" are kept inside and the guards outside. This offense has continuity, with the inside players continuously running the flex cut, as the ball is moved back and forth on top, or into the corner.If diagram A below, we see the basic set which is a two-guard offense with O1 and O2 on top, and our three inside players down low with O5 on the block and O3 and O4 starting in the corners. O1 passes to O2. This triggers O5 to back-screen for O4, and O4 makes the flex-cut either over or under the screen, whichever the defense allows. After screening, O5 seals the defender and immediately "shapes-up" (comes back) to the ball for a post-up. O2 could pass to either O4 or O5 inside. If the pass is not there, O5 moves out to the weak-side corner.
O2 could also pass to O3 in the corner. O3's options are: pass to the flex-cutter O4, shoot the outside shot, dribble-drive to the hoop, or pass back out to O2 (or skip-pass to O1).
Diagram B shows O2 passing back to O1. This triggers O4 to back-screen for O3 as O3 makes the flex-cut. O4 seals and shapes-up to the ball. O1 could pass to either O3 or O4, or to O5 in the corner, or back to O2. Here we see O5 getting the pass in the corner (diagram C). O5 could shoot, pass to O3 inside, dribble-drive or pass back outside. Here O5 skip-passes back out to O2.
The skip pass to O2 triggers O3 to back-screen for O5, and O5 makes the flex-cut. Are you seeing the repetitive pattern here?
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Teaching Point: Note that whenever a corner player dribble-drives the baseline, the post player on the ball-side block "I-cuts" up the lane line (to just below the ball-side elbow) to create spacing for the drive, and also for a possible dump-pass from the dribbler for a possible inside shot.
When the I-cutter O3 gets the pass (and the defense rotates), the opposite corner O4 basket-cuts, and could be open for a pass from O3, and a lay-up. But O4 should only cut if the ball goes to the I-cutter O3... otherwise we like to keep O4 in the corner for the kick-out pass from the dribbler O5. |
Diagrams G, H and I below show yet another option... again, you could call it a special play ("Delay"), or just allow it to run in the normal flow of your offense...(more details).
2-3 "High" Offense
The 2-3 "High" offense is also a two-guard offense. With the "High" offense, we bring our three inside players up to the free-throw line extended, with O3 in the middle, and O4 and O5 on the wings. Once again, this is a patient offense, looking for inside shots, lay-ups, post-moves and free-throws... (more details).Get the complete article and animation! Become a Premium Member or get the Deluxe CD or downloads to get the complete article and animation.
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See this video of Steve Alford, courtesy of ChampionshipProductions.
Helpful DVDs
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