Basketball Plays - "Hi-Lo" Plays for the 3-Out, 2-In Motion Offense

From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net

We want our post players working together. Here are a few simple hi-lo post plays that you can run out of the 3-out, 2-in motion offense set. We start with some simple post-post screening motion. We finish with "High-2" and "High-3" which work great against teams that like to full-front the low post. Also see the "Big Series" hi-lo plays.

Simple Hi-Lo Post Motion

See the diagrams below. In Diagram A, the ball-side post (O4) sets a screen for the opposite post (O5). If the O5 goes low around the screen to the block, then the screener (O4) cuts up to the high post area. The pass from the wing could go to either O4 or O5. If the pass goes to the high post (O4), O4 can either shoot or look down low to O5.

Now look at the diagrams below. In Diagram C, the cutter (O5) cuts to the high post, so the screener (O4) goes to the low block. Again, the pass from the wing can go to either post player.

It is essential that the screener reads the situation correctly. The screener’s cut is opposite of what the cutter does. If the cutter goes low, the screener goes high. If the cutter goes high, the screener goes low.

One precaution: This must happen quickly in order to avoid the 3-second violation.

3-2 motion offense hi-lo play

"41"

This is a very effective, simple "Hi-Lo" play using your two post players. See Diagram A below. To start the play, O5 sets a screen for O4, so that O4 can move out to the 3-point arc, along the opposite line of the lane. Meanwhile O1 dribbles to the right and O2 and O3 move down toward the corners (for spacing). You now have a 4-out, 1-in look (Diagram B).

O1 passes to O4. Oftentimes, the low defenders will switch the initial screen. O5 pins the X4 defender and posts up strong on the ballside low post, looking for the pass from O4 and the chance to score. This is a very simple play, but very effective if you have a good low post player who can score one-on-one.

"High-2" and "High-3"

Here is another play that we can run out of our 3-out, 2-in set. This play works well if you have a good, tall post player, and when the defense is fronting the low post.

When the defense fronts our low post player as seen in Diagram A below, it naturally makes it difficult for us to pass from the wing to the low post. And a lob pass from the wing is not easy because usually there will be a helpside defender X5 in the paint. Instead of trying to force the pass from the wing, we will call "High" and have the opposite post O5 cut to the ballside elbow for the pass from O2. Doing so takes the helpside defender X5 up to guard O5. Meanwhile, O4 seals the low post defender outside and O4 should have inside position for a lob pass from O5. This pass from O5 to O4 usually has to be a lob over the defender, and we want O4 to hold the inside target hand up high so we can make a good pass for the lay-up.

Notice also that after passing to O2, O1 screens-away for O3. This makes the pass to the high post easier by taking the X1 defender to the opposite side (sometimes X1 will drop into the high post area and deny that wing-to-high post pass). Also, this exchange between O1 and O3 helps keep the X3 and X1 defenders occupied and hopefully out of helpside in the paint. O1 goes to the weakside wing-corner area for a possible skip pass from O5, while O3 moves up to the top.

If the pass is skipped from the high post (O5) to the corner (O1) as seen in Diagram C, the low post player (O4) should continue to seal the low defender and then post-up on the ball-side low block for the possible pass from the corner.

We could run this play to either side. Run "High-2" to the right side (when the first pass goes to O2) and "High-3" to the left (starting with a pass to O3). In "High-3", everything is just the opposite. The first pass goes to O3 while O4 flashes to left elbow and we are looking to pass to O5 inside. O1 screens for O2 and moves to the right wing-corner area while O2 comes to the top.

Basketball play diagrams - 32-High