Basketball Plays - Selecting Plays
From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net
After you have established your half-court offense, you will want to throw in several basketball plays that you can call in a time-out or from the sideline. First a word... most of these plays can be adapted to other sets. So look at all of them! For example, a 3-2 play could be adapted to the 4-out offense and vice-versa.
Additionally, you need a couple baseline out-of-bounds plays ("BLOB's") and a sideline out-of-bounds play ("SLOB") or two. All of the Coach's Clipboard's basketball plays are listed below with a brief description for many of them.
Basketball Plays - General Man-to-Man Plays and 3-2 Plays
1-Series (plays for your point guard) (Take the seam off the break, "Loyola", "51", and "41")
Plays designed to get shots for your point guard O1. Including links to many other point guard plays.
2-Series (plays for your shooting guard) ("Kansas", "Jayhawk", "Louisville", "Arizona", "Arizona and Back", "42 and 52", "Illinois", "Virginia", and "Elevator")
A number of plays designed to get shots for your shooting guard O2, including links to many other plays for O2.
Big Series ("Big", "15", "Big-Left", "Big-Down", "Big-43", and "Big-Double")
A series of several plays vs man-to-man defense, run out of the 4-out offense. These plays mainly are designed to get your good post players the ball inside.
90-Series ("91", "91-Slip", "92", "93", "94", and "95")
A series of several plays that you can run against man-to-man or zones. Especially good if you have a good point guard, but O2 and your post players will get shots too.
3-2 Hi-Lo Plays (Hi-Lo Motion, "41", "High-2", and "High-3")
Simple post to post motion and plays vs man-to-man defense, run out of the 3-out, 2-in motion offense. These plays are also designed to get your good post players the ball inside, even when the low post is being fronted ("High-2" and "High-3").
Simple 3-2 Motion Plays for Youth Teams ("53", "43", "Double-Curl", "Red", "Blue", and "32-Reverse")
Basketball Plays for the 3-2 Motion Offense - (more advanced)
America's Play
A popular play to use against man-to-man defense that features O2 curling around the staggered double down-screen.
Kentucky ("Kentucky-2" and "Kentucky-3")
Run this out of your 3-out, 2-in offense against man-to-man defense. These plays feature several options including 3-point shots for O2 or O3, , a pass to O1 cutting inside, a pass into the post, and a "slip" option. You can run it right or left.
Loyola ("Loyola" and "Loyola-2")
Great play if you have an O1 who can dribble left and penetrate, or if your O3 is a good outside shooter. Run this vs man-to-man defenses and you can run it out of the 4-out set, the 3-out 2-in set, or a 1-3-1 set. "Loyola-2" gets O4 open for a lay-up.
Wisconsin
Run this out of your 3-out, 2-in offense. With this play, you can get a shot for O2 or O4, or a post up inside for O3.
Redhawk ("Redhawk-1" and "Redhawk-2")
The "Redhawk" plays feature two double-screens and gets players moving and cutting, each with several options, and shots for O2.
MSU
Run this out of your 3-out, 2-in offense. Inside (O5) and outside (O3) options, and an "alley-oop" option to O4.
Michigan
Run this out of your 3-out, 2-in offense against man-to-man defense. Usually a lay-up for O5 or O1.
Texas
Also run this out of the 3-out, 2-in offense. This is good play to get O3 (left wing) involved with dribble-penetration and a pick and roll. But you could end up with a big-little inside post advantage.
Miami
Also run this out of the 3-out, 2-in offense vs man-to-man or zone defenses.
OSU
Run out of the 3-2 set, a good play with several options for O4 and O2.
Ohio
A good play to run when O1 is getting a lot of outside pressure. A back-screen and often a lay-up for O4.
Buckeye
A good play starting with a box set, with a number of options, and often a lay-up for O4 or O5.
Tiger
This play starts in the high post, with a back-cut, staggered screens, a hand-off, and a flex-cut!
Demon
If you've got a guy who can dunk... this is a back-side, alley-oop, high-lob pass and dunk.
Blazer
Run this against man-to-man defense. A back-door screen, cut and lay-up for O1.
Weave-Screen Plays ("W2", "W3", "Back" option, "W4", and "Weave")
These plays can be run out of any motion offense. You get either a 3-point shot or a shot from the free-throw line for either O2 or O3. Or you may get a lay-up with the "Back" option.
Slip Play
A simple screen-the-screener play with a slip option.
32 Option Series ("Option" and "Fist")
Start with a double low-stack, a pass to O2, a hand-off to O1, and a low post ("Fist") option.
Basketball Plays - 4-Out Set Plays
4-Out High Plays ("Topside" and "Counter", "Flash", "Slip", "Swing", "Fist", and weave-screen plays "W2", "W2-back", "W3", "W4")
For these plays, start with the 4-out motion offense with your post player at the high post.
These plays work well against teams that full-front our high post player.
4-Out Low Plays ("Big", "Big-15", "Big-Left", "Big-Down", "Big-43", "Big-Double", "Loyola", "Loyola-2", "53", "34", "13" and "24", "Black", "52-Curl", "14", and weave-screen plays "W2", "W2-back", "W3", "W4")
For these plays, start with the 4-out motion offense with your post player at the low post.
Basketball Plays - 1-4 Set Plays
1-4 Set Plays ("Georgetown", "G-town and Back", "Hoyas", "Hoyas-21", "42", "93-Low", "45 Pick and Roll", and "41 Pick and Roll")
Run these plays using the 1-4 set offense.
1-4 Low Set Plays ("Pinball", "Double-Cross", "Scissors", and "Spurs")
Run these plays using the 1-4 low set offense.
Basketball Plays - 1-3-1 Set Plays
1-3-1 Offense Plays ("Motion-1", "Motion-3", "Motion-3", and "Baseline-3")
Run these plays using the 1-3-1 set offense. Good for youth teams.
Basketball Plays - Zone Plays
Having a few plays to counter zone defenses will be helpful.
2-3 Zone Offense Plays ("Carolina", "Zone-1X", "Iowa", "21 and 31", "Indiana", "91", "Corners-52", "45 and 54", "UConn", "Chicago", and "Miami")
Run these plays against the 2-3 zone defense.
Zone-2 offense and plays ("45 and 54", "Zone-2 Back", "Middle cut", "Back with skip pass", "Flex cut")
Run these plays against any 1-guard zone defense (1-2-2, 1-3-1, 3-2), a tightly packed 2-3 zone defense, or the box and 1 defense.
Zone plays for attacking the 1-3-1 zone defense ("4", "45", "22", "24" & "34", "24-Wide" & "34-Wide", and "35")
Run these plays against against the 1-3-1 zone defense.
Basketball Plays - Last-Second Buzzer-Beaters
Having a buzzer-beater play may win you a close game as the clock is running out. Several full-court and half-court plays are included in the links below.
Full-Court Buzzer Beaters ("Maryland", "Split", "Hail Mary" and "Duke")
Only a few seconds left, and you have to go the full length of the court.
Half-Court Buzzer-Beaters ("DePaul", "Chicago", "Pairs", "Stack", "Stack-2", and "Line-1")
Seconds left and you are inbounding the ball at half-court.
Basketball Plays - Out-of-Bounds Plays
Have a couple baseline plays that you can run against man-to-man defense and a play or two to run against zone defense. Also, a sideline play comes in handy.
Baseline Out-of-Bounds Plays ("BLOB's")
OB Plays vs 2-3 Zone ("Splitter", "23 Stack", "23 Box", "Indiana", "Middle", "Offset")
Six baseline inbounds plays that you can run against the 2-3 zone defense.
Stack Plays (Stack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Stack-Opposite)
Six stack (or line) inbounds plays vs man-to-man are presented.
Box Plays ("Box-1", "Box-2", "Box-3", "Box-54", "Box-Wide". "Box-Wide 2", and "Box-Around")
"Box" formation inbounds plays to run against man-to-man defense.
4-Low Plays ("Flat", "4-Down", "Wildcat", "40-3", 40-2", and "Flat-2")
Run these inbounds plays against man-to-man defense, using a 4-across low-stack.
More Pretty Good Plays ("Wheel", "Wheel and Back", "3-Down", "Down and Back", "Pinball", "3-Across", "Gator", "Hokie" and "Cross")
Several other good baseline out-of-bounds plays.
Sideline Out-of-Bounds Plays ("SLOB's")
Sideline Plays ("Box-1", "Box-2", "Circle", "Pairs", "Stack", "Line-1", "Line-2", "35", and "Runner")
Pick one or two of these sideline plays.
Basketball Plays - Miscellaneous Plays
Tip-Off PlayIf you can get the opening tip, run this for a quick score.
3-on-3 PlaysThese simple 3-on-3 plays work well not only for your 3-man team (Macker), but are basic things that coaches can incorporate in any motion offense.