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Basketball Play - Half-Court Sideline Play

By Dr. James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook

Contributed by: Coach Ken Sartini (aka "Coach Sar"), Arlington Hts, IL.

Here is a play you can run from the half-court sideline for a potential last second shot. See the diagrams below.

Half-court sideline play

Diagram A. O3 must read the defender. If O3's defender is playing down in the paint, O4 screens him/her and O3 V-cuts out for the skip pass. O4 posts up on the block and O3 can either take the shot or O3 and O4 can run a two-man game.








Diagram B. Now if the X3 defender is playing out on O3 then the second read is O3 cutting baseline off double staggered screens by O4 and O1, to the ball-side corner. After screening, O4 moves up to the high-post.


Half-court sideline play

Diagram C. O4 drops down and sets a screen for O1, while O5 moves to the high post and also screens for O1. O1 cuts around the double staggered screen to the point, looking for the pass and shot.

Diagram D. O5 slides to the ball-side elbow and O4 moves to the weak-side low block. The pass from O2 could go to O3, O5 or O1.

Diagram E. If O2's defender is sagging way off, O2 could get the return pass and shot.