Euro Set Basketball Plays

By Dr. James Gels, From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook
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Coach David Blatt used these Euro actions successfully when he coached overseas. This page shows the Euro set and several good options to run against man-to-man defenses.

Diagram 1 shows how to get into the set. O1 dribbles to the left wing. O5 and O4 set a double staggered screen for O3. O3 cuts over the screens to the top. O1 passes to O3 (diagram 2) and this is the starting point for all of the options discussed below.

Option 1

O4 down-screens for O5 (diagram 2), and then moves to the left short corner area. O5 cuts up and ball-screens for O3 (diagram 3). O3 and O5 run the pick and roll. O1 down-screens for O2 to occupy the help defenders. O4 cuts up to the high post.

Diagram 4 shows O3's options: attack and score, pass to O5 on the roll cut, kickout passes to either O2 or O1, or a kick-back pass to O4.

Option 2

Going back to the start point with O3 and the ball on the top (diagram 5), you can run this simple option for your shooting guard O2. O4 and O5 set an elevator (or gate) screen for O2. O2 gets the pass and 3-point shot. Another screening option would be for O4 and O5 to set a double staggered screen for O2 (instead of the elevator). After O2 cuts, O1 slides down to the corner.

Option 3

Again, starting with O3 and the ball on the top, here is another option. Diagram 6 shows O2 cuts baseline to the right corner. This clears out the left side for O1. If O1's defender is denying (over-playing), O1 backcuts for the pass from O3 and a lay-up.



If the backcut is not there, O3 passes to O1 (diagram 7). O3 follows the pass and ball-screens for O1. Meanwhile, O5 and O4 set a double staggered screen for O2 who cuts to the top. After screening, O4 pops out to the arc, as O5 moves to the right short corner. O1 dribbles around the ball-screen and has several options (diagram 8): attack the hoop or a pull-up jump-shot, pass to O3 on the roll cut, or kickout passes to O2 or O4.

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