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Two 5-Out Ball Screen Adjustments

May 24, 2022

5-Out Offense is all the rage these days. With today’s players’ skills and an overall emphasis on spacing, ball movement and player movement, 5-Out Offense provides opportunities for every player on the court to contribute on the offensive end.

Here are two adjustments to make as defenses evolve to take away actions within your normal 5-Out Offense.

Short Roll

A lot of defenses at the college level and especially at the high school level are blitzing and hard hedging ball screens. What’s the offense’s solution? A short roll from the screener has the potential to create a 4-on-3 for the offense. Radius Athletics’ Randy Sherman breaks down how to make the short roll work for your team, and what happens next…

Flip Drag

The 5 screening for your point guard is one of the most common actions within 5-Out. A great way to mix things up is with a consecutive action. The Pistol action (or “Flip Drag) allows you to put different defenders in the ball screen while forcing the defense to talk through back-to-back actions.

Additional Resources

If you’re looking for more 5-Out Offense resources, here are a few…

4 Split Cut Actions off Post Feeds

May 17, 2022

What happens with the four other players on offense when the ball is passed into the post? Do you avoid throwing the ball into the post altogether? Post feeds are a great way to invert your offense and run actions on the perimeter to open up players for scoring opportunities.

If you’ve watched teams like the Golden State Warriors or the Miami Heat, you’ve seen split actions off post feeds. Once the ball enters the post, the passer moves towards another perimeter player to screen. Sometimes it’s a clear screen. Other times the two players are just moving towards each other to create confusion for the defense. What happens next depends on how the defense plays the split.

Slip

Probably the most common action off the Split Screen is the slip. After the feed into the post, the passer sets a screen for the next perimeter player. After using the screen, the screener slips to the front of the rim. If the defense stays, the shooter ends up with a clean 3PA. But even if the defense switches, the screener often finds himself with a window of opportunity to receive that pocket pass from the player in the post.

Reject

The “reject” is a great automatic if the defense attempts to blow up your split screen. The defender of the player receiving the screen may attempt to jump the screen in order to take away the screen. Instead of forcing the issue, the intended receiver of the screen cuts back door to the rim while the screener spaces back out to the wing.

Step-Up

The combination of Draymond Green and Steph Curry are masters of the step-up after the split screen. The action starts with a slip off the split action (Frame 1). After the post player passes to the player coming off the screen, the post player immediately sets a step-up screen. Depending on how x5 plays the step-up, you can either get a drive for 3 or a pass back to 5 for a finish in close.

Dribble Hand-off

Similar to the step-up is the DHO. Again, it starts with the slip (Frame 1), but on the pass out of the post, the perimeter player (3) throws it back into 5. 3 chases the pass and receives a hand-off from the post player.

Looking for more? Watch this #HoopsForum as Randy Sherman and I break down each action with video clips and detailed explanations.

Improve Your Team with Postseason Player Evaluations

May 10, 2022

So, what’s the plan for your team this offseason? Surely it’s more than, “get better,” right?

Ultimately, the improvement of your team lies in the off-season improvement of your individual players. But the plan has to be more specific than just “get better.” Players need to know what skills are needed for them, and your team, to have success this coming season. That all starts with a well thought-out player evaluation plan.

Appalachian State women’s basketball assistant coach, Mark Cascio, joined A Quick Timeout podcast to talk about his process for conducting postseason player evaluations. Check it out then scroll down to the bottom of this post for some additional resources for you to adapt and use with your players.

Player Evaluation Form

Having players take notes or even including them in the off-season planning during your 1-on-1 meetings is a great way to keep them engaged as well as help them take more ownership in the process. This postseason meeting form allows for players to assess their performance and then for coaches to give feedback about players’ performance. They leave with both specific areas for improvement as well as a plan for improving in the offseason.

Player Evaluation Form

Each year, we put our players through an NBA-like combine to test their physical development. This player evaluation form combines those testing numbers with players’ psychological and basketball “makeup” to form a “map” for off-season development. You can make these specific to each player, including specific drills for players to focus on.

Other Resources

ATO Specials: Burn Cuts

April 15, 2022

Old timers, like myself, would tell you, “You don’t need a play call to back door somebody. When your defender turns his head or overplays the passing lane, back cut.” Even in today’s game, that’s a read every player should be taught to make. However, with many teams today moving away from denial, in-the-passing-lane defensive systems and to gap systems, it can be harder to get “back door” opportunities in the natural flow of your offense… which is why you’re seeing teams use set plays to create burn cuts (i.e., “back doors”).

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