Offensive Style of Play

Does your offensive fit your personnel or does your personnel fit into your offense?

This is not exactly a unique thought. Do you use the same offensive system each season, or based on your personnel, you change your offense each season? There are so many ways to play the game. Do you go with a continuity style offense? Do you use motion offense? Do you run set plays only or add them as you go along. Like almost everything else in life, the answers are not all that easy. I have used a little bit of everything. Let me suggest some pros and cons to each.

1) Continuity Offense ..... When Bo Ryan was at Wisconsin the "Swing" offense

became popular. When Gary Williams was a Maryland he used the "Flex"

offense to great success. You can go online and find dvds on many

different continuity offenses. Most coaches like them, because they and

the players know, what they are suppose to do based on where the ball

goes. Control of the process is important. Some coaches believe

players need less freedom (options) to be efficient. Others find continuity

style offenses to be rather constraining. Players become too robotic and

opponents can easily scout them and disrupt them.

2) Motion Offense .... Dick and Tony Bennett have become popular for using

the "Blocker Mover" motion offense. Basically it involves two screeners

(blockers) and three cutters (movers). Popular because of role

assignments and when you have players who have fairly limited offensive

skills it can be very effective. There are many varieties of motion offense

with the 4 out 1 in being very popular today, but some also use 3 out 2 in

motion. Personally, I have always found teaching motion offense to be

challenging. I never could master the degree of patience necessary to find

sustained success. I like the idea of teaching players to "read" the defense,

and based on how your defender is playing you, adjust your movements.

I just found it difficult to teach. The unpredictability of the offense is a big

selling point for many coaches. Executed correctly it is very difficult to

scout and defend.

Now what do I do?

3) Set Plays .... For a number of

years, we ran a version of

the Kansas Hi-Lo Offense.

What offensive movements

we attempted to execute

were predicated on where

or how the offense was

initiated. We usually

started in a 3 out 2 in

alignment. The point guard

had six options: a) Entry

pass to either wing. b)

Entry pass to either post. c)

Dribble entry to either wing.

We then added additional

set plays as the season

progressed. The ideal set

play offense will have

elements of continuity built

in. At some point in time,

you will face an opponent

that will be coached well

enough to force you to run through your sets until you break down the defense. Unfortunately, the first time this may happen is at tournament time!

Obviously, this is an important decision and will reflect your coaching philosophy. I do believe strongly in this ..... YOU CAN'T TEACH WHAT YOU

DON'T KNOW! Don't pick an offense because last year's state champion runs it. Can YOU teach it? Does it fit your personnel? For example, do you

want to run a five out type offense when one or more of your players needs to play with their back to the basket to be effective?

Over many years of coaching I found the following to be true. If you ask your

team if they want to play uptempo and play fast, they always say yes UNTIL

they realize you have to run hard on every possession to get that style of play to be effective. THEY LIKE THE IDEA THEY JUST AREN'T CRAZY ABOUT THE REALITY!