PAGE 06 | 18 2006 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE

FIBA EUROPE

by Hal Wissel

COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL

Hal Wissel coached SpringfieldCollege, North Carolina-Charlotte,Florida Southern, Fordham,Lafayette and Trenton State. He wasalso assistant coach of Atlanta,Milwaukee, New Jersey, andMemphis of the NBA. He foundedthe Basketball World, an agencywho organizes camps and clinics,and is author of two books and twonew DVDs, "Basketball Shooting:Confidence, Rhythm andMechanics", and "BasketballShooting: Off the Pass, Off theDribble and In the Post"(www.basketballworld.com).

The passing game, or motion offen-se, is one of the most popular man-to-man offenses in basketball. In thepassing game players are guidedmore by principles than by a strictset of specific assigned responsibili-ties. Every player should learn toexecute the passing game becauseit teaches team play and is an offen-se used by mant teams.The passing game can be startedfrom a variety of offensive forma-tions, or sets, including the 3-2, 2-3,1-3-1, 2-1-2, and 1-4. The 3-2 openset, also called the spread formation,is the most basic formation for lear-ning to play team offense. It involvesthree perimeter players and twobaseline players. The point positionis above the top of the circle. Thewing positions (players 2 and 3) areat the imaginary foul line extendedon each side. The baseline positions(players 4 and 5) are at the midpointbetween the corner and the basketon each side.The 3-2 open set encourages versa-tility rather than forcing players intorestricted roles as center, powerforward, small forward, shootingguard, or point guard. It gives each

player the opportunity to handle theball, cut, screen, and move outsideand inside. The 3-2 set provides ini-tial structure and spacing that allowplayers to execute basic two- andthree-person plays and plays invol-ving all five players, such as a five-player weave or five-player five-and-go offense.When executing the passing game,keep in mind these basic principlesof good teamwork.

TALK

Communication is key to all aspectsof team offense. The passing gameis not a set play offense, and playersare not assigned a specific set ofresponsibilities. Therefore, continualcommunication between playersbecomes especially important whenexecuting the passing game.

SEE THE RIM

By having the rim in view, you seethe entire court. When you have theball, keep the rim in view and look forteammates cutting to the basket,posting up, and cutting off screens.When you do not have the ball, youshould have the rim and the playerwith the ball in view.

MAINTAIN SPACING AND

COURT BALANCE

Start in an open formation withplayers spread 15 to 20 feet (from m.4,5 to m. 6) apart. Space yourselfhigh at the top, wide on the wing,and at the midpoint between thebasket and corner on the baseline.

BACKDOOR CUT WHEN OVERPLAYED

When overplayed by a defender,who denies you the pass, make abackdoor cut all the way to thebasket. When backdoor cuts areused frequently, the passing game

MAN-TO-MANOFFENSE: PASSING GAME

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becomes a great offense for beatingpressure defenses.

FLASH BEETWEEN THE PASSER AND

OVERPLAYED RECEIVER

When a defender denies your team-mate the pass and you are the nextplayer away from the receiver, auto-matically flash to an open areabetween the passer and the over-played receiver. Flashing to the ballhelps relieve defensive pressure onyour teammates by giving the passeranother outlet. A flash can not onlyprevent a possible turnover, but alsocan create a scoring opportunity ifthe overplayed receiver combines itwith a well-timed backdoor cut.

KEEPTHE MIDDLE OPEN

When you cut to the basket and donot receive the pass, you shouldcontinue on through and fill an openspot on the side of the court withfewer players. This will keep themiddle open and the floor balanced.Do not stay in the post area for morethan one count.

MOVE TO A VACATED SPOT QUICKLY

When you are the next player awayfrom a cutting player, quickly move tothe vacated spot. It is especiallyimportant to replace a player whohas cut from the point or top position.To replace the player at the point, cuthigh above the three-point line, crea-ting a better passing angle to receivea swing pass from a wing and a bet-ter angle to reverse the ball to theweak side. This will also force thedefense to cover more of the court,thus providing more space for cut-ting, driving, and posting up.

KNOWYOUR OPTIONS

ATTHE WING POSITION

When you are on the wing, youroptions are to catch and shoot withinyour rhythm and range or to continueyour cut out wide.When you catch the ball outside ofyour range, look to pass inside to acutter or player posting up. On thewing, hold the ball for a count or twoto give cutters and post-up playerstime to get open. If you are unable topass to an open teammate cuttin orposting up, look to penetrate andpass (draw-and-kick) or try to balan-ce the court by quickly dribbling tothe point. Look to pass to a baselineplayers only if that teammate is openfor a catch-and-shoot jump shot

within rhythm and range or canmake an easy pass to a player cuttininside or posting up. You can movethe ball more quickly if you swing itfrom wing to point to wing and keepit off the baseline.

KNOWYOUR OPTIONS

ATTHE POINT POSITION

When you are at the point position,your options, in order, are to reversethe ball quickly to the weak side, lookinside for a pass to a post-up player,penetrate and pass (draw-and-kick),or fake a pass to the weak side andmake a quick snapback pass to thewing on the side from which youreceived the pass.

KNOWYOU OPTIONS

ATTHE BASELINE POSITION

When you are at a baseline position,look to set up your defender for a cutoff a down screen or set a back pickfor a wing player. On the baseline,you should be especially alert toflash to the ball when a wing isdenied the pass. Look to receive apass on the baseline only when youare in an open catch-and-shootposition within your rhythm andrange or can make an easy pass to aplayer cutting inside or posting up.The ball can be moved more quicklyif it is kept off the baseline.

KNOWYOUR OPTIONS

AS A POST-UP PLAYER

When you receive the ball in the lowpost, read th defense and look toscore before passing out to a peri-meter player. When you do not recei-ve a pass in the low post, look to seta back pick for a perimeter player.After setting the pick, pop out toreceive a pass on the perimeter for apossible jump shot within you rhythmand range.

MAINTAIN REBOUNDING

AND DEFENSIVE BALANCE

On a shot inside, players shouldrebound, while the point guard andanother outside player should getback for defensive balance. Whenyou take a shot outside of the lanearea, you should get back for defen-sive balance. Any time the player atthe point drives to the basket, playersat the wings should get back fordefensive balance.

A member of your team, usually thepoint guard, signals the start of the

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passing game with a simple verbalcall such as "Passing game" or"Motion" or with a hand signal suchas circling one finger upward. Thebest way to start is to pass the ballto the wing and then work together,using basic passing game actions.After receiving a pass on the wing,you should be a triple threat topass, shoot, or drive to the basket.On a drive, look to score or to pene-trate and pass (draw-and-kick)inside or outside to an open team-mate.When the ball is at the point, theclosest wing player should initiatemovement by cutting through tocreate an opena area for a baseli-ne player, who will cut to the wingfor a pass from the point (diagr. 1).When you are at the point and can-not pass to the wing, initiate move-ment by dribbling at the wing andusing a dribble screen or weaveaction (diagr. 2).Some of the basic actions used inthe passing game are the back-door cut, flash, give-and-go, drib-ble screen or weave, down screen,back pick, elbow curl, crossscreen, pick-and-roll, and draw-and-kick.

BACKDOOR CUT

You should automatically use abackdoor cut any time you areoverplayed by a defender and pre-vented from receiving a pass. Youshould also use a backdoor cutwhen your defender's head is tur-ned away from you, causing amomentary loss of visual contact.Use a designated key word suchas "Eyeball" to signal the passerthat you are going backdoor. Thedesignated word indicates that youwill continue your backdoor cut tothe basket once you start it. Whenyou are on the wing, set up yourdefender by taking a step abovethe foul line extended (diagr. 3), orwhen you are at the point, by takinga step above the free throw circle(diagr. 4). After receiving the pass,look to shoot, drive to the basket fora lay-up, or penetrate and pass(draw-and-kick).

FLASH

Any time you see a teammatebeing denied the pass and you arethe next player away, you shouldautomatically flash to an open area

between the passer and over-played receiver. Flashing to the ballrelieves defensive pressure onyour teammates by giving the pas-ser another outlet. A flash can notonly prevent a possible turnover,but combined with a well-timedbackdoor cut by the overplayedreceiver, can also create a scoringopportunity. Signal your flash cutwith the key word "Flash". As youreceive the pass, look to pass toyou overplayed teammate cuttingbackdoor to the basket. If yourteammate is covered on the back-door cut, front turn into a triple-threat position for a possible shot,drive to the basket, or pass. Flashhigh when your teammate is pre-vented from receiving a pass onthe perimeter (diagr. 5). You canalso flash to the high post whenyour teammate is being fronted inthe low post (diagr. 6), and you canflash to the low post if your team-mate is being denied at the highpost (diagr. 7).

GIVE-AND-GO

The give-and-go (diagr. 8) is themost basic play in basketball. Give(pass) the ball to your teammateand go (cut) to the basket, lookingto receive a return pass for a lay-up. Read and set up your defenderwith a well-timed fake before thecut. Fake by taking a step or twoaway from the ball (as if you are notinvolved in the play). Then, as yourdefender moves with you, changedirection sharply and use a frontcut to the basket. Another way tofake is by taking a step or twotoward the ball as if you are goingto set a screen for or take a handofffrom the player with the ball. Asyour defender moves with you,change direction sharply and malea backdoor cut behind. Diagram 8and 9 show a five player give-and-go offensive pattern.

DRIBBLE SCREEN OR WEAVE

A dribble screen is set by dribblingtoward a teammate and screeningthe defender while handing off theball to a teammate. On a dribblescreen, the defensive reactionusually will be for the screener'sdefender to give defensive help orswitch.Before receiving the handoff, readthe defensive positioning. When

FIBA EUROPE

COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL

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your defender attempts to preventthe handoff by getting in your path,make a backdoor cut to the basket.After you receive a handoff on a drib-ble screen, read the defense. If thedefenders do not switch and yourdefender is slow getting over thescreen, turn the corner and drive tothe basket. If your defender slidesbehind the screen, look to take theoutside shot, go at least two dribblespast the screen and pass back to thescreener, either rolling to the basketor popping out.One way to defend the dribblescreen is for the dribble screener's

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defender to jump switch into thepath of the receiver with the intentof drawing a charge or changingthe direction of the player receivingthe ball. To combat the jump switchafter the handoff, make a short 5- to10-foot (from m. 1,5 to m. 3) cut to anopen area and look for a quickreturn pass. If you anticipate a jumpswitch, fake the handoff and driveto the basket.Another way to defense may try toovercome the dribble screen is forboth defenders to trap the playerreceiving the ball on the handoff. Ifthe defenders trap you, retreat drib-ble to stretch the defense and thenpass to your teammate, making ashort 5- to 10-foot (from m. 1,5 to m.3) cut to an open area. The defense will then be outnumbe-red, and the player with the ball willbe able to drive or pass to an openteammate for a shot.The dribble screen is used to exe-cute a weave (diagr. 10 and 11), abasic play in basketball. A weaveinvolves at least three players whoset dribble screen for each other. Itstarts with a dribble screen andhandoff to your teammate. Afterreceiving the handoff, shoot frombehind the screen, drive to thebasket, or continue the weave bydribbling toward another teammatefor another dribble screen and han-doff. The weave continues until youor a teammate can take advantageof an opening for a shot or drive tothe basket.

DOWN SCREEN

A screen is set by a player scree-ning down for a teammate is calleda down screen. By setting a downscreen for a teammate, you createa scoring opportunity. Your team-mate can cut off your down screento get open to receive a pass for ashot or drive. If your defender swit-ches to your cutting teammate, youwill be on the ball side of the defen-der you screened, momentarilyopen. Taking a few steps toward thebasket before setting the screenenables you to get a better angle onthe defender. You want the defen-der to go under the pick. As you setthe down screen, communicatewith your teammate by using adesignated key word such as"Down".Use one of the four basic options forcutting off a screen, depending on

how it is defended: pop-out, curl,backdoor cut, and fade. Be patient.Wait until the screen is set to pre-vent an illegal moving block, andread how the defense is playing it.Before using the screen, slowly setup your move off it. Set a good anglefor cutting off the screen by firstmoving slowly in the direction yourdefender plays you and then cuttingoff the screen in the opposite direc-tion. Cut far enough away from thescreen so that one defender cannotguard both you and the screener.This creates space for a pass to thescreener if there is a defensiveswitch.When you cut off a screen correc-tly, the screener's defender usuallywill give defensive help or switch. Ifyou cut to the outside, the screenerwill be free to roll in toward thebasket and receive a pass for aninside shot. If you cut to the basket,the screener becomes free to popout and receive a pass for an outsi-de shot (diagr. 12).

BACK PICK

When you screen for a teammateby setting a pick behind the team-mate's defender, it is called a backpick or up screen (diagr. 13). By set-ting a back pick for a teammate, youcreate the opportunity for either theteammate or you to score. Yourteammate can cut off your backpick to get open to receive a passfor a lay-up or drive. If your defen-der switches to the cutter, you willbe on the ball side of your teamma-te's defender, free to pop out to theball to receive a pass for a jumpshot. Take a few steps toward thebasket to get a better angle on thedefender you will back pick, com-municating to your teammate byshouting a designated key wordsuch as "Up".Make sure you set a legal screen.With a back pick, you are notallowed to be closer than a normalstep from a stationary opponent ifthat opponent is unaware of yourscreen. You also may not be soclose that a moving opponent can-not avoid contact whitout changingdirection or stopping. Your oppo-nent's speed determines what yourscreening position may be. Thisposition will vary and might be oneto two normal steps away.As with the down screen, wait untilthe back pick is set before cutting

FIBA EUROPE

COACHES - FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL

off it to prevent an illegal screen and toread the defense. Slowly set up your moveoff the screen for a good angle before youcut hard off it in the opposite direction. Ifyou cut to be basket with a front cut orbackdoor cut, the screener will be free topop out and receive a pass for an outsideshot, the screener should cut to the basket.The four basic options for cutting off aback pick, depending on how it is defen-ded, are the front cut, backdoor cut, pop-out, and fade.

ELBOW CURL

When you set a down screen for a team-mate positioned at the elbow, your team-mate should look to curl off your downscreen. On an elbow curl (diagr. 14), yourdefender usually will give defensive helpor switch. This momentarily frees you topop out and receive a pass for a jump shot.The elbow curl is best used when a smal-ler player sets a down screen at the elbowfor a bigger player. The bigger player cancurl to the basket and the smaller playercan pop out for a catch-and-shoot jumpshot. To set the screen for an elbow curl,again take a few steps toward the basketto get a better angle on the defender.Signal to your teammate to curl off yourdown screen by shouting the word "curl".

CROSS SCREEN

A cross screen (diagr. 15 and 16) is set bystarting on one block and screeningacross the lane for a teammate at theopposite block. On a cross screen, thescreener's defender usually reacts bygiving defensive help or switching.When you cut off a cross screen, youshould read the defensive positioning andcut either over or under the screen. Whenyou set a cross screen and your teamma-te cuts low to the block by cutting over orunder the cross screen, you should popout high to the elbow area and receive apass for an outside shot. If your teammateflashes high to the elbow to receive a passfor an outside shot, you should roll back tothe ball-side block.

PICK-AND-ROLL

The pick-and-roll (diagr. 17), another basicbasketball play, gets its name from theaction. Your set a pick (screen) for yourteammate, who dribbles past it for an out-side shot or drive. If your defender swit-ches to your teammate, you will momenta-rily be inside the defender you screenedand free to roll toward the basket, lookingto receive a return pass from the dribblerfor a lay-up. Four options with the pick-and-roll, depending on how it is defended,are pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, slip (early

release), and stretch-the trap. Diagram 17 shows the basic option whendefenders switch.

DRAW-AND-KICK

When you penetrate past a defender and ateammate's defender leaves to give defen-sive help on you, an open passing lane toyour teammate is created. This action of penetrating and passing iscalled "draw-and-kick". Always be alert for an opportunity to drivepast a defender to score or create an openshot for a teammate whose defender isdrawn to you. Also look for an opening orgap between two defenders to penetratewith one or two dribbles and draw thedefenders to you.Effective use of the draw-and-kickdepends on judging well when and whereto penetrate. But it also depends onplayers without the ball moving to openspots. Because the passing gamedepends primarily on moving the ball, over-dribbling becomes counterproductive. Thedraw-and-kick is best used from the wingafter a swing of the ball from ball side toweak side. Penetrating options include dri-ving to the basket, shooting an in -betweenrunner (pull-up jump shot), penetrating andpassing inside (diagr. 18), and penetratingand passing outside (diagr. 19).

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