Coaches’ Corner: Second Time You Play Teams

The second time you play teams, it gets tougher to run your offense. In fact, with all of access to game tape, it gets tough to run your offense once you get 5-6 games into the season. Here are some ideas to help offensively:

1- Play better half-court defense. This sounds obvious and simple but often when our offense isn’t going well, it is because the other team is scoring so we have to run offense vs. their set defense. Anytime your offense is struggling, always look first at your defense. Are you always having to score after made baskets?

2- Don’t foul. Again, it is tough on your offense if you are getting the ball after an opponent free throw- whether they make or miss, they are going to get back and be able to match. 

3- Have counters to any set plays or that you have run. Maybe if you have been running a down screen action, turn it into a back screen. For teams who sit on your set plays, you can create confusion by running a counter or variation to it. Study your playbook and look how you can set up counters to things you have been doing. 

4- Change up your ball screen offense. Look at your offense, can you turn ball screens into flash cuts for handoffs or fake handoff. Or can you turn ball screens into dribble hand offs or ghost screens. 

5- Whether you run 5 out dribble drive or set plays, can you manipulate where players are in your offense that may create confusion for the defense. 

6- Take your best offensive player and add something to make them a decoy. Set them up to be a screener. On plays where your best player is coming off screens or staggers- look to set up slips. 

7- Look for places in your offense where the defense tends to get up and deny hard. Figure out how to add a back door cut. 

8- Add out of bounds plays. Add counters to existing ob’s. 

9- Develop ability with set plays and ob’s to not have to make any call. Run sets based on:

- Where the ball is taken out of bounds. 

- Huddle up for ob’s or on ft’s to make call

- Have a “Streak” play (using your nickname). In pre-game say that  “Streak” will be what we normally call- “Boston.” So then when you call out “Streak”, you run “Boston.” Then change what “Streak” is during half-time. For example at first time out, you say “Streak” will be our Carolina play. This can be used in practice to prepare team to think this way-“Today in practice “Streak’ will be our “Chicago play.” Or instead of using “Streak” call- use a “fist” signal.

10- Rely more on signals vs. verbal calls. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield

In regard to playing a team the second time in a year, I go back to playing Delevan, who had a great player who needed a lot of attention. 

We played them 4 man zone and ran a defender on the good player. When the good player got the ball and put it on the floor, we ran a second man at him to double team him. That worked well in our first game with them, and we won the game. 

The next time, a couple weeks later, when he caught the ball, we ran a double at him right away. That seemed to catch them off guard. We won again. We were probably lucky here because Delavan pu a lot of whippings on us thru the years. 

Evan Massey- Galesburg

This is an example of how a team we played changed up their out of bounds action. They had a really good shooter. The first time we played them, she set the cross screen and went up thru the elevator screen. She got several open looks off this play, and made a couple threes in our first game. 

We prepared for this play before the second game. We worked on having our guard stay connected and get thru the elevator. Our opponent started the play the same, but the shooter set a screen for the post rather than going thru the elevator. They got an open layup out of the play. Then the second time they ran it in game #2, they went back to the original way. Now our defender on the shooter was cautious- worried about the screen. The shooter went thru the elevator for an open three.

In the early 2000’s, our bread and butter play was a screen the screener action out of a box set that almost everybody runs. We ran it to death and got our 5 going to the block or our 2 open for a jumper. 

As people began to sit on this play, we came up with a counter to use the second time thru. Our 2 still set the screen for 5 to go to the block. But then our 2 turned and set a screen on 4. We had cleared 3 out, so 4 was open on the backside for a lob. It was simple but it took advantage of teams preparing for 2 to come out for the open three.