Four-High Set - Man-to-Man Offense

Four-High Set

Offense against a man-to-man defense

The reason I'm calling this a four-high set is because after the initial break, the offense is set up into a four-high set.  The main purpose of this play is to get a good angle for a post entry pass in a position for your post player to have a one-on-one post move with his defender.  So here's how this works:

1. First, set up your offense with your point guard in the middle of the floor and two double-stacks at the blocks, just like the set-up for Shocker if you took a look at that play.  
2. The big men will flash to the elbow, and the guards will trail right behind them.  As soon as the guards reach the elbow, pop straight out free-throw line extended.  This is to release pressure against a tight man-to-man defense.
3. The point guard will make an entry pass to either wing, and as soon as he does, he will cut through to the ball-side corner and sit tight.  While this happens, the ball-side big man will set an off-ball screen at the opposite elbow for the other big man, who will curl around the screen and down to the block.  This is your first option.  If his man is trailing him behind the screen, hit him for the wide open lay-up/dunk.  
4. Simultaneously while the big man is curling, the offensive player setting the screen will pop out above the three-point line at the top of the key.  The first look is into the post, and if nothing is there, swing it to the forward popping out top.  Now, the big man at the block should attempt to seal his man behind him to create an angle for a direct pass from the top of the key into the paint.  This should be a lob pass, but shouldn't hang in the air waiting to be picked off.  This is the best look this offense creates.  This is what you want, an entry pass from the top of the key for a one-on-one right under the basket.  
5. If this pass isn't there, swing the ball to the other guard on the wing, and just as before the big man in the paint should be rotating around asking for the ball.  If he's got his man on his back, hit him and let him go to work.  However, if this pass is being taken away (and even if it's not), the forward who just passed the ball and the guard who initially caught the ball will be setting a double screen for the point guard who should still be hanging out in the corner.  The guard should come off the double screen right about the elbow for a 15-foot free-throw line jumper.  Upon setting the second part of the double screen, there is a good chance that, seeing the point guard's defender caught up on screens, the screening man's defender will switch out to deny the pass to the curl.  If this happens (which it most likely will), the screener "slips" the screen to the basket for a lay-up.

Quick recognition, quick reactions.  That's what basketball is about, and that's how this play becomes effective.  You can't hold onto the ball too long.  As soon as a pass is thrown, the offense should be moving, and nobody should be holding onto to the ball for more than a second or two.  Anything more and you allow the defense more time to assess what's going on.  This play should be effective at the college and high school levels every time, and you should be able to get a look from one of the listed options above.

The Perfect 2-3 Zone - Basics

In the game of basketball, the 2-3 zone is one of the most effective and difficult defenses to run.  Most people think it's simple: guards at the elbows, forwards at the blocks, and a center in the middle.  However, it's far more complicated than this.  Who's got the corners?  Who's got the guard at the top of the key?  The efficiency of the zone is based on rotation.  How well the defense rotates dictates the success.

So generally, you won't have it so tightly packed as I just mentioned above, unless you're playing an awful shooting team.  Normally, you'll have your two guards somewhere between the elbow and the three-point line, your forwards a few feet spread out from the block, and your center locking down the paint and the high post (when the center is at the high post, you'll need the weak side defender packing in more).  In a zone, the key for the low men is to have no one behind you.

When the ball is thrown to the wing, use the free throw line as a guideline.  Anything above the free throw line is the top guard's responsibility, and anything below the free throw line becomes the low forward's responsibility.

Here's how the zone should look from a general standpoint:

Notice the spacing.  The forwards aren't standing on top of the block, but instead they're a few feet out of the paint, because if the ball goes to the corner, that is the forward's responsibility.  

If the ball is on the top of the zone:

Assuming they are in a two- or three-guard set, one guard will pick up the ball and the other will stay help-side, able to close out on the wing if it is passed or able to clog up the line to stop penetration.  

Now note the free throw line guideline, as discussed earlier.  Anything above the free throw line is the top guard's responsibility, whereas anything below is the low forward's.  However, if the ball is thrown (or skipped) to the wing above the free throw line, the forward will be closer to the offense than the guard.  In this case, the forward must close out on the wing, not allowing him baseline, until the guard recovers at which point the forward releases the offense to his teammate.  Pretty straightforward.  

If the ball is swung to the corner:

Ideally, in a zone, the corner is exactly where you want the ball to go.  Many teams like to trap corners, in which case the forward and guard trap the offensive player, the help-side guard covers first pass on the wing, the center closes off the middle, and the off-side forward pretty much just covers back as your safety.  Anyway, without trapping, the forward closes out on the corner, and the same-side guard should be in a position to cut off a driving lane middle, and force the ball back out.  The zone is used to stop penetration and to keep the ball outside, forcing the offense into three-point bombs.  The center rotates over and takes away any player at the block, the back-side guard drops to the middle, and the far-side forward slides over to the middle while watching the skip pass to the wing.  

There are three ways to break the zone: get really hot from three, beat it up the floor, and hit the high post.  Obviously you don't want to rely on three-point shots, because chances are, you won't shoot 70% the whole game.  Additionally, there are not fastbreak opportunities on every play.  So the best way for an offense to break a 2-3 zone is to get the ball into the high post.  Normally, in a zone offense, this will be the team's best player.  He will be able to shoot the free throw line jumper, attack the basket well, and pass well.  So once the ball gets inside, he has multiple options.  Most teams will have a baseline cutter as soon as the ball hits the high post or at least a flasher, and he can make that pass.  He can turn and face, and then make his decision whether he wants to shoot the J, attack the basket, attack and dish, or kick it back out.  Now on a one-on-one situation with this offensive player and your middleman, there's a good chance this will lead to a good shot or a foul.  In the zone, you want to prevent the high post entry pass as much as possible.  The center can match up with this spot, and the forwards can match up accordingly.  If the pass gets into the high post, though, my recommendation is to have the closer guard immediately pressure/double the high post.  This will put pressure on him to make a quick decision.  There's a good chance he will attack and lose the ball, take a quick (and bad) shot, or at the very least, kick the ball back out to reset.  If this happens, the zone has served its purpose.

A zone isn't designed to force turnovers.  Instead, it should slow the game down and force a sub-par shooting team into taking a lot of long shots or slowing down a high-powered fastbreak offense.

I'll make another post soon with a more complicated description of a trapping zone, but thanks for taking a look at the basics!