Youth Coaches: Success Secrets for Half Court Offense

Below are seven principles that we have borrowed, stolen, talked about, and sometimes even practiced over the years with the Celtics....

They will dictate how your players CUT, SCREEN and ROTATE in any offense; or NO offense at all!

They apply to ALL man to man offenses, are simple, easy to teach and wildly effective.
(you might want to print this out and keep it handy at your next practice)

Here we go:
1) When a player receives a pass on the perimeter or in the high post, he should immediately square up and go into triple threat position.
This allows him to see the court, and puts his body in a position where he can shoot, pass or drive in one motion.

2) When using a pick/screen, always wait for your screener to be set. Then use a misdirection cut to set up your defender.
If the defender tries to fight through the screen, the rub off the screener's shoulder and cut to an open area.
If the defender trails (ie. runs behind the player coming off the screen), then curl aroundthe screen and cut towards the hoop.
If the defender tries to cheat over top of the screen, then fade to a region away from the defender.

3) ONLY dribble to accomplish one of these goals:
a) To penetrate towards the basket
b) To maintain floor balance or proper spacing with teammates
c) To improve passing angle
d) To get out of trouble

Too many players waste their dribble by going nowhere, frustrating their teammates and causing the offense to bog down. Remember, dribble with a purpose!

4) Never stand in one place for longer than two or three seconds. Player should move with a purpose, and never remain stagnant. If all else fails, screen away to the opposite side of the court, or cut through the key for a pass.

5) Maintain floor balance and spacing at all times. Players should always keep around 15 feet of space between each other on the perimeter, and 10-12 feet of space in the post.
Keeping the floor spread opens up lanes for driving and cutting, and makes defensive rotations longer and harder to make.

6) If a player is being aggressively denied, he should not fight the defensive overplay.
Instead, react by cutting to the basket (ie. a backdoor cut or back cut) or screening for a teammate.
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Ingrain this stuff into your players minds.
You'll get better spacing, better ball movement and higher percentage shots