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January 13, 2014

Prevent ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ with better coaching

by Kevin Hoffman, Editorial Director

Free throws are not difficult, and any basketball player who commits a moderate level of their time practicing them should be "average" at worst. The distance doesn't change, defense is nonexistent — it doesn't get easier. Nobody needs me to stand...


March 2, 2012

High screens, aggressive defense help Gonzaga push games out of reach

Eight games into the 2012 West Coast Conference season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs had struggled in the first half of games before putting away opponents in the second half. Gonzaga held a 274-231 scoring advantage in the first half of conference games b...


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June 2, 2010

Tough 32 1-2-2 Zone Defense Hard To Handle

THIS STIFLING 1-2-2 zone defense which we call the "32 can give even good zone offensive teams a hard time. The zone takes advantage of offensive teams that are stronger in the paint than on the perimeter and really helps an undersized defensive team...


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June 2, 2010

Effective 1-2-2 Offense Spreads The Floor With Constant Motion

IN RUNNING THIS high-powered 1-2-2 man-to-man offense every player gets a chance to play every position on the floor. This is especially effective for our team because we have more players who are better suited to facing the basket than with their ba...


June 2, 2010

Shooting for success during the offseason

I've seen many summer program workouts that specify an amount of shots each player should shoot. Shoot 100 threes, 20 jump shots, 20 jump shots off the dribble, 20 jump shots off a move, 20 bank shots, and then 10 free throws. These are very good,...


June 2, 2010

Successful strategy for crashing the offensive glass on free throws

Several years ago, our state association adopted a new rule stating that the offense can only have two players on the lane line, whereas the defending team can have four. After this change, we felt that we could adjust how we rebound free throws to g...


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June 2, 2010

Critical Elements For Teaching

Many coaches stymie their players by giving them too much structure within an offense. Our program experienced a lot of success after we made the switch from a 3-out motion offense to a 4-out motion.A 4-out motion offense allows the players more room...


April 27, 2010

Power post-up man offense leads to high-percentage shots

The following man-to-man offensive series is designed to provide good post-up opportunities for players 3, 4 and 5. It's an extremely effective series because it isolates a post player and takes away any potential help-side defense by using a downsc...


April 23, 2010

Building the perfect arc in your shot

Next time all of your players are in the gym, watch them as they shoot around. Don't look at their mechanics, but rather look at the arc of their shot. Is the shot flat? Or does it seem to touch the clouds in an effort to bring rain down from the sky...


December 22, 2009

Time-tested rules for defending screens

Most motion offenses today include a variety of picks (screens) to free the ball or players to the basket. These screens include on-the-ball screens, backscreens, cross-screens and downscreens. The following are effective rules that you can instruct...