The Louisville women’s basketball team was one of the best transition teams in the Country. They scored 1.108 PPP, which put them among the Nation’s best. Below are a few of the reasons that they were so successful in transition.
- Wings sprint and get wide
- Rim Runner gets in front of the ball
- The point guard advances the ball (on a sprint dribble or pass)
- There is skill behind the ball | Trailer can shoot
The combination of the four factors above stretches the defense horizontally, but also vertically. As the wings and rim runner put pressure on the baseline/rim. The trailer puts pressure on the defense to also extend to the three point line. The other key is that Louisville’s guards do a great job of advancing the ball with tempo. They will attack off the dribble, but also show a willingness to throw the ball ahead. Below is a video of some of the different ways that Louisville scores in transition.
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“Chicago Action” – Pin Down to Dribble Hand Off
In the 2022 ACC Championship, Virginia Tech used the same set to score 11 points against Duke.
“Chicago Action” became popular in the NBA when Coach Fred Hoiberg was leading the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs. The action features a pin down, into a dribble hand off. Now, teams of all levels are using Chicago Action to free up talented perimeter players. In the case of Virginia Tech, Hunter Cattoor scored 9 of his 31 points off of this set play.
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What’s the Best Bargain in Basketball? The WNBA
This article, by Coach Doug Brotherton, was originally published by FastModel Sports
The WNBA Playoffs begin tonight, and coaches should take advantage of the learning opportunity these games will provide.
Coaches spend the off season looking for ways to develop, improve, and learn. What if I told you that you might be missing out on the best bargain in basketball!?! For only $16.99, you could watch some of the best coaches in the world 204 times?
Yes, WNBA League Pass is only $16.99 for the entire season – that’s just over eight cents per game for terrific basketball! While this option is available, too many coaches are not giving the WNBA the respect that it deserves. There are some tremendous XsOs being put on display in WNBA games. The action is uptempo, players are skilled, and more coaches should be tuning in. Furthermore, all coaches should be encouraging their players to watch WNBA basketball!
The WNBA Playoffs tip off tonight (8/21) with both first-round single eliminations games airing live on ESPN2 at 8:30 and 10:30 ET. The Finals will take place the first week of September. Check it out!
Below are some of my favorite plays from the WNBA regular season.
Click on a play to read full description and to download it to your FastDraw library.
Atlanta Dream – Floppy Weak STS
The Dream have have scored multiple times using this wrinkle at the end of Floppy action. The weak side back screen has resulted in many layups, and the screen-the-screener pin down has also created open looks.
Phoenix Mercury – Zipper Pistol Flare
The Mercury ran this ATO to get a wide open three for the great Diana Taurasi. This has multiple options which makes it very difficult to guard. The pistol acton with a weak side flare is a nightmare for the help defenders.
Washington Mystics – Line Split STS BLOB
The Mystics used this BLOB set to get Elena Delle Donne an uncontested game winning-three. The double stagger screen sets up a screen-the-screener action for a shot at the top of the key. This BLOB set has different looks and would be a nice addition to any coach’s baseline series.
Chicago Sky – Elbow DHO Elevator
The Sky are 3rd in the WNBA in 3PT FG%, and this set has resulted in numerous good looks. Even if it is guarded well, the action flows right into an invert ball screen, which is what happened in the clip below.
Los Angeles Sparks – Winner 2.0
This play is named “Winner 2.0” because it is similar to the popular “Winner” set that Brad Stevens has used in the past. This set uses a zipper screen, to set up the back side flare and skip pass. The play has the screen for the shooter, and actually features a second screen (shooter was wide open in the clip).
This is just a small sample of some of the wonderful XsOs that have been put on display during the WNBA regular season. The WNBA Playoffs are going to be exciting and I urge coaches to tune in. If you have questions or are interested in more WNBA plays, you can contact Coach Doug Brotherton at: @CoachBrotherton
Also make sure to follow DYNAMIC COACHING TOOLS on Twitter: @DynamicCoaches
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DCT | Chalk Talk | Episode 2
In Episode 2 of the Dynamic Coaching Tools “Chalk Talk” series, we breakdown “14-Chase.” This is a set that we first saw utilized by the Louisville men’s basketball team. We eventually used it with our team, and then it was also ran multiple times throughout the 2018 March Madness. Here is our team running the set.
Now, enjoy Episode 2 of “Chalk Talk,” and then take a look at the counter that can be used against switching teams.
Here is the counter, which is used against teams that are switching screens.
“14 Chase Punch” from @CoachBrotherton leads to an easy bucket for @JadaBball23
The Lady @VillageVikings lead by 14 early in the 3rd quarter! #BeUncommon #weareVILLAGE pic.twitter.com/XrQ9xicREN— Andy Johnson (@CoachAJohnson) February 23, 2019
If you have questions about this set, please contact us via e-mail at: INFO@dynamiccoachingtools.com