position and the two offensive guards
about ten feet to each side of him and
about ten feet from each. side line. Owing
to the ten-second-rule requirement, all
players are in the front or offensive court.

In this set offensive formation, the ball
can readily be snapped back and forth
from guard to center to guard to center
to guard, as opportunity presents. As
an aid to clarity, these various plays are
numbered, but in a game situation num-
bers are not necessary. Any one of the
rear three men who is holding the ball,
namely, the center or either of the two
guards, may initiate the play. These
plays are to be used against a man-for-
man defense.

Play 1, a side line screen, shown in
Diagram 1, is designed to free a hot-shot
artist who is capable of hitting from the
side of the court. The play also provides
opportunity for ample rebound work at
both sides and in front of the basket.
When the opposition sets its spearhead of
defense at the free-throw line, this side-
court attack of the offense is very effec-
tive.

X4, with the ball in his possession,
snaps it to X38 and then cuts rapidly down
the side line to screen O2 with a running
screen, taking care to make no contact
with O02. X2, coming up along the side
line, slides off the moving hips of X4 and
receives a snap pass from X3. X2 turns
to the inside of the court and shoots a
bank-shot for the basket. X4 continues
on down and around the court across the
free-throw lane, anticipating a missed
shot, and quickly gets into position for a
rebound. X1 slides off the hips of X4,
over in the free-throw lane, for rebound
work out in front of the basket. X2,
after shooting, also follows in for rebound
work in his own offensive third of the
court. X3 and X5 equalize their positions
and move forward to aid in either offense
or defense.

Play 2, shown in Diagram 2, is the
companion play to the preceding play.
X5, with the ball in his possession, passes
to X38. X5 immediately cuts down the
side line, running directly at X1. Both
X5 and X1 know that X1 will glide to
the outside of X5. Just as X1 emerges,

X3 snaps the ball to X1 who turns in |

toward the basket and shoots a carom
shot. X5 continues on rapidly across the
free-throw lane, ready for a _ rebound,
should X1 overshoot the basket. X2
drives toward the free-throw lane and
slides off the hips of X5, thus completing
the second screen of the play and enabling
X2 to get a successful and, if the ball
should drop in this territory, an unmo-
lested rebound shot. X4 and X38 equalize
in their territorial positions and are
equally potent on either offense or defense.

Set Offenses Against Zone Defenses

In the charting of penetrating offensive
plays against a zone defense the set-up
of the offense must be identical with that
used in penetrating the man-for-man de-
fense. To be effective both offensive set-
ups must look the same to the opponent.

The reader should compare Diagrams 1
and 2 with 3 and 4, and should note the
exactness of the positions of the offensive
players in both cases at the start of the
play. However, the path of the ball is
very different. The ball can be readily
snapped from guard to center to guard to
forward, as opportunity presents. For
purposes of clarification these plays are
numbered, but in a game situation it is
not necessary to call them. Any of the
rear three of the offensive men, namely,
the center or either of the two guards
may initiate the play.

The two offensive forwards are sta-
tioned ten feet from the end line and ten
feet from the side line. The other three
offensive men are eight feet in front of

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the division line, with the center occupy-
ing the center position and the two guards
on the outside of the center. The guards
are stationed about ten feet from the side
line.

However, if the zone defense should
drop deeper into defensive territory, the
offense should pull its three-man line up
to within eight or ten feet of the first line
of the zone defense. This is absolutely
necessary to make the offense function
against this retreating defense.

In play 8, shown in Diagram 3, the
set-up of the attacking team is exactly the
same as that for penetrating the man-for-
man defense. The offensive guard X4
snaps the ball to X38, and immediately
cuts across in front, calling for the return
pass. Just as X4 goes past X8, X38 push-
passes or chest-shove-passes the ball to
X2, who comes straight forward from his
position to receive the ball. X38 feints
slightly to his own right and then quickly
cuts to the left to receive the return pass
from X2. In the interim, X4 has con-
tinued over to the opposite corner of the
court, apparently for the purpose of
screening X1’s guard, Ol. At this june-
ture, X1 cuts out in front to the free-
throw area. X4, instead of screening X1’s
guard, follows quickly to his own left near
the side of the court. X38 immediately
snaps the ball to X4, who is in a splendid
position to shoot a side shot, preferably
a carom, for the basket. This quick
manipulation of the ball is consummated
because the keystone player, X38, can
rapidly pass the ball in either direction.
Now X2 plays for the rebound on his side
of the court, and X1 cuts for the center
rebound area just as X4 is shooting. X4
covers his side of the court for follow-up
and rebound. X38 is in a position to float
either way for a pass-out from any of the
offensive men near the basket. X5 slides
for a pass-out, in case X38 is pulled over
to the opposite side.

If the offensive team continues to pass
the ball, it is absolutely impossible for a
zone defensive team to prohibit the offense
from getting a fairly open shot for the
basket. Should there be no opening for
the offense the ball can easily be passed
back to X5 or X8 and then the offense
(Continued on page 42)

    

 

 

 

THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL