In Part 2 of this ‘2-Game’ Blog Series, we will focus on our Post Series. This series was started whenever our point guard was able to enter the ball to the high post on either side.
Many of these actions are simple, but difficult to defend when run with precision and executed repeatedly in practice.If you have post players who are good passers and guards who can read the defense, these series will be very effective for you.
The key, just as it was in ‘Yankee‘, is to make sure the players have the freedom to create within a framework that teaches them spacing and ball movement.
Post Series
The diagram below breaks down our Post Series:
Frame 1 – 1 enters to 5. While the ball is in the air, 2 cuts hard to the rim, and 5 looks to hit 2 on backdoor if open.
Frame 2 – 1 jab steps and then cuts off of 5. If 1’s defender goes behind, 5 hands to 1 for a jumper and rolls to the basket.
Frame 3 – If 5 does not give 1 the ball, 5 takes 1 hard dribble toward middle at 3, who is cutting hard across the top as 4 rolls down the lane. If 3’s defender goes under, 5 hands the ball to 3.
Frame 4 – If 5 still has the ball at this point, 4 is sealing defender down low and 2 elevates on the wing. 5 can hit 2 or 4. If 2 receives pass from 5, 2 looks to enter to 4 in the post.
That sums up the simplicity of 2-Game Post Series. In Part 3, we will go through four specials you can run out of 2-Game as well.
Whenever we ran ‘Yankee’ into ‘2-Game’, teams would try to find ways to take something away or take us out of a particular series in order to slow us down. As is true with any offense, a good defensive team can force you to be creative and come up with different ways to score out of your base offense.
Over the years we saw teams try different things to make us uncomfortable, but usually a simple tweak or a special to counter their scheme was all we needed because the 2-Game was so simple for our players to run.
Today, we bring you four of the main specials and counter we ran to get shots or counter defensive schemes.
‘Box Up’ Post Series Entry
On occasion, teams would overplay our posts to try and keep us out of our Post Series, and we would run the following entry to get the series started:
If your posts are being pressured to keep you out of the Post Series, align in a box set, and have the 2 and 3 break out to the hash marks, then flash 4 and 5 up the lane.
Once entered to the post, 2 makes the back door cut for a layup or you go straight into the 2-Game Post Series.
2-Game Counter
When teams tried switching, we could run this counter and force them to stop defending cuts with a switch:
1 passes to 2 then gets a back screen from 4 for a basket cut.
3 Jab steps and comes back. 2 passes to 4, then joins 5 in setting a double screen for 1. 4 passes to 1 coming off the double.
Simple Iso
This was a simple isolation set we ran if we felt we had a mismatch or wanted to give one of our best players room to create late in a game:
1 enters on the dribble. 5 sets a back screen for 2, who must cut over the top to opposite corner.
1 passes to 5 and the isolation is set up.
Quick 3
We ran this play to get a quick 3 for a shooter when we needed it:
Put your shooter in the 4 spot, and start by having them set a backscreen for 1 after the pass to 2.
Now 5 sets a screen the screener for 4 coming off for a quick 3.
Those are just four of the Specials we ran in our 2-Game. You can see that it is very easy to create new set plays out of the alignment, and still give players the freedom to create on their own.
I would like to offer a short tribute to one of the best coaches ever to grace a sideline in college basketball, Coach Ralph Miller.
The late Coach Miller coached at Wichita State, University of Iowa and Oregon State University. Coach Miller gave the PAC-10 and Coach John Wooden (UCLA) fits while at OSU with lesser talent.
Our staff at the University of New Mexico spent endless hours with Coach Miller and his staff, picking their brain regarding their system. Then, in 1980, we met an outstanding young high school coach by the name of Paul Halupa who played at the University of Oregon under the great Dick Harter. While playing at Oregon he began to study Coach Miller at their rival, Oregon State. Paul was a genius in his own right and there were people who felt that he came to know Ralph’s system better than Ralph himself!
Paul was invited to come to Albuquerque and spend time with our staff and our team, and he convinced us to adopt the “Miller Philosphy”. Paul was a wonderful teacher and put us on the path to another level of basketball. He helped us install the Peer Pressure Drills, as well as all the concepts of the 2-Game and the Defensive System.
The first time we did Peer Pressure Lay-ups it took us 25 minutes to make 20 in a row. Talk about peer pressure! It was wonderful to watch the interaction of the players because the drill became the bad guy and the coaching staff just encouraged and learned about each player. We never ran a peer pressure drill without a golden number of less than 20 in a row done correctly. It was a small miracle in my mind because we needed something to put the responsibility back on the players to govern.
Thank you Paul Halupa, the OSU coaching staff, and especially Coach Ralph Miller. You helped take the Lobos to another level.
Here is a great video of Coach Miller’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech:
With so many Fast Model coaches either starting practice or about to start practice, we thought it would be beneficial to share the ‘Perfect 2-Hour Practice’ here in ths blog.
Today, we will focus on the overview of the practice, and then next week, we will provide details of each drill, along with drill sheets. All handouts will be created in FastPlan, the complete practice management tool released by Fast Model this Fall.
Upon our arrival at New Mexico, my assistants (Larry Shyatt, Scott Duncan, Ira Zeff, Keith Carridine, Bob Thate, Lee Reed) and I decided that we wanted to accomplish very specific goals in every practice we ran.Practice was built around what we did offensively (The 2-Game, Yankee, etc.) and defensively (Surprise and Change, Rebounding and Aggression, etc.). We wanted immediate focus at the start of every practice, and felt that our Peer Pressure Drills were the best way to accomplish that. Continue reading →
I was recently asked what I would do differently this time around if I were to coach again.
After a greal deal of reflection and consideration, here is what I came up with:
My overall philosophy would be summarized by two words on each side of the ball:
Offense: “Simplicity and Execution”
Defense: ‘Surprise and Change”
I would use “Yankee” as my early offense in an effort to make sure my two best players touched the ball almost every time down the floor. I will be explaining “Yankee” in detail in my next blog post.
I would use “2-Game” as my primary offense. The spacing it teaches gives you the purest form of simplicity and execution. I willl be covering “2-Game” in a blog post in the near future as well.
I would use Peer Pressure Drills (example to right) as a staple in practices. They cover nearly all phases of the game with emphasis on consistent execution. I found these drills to be the most effective teaching method I used throughout my career.
I would create a Self Improvement Clinic and invite a small group of coaches with a wide variety of backgrounds to regularly share knowledge and wisdom.
I would have three team rules:
Don’t be late.
Don’t do anything to embarass yourself or the team.
Work hard.
I would incorporate what I call the “Perfect Two Hour Practice” every day. This starts with a series of Peer Pressure drills. We would always finish with a scrimmage. The length of the scrimmage depends on how long it takes the team to complete the Peer Pressure drills. Since the players love the scrimmage piece the most, it serves as motivation for them to focus on doing the Peer Pressure drills correctly early in practice.
I would rank players weekly on their Aggression Levels. Defining aggression is a key factor in building team toughness.
Many of these items are things I was doing by the end of my career, and represent what I found worked best over a long career in coaching. Of course, there are several things I would do much differently as well. To name a few:
I would put more effort into raising my family.
I would not change jobs as much. Finding a home at a school would improve stability for the program and my family.
I would do a better job of putting money away for the future.
I would write more often. Putting thoughts and wisdom down on paper to share with future generations is something I regret not doing more of.
I would use the tools offered by Fast Model Sports to build my playbooks, drill manuals, handouts, scouting reports, and practice plans.
I would run camps for officials and student/athletes and give all of the the profits to my assistants and office staff.
I would participate in Yoga classes twice a week with my team and staff.
I would make sure I did the three “T’s” every day with my players: Touch, Talk, and Time. Building relationships that last is the most important thing we do as coaches.
I have no immediate plans to return to the game of basketball, but some of you reading this out there may be contemplating a return after stepping away from the game for awhile. Here is an excerpt from an interview with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jerry West, discussing his decision to return to the game in the front office of the Golden State Warriors:
I hope you can find something in this post that will help you no matter what stage of your career you are in. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below.
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