Attacking a zone defense

[JonnyRI]

My first post so early apologies if this has been discussed ad nauseam. Since we are expecting a steady diet of zone D I thought we could talk a little x's and o's. IMO attacking the middle of the zone is key. The free throw line player must be a threat offensively. How many times last season did our guy catch the ball and pass it right back out to the guard who threw it in. Without ever facing the basket! Free throw line player should always look for his shot first. I'm also a fan of screening the defenders up top in a zone. I believe it's the best to start dribble penetration. If I watch 30 seconds of perimeter passing each possession this year I'll be disappointed.

Sad to remember but in brief flashes Durham looked like the absolute perfect answer with all the right tools when he flashes up and caught the ball at the few throw line in the midddle of the zone. With his height what could have been.....

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Sad to remember but in brief flashes Durham looked like the absolute perfect answer with all the right tools when he flashes up and caught the ball at the few throw line in the midddle of the zone. With his height what could have been.....

With Polley’s length and passing he could become that guy. Good court vision and passing and should be able to hit the foul line jumper.

 

[Palatine]

With Polley’s length and passing he could become that guy. Good court vision and passing and should be able to hit the foul line jumper.

Polley looked great breaking the press against Queen. He went down the middle, drew the defender and passed to a wide open Cobb for a dunk. Twice.

 

[QDOG5]

Chief is going to sit back and watch this thread.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I may go back later and re-watch UConn/Syracuse back in 2013. I distinctly remember it being one of KO's best coaching performances with his halftime adjustments to beat the 2-3 zone and #6 Cuse as their Big East parting gift. There was a play they kept running where Giffey would set a pick at the top of the zone and Shabazz would use it and get some ball movement going until someone found an open shot. I just found 1 example at 10:00 in the 2nd half. I would like to see some creativity like this to beat the zone this year since they will see it early and often

So I just watched the whole rest of the game. It may as well be sent to Springfield as the greatest example of zone busting. Makes the last couple years of one-on-one much more frustrating. Tyler Olander was soooo good at the things we needed him to do.
-Set screens
-Box out
-Pass from the top of the key
If David O or Cobb can do those things this team will flourish.

Also, you don’t need a 6’8 or taller guy at the free throw line. In a good motion offense any one can fill any spot. Bazz would find himself there and ALWAYS make the right play. I wonder if KO shows the team tape of his first two teams.

 

[husky429]

So I just watched the whole rest of the game. It may as well be sent to Springfield as the greatest example of zone busting. Makes the last couple years of one-on-one much more frustrating. Tyler Olander was soooo good at the things we needed him to do.
-Set screens
-Box out
-Pass from the top of the key
If David O or Cobb can do those things this team will flourish.

Also, you don’t need a 6’8 or taller guy at the free throw line. In a good motion offense any one can fill any spot. Bazz would find himself there and ALWAYS make the right play. I wonder if KO shows the team tape of his first two teams.

Personally, at the hs level, I will often just put my best playmaker on the ft line. Or have him cut there. Whoever handles pressure best, because up to 4 bodies may converge on you at once in that spot. If you have the head on your shoulders to see your teammates under pressure, youre qualified to bein the "4 spot" as ollie calls it.

I could care less about height if you win games. I think we tend to get stuck on height with guys too much.

 

[Excalibur]

So I just watched the whole rest of the game. It may as well be sent to Springfield as the greatest example of zone busting. Makes the last couple years of one-on-one much more frustrating. Tyler Olander was soooo good at the things we needed him to do.
-Set screens
-Box out
-Pass from the top of the key
If David O or Cobb can do those things this team will flourish.

Also, you don’t need a 6’8 or taller guy at the free throw line. In a good motion offense any one can fill any spot. Bazz would find himself there and ALWAYS make the right play. I wonder if KO shows the team tape of his first two teams.

Another thought on this addressed to the guys who say that the key is to "make shots" from deep. In this game, we certainly made plenty of shots, but very few of them were taken prior to the ball getting into the center of the zone. Our threes were mainly off of passes from the inside such that the shooter was stepping into the shot. Rarely did you see a guy hoist a shot from the wing off of a pass from the top of the key.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Personally, at the hs level, I will often just put my best playmaker on the ft line. Or have him cut there. Whoever handles pressure best, because up to 4 bodies may converge on you at once in that spot. If you have the head on your shoulders to see your teammates under pressure, youre qualified to bein the "4 spot" as ollie calls it.

I could care less about height if you win games. I think we tend to get stuck on height with guys too much.

The height helps in that foul line position in getting the shot off with two (likely smaller) guards collapsing on you from the top, and with a big pinching up the lane. It also helps if you're going to lob over the big coming up the lane. Yes, any height ball-handler with his eyes open can fill that spot, but the height does help.

 

[BlueMAB]

Also, you don’t need a 6’8 or taller guy at the free throw line. In a good motion offense any one can fill any spot. Bazz would find himself there and ALWAYS make the right play. I wonder if KO shows the team tape of his first two teams.

It's not necessary, but against a team like Saracuse who typically has a lot of length on the perimeter, that height helps.

 

[husky429]

The height helps in that foul line position in getting the shot off with two (likely smaller) guards collapsing on you from the top, and with a big pinching up the lane. It also helps if you're going to lob over the big coming up the lane. Yes, any height ball-handler with his eyes open can fill that spot, but the height does help.

No doubt. But my bigs are often VERY low skill and cant pull it off

 

[Chief00]

Good things come to those who wait!