The question still comes up time and again: If a guard from up top, say on the right side, drives right handed toward the goal, will a player in the right corner cutting to the opposite corner foul up the guard’s ability to finish at the basket? Is this bad timing? Does this mess up spacing? Will both players arrive at the basket at the same time?

Answer: In the beginning, when reactions are still slow and still in the stage of development, you might see a few cases where the baseline cutter and the penetrator are arriving at the same time or even cases where the penetrator gets to the goal BEFORE the baseline cutter gets to the lane. If this happens, then the baseline cutter can always stop in the short corner and become a passing “window” or target for the penetrator. This would be the same “window” that a post player would fill in the same situation, if there was a post player on the right side of the lane. (See Layer 4)

BUT, given a little bit of time, the corner will not only clear the lane before the penetrator gets to the goal, but the cut along the baseline will be a passing/scoring opportunity.

Here’s why I can speak so confidently:

Any player in the right corner has only TWO cuts, or TWO directions to go as a result of ball movement:

1) Run the baseline if the ball handler drives right
2) Fill the right wing above him/her. (To the corner’s left).

Filling the wing above could result from a pass and cut, speed dribble, power dribble, circle reverse, or even a post feed by the ball handler.

Now notice how SIMPLE the baseline cut is: no options, no complexity. It’s this SIMPLE: anticipate the ball handler putting the ball on the floor with his/her right hand. If so, by the time the ball hits the floor on the first dribble, the corner player’s feet should be moving in a SPRINT toward the other corner while looking for a pass. If the ball is being driven from anywhere above the FT line extended, then by the time the ball handler breaks the FT line (or FT line extended) the corner cutter should be between the short corner and the goal depending on their foot speed. Even the slowest player can be a half-second away from the goal by the time the ball breaks the FT line.

There are NO other options for the right corner player to consider if the ball handler penetrates with his/her right hand! With no other options to consider, even a non-basketball player can be trained to sprint corner to corner with this “one-and-only-one” action by the ballhandler.

Training a player to do this begins with a simple, firm explanation. Raise the bar of expectations: This is NOT a difficult, high level, basketball action! Present it like this, “You don’t have the option of STANDING, so get in a stance that allows you to sprint the baseline or sprint up to the wing. Now, watch the ball handler and ANTICIPATE.” If the right hand dribble turns out to be an EAST-WEST dribble, then the first step toward the goal is easily stopped and corrected.

Consider the special case of the RIGHT WING teammate with the ball (above the FT line extended). ANY DRIBBLE WITH THE RIGHT HAND will force a basket cut by the right corner player. If the right wing is driving to the goal, then the right corner is supposed to Circle Move to the other corner (Layer 1). If the right wing’s first, quick, hard dribble with their right hand is an EAST-WEST dribble, that is, a Speed Dribble (Layer 5), then the right corner’s reaction is to BASKET CUT. So, in either case, the corner is running the baseline! Simple, simple, simple for the corner player to read and anticipate.

If you’re wondering about a Power Dribble by the right wing and how this forces the corner player to circle left toward the wing for the pick and roll, consider how the Power Dribble is executed: It is not a “face-toward-the-goal-hard-quick-right-hand-dribble” action. In order for the right wing to Power Dribble, he/ she must step or pivot in such a way as to place their back toward the goal and then slowly “crab dribble” toward the corner. The moment the right wing makes such a pivot, the right corner knows that “basket cutting” is out of the picture.

Without beating a dead horse, the corner player without the ball has only two movements to consider whenever an action is taken by the ballhandler: move to the wing or cut the baseline. When the players realize how simple their options are, they can more easily anticipate and therefore move more quickly. Taking the option of STANDING out of the picture helps to speed up their reaction time.