Written by Rick Torbett on January 30, 2009 – 3:57 PM
Q: My biggest question at this stage would be how to adapt the R&R system to deal with an aggressive half court zone trap.
A: Flash any player that you want into the middle to give yourself a 2-1-2 offensive formation. The R&R rules and principles apply after that. For example, if you can pass to the middle, then the passer cuts to the basket and fills out to an open spot. If the middle passes to anyone on the perimeter, then he/she must basket cut, fill out, etc. As long as the defense is trapping, the MIDDLE remains as a SPOT that must be filled if someone vacates it.
Speed Dribbles apply against the trap. If the ballhandler dribbles toward a teammate, then that teammate must basket cut. The empty spot from where the dribbler left must be filled up. For example, if the ballhandler splits the trap and dribbles toward the middle, then the player in the middle must basket cut and fill out. A 2-1-2 formation always remains intact.
Once the trap is beaten and the goal is being threatened, trapping teams tend to stop trapping and start defending the goal. At that point, you’ll be in your half-court offense and you can keep the pressure on the defense. Once you have successfully broken the trap and scored a few times, defenses have a tendency to drop the trap completely.
We have attacked every HC trap we have faced (1-2-2, 1-3-1, & M-M) with an initial 5-out formation. All of the basic principles apply. Pass, cut, fill, and backcut if denied. Seam cut vs any zone trap and basket cut against any M-M trap. You always end up with a player ballside, a player in the middle, a player diagonal, and a reversal. It makes it easier to flow into the offense after you break the traps. It has really helped us simplify things for our players and is very effective for us.
Situation: We are in a 5 OUT open post set versus a 2-3 zone corner trapping defense.
This defense has the wing defender slide 1-2 steps with our cutter and then trap the corner along with their ball-side baseline defender . The top help-side defender flies out to deny the point who rotates to the wing to replace the cutter. The middle defender fronts anyone on the ball-side block, and the weak-side baseline defender flies up to the ball side high post area.
This defense shifts everyone to the ball side - everyone is on the ball side of the defensive midline of the floor.
Do we change our set or immediately skip the ball to the weak side on a pin screen and skip pass?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Craig
Craig,
I’ve handled your question in a blog post titled, “Attacking a Corner Trapping Zone” posted in the categories, “Zone Offense” and “Traps, Presses, & Pressure”.
Here’s the link, http://www.betterbasketball.com/read-and-react-offense/zone-offense/attacking-a-corner-trapping-zone/.
By making the middle a spot to be filled and rotated to versus a zone trap, does that eliminate the effectiveness of having quality post players? What are your thoughts and/or experiences with utilizing a 4 OUT philosophy versus this zone trap? Basically, should I keep the post in the middle and rotate as normal with perimeter players?
Ram Coach,
I meant to communicate that the middle be a spot to be filled during a FULL-COURT press. In the half-court, you can fill the middle with cutters or you can put a quality post player or even your best player/decision-maker/passer in the middle and, like you said, rotate as normal with everyone else. I always vote for the simplest solution that makes as few changes to the R&R as possible. So I like your solution in the half-court.