Q: We’ve tried to drill it home with the girls that you can still run the R&R Offense against a zone with a few adjustments, but for some reason it just hasn’t clicked. Any suggestions there?

We run a 3 OUT, 2 IN set, so if we get it to the middle we like our chances. We can usually get one of our post players with a seal underneath for an easy shot or a short jumper. The problems for us come during ball reversals because we stand around and stop seam cutting. It’s almost as if we hit a mental block running the offense against a zone. Against a man we don’t have a problem, but against a zone we stumble. Any advice??

A: Here’s what I would do with the Read & React against zones. Regardless of the formation that you choose, I would mix the following three:

1. Pass and Cut
2. Penetrate and Pitch
3. Pin and Skip

Pass and Cut: Cutters should slow down and “hunt” for the ball in the seam of the zone (between the FT line and the mid-post). If they don’t receive the ball in the seam, then continue to the short corner. When someone else cuts, the short corner must move either to the other short corner or back out onto the perimeter. Cutters can also finish their cut by setting a Pin Screen on the weak side of the zone. The Pin Screen can be on either the high weak-side defender or the low weak-side defender. If a teammate is already setting a Pin Screen, then an extra one means there are double pin-screens on the weak side. When the skip pass is thrown, which defender takes the ball?

Penetrate and Pitch: Concentrate on finding the best shot with the second or third “Drive and Kick” in a row. Any penetration that threatens the lane will draw the center of the zone and the weak-side defenders. They will all be facing the ball without knowledge of what’s behind them. Post Players stepping down, up, or circling behind the defenders will be open for bounce passes or lobs. Perimeter players using Circle Movement will slide into windows or run the baseline behind blind defenders.

Pin and Skip: Try two in a row. Always mix them in after a pass and cut and/or a Penetrate and Pitch. Or consider starting your zone attack with a pin and skip and go from there. Zones hate being screened, especially when the screens are blind. Even when the ball is thrown inside to a post player, the weak-side can set a pin screen and the post can make the skip pass. If you have two post players in the game, make it clear that when one post gets the ball inside, the job of the other post is to immediately set a pin screen on weak-side defenders.

If you work on mixing up the above 3 against any zones, you’ll find plenty of open shots and plenty of good basketball action. Make sure the players can do all three actions above IN ANY ORDER.