Attacking Junk Defenses 
         A continuity offense for the box and1


    Like anything else it seems in the college game these days, trends and fads seem to be the norm, especially when it comes to offenses and defenses employed by many programs out there. I think this is one of the reasons that the quality of college hoops has decreased in the past ten years plus. Used to be that schools had coaches with "programs". 

I think in seeing the obvious success that Holy Cross had against Kansas in the first round with two different junk defenses, Box and one and Triangle and two, there will be more colleges utalizing these after the obvious success and inability of Kansas to run their offense and or have any offensive answers to these junk defenses. There was a large disparity in talent that was abundantly apparent, and there was abundant confussion on the part of Kansas as how to handle these defenses from an offensive perspective. These defenses are used against teams who depend upon guys like Juan Dixon, Joe Forte and or Casey Jacobsen to be the thrust of their offensive chemistry and focus. Here are some things that can be done against such defensive tactics.

There are a few things to keep in mind when facing such defenses. First one is that just because they are manning your best player, which is usually always done to a perimeter player when using such defenses, that you can not still go to that player and or only have to use him for a decoy. That is bunk and will only through your offense and your team chemistry out of whack which is the point of the defense. Second thing that needs to be remembered is that with some patience and ball reversals this junk defense will break down. Third thing to remember is that whenever screens are set upon the man being manned up, this will create confusion and a need for other guys to help out throwing the zone portion of the defense way out of walk and most teams do not react well to this with any kind of adjustment. The guy and or guys who will be open, often will be the guys setting the pick for the man being manned up and or guys following behind in the path, in the "space" left by the manned player when a pick is set. I will explain that further. Fourth thing to also keep in mind is the absolute necessity of dribble penetration by the other four guys against the zone, be it a box shape or a diamond shape. 

Here is an easy continuity offense that gives you the things and the position to attack a classic box and one defense. Whenever you are faced with a box and one the attacking formation you want to achieve either in placement of players and or of movement of players is a 1-3-1, though it need not be just the classic from the top of the key angle that this can be and or needs to be achieved. 

You start out with your 1 man splitting the two top defenders of the box zone with the ball at the top of the key, a step or two above the top of the key perhaps. Your other two players will be at the wings, free throw line extended outside of the three point line and about two steps down from this line along the three point line towards the baseline. This puts those two guys just a bit below the site line of the top two defenders in the box zone and immediately, along with the point puts preasure on them to keep track of the ball and those wing players. Spread out that zone from the get go. Your player who is being manned, most likely your 2 or 3 man will start out in the corner, either side of the court, outside the three point line. Your 5 man will start out on the block on whichever side the man in the corner is on. 

Here is the basic continuity motion. The point guard dribbles the ball to the opposite side of the corner man. He passes the ball to that wing. As he dribbles it that way, the post man who is on the same side as the corner man steps out, sets a back pick on his man and the corner man runs baseline, low baseline behind the two bottom defenders in the box zone to the ball side corner. He obviously, if open looks for the shot, but most likely the guy guarding him who has been screened will yell for help. He will fill out to the corner. As soon as he sets the pick the post man will roll right back into the middle of the key and with the dual action of the guy being manned cutting baseline, free along with the post man rolling right back into the middle of the key, middle of the box zone really creates some nice opportunities, especially for the post man. If the post man is not open the wing passes the ball to the corner to the guy coming baseline and the post man then drops back down to the post on the ball side.

With the ball now in the corner, the three outside men will have these cuts and rotations to make. The Wing player who passed the ball to the corner man as he came baseline after the screen will cut straight across the free throw line, looking all the while for the chance to step into the middle of the zone box for a quick pass. He will then fill out to the opposite side wing. The point guard, as soon as the wing gets to the opposite sdie of the free throw lane on his cut will then cut right to the middle of the free throw line, a step below the free throw line, then bust straight out replacing the wing who has just cut across the free throw line and will recieve from the corner man a pass. The guy who was on the opposite wing, will simply float back up towards the top of the key replacing the point guard. Point guard then, after getting the pass from the corner man passes the ball to the guy filling the point guard spot who will then pass the ball to the opposite wing and the post man steps off the block, agains setting a pick for the corner man to run baseline again, repeating the continuity.

There needs to be a couple of things kept in mind. The man running along the baseline once in a while needs to cut high off that post pick and into the middle before filling to the opposite corner, and when the ball is at the top and on the wings those players need to, just like against any zone, dribble drive and pinch the seams on the zone. Also, when the ball is in the corner and the three outside players are making their cuts, the skip pass from the corner over the zone to the opposite wing filling out will be open after a reversal or two. 


Well that is a continuity offense you could run against a box and one junk defense.

mikeness71@hotmail.com