Basketball Offenses | Learn the Shuffle Offense | Matt Duble

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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Continuity Offense Plays

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May 15, 2012

The Shuffle offense was initially established in the early 1950s by Bruce Drake at the University of Oklahoma. It was later popularized by Bob Spear, who was the first head basketball coach of the United States Air Force Academy. The shuffle offense is an offense that has all five players rotating in each of the five positions: first cutter, second cutter, point, post and feeder. This offense has been known as a good possibility for a team that has good ball-handlers, but is not blessed with height or a strong dominant post player. This is not always the case as legendary coach Dean Smith of University of North Carolina also taught and used the shuffle offense with great success with his enormous talent and height.

The Shuffle offense creates good player movement and scoring chances for all five players and is most effective against man-to-man defenses. This offense works well with a smart and savvy team who has the patience to wait for a good scoring opportunity to develop and the aggressive nature to take advantage of the defenses mistakes. The shuffle offense like most continuities offenses may take some time to teach as each player must learn all five positions and the various options. Once the basic pattern is mastered all five players will be moving and changing positions inevitably creating mis-matches on a regular basis. A post’s defender will find themselves guarding their man outside of the paint where they are not comfortable, not to mention guards having to defend players in the post.

Once the offense is comprehended by the team it makes player substitution easier since you can substitute your best player on the bench rather than a guard for a guard or a post for a post, since all positions are interchangeable. Another added bonus is opponents may have trouble scouting this offense since a given player’s role is constantly changing.

Included are my notes on the Shuffle offense, pressure releases and counters, and transition looks. I hope that you find these notes helpful.

We have new basketball contributor in Matt Duble. I think that you will enjoy his basketball coaching material. He is the Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach at Covenant College a NCAA Division III member located on Lookout Mountain, GA