Gail Goestenkors Transition Offense | Basketball Coaching | 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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Early Offense | Horns Set Plays

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May 11, 2012

Gail Goestenkors is known for her legendary career at Duke University from 1992–2007. During her tenure, her teams won five ACC tournament championships and eight ACC regular season titles. Goestenkors also holds the ACC record for fewest games required to achieve 300 wins (387 games). As for the postseason, she led the Blue Devils to 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 consecutive appearances in at least the Sweet Sixteen, and an NCAA-record seven consecutive 30-win seasons. Goestenkors accumulated a remarkable record at Duke and is one of the most proficient women’s basketball coaches in the nation. After Duke she took the job at The University of Texas. In her five seasons there she took the Longhorns to 5 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

Included you will find her three favorite transition breaks: Basic, Down and Double. Goestenkors drove home several key points throughout the teaching of these transition breaks.

You must have different transition breaks for different posts. This is a great way to get every player involved, but more so it is hard to predetermine who will be the first post running the rim and who will be the trailing post. Having two or three different breaks gives you the flexibility to get out and go with whoever gets the rebound.
She stressed always look to the post. Getting the ball to the post is always a positive thing especially in transition even if you don’t score. Involving the posts early and often is the only way to continually encourage the posts to continue to run.
She continually repeated an emphasis on communication. She liked having multiple looks because it made her team talk to each other. The point guard had to call a specific break and every offensive player had to echo the call. Everyone must know what the play is.

Transition looks don’t have to be complicated to be extremely effective, but they do have to be executed correctly. I think that you will enjoy her simple, but effective transition looks.

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