Junk Offense Blog #2: Developing your offensive philosophy versus junk defense!
Coaches often use the summer as a time to reflect upon the previous season as well as think about the future. What worked? What didn’t? What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? What are the areas we need to improve the most to have a successful season? Will I need to modify or change my offensive and defensive schemes to better fit my personnel? Self reflection is a critical component of a growth mindset and it will help you continue to grow professionally as a coach.
Today’s post deals with developing your offensive philosophy versus junk defense. As you are planning for the upcoming season, make sure you have a plan of attack and philosophy versus junk defense.
Here are a few thoughts to stimulate your thinking:
1. Do you run normal offense versus junk defense?
2. Will you run quick hitters, continuities, or special offenses versus junk defense?
3. Do you run your offense to get your star player shots, or do you run offensive to create easy scoring opportunities for your other players?
Running normal offense
One of the biggest reasons that junk defense is used on the field of play is to take the opposing team out of rhythm and make them play unorthodox. A simple approach is to not allow the opposing team to take you out of what you want to do offensively. If you decide to run your normal offensive system versus junk, make sure build in practice time accordingly. Teach your players how to attack and make reads within your offensive system. It doesn’t matter if you run motion, flex, PNR continuities, or a set play offense. Often times it is not about what you run versus junk, but how you run it.
Quick Hitters, Continuities, or Special Offenses
Another philosophy versus is to have sets, continuities, or special offenses designed to attack junk defense. The pros are that you are putting players in specific positions and creating scoring opportunities for them. Often times if you can score a couple of times using a quick hitter or set versus junk, sometimes the opposing coach may get out of the defense. The cons are that teams can be a little predictable, and it does adequate practice time to execute them properly.
Star player vs. team
The last item you need to reflect upon when putting together an offensive philosophy versus junk is to decide whether you are going to design your offense to get your star player(s) shots or create scoring opportunities for your other players. To me, this is by far the hardest question to answer because everything else is contingent upon it. Will your star player accept not scoring and still play within the confines of the team? Does your team have the confidence in each other to step up and make plays? Do you tire out your star player so much running off screens and moving that they are ineffective once they touch the ball? Personally, I like a balance of giving my team supreme confidence to make plays for each other but yet have a few simple sets/plays designed to free up my star player. The reason I like balance is because if a team is more athletic and decides to “no touch” your star player, you and your team may get frustrated trying to free up your star player. It is here where you can use the star player to free up team mates and get them in positions to create scoring chances.
Next Post: Simple concepts for attacking a Box and 1 and 1-3 chaser
Follow Coach Rory Hamilton on Twitter!!!
Rory Hamilton has 17 years of basketball coaching experience at the collegiate and high school level.
Coach Hamilton just finished up his first season at Norman North High School where the Timberwolves
posted a 17-9 record. Season highlights included a tournament championship at the Altus Bulldog
Invitational, runner up at the Sapulpa Chieftain Holiday Classic, and losing in the 6A area playoffs. Prior
to Norman North, he served as the head girls coach at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School in Oklahoma
City, OK. In seven years at MSM, he posted a 108-75 record and is the winningest girls coach in school
history. Coach Hamilton led the Rockets to three consecutive 4A state tournament appearances. In
2011-2012, the Rockets had a 20-7 record and made it to the state tournament for the first time in
school history. The next year in 2012-2013, the Rockets posted a 25-6 record and earned the silver ball,
losing in the 4A state championship game to Fort Gibson. Last season in 2013-2014, the Rockets posted
a 23-7 record and lost to Anadarko in the 4A state tournament semifinals. Coach Hamilton was named
Central Oklahoma Conference coach of the year three times and was selected to coach the Little All-City
all-star game three consecutive years from 2012-2014. Prior to MSM, coach Hamilton had assistant
coaching jobs at Cache High School, Maize High School in Wichita, KS and Newman University. Coach
Hamilton is married to the former Allison Barse of Norman, Oklahoma. They have two children, Maddox
(10) and Avery (6). He played collegiate basketball for one year at Butler County Community College and
then transferred to play baseball at Newman University and graduated with a B.S. in secondary
education and a B.A. in mathematics. Coach Hamilton received his M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction
from Wichita State University. Coach Hamilton’s interests include Wichita State Shocker basketball and
spending time in Norman with his family and friends.
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