Description
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The 2013 Eurobasket Championship in Slovenia marked the first time that France won a Gold Medal in International Competition. It was the 36th time France participated in the European Championship and after a long and grueling tournament, the team led by NBA stars Tony Parker (San Antonio), Boris Diaw (San Antonio), Nicolas Batum (Portland), and Nando De Colo (San Antonio) were impressive in their final game victory taking down Lithuania 80-66. Head Coach Vincent Collet who is the current Head Coach of Strasbourg IG has been at the helm of the French National side since 2009. The sets he used throughout the EM were intelligently designed to isolate his key players where they could score. The French offense was also designed for movement and the way the sets were run also utitlized the screen and various passing options.
Lithuania Head Coach Jonas Kazlauskas is a former Soviet League player and a decorated Head Coach in Europe. He was the FIBA Asia Champion in 2005, Euroleague Champion in 1999, and Vice Champion in 2012 with CSKA Moscow one of the strongest Clubs in all of European Basketball. He also won the Chinese Basketball Title last year with Guangdong Southern. Lithuania was a team utilizing the Ball Screen Motion, but also used sets to isolate their best players in the post to take advantage of mismatches. Lithuania also took advantage of their opponents by using the screen-and-roll from various angles, while also incorporating a bit of flex into their sets. Their offense was multi faceted and run from all angles and positions on the floor. Kazlauskas truly is one of the games true masterminds on the bench.
Greece Head Coach Andrea Trinchieri is the current Head Coach of Unics Kazan and has been in charge of the Greek National Team since 2013. He is a 2x Italian League Coach of the Year. His sets at the EM this year incorporated a lot of Pick-n-Roll action to take advantage of Vasilios Spanoulis one of the most talented basketball players in Europe at the moment. Greece also used a lot Drag options in Transition to score quickly as well as variations of Horns.
Slovenia as the host nation was entertaining to watch and kept the home fans on the edge of their seats in every game. Head Coach Bozidar Maljkovic is a name well known in basketball circles in Europe having coached such famous clubs as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Panathinaikos. He has won the Euroleague 4x’s. Slovenia was led by Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns. The offense was designed around their PG with many diverse isolation sets, but also the use of elbow screens, backscreens, and staggers gave the Slovenians an offense hard to guard.
Serbia National Team Head Coach Dusan Ivkovic is one of the most successful Head Coach’s in Europe. He has one championships in Greece, Yugoslavia (before the break-up), and Russia. He has won the Euroleague Championship two times and been named Coach of the Year in Greece and the Euroleague. Ivkovic is a no non-sense Coach with discipline seen in everything he does. The Serbian National Team roster this year was not dotted with the usual stars, but Ivkovic did a masterful job bringing his team through the EM. Ivkovic is a strong Pick-n-Roll Coach, uses a lot of variation in his sets, and everything has multiple options designed against what the defense gives. Serbia also incorporated a lot of stagger actions as well as flare screens to free up their talented perimter players for open looks at the basket. Head Coach Ivkovic also used the Flex Offense in some of their sets.
The Ukraine National Team was exciting and entertaining to watch. With Head Coach Mike Fratello, they had a coach who is among the winningest Head Coaches in NBA history, ranking 18th in both all time regular season wins (667) and games coached (1,215). Fratello enjoyed a long career in the NBA with 3 different teams. He took over the Ukaine before this years EM and had them playing at a high level. He also had NBA veteran Robert Hill on his staff, which made the Ukraine a team with a bevvy of NBA experience in strategy. The strategy showed in the various sets used to take advantage of two and three man games, but also showed a quick hitting action. Ukraine used Box sets, crossing actions, back screening, and horns sets. Where they showed their ability to strategize was with their out-of-bounds actions.
Italy Head Coach Simone Pianigiani has coached at such clubs such as Fenerbahce & Montepaschi Siena. He is currently full time with the Italian National Team, taking a timeout from Club Coaching to re-build the Italian program. What made Italy’s offense so much fun to watch is the way they utilized spacing in their motion sets. They would set-up in vairous formations, but take advantage of their two NBA players Luigi Datome (Detroit) and Marco Belinelli (San Antonio) in isolation sets or pick-n-roll actions. Italy utilized drag screens in transition and with good spacing, they were always in a position to spot up on drive and kick situations. This offense is a must see.
The final team in this playbook is Spain led by Head Coach Juan Ortega. Not only does Spain play some of the best team basketball ever seen at the National Team level, but the Spanish League is enjoyable to watch as well because the players play like they are part of a symphony. With a quartet of NBA stars like Ricky Rubio (Minnesota), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Jose Calderon (Dallas), Victor Claver (Portland), this offense runs like a well oiled machince. Spain used the Flex set for many actions, but also the ball screen was very important in their offense to get open shots and open side penetrations. Spain has taken the Silver Medal in the last 2 Olympic games and pushed the Americans in 2008 before succumbing. The offense attacks fast and with transition sets, high double screens, pick-n-roll actions, and the use of movement, Spain’s offense diversity can quickly improve any program.
This Playbook is the compilation of 8 of the best teams plays used at this past September’s 2013 Eurobasket Championship. You will never find a more diverse playbook which has something for everybody. With the experience of the eight Head Coach’s, this book alone is worth it’s weight in gold. No less than 4 coaching legends are featured and their expertise and knowledge of the game can help any coach at any level improve. If you’re looking to start your season with a high powered offensive arsenal, then this playbook is a must have for your coaching shelf!!
