Zone Offense Set Play “Drift” by Adam Short

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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Basketball Coaching | Basketball Plays | Basketball Set Plays | Zone Offense

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October 14, 2013

Today’s Basketball Plays are on “Drift” which is a Zone Offense Set Play

Sorry I have been MIA the past few weeks. Cowley officially kicked off practice on October 1^st so that has been keeping me plenty busy. I have loved reading what my fellow coaches have been posting these past two weeks! The play I am posting today is called “Drift”. This play is designed to get your 4 man a layup at the basket. I like this play because it gets the defense to move. The defense’s movement allows for the layup at the basket. 1 will pass the ball to 2. As soon at 2 catches the ball, 3 will dive to the middle of the lane. This is the most important part of the play. This forces X5 to come up and cover 3. 2 will pass the ball back to 1. 1 will attack the right side wing. Coaches, you want your 1 to almost get to the free throw line extended on the wing because that improves the passing angle. 3 will sprint to the ball side corner. This will force X4 to come out and cover him. 5 will then set a back screen on X5. 4 will come behind the back screen and will get the ball from 1. Coaches, you can have your 5 man set a back screen on X5 or have 5 seal X5. I personally teach my players to seal the defenders when they are screening against a zone. If you have your 5 man seal instead of setting an actual screen, you would want your 5 man to swing his right leg around X5. This will prevent X5 from going underneath the screen and interrupting the pass. 5 would be sealing X5 to the right side elbow. I would love to hear some feedback from any coach that would use this play during the year!

Adam Short begins his first year as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Cowley College.

Short grew up in Indiana and was a First-Team All-Conference selection as a senior at Lake Central High School. He went on to attend Joliet (Ill) Junior College and helped the team to a NJCAA Division III national runner-up finish, while being named First-Team All-Conference and a two-time Region 4 Player of the Week.

After Joliet, Short spent his final two years of college basketball playing at NAIA school Avila University in Kansas City, MO. At Avila, he scored more than 1,000 points in his career and earned all-conference honors each year at the school.

He graduated from Avila in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in writing. Short then served as a graduate assistant coach with the Avila men’s basketball team from 2011-2013, and earned a Masters degree in Organizational Development in 2013.

He also spent the past two years working with MoKan Nike Elite Youth Basketball League out of Kansas City, MO. His job duties consisted of coaching, scouting, and breaking down film.

Click on the pdf link to download the Zone Offense Set Play “Drift”: