Pushing The Advantage by Maple Street Press

Pushing The Advantage UNC’s transition scheme and the secondary break by Tyler Brooks

imply put, Roy Williams and the staff at UNC love transition basketball. There are a number of coaches at the collegiate level that give lip service to preferring a fast-paced, high-octane brand of ball. Most of these coaches will teach their players to quickly push the ball up the floor for a transition scoring opportunity based on the outcome of the team’s preceding defensive possession (i.e., in the case of a missed shot or a turnover). Although he is in similar partiality with these traditional offensive theories, Williams takes it a step further and is fairly unique in his philosophy of trying to push the ball even after made baskets. Williams has had some amazingly fast and transitionefficient teams at North Carolina, but perhaps his most impressive transition squad was in his last season at Kansas. Here, one could truly see how he likes to run after an opponent’s score. Nick Collison displayed picture-perfect technique and rhythm in taking the ball out of the opponent’s net after a made basket, stepping out of bounds with the opposite foot, and throwing an outlet strike to one of his guards all in the same motion. With such transition efficiency, it’s no wonder that the ’03 Jayhawks advanced all the way to the national championship game. Roy Williams’s philosophical affinity for transition basketball is four-fold. The first and most obvious reason is that it’s easier to score before the defense can get set. If his team can corral a rebound, force a turnover (especially a live-ball turnover), or quickly get the ball in bounds after a made basket—and subsequently take the ball down the floor before the defense can get back, turn around, and establish a solid barrier—then UNC’s chances at a high percentage basket have significantly increased. Intense offensive pressure creates defensive instability. Second, pushing the basketball creates advantages in numbers. Although it often creates possessions where the offense has a higher number of players involved in the play than

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the 2010–2011 TAR HEELS significant one, nonetheless. Elite athletes like to play in an up-and-down system where they get the highlight opportunities that bring fans to their feet. Williams’s principled salesmanship as a recruiter is widely regarded as his greatest strength as a coach, and emphasis on transition basketball is a useful ingredient in his pitch to attract elite players.

The undisputed master of the secondary break, Roy Williams can teach it with one hand tied behind his back. the defense, this is not the only advantage in Williams’s mind. He would also consider one-on-one, two-on-two, or three-on-three to be an advantage, since the extra space on the floor in itself makes it easier for the offense to get a good look. Dean Smith ran drills in practice where five players would scrimmage against three and then subsequently scrimmage against seven to help them get a feel of how to most efficiently utilize the available floor space in getting the ball to a high-percentage shot location. Third, a faster game with more transition opportunities equates to a higher number of overall possessions, which favors the superior team in a given contest. The superior offensive team is more likely to convert each possession into points and the inferior team is less likely, therefore, the higher the total possession count, the easier it is for the superior team to increase or maintain a steady lead over the opponent. Carolina is usually the superior team in terms of basketball talent and athleticism, so a fast-paced game with a lot of possessions generally works in the Heels’ favor. Finally, transition basketball is a great selling point to potential recruits. This is the least important factor, but a

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UNC’s initial transition movement to the offensive end of the floor is called the primary break. Again, this is Carolina’s favorite way to score for all the previously given reasons. The primary break is very loose structurally as the players have a great deal of freedom. There are a few strategic coaching points, such as the wings keeping wide spacing as they sprint down the floor, but overall, they are minimal. The point is to get a high percentage shot as quickly as possible. If the opposing defense was able to get back and successfully prevent Carolina from scoring on the primary break, the Heels immediately turn to Plan B—the secondary break. While it’s a topic of debate as to who first created and implemented the theory of a secondary break, Dean Smith clearly popularized it and developed it into an internationally applied concept. It’s a strategy that allows the Heels to make an easy shift from their rapid full court break to a smooth offensive scheme in the half court, allowing Carolina to keep steady pressure on the defense. In comparison, a simple alternative for many offensive systems would involve a point guard going to get the ball after an unsuccessful fast break attempt and dribbling out to half court to call an offensive set. This allows the defense time to gather itself both physically and mentally, and to communicate with each other strategically. UNC’s secondary break doesn’t allow the opponent these luxuries. Additionally, the secondary break is designed for Carolina to get a desirable shot early in the possession. Even when all of the subsequent options in the secondary set have been explored to no avail, the Heels should typically still have 15–20 seconds on the shot clock to go into a traditional half court set (freelance passing game) or the most-used hurry attack at the end of a possession when pressured by the shot clock (fist). Therefore, the secondary break also functions to speed up the tempo of the game and create a higher number of total possessions. It’s similar to the primary break in this sense but to a different degree. Unlike the primary break, the secondary break has a precise structure. Players move and screen on or off the ball depending on the ball’s exact location, the specific secondary play, and the timing of when it’s passed to each intended spot on the floor. There is a method to every movement, screen, and pass.

Photo on previous page: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Photo this page: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Secondary Break

Pushing The Advantage The secondary repertoire is vast, with a great deal of flexibility. There are multiple secondary plays and multiple options within each play. The point guard can call a specific play or initiate it by making a particular action. Some are simpler in execution than others, and some are employed more or less often. Each involves a progression where options to get the ball to a high-percentage shot location are explored in a consecutive fashion. This article will focus on the secondary plays used most frequently in game situations. Before delving into the Xs and Os, it is worth mentioning that most all player cuts, screens, and passes in the secondary set are designed to ultimately get the ball in the hands of a Tar Heel big man as

Photo at bottom: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Photo at top: Nick Laham/Getty Images

Using his length and guard-like vision, John Henson’s high-low entries could be a vital component of the secondary break in 2010–11.

Great floor spacing, screening, and ball movement led to many good looks for Sean May during UNC’s ’05 title run.

close to the basket as possible. Like in the Dean Smith era, high-percentage shots are still the offensive trademark of Carolina basketball. The secondary break begins off of a Tar Heel defensive rebound, forced turnover, or opponent’s score. Keep in mind that the 2 (shooting guard) and the 3 (small forward) positions are offensively interchangeable, as are the 4 (power forward) and the 5 (center). The point guard (1) runs to the sideline to receive the outlet pass from a post player as the other three players sprint down the floor. The 2 and the 3 run to opposite wings as the remaining big will sprint straight toward the front of the rim. The point guard can take the basketball straight down the sideline where he received the outlet pass or diagonally cross over the middle in route to the opposite side. In either case, he stops at the wing and initiates a secondary play based on a read of the defense. The 2/3 on the same side of the court as the point then moves down from the high wing to the corner. The post rebounder (or in-bounder) trails the play to the top of the key and is typically the first player to receive a pass from the point in the secondary break. It’s important to note that at any point during the break, the point guard can make an up-court pass to a teammate in an attempt to score off of the primary break. This does not negate the secondary, but merely precedes it. Most secondary sets are initiated after the point guard receives the ball back

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the 2010–2011 TAR HEELS as he gets to his secondary position on the wing after an unsuccessful attempt on the primary break. When everyone is in position, as seen in the opening diagram of each listed secondary play (Diagrams R-1, K-1, D-1, and B-1), the break is initiated.

The Plays 1. Regular Carolina’s basic secondary play is simply known as Regular. As is the case in every secondary play, the point guard first looks to the 5 on the block. If the 5 is covered, the point passes the ball to the trailing big at the top of the key. The big looks inside as the other post player moves across the lane following the perimeter path of the ball, as seen in Diagram R-1. If his teammate is not open down low, the 4 then passes the ball to the wing. The 5 continues to follow the path of the ball to the opposite block. Diagram R-2 illustrates that now the Heels have their third angle for a post entry feed. When the ball is passed from the top of the key to the wing, the 3 will then make a cut from the opposite corner to the high post to set a back screen for the 4, as shown in Diagram R-3. The 4 crashes down to the block opposite from the ball and looks for the lob pass over the

UNC03_figR1

Look for Tyler Zeller to shoot more midrange jumpers this season as the trailing big in the secondary break.

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5 3

2 1

Diagram R-1

Diagram R-3

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3 2 1

Diagram R-2

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3 1 Diagram R-4

Photo: Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images

Pushing The Advantage

UNC03_figK1 top of the lane. If the pass isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there, the 3 will take a step out after his screen to receive the pass from the 2. The player who just set a screen is typically the most open, so getting him the ball at the high post from the wing should not be difficult. As the 3 receives the ball, the 4 moves across the lane to set a low pick for the 5, who moves off of the screen to the opposite block, as shown in Diagram R-4. After the screen, the 4 posts his man up and the 3 has two options to get the ball to the low post. Depending on how the defense plays the screen, one of the two players will likely be open.

2 1

Diagram K-1

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2. Kickback Kickback begins in an identical fashion to Regular. If the immediate pass to the post is defended, the point guard gets the ball to the trailing post player at the top of the key to create a different angle for the post entry (Diagram K-1). As Diagram K-2 shows, instead of the 4 passing to the 2 on the wing as in Regular, he kicks the ball back to the point guard. This is a read, not a call. That is, the 4 reverses direction because the 2 is being denied the pass. Note also that the 5 continues his movement to the opposite block as in Regular, despite the direction of the ball being reversed. As the ball is passed back to the point guard, the 3 cuts up to set a screen at the elbow for the 4 who crashes to the block, identical to Regular. In this scenario, the ball is on the near side, so the 4 turns a different way in his backdoor cut to look for the pass, as shown in Diagram K-3. As soon as the 4 comes of the screen, the 3 sprints to the opposite corner. As illustrated in Diagram K-4, the 5 then flashes from the opposite low block to the high post while the 2 sets a down screen for the 3, who curls to the top. The point guard now has three passing options. He can hit the 4 on the block, the 3 curling off of a perimeter screen to the top for a jump shot, or the 5 flashing to the high post. High post-low post passing is a distinguishing mark of Carolina basketball. In this last example, if the point was not able to get the ball to the 4 on the block, it would generally be due to the defender fronting the post. Therefore, a simple pass to a big flashing to the high post will create a better angle to dump the ball down. When the 4 sees this, he is taught to turn to call for the ball with his other hand while using his body to seal the defender, keeping him from regaining position between the UNC big and the basket. This allows for an easy over-the-top pass from the high post and will likely result in a layup or dunk by the 4 when executed effectively.

2 1

Diagram K-2

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2 1

Diagram K-3

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2 1 Diagram K-4

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the 2010–2011 TAR HEELS

3. Dribble Dribble secondary can be initiated by either a read or a call. In this set, the trailing 4 will move from the top of the key to set a high ball screen for the point guard. The point guard can call the play by simply pointing to the floor, commanding the 4 to come and set a screen for him. Likewise, if the trailing 4 is being denied the pass, he can make the read to set a ball screen for the point guard. When the screen is set, the point dribbles over to the top of the key and looks for the 5 who makes a cut across the lane to the other block, as seen in Diagram D-1. If the 5 is not open when the point reaches the top, the 3 will make a cut to set a back screen for the 4 crashing to the opposite block, similar to Regular and Kickback. As Diagram D-2 shows, the point will then look for the backdoor lob to the 4. If the lob to the 4 is not open, the 3 will take a step out after he sets the screen to receive a pass from the point, as illustrated in Diagram D-3. The 3 will then dribble to the wing as the 5 flashes to the high post and the point sets a screen for the 2 coming to the top of the key. (See Diagram D-4.) Similar to Kickback, the 3 has three options: He can dump the ball to the 4 on the low block, hit the 5 flashing to the high post for a better angle for a low post feed, or pass to the 2 coming off the perimeter screen for a jump shot.

UNC03_figD1

A perimeter shooting threat, like Will Graves, commands the defensive attention that frees UNC’s bigs for secondary break touches in the paint.

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3 2 1

Diagram D-1

Diagram D-3

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2 4 Diagram D-2

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Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Pushing The Advantage

4. B3 B3 is initiated by a defensive read. Similar to the Dribble secondary set, the trailing 4 is forced to make a cut because he is denied the basketball. Instead of moving to set a ball screen for the point, he cuts the other way to set a screen for the 2, as shown in Diagram B-1. The 2 then cuts off the screen and goes to the top of the key to receive the pass (Diagram B-2). As seen in Diagram B-3, the 2 immediately dribbles back to his original spot on the wing as the 4 cuts to the near block to post up his defender. Simultaneously, the 5 moves out a step from the opposite block and turns to set a double

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5 3

2 1

Many of Tyler Hansbrough’s 2,872 points as a Tar Heel were scored out of a secondary break set.

Diagram B-1

UNC03_figB2

5 3

screen, along with the crashing point guard, for the 3 who cuts first toward the basket to draw his defender in, and then around the screeners for an open jumper at the top of the key. The 2 has two options: He can hit the 4 on the near block, or the 3 coming to the top off of the double screen for a jump shot.

In Review

Diagram B-2

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5 Photo: Gregor y Shamus/Getty Images

1 Diagram B-3

It’s important to note that at any moment in the course of any of these secondary movements, a player has the freedom and flexibility to interrupt the play’s progression to attack the basket, either by the pass or by dribble penetration, or otherwise expose a perceived weakness in the defense. Some other secondary plays include Sweep, Dive, and Screen for the Screener (to name just a few). The four discussed in this article, however, are likely the most utilized sets in Roy Williams’s secondary arsenal. At least one of them can be observed in every contest, and evidence of them all can be found in most Carolina games. They are uniquely different, but all share certain qualities that reflect the basketball philosophies of Roy Williams and Dean Smith. MSP

Tyler Brooks is originally a native of Wilkesboro, NC, and a 2007 graduate of UNC where he was a varsity men’s basketball manager. He’s currently a basketball analyst/writer for Inside Carolina as well as a high school coach in Charlotte, NC. © 2010 Maple Street Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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