1-2-2 Zone Offense Basketball Animation

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The 1-2-2 and the 3-2 zone defenses are similar, with the exception of the position of the middle defender. In the 1-2-2, the middle defender plays out on the point, and in the 3-2, the middle defender sags into the high post area. Also see Zone Offense.

"Zone-2" - "Runner" Offense

Like the 3-2 zone attack, we attack this zone from the corner, as this puts pressure on the low defenders. We call it "zone-2" because we use a two-guard front (vs the 1-guard defensive front), but we like to call it "Runner" because of the baseline runner.

We can also use this against the 1-3-1 zone defense, or any 1-guard zone defensive front. In fact, we have also run this offense successfully against tightly packed 2-3 zone defenses. It also works well against the box and 1 defense, when O2 the is player being defended man-to-man.

See diagram A below. Set your offense in a 2-out, 2-in set with O1 and O3 flanking the X1 defender, and O4 and O5 just above the blocks. Your best shooter O2 runs the baseline from corner to corner, always on the ball-side. If he/she can make a couple from the corner, the X4 defender will have to come out to defend (diagram B). This frees up O4 on the low block.

1-2-2 Zone Offense - zone-2, runner offense 1-2-2 Zone Offense - zone-2, runner offense 1-2-2 Zone Offense - zone-2, runner offense

If the X5 defender slides over to pick up O4, then O5 should be open for the pass from O4 and the lay-up (diagram C). Or, although not shown in the diagrams, O4 could screen the X5 defender (before he/she slides over) and this frees O5 for a cut to the ball-side low block and a lay-up.

Another pointer - the middle of the paint is open when the ball is on the top. We have our opposite low post player "flash and go back". If O1 has the ball, O5 flashes into the middle of the paint (diagram A) looking for the pass from O1, and the shot.

If the pass goes to O2 in the corner instead, O5 immediately goes back to the opposite block area (weakside rebounding position for O2's shot). If O3 has the ball on top, then O4 flashes to the middle, and goes back if the pass goes to the corner.

Diagram D. After O2 makes a couple shots, the outside low defender will run out early. In this situation, often O1 can make the pass directly to the ball-side low post for the lay-up. To set this up, have O1 dribble a little toward the wing, getting the X2 defender to come out, pass-fake to the corner - then make the pass inside to O4. O3 can do the same thing on the left side of the court, with a direct pass into O5.

1-2-2 zone offense - hi-lo pass

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