Basketball Plays - "Redhawk"
By Dr. James Gels, From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook"Helping coaches coach better..."
The "Redhawk" plays feature two double-screens and gets players moving and cutting, each with several options.
"Redhawk-1"
O1 dribbles right while O2 sets up the X2 defender and makes a hard back-cut. O1 could pass to O2 as our first option (diagram A). Notice also that, after O2 cuts through, all the players are on the left side of the court, and O1 could simply make a 1-on-1 dribble move on the X1 defender from the right wing (diagram B).
Meanwhile, O3 drops down near the baseline and then cuts around the back-side double staggered screens (set by O4 and O5) and goes to the top. O1 passes to O3. O5 and O4 re-adjust their screening angles for O2 (diagram B), and O2 curl-cuts around the double-screen looking for the pass from O3. Notice that if O3 was denied the pass from O1, O1 could still make the pass directly to O2 coming around the curl. Once O2 receives the pass, O1 slides to the ball-side corner. If the pass to O2 is not there, O4 pops out to the wing (diagram C), gets the pass from O3 and passes to O5 posting up inside.
"Redhawk-2"
Sometimes, we find that the X2 defender won't chase O2 around the double-screen, just waits for O2 in the paint, and things get too clogged up inside for the curl-cut. This eliminates the pass to the O2 in the paint. The next time, we will run "Redhawk-2" instead, which will get O2 wide open in the corner on a flare cut (instead of the curl cut).We start the play the same as "Redhawk-1". O1 dribbles right and O2 makes the back-cut. Again, O1 could pass to O2 as our first option (diagram A below). O3 cuts around the O4 and O5 double-screen and goes to the top. O1 passes to O3. O5 and O4 again re-adjust their screening angles for O2 (diagram B), and instead of O2 curl-cutting around the double-screen, O2 flares to the weakside corner, looking for the pass from O3.
As soon as O2 clears the screen, O4 curls around O5's screen into the paint for a possible pass and shot. If O2 gets the ball in the corner, it's usually a wide-open 3-point shot, or a pass into the post O5 (diagram C).
If you have smart players, you don't really need to call these as two separate plays. Just call "Redhawk" and take what the defense gives you. If the X2 defender does not chase O2 around the screens, O2 flares to the corner ("Redhawk-2") and O4 cuts to the paint. But you might call "Redhawk-2" if you looking for a 3-pointer.
