Advanced Plays for the 3-Out Motion Offense
By Dr. James Gels, From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook"Helping coaches coach better..."
First read "Motion Offense Principles" and 3-Out 2-In Motion Offense. Here are several plays to use with the 3-2 motion offense. Also see these simple 3-2 plays for youth teams. Like most plays, these plays can also be adapted to other set offenses. Below are links with more plays that can be run with the 3-2 offense.
3-out, 2-In Motion Plays
Off the Break - "Demon"
Run this play as early offense in transition. If you have a talented big man who can jump and get above the rim, this play could result in an "alley-OOP", back-side dunk or lay-in. O1 dribbles into the forecourt with O5 trailing (diagram A). Meanwhile, O2 drives his/her man to the low block and O3 runs baseline off a screen from O4.O1 passes back to O5. O2 comes up the lane and makes a hard cut out to the wing. It is important that O2's cut takes him/her above the free-throw line extended for a better passing angle for the eventual lob pass.
O4 moves up to the ball-side elbow - free throw line area and will set a back-screen for O5. O5 passes to O2, makes a V-cut and goes around O4's back-screen to the hoop (weak-side). After O5 clears the screen, O4 rolls off the screen down to the ball-side block (Diagram C). O1 replaces O5.
Here are the options:
1. The high lob, back-door pass to O5. The pass goes above the rim to the backside of the hoop where O5 can jump and either dunk it, or lay it in.
2. O2 passes to O4 posting on the block.
3. O2 passes to O3 in the corner.
"Kentucky"
"Kentucky-2" and "Kentucky-3" are the same play with the K-2 run to the right and K-3 run to the left."Kentucky-2"
This play usually gets our best shooter O2 an open 3-pointer. The play starts with a weave screen with O1 dribbling toward O2 (diagram A), handing off and screening for O2. Meanwhile, O5 cuts up to the weakside arc. O3 initially slides toward the corner (for spacing) but eventually moves back outside.O2 dribbles toward the point (diagram B) and passes to O5. To get good spacing, it is important for O2 to dribble high to the top, even with the lane line. O4 back-screens for O1 who cuts around the screen, eventually out to the opposite corner. O5 could pass to O1 inside as our first option. After screening for O1, O4 flare-screens for O2.
O2 cuts over the flare-screen to the wing-corner area (diagram C). O5 skip-passes (usually a two-handed overhead pass) "over the top" to O2. After screening for O2, O4 rolls to the ball-side low post. O2 has the option of shooting the 3-pointer, or passing inside to O4 posting up. If the pass to O2 is denied, then O4 posts up inside and O5 looks for the "hi-lo" pass to O4. Notice the weakside rotation after O5 passes to O2. O5 drops to the elbow, O3 rotates to the point and O1 fills the left wing.
Another option is the "slip". After O2 makes a couple of 3's, the defense may switch the O4-on-O2 flare-screen. When the defense switches, O4 slips the screen, and cuts hard to the hoop for the pass from O5.
"Kentucky-3"
This is the same as "Kentucky-2" except to the left side. O1 dribbles left (diagram D), hands off to and screens for O3. O3 dribbles toward the top and passes to O4 who has moved out on top. O5 back-screens for O1 and flare-screens for O3 (diagram E). O4 looks for O1 cutting inside, or for the over-the-top pass to O3. After screening for O3, O5 cuts to the ballside block. O5 could get the pass from either O3, or directly from O4 ("slip" option) if the defense switches the O5-on-O3 flare-screen (diagram F).
"MSU"
O1 starts a little left of center (lane line extended) and O2 goes to the corner (diagram A). O4 cuts up the lane line to the arc. O1 passes to O4 and then O1 down-screens for O5. O5 curls around O1's screen, and O4 looks to pass to O5 for the lay-up as our first option (diagram B). O5 tries to score, but if the X2 helpside defender drops inside, O5 passes out to O2 in the corner for a 3-pointer.Let's back up... if the pass to O5 is not there, O3 down-screens for O1 and O4 passes to O1. O1 could shoot the 3-pointer, or look for O5 posting up. Notice in diagram D that O3, after screening for O1, next screens for O5. O5 cuts to the ball-side block to post-up.
After O5 cuts around O3's screen, O4 down-screens for O3 and goes to the right block (diagram E). O3 cuts around O4's screen to the point for the pass from O1 and the 3-point shot.
Alternately, if you have an athletic O4, instead of O4 down-screening for O3, have O3 back-screen for O4 (diagram F). O4 cuts around the back-screen for the lob pass ("alley-oop") from O1. After screening, O3 pops out to the point. When running this last option, O5 moves to the short corner, which takes the X5 defender outside. This keeps the inside from getting clogged with defenders. In either case, notice that we are back in our 3-out, 2-in set (but with O3 on top).
"Texas"
Here's a play to get your left wing O3 involved with ball-screening action. This play starts like a "Weave-Screen" play with a dribble hand-off screen from O1 to O3 (diagram A). O2 goes to the corner for spacing and a possible kick-out pass. O5 and O4 move up and set a staggered double-screen for O3.In diagram B, once O3 dribbles around O4's screen, we have a pick and roll with O4 sealing and rolling to the hoop. If the defense switches the pick and roll (diagram C), O3 passes back out to O5. O4 will probably have a small defender on him/her. O5 makes the "hi-lo" pass to O4.
As another option, if the X2 defender drops inside to help, O3 could pass to O2 in the corner for a 3-pointer.
"America's Play"
Coach Lou Henson described this play at a coach's clinic as "America's Play", because everyone in America runs it. When adapting this play to your team, put your best shooters in the O2 and O3 positions.
Former Illinois Coach Lou Henson
See Diagram A. O1 dribbles to the right wing (free-throw line extended area). Meanwhile O4 and O5 set a double, staggered screen for your best shooter (O2). Notice that O2 first moves inside to the low block area before making the cut around the double screen. If open, he/she receives the pass from O1 for the shot, either a two or three-pointer (see Diagram B).
After O2 cuts around the screen, O5 moves to the ball-side low block for either the quick-hitting pass from O1 or to post up. This is an especially good option if O5's defender pops out on top to help with the screen for O2, leaving O5 open.
But if O5's defender stays with him/her, then O5 moves to the weak-side elbow, creating a "clear-out" for O1 to dribble penetrate (see Diagram C). In fact, at the start of the play, when O1 dribbles and reaches the wing area... if at that point, O1 feels he/she can beat the defender off the dribble, then he can take it straight to the hoop for the lay-up, or dish inside, or kick out to the corner to O3. But if your game situation calls for a three-pointer, then O1 should pull up at the wing and look for the pass to O2 coming off the staggered screen.
O3 is also a good outside shooter. As another option, O1 can pass to O3. O3's defender may drop down to help leaving O3 wide open in the corner. Also, earlier in the play (before O5 moves to the low block), O3 could come open on a back-cut to the hoop if his/her defender is over-playing and denying the pass in the corner.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.
"Miami"
Start with O4 at the block (diagram A) and O5 in the short corner on the same side. O3 v-cuts and gets the pass from O1. O3 dribbles toward the top even with the left lane line extended, while O1 cuts outside of O3 to the left wing. O2 steps inside the 3-point arc and O4 comes up and curls around O2, looking for the pass from O3 and a lay-up or shot in the paint. If the defense switches the curl cut, O4 should have a size advantage over the smaller X2 defender. After O4 curls, O2 pops back out to the wing.
If the pass to O4 is not there, O3 passes back to O1. O4 screens for O5 (diagram B) and O5 cuts to the ball-side elbow (diagram C), looking for the pass from O1. After screening, O4 pins the screened defender and cuts back to the ball at the block, looking for the pass and power lay-up. If the pass goes to O5 at the elbow (diagram D), O5's options are to shoot, pass to O4 or O2, or shot-fake and power dribble to the right side of the hoop. O2 has dropped toward the corner for the kick-out pass and 3-point shot.
"Slip"
This play starts off as a simple screen-the-screener play with a "slip" option... (more)"Wisconsin"
This play gives us several options... an open shot for O2 or O4, or a post up with O5... (more)"OSU"
This is a good play with several options. We run this play against teams that full-front our low post. It also works well when the opponent does not come off our best shooter, O2, to give help... (more)"Tiger"
We run this play from the high-post. O4 cuts up to the free-throw line and receives the pass from O1... (more in the members section)See the complete article in the members section.
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The complete article also includes:
- Slip
- Wisconsin
- OSU
- Tiger
- and links to a number of additional Coach's Clipboard plays that can be used with the 3-out, 2-in motion offense.
