Dribble Drive Offense Set Plays

By Dr. James Gels, From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook
"Helping coaches coach better..."

The dribble-drive motion offense is a free-lance 4-out offense where players use perimeter spacing, dribble-penetration and kick-out passes to create offense. But you can still use set plays.

"One-X"

This play comes from coach Kurt Guelsdorf (former Oregon City High School Girl's Head Coach; 450+ career wins; 3x State Championships).

Using the 4-out set (diagram 1), O1 dribbles right toward O2 as O2 slides up and gets a drop pass (or dribble hand-off) from O1. O1 cuts through to the opposite corner, as O3 slides up to the wing, and O4 moves to the top. The ball is quickly reversed (diagram 2) with passes from O2 to O4 to O3 and to O1 in the corner.

O5 takes a step up and screens for O3 who cuts through to the opposite corner. After O3 cuts, O5 ball-screens for O1 in the corner (diagram 3), and they run the pick and roll. Notice how O3's cut opposite clears out the left side for better spacing for the pick and roll.



O1's options on the pick and roll include a shot, a pass (bounce or lob) to X5 on the roll, or a perimeter kick-out pass. As O1 dribbles around the screen, O4 slides left and could get the kick-back pass from O1. As the pass goes to O4, O1 cuts to the top and O5 moves to the opposite block.

We now have a clear-out isolation situation for O4 (diagram 4), and O4 could drive or shoot, or pass back to O1 if well-defended. If passed to O1, O3 cuts to the opposite left corner (diagram 5), O2 slides down to the right corner and O5 moves to the left block. We are back in our original set. We could run it again, or just play the dribble-drive offense from here. Or we could run "Four-X".

"Four-X"

"Four-X" is the same play as "One-X" except we run it for O4, one of our best players. O4 will be in the corner pick and roll this time. In diagram 6 above, O1 dribbles toward O2 and passes, but instead of cutting through, turns and screens for O4. O4 cuts around O1 to the hoop. A pass from O2 to O4 for a layup could occur but is rare, so O4 cuts to the left corner (diagram 7). O3 slides up to the wing and O5 takes a step up from the block. The ball is reversed quickly around to O4 in the left corner.

O3 cuts around O5 again to the opposite right corner (diagram 8). Now O5 ball-screens for O4 in the corner (diagram 9) and the pick and roll is on with our best player O4. O4 has all the same pick and roll options - shot, kick-out pass to O2 or O3, dump inside to O5, or a pass to O1. If he pass goes to O1, now O1 has the "iso" situation.

---