Basketball Offenses and Plays - Kenneth Atkins

Basketball Offenses and Plays

by Kenneth Atkins

NEW, 344 pages

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About Basketball Offenses and Plays

Make the most of every possession with the help of Basketball Offenses & Plays. Inside you’ll find

• 22 man-to-man offenses,
  
• 15 zone offenses,
  
• 51 quick-scoring and delay offenses,
  
• 26 special situational plays, and
  
• 62 inbounds plays.

About Ken Atkins

Ken Atkins has more than 20 years of experience coaching basketball from junior high school to the collegiate level. In 13 years as head coach of the Monarchs at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he took a struggling basketball program and turned it into a constant force in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

At King's College, he notched the school's second-most career wins, the most wins in a season, the longest winning streak, and the best career winning percentage. He led the Monarchs to their first conference championship and to three NCAA Division III Tournaments and was twice named Middle Atlantic Conference-Northern Division Coach of the Year. Atkins was a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for 17 years.

Atkins enjoys writing, reading, and gardening. He resides in Larksville, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Betsy.

Reviews

"I have spent many hours talking the game with Kenny Atkins. He has a great feel for and understanding of the tactical aspects of the game as well as a knack for presenting to coaches and players."

Fran Dunphy
Men's head basketball coach
University of Pennsylvania

About Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sport.

A regulation basketball hoop consists of a rim 18 inches (45.7 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.05 m) high mounted to a backboard. A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the hoop during regular play. A field goal scores two points for the shooting team if a player is touching or closer to the hoop than the three-point line, and three points (a "3 pointer") if the player is "outside" the three-point line. The team with more points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) may be issued when the game ends with a tie. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or passing it to a teammate. It is a violation (traveling) to walk with the ball, carry it, or to double dribble (to hold the ball and then resume dribbling).

Various violations are generally called "fouls". Disruptive physical contact (a personal foul) is penalized, and a free throw is usually awarded to an offensive player if he is fouled while shooting the ball. A technical foul may also be issued when certain infractions occur, most commonly for unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a player or coach. A technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw.

Basketball has evolved many commonly used techniques of shooting, passing, and dribbling, as well as specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures (player positioning) and techniques. Typically, the tallest members of a team will play "center", "small forward", or "power forward" positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed play "point guard" or "shooting guard".

While competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play. Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport played on carefully marked and maintained basketball courts, but less regulated variations are often played outdoors in both inner city and rural areas.

The strategies also evolve with the game. In the 1990s and early 2000s, teams played with more "isolation". Teams that had one superstar would let one player, usually the point guard or shooting guard, run most of the offense while the other four offensive players get out of his/her way. Nowadays, teams tend to play with more teamwork. The "Center" position has evolved to become more of a taller "Small Forward" position. Since teams play more teamwork, ball movement has evolved with the game, and more jump shots have been taken as a result.

There are two main defensive strategies: zone defense and man-to-man defense. In a zone defense, each player is assigned to guard a specific area of the court. In a man-to-man defense, each defensive player guards a specific opponent. Man-to-man defense is generally preferred at higher levels of competition, as it is intuitively easier to understand and avoids mismatches between players who play different positions. However, zone defenses are sometimes used in particular situations or simply to confuse the offense with an unexpected look.

Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and movement by players without the ball. A quick movement by an offensive player without the ball to gain an advantageous position is a cut. A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an opponent from guarding a teammate, by standing in the defender's way such that the teammate cuts next to him, is a screen or pick. The two plays are combined in the pick and roll, in which a player sets a pick and then "rolls" away from the pick towards the basket. Screens and cuts are very important in offensive plays; these allow the quick passes and teamwork which can lead to a successful basket. Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to ensure their movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is usually responsible for indicating which play will occur.

Defensive and offensive structures, and positions, are more emphasized in higher levels in basketball; it is these that a coach normally requests a time-out to discuss.

Basketball Offenses and Plays