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We Need to Talk About Our Fast Break


Matty Light

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Great game yesterday.  A dominant defensive effort but another weak offensive game.  The FTs were better down the strech and we worked the ball into the post much more efficiently.  However, our fast break is a clown show right now.  I have never seen a fast break run so poorly past the high school level. We actually are at a disadvantage when we go on the break.  It usually ends up in a charge call, no bucket, or a turnover. It is a like a ice hockey team that gets a power play and gives up a short-handed goal all of the time.   It was like we were 0-5 on the powerplay and gave up 2 shorthanded goals.

The good news, is this is easily correctable.  The man with the ball needs to take the middle and the guys off the ball go wide angled on the wings.  We are always coming down spaced together in the lane.  This makes it possible for one defender to guard multiple guys.  Space it out and success will come much easier.  Also, Travis should just make a rule for now that the guy with the ball cannot take it all the way to the hoop.  This would alleviate all the charge calls.  Go towards the cylinder and come to a stop or jump stop 8 feet from the hoop.  If the defender lays off, stick the 8-footer.  If the defender comes out, drop the dime to the teammate breaking to the hoop from the wide-angle.  That has to add 6-8 points in the margin of victory for us.

Also, we have now played 7 games without an alley-oop attempt.  It seemed very open against Butler.  I don't know why we don't attempt that.  Especially at home during a scoring drought when we could use the crowd getting riled up.

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1 hour ago, Matty Light said:

Great game yesterday.  A dominant defensive effort but another weak offensive game.  The FTs were better down the strech and we worked the ball into the post much more efficiently.  However, our fast break is a clown show right now.  I have never seen a fast break run so poorly past the high school level. We actually are at a disadvantage when we go on the break.  It usually ends up in a charge call, no bucket, or a turnover. It is a like a ice hockey team that gets a power play and gives up a short-handed goal all of the time.   It was like we were 0-5 on the powerplay and gave up 2 shorthanded goals.

The good news, is this is easily correctable.  The man with the ball needs to take the middle and the guys off the ball go wide angled on the wings.  We are always coming down spaced together in the lane.  This makes it possible for one defender to guard multiple guys.  Space it out and success will come much easier.  Also, Travis should just make a rule for now that the guy with the ball cannot take it all the way to the hoop.  This would alleviate all the charge calls.  Go towards the cylinder and come to a stop or jump stop 8 feet from the hoop.  If the defender lays off, stick the 8-footer.  If the defender comes out, drop the dime to the teammate breaking to the hoop from the wide-angle.  That has to add 6-8 points in the margin of victory for us.

Also, we have now played 7 games without an alley-oop attempt.  It seemed very open against Butler.  I don't know why we don't attempt that.  Especially at home during a scoring drought when we could use the crowd getting riled up.

So you want to shoot 8 foot jumpers all day rather than finish at the rim? Taking a poorly run fast break and devising an equally poor solution won't solve the problem. It'd be silly to tell the ball handler he can't take it to the rim. Teams watch film, on a 2 v 1 break I'd simply cut the passing lane off and contest your 8 footer. Your spacing comment is helpful to a good break however the benefit of your suggestion stops there. It's really pretty simple. proper spacing, head up, and body under control and then attack the rim. Don't make it more difficult than it is.

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2 hours ago, slufanskip said:

So you want to shoot 8 foot jumpers all day rather than finish at the rim? Taking a poorly run fast break and devising an equally poor solution won't solve the problem. It'd be silly to tell the ball handler he can't take it to the rim. Teams watch film, on a 2 v 1 break I'd simply cut the passing lane off and contest your 8 footer. Your spacing comment is helpful to a good break however the benefit of your suggestion stops there. It's really pretty simple. proper spacing, head up, and body under control and then attack the rim. Don't make it more difficult than it is.

Show me where any of our fast breaks ended with points taking it to the rim.  It hasn't been often.  Eight foot pullup jumpers are easy money.  It is practically a layup with nobody up in your grill.

The point I am making is if that if you force the guy leading the break to make a decision rather than decide "I'm taking it all the way", they will inevitably make a high percentage decision with the basketball.  Once we start playing like that, you can add allow them to "go all the way" with it.  If at the decision point in the lane that presents itself as the highest percentage scoring opportunity.  It often isn't.

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3 hours ago, HoosierPal said:

As SLU72 said on another thread talking about this subject, we don't have any shooters stopping at the line for a quick three pointer on these breaks.

Right on.  Especially when it is a 4-on-3 break, or 3-1.  If you take that corner 3, no one will be able to cover you without abandoning the lane.

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2 hours ago, Matty Light said:

Show me where any of our fast breaks ended with points taking it to the rim.  It hasn't been often.  Eight foot pullup jumpers are easy money.  It is practically a layup with nobody up in your grill.

The point I am making is if that if you force the guy leading the break to make a decision rather than decide "I'm taking it all the way", they will inevitably make a high percentage decision with the basketball.  Once we start playing like that, you can add allow them to "go all the way" with it.  If at the decision point in the lane that presents itself as the highest percentage scoring opportunity.  It often isn't.

I understand what you want to accomplish and agree we haven't been very good on the break. I just disagree with your solution. 

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2 hours ago, slufanskip said:

I understand what you want to accomplish and agree we haven't been very good on the break. I just disagree with your solution. 

It's poor decision making, nothing else. We end up making the wrong play, it's hard to understand. I think Isabel has had about 3 shots blocked on fast breaks alone..

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Ford has said that this team is what it is.  He basically is saying that he knows the team has some deficiencies but this is who they are right now.  If the fast break is having trouble then that is a deficiency of the team at this point.  Perhaps the best thing right now would be to simply bring the ball back out unless you have an uncontested lay up.  I would rather have them do this and then attack the basket in their half court offense then force the issue and lose the ball and then give up a fast break to the other team or turning the ball over.

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