Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! Today is the 200th straight Sunday of the newsletter! ICYMI: Last week, we released Part 1 of our "Film Room" session with Coach TJ Saint on "Cluster" Spacing in the angled ballscreen and the Dribble Point offense. Read the breakdown and watch the video HERE. This Week at a Glance:🔒 SG Plus Content: TJ Saint - Euro Spacing, Driving the Wake, and Playing Small 🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Dylan Murphy {Osceola Magic} 🥇Best of the Week: SLOB Zippers & Horns 4 📣 Las Vegas Social Tuesday, July 16th! We'll be back again at the NBA Summer League hosting another great Coaches Social this Tuesday, July 16th! As an SG Plus member you get an invite! Secure your spot at the event by joining SG Plus now...
Let's dive in... Euro Spacing & Driving the WakeWe are back this week with Part 2 of our "Film Room" session with the G League's Birmingham Squadron Head Coach, TJ Saint. Last week's Part 1 is already one of the most viewed videos of the year and is absolutely packed with great insight from Coach Saint. In today's session, we will complete our discussion of his actions and spacing concepts within the Dribble Point offense before turning our focus to offensive strategies when playing small. So let's run it back... We pick up our conversation by continuing to look at the various calls Coach Saint uses to layer actions into the offense, such as the pin away "Touch" call... Zooming In: "Touch" is a call for a pin down to the next available player behind either the hand-off or PNR. With the "Touch" call, Coach Saint emphasizes that it is not necessarily for the player receiving the screen to come off and shoot a 3. Instead, he preaches turning the corner off the pin down to convert them, essentially, into PNRs, with the screener rolling in behind the curl. This strategy benefits players who may not excel at setting up a PNR but can leverage their shooting ability to get defenders chasing, allowing them to curl into the paint to hunt for high-percentage shots at the rim or kick-out 3's. *Bonus: For more on how to put "non-PNR" players in ballscreen-type actions like "Gets", view our breakdown HERE {🔒}. Middle Ballscreen SpacingWhen using a middle ballscreen within their Dribble Point offense Coach Saint utilizes different spacing concepts based on floor balance to stress the defense. When running a ball screen to the loaded side of the floor (two in front with one player behind the ball screen), Coach Saint deploys "I" Spacing. In this setup, the two players in front of the ball cluster below the free-throw line to clear the nail, allowing the ballhandler to achieve deeper penetration off the ballscreen... Zooming In: The intent of this spacing is to generate a single-side tag. By positioning the two players in front of the ball along the baseline, space is created for the ballhandler to break the paint. This should draw the big defender to the ball and force the lone weakside defender to make a decision: either pull in to tag the roll or stay with the lifted player (shown above). We talked in Part 1 about the "lifted spacing" Coach Saint enjoys using, and you can see here how that concept makes it extremely difficult on that backside defender to have any affect on the roller without fear of a throwback three. However, when the spacing is flipped and the ballhandler is attacking away from the loaded side, Coach Saint opts to hold the lone strong-side player at the 45 spot rather than spacing them to the corner (Euro Spacing). Why? As the ballhandler attacks off the screen, this positioning often draws the elbow defender in towards the ball. Meanwhile, the player at the 45 drifts to the corner on the help, creating a long closeout and potential opportunities for a corner 3. Subtle, but good stuff... Playing SmallDue to injuries, call-ups, and the nature of the G League, Coach Saint was forced to play small at several points during the season. Fortunately, this led to several interesting actions and concepts that Coach Saint shared with us, detailing his efforts to create advantages and find ways to break the paint. The majority of these centered around attacking cross-matches or bigs through "Go" catches and confusing the switch using pitches rather than DHOs. Zooming In: A pitch is a murky action designed to create defensive confusion. It blurs the lines between a hand-off, a ball screen, and a pass. This ambiguity can lead to defensive lapses as the two defenders try to determine whether a switch is needed or not. By continually transitioning from one pitch/slip to another, Coach Saint was searching for even the smallest crack in the defense to break the paint and get to advantage basketball. Drive the WakeAnother concept Coach Saint detailed in today's video, is another interesting strategy to combat switching, called "Driving the Wake". For a brief moment after a switch, the previous on-ball defender often loses vision while chasing after their new match up. This creates a momentary gap for the ballhandler to cross back over into and attack... Like Part 1, today's Part 2 "Film Room" Session with Coach Saint is packed with additional thoughts and insights into the "why's and how's" of all these actions, along with how they were pieced together to flow naturally as either sets, calls, or "play after the play" actions. For much more, please enjoy this week's newest breakdown on SGTV... Official Sponsor of "Start, Sub, or Sit?" Imagine scouting opponents, validating on-court observations, and evaluating players with just a few clicks. Our partners at Just Play's latest innovation, AInsights, empowers you to do all that, tailoring reports to your specific needs in seconds. This is more than just data; it's your personalized narrative. AInsights puts you in control, letting you curate reports that focus on the metrics most relevant to your strategy. Don't settle for generic analytics – AInsights lets you craft the information you need to gain a decisive edge. AInsights is a game-changer for coaches. It removes the analytical barrier, replacing it with a user-friendly interface and actionable insights. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a rising star, AInsights puts the power of advanced analytics at your fingertips, allowing you to optimize your scouting, refine your game plan, and ultimately, secure victories on the court. If you are interested in learning more, go to justplaysolutions.com/slappinglass. Slappin' Glass PodcastWe sat down this week with the Head Coach of the G-League's Osceola Magic, Dylan Murphy! In this highly interesting conversation we dive into Coach Murphy's thoughts on coaching meetings, including "Rumbles", moving big rocks, embracing the gray, and explore winning the PNR battle, and Plato and Aristotle during a highly entertaining "Start, Sub, or Sit?!" Listen to the entire conversation here...
Together with Hudl We're proud to partner with one of the best tech companies in the world of sports, Hudl! Every play, every stat, every breakdown. On their own, they’re essential. But all together, they’re undeniable. Hudl recently introduced their newest product, Hudl Instat – a new advanced data platform that integrates with Sportscode and every Hudl product you rely on to create an all-in-one data powerhouse. Hudl Instat’s advanced tagging and next-level stat reports help you develop your team – and its global film library helps you find the missing piece to get the most out of every second of film. Visit hudl.com/slappinglass to learn more. Tactical📺 Lithuania - SLOB Zipper • Slip Corner "Lithuania slipping the 4-Man out of the step up screen to the corner, creating confusion on the ball and setting up the PG filling behind for the 1-5 angled screen." ✚ Pair With: The Warriors & Lithuanian NT Horns Twist Flex 🔒 SG Plus Content: Our Defensive Breakdown on Weaking the Middle Step Up back into the Next Help. 📺 Virtus Bologna - Horns 4 •Rips • Veer "Always appreciate adding a veer screen to an action, either to generate a three-pointer or to break into the paint with a defender chasing the curl." ✚ Pair With: Quin Snyder's Horns 4 Zoom to a Corner Pin 🔒 SG Plus Content: Our Defensive Breakdown on Stunting off the Pass & offensive strategies to Punish the Stunt. Interesting Reads📚 Can Steve Kerr Make a Star-Studded Team USA Work Like a Dream? “He’s extremely collaborative,” Brown said. “Not just with his staff but with his players, too. He gives them ownership of the process. And if a player or a group of players has ownership in any process that you’re going through, they’re going to give it that much more to make it work.” “There was a danger. But, I was determined to confront it. We’ve just drawn against Denmark, they’re on two points, we’re on four, they’re celebrating with their fans, we’re on our knees.” The players were told: “We don’t want to see that body language again, we don’t want to see that feeling of defeat.” 📚 The Two Types of Knowledge: The Max Planck/Chauffeur Test "Real knowledge comes when people do the work. On the other hand, we have the people who don’t do the work — they pretend. While they’ve learned to put on a good show, they lack understanding. They can’t answer questions that don’t rely on memorization. They can’t explain things without using jargon or vague terms. They have no idea how things interact. They can’t predict the consequences." Quote of the Week
“The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence.” - Amos Bronson Alcott
Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching, Dan and Pat info@slappinglass.com We're proud to partner with the leading Sports Travel company in the basketball world, Beyond Sports! Follow the link above to learn more about why more than 600 universities have trusted Beyond Sports for their team's foreign trips. Let them know Slappin' Glass sent you! |
Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches from around the world.
Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! ICYMI: Last week, we looked at how "Patient Pivots" and off ball cutting on High Paint penetration can create highly effective "Cross Court" DHO's. Read the newsletter HERE. This Week at a Glance: 🔒 SG Plus Content: Attacking Switch - Drive the Wake 🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Rick Pitino 🥇Best of the Week: Zipper Cross Screen & Iverson Loop...
Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! ICYMI: Last week, we compared and contrasted two different "Hit" (doubling) schemes for addressing a perimeter mismatch after a post-PNR switch: "Loaded Side Hits" and "Hits on the Roll." View the newsletter HERE. This Week at a Glance: 🔒 SG Plus Content: High Paint Offense - Cross Court DHO's 🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Ben Sullivan {Houston...
Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world! ICYMI: Last week we were joined in the "Film Room" by Bob Jones University AC Tony Miller to detail their extended, pressuring 2-1-2 Zone Defense. View the full video HERE. This Week at a Glance: 🔒 SG Plus Content: Switch Defense - "Hit" on the Roll 🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Frank Haith {Texas} 🥇Best of the Week: Punch RIP Screen & Drive the...