Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world

Happy Sunday! Welcome to all the newest members from around the world.

ICYMI: Last week, we looked at the value of vertical transitions in rescuing at rim possessions, contesting without fouling and swinging momentum. Read the full newsletter HERE.

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This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: Transition Spacing - Short Corner Runs​

🎧 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Grant McCasland {Texas Tech}

📢 Dr. Dish Semi-Annual Sales Event!

🥇 Best of the Week: FIBA EuroBasket​

📚 Interesting Reads: The Laws of 10x

Let's dive in...

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Short Corner Runs

Turning a dead zone into a decision-making hub

As more coaches look to play in flow and keep their offenses as unpredictable as possible, the role of the bigs becomes a central consideration. Their skill sets directly shape how they can be spaced in transition, and that spacing determines which triggers the offense can access—allowing the possession to keep moving without pauses.

In the push to play faster, many offenses have empowered perimeter players to run more randomly and fill spots regardless of position. Now, there’s a growing emphasis on how to randomize and empower bigs in transition as well—further raising the unpredictability of the attack.

Previously, we studied Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Oded Kattash’s transition offense with two bigs {🔒}, and how their different spacing options naturally flowed into actions. More recently, we had a tremendous conversation with Chattanooga Head Coach Dan Earl {🎧} on how he randomizes his offense by empowering the 5-man to sprint to any of their spacing spots and flow directly into action. If you really want to go down a rabbit-hole on SGTV and 5-man flow concepts, we also did a full Film Room Session with St. Louis Head Coach, Josh Shertz {🔒}, as well.

Of course, when we say “random,” it doesn’t mean chaos. Players are self-aware and tend to run toward their strengths in transition. Over time, common spacing alignments emerge, shaped by the abilities of the bigs themselves. That self-awareness and intentionality brings us to today’s focus: Finland’s use of the short corner in transition to attack broken courts with cuts and create “uphill” pitch opportunities.

Broken Court Cutting

In our podcast conversation with Finland Head Coach Lassi Tuovi {🎧}, he highlighted Finland’s advantage of having skilled bigs who can handle the ball—allowing all five players to run in transition and create early, unique give-and-gos or baseline pressure through quick post touches. Leveraging the mobility of their bigs, if no immediate finish at the rim is available, the rim runner doesn’t fight for deep block position but instead funnels out to the strongside short corner.

By prioritizing the post as a trigger man rather than a back-to-the-basket scoring threat, the short corner catch becomes both a cleaner entry pass and a spacing tool. The catch area clears the rim, opening space for multiple cuts in transition...

Zooming In: When the ball enters the post early, the defense is often still scrambling to find its shape—and more than likely hasn’t maintained perfect floor balance as it runs back in transition. Additionally, the early baseline pressure from the short-corner catch places the ball behind the defense, challenging their ability to maintain ball-man vision. Together, these dynamics create a fertile environment for cutting from multiple spots on the floor. As shown in both gifs above, this can be a “go” cut from the entry passer or a middle dive from the trailer.

Ultimately, like many arrival attacks, it's all about using pace to find cracks and exploit them, whoever finds themselves unchecked in transition or staring at the back of their defender's head can become a cutter.

Maintaining Flow

The low-hanging fruit of this attack is the immediate cut from the passer. To maintain spacing and flow, that cutter continues through to the opposite corner, opening the lane for a secondary cut from the strong side—especially if a defender fails to put their body between man and rim.

Action toward the rim is ideal, but these same principles also create clean opportunities for players on the weakside. So far, everything has occurred on the strongside—a strongside short corner catch with strongside cuts. To balance the floor and sustain flow, the weakside must stay active.

The most important weakside action is the corner lift, which removes the low man who might otherwise provide late help on cuts. Lifting the corner also clears space for the cutter to exit the paint quickly, opening second cut opportunities for teammates.

Once lifted, the weakside naturally works itself toward the ball. Depending on the strengths of those players coming out of the weakside, cutters can seamlessly turn into screeners to free a shooter, or playmakers can chase into an uphill pitch with the big stepping out of the short corner.

This is a transition attack where different player archetypes can be used and leveraged, with the system giving room for cutters, shooters, and playmakers alike to impose their strengths while still maintaining the flow of the offense.

Ultimately, empowering bigs in transition not only raises the unpredictability of an offense but also ensures that every player on the floor has the freedom to impact the possession. When bigs can read the defense, fill spacing intelligently, and trigger actions from multiple spots, the offense becomes both harder to defend and more capable of creating high-quality scoring opportunities for all five players. For continued learning on Finland’s short corner transition concepts, SG+ Members can view the full video breakdown on SGTV!

Stay tuned as next we will will begin our Socal Coaches Summit Clinic replays!

Together with Dr. Dish

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Slappin' Glass Podcast

🏀 Slappin' Glass Podcast w/Grant McCasland

In this classic replay, Slappin' Glass sits down with Grant McCasland, head coach of Texas Tech, to dive into the heart of what makes programs win. From his early days as a 26-year-old junior college coach to leading Texas Tech in the Big 12, McCasland shares invaluable lessons on culture, belief, and building teams that compete at the highest level.

We explore:

• The foundations of winning cultures and why “people over everything” drives his programs.
• The pillars of Believe, Give, and Compete—and how they translate into daily habits.
• The role of elite individual defenders in transforming teams.
• Insights into no-middle defense, teaching sacrifice, and tracking culture in practice.
• Start, Sub, or Sit: McCasland’s candid takes on defense, timeouts, and game flow.
• His best career investment: involving his family in every step of the coaching journey.

McCasland’s authenticity, grit, and clarity on what truly matters shine through in this conversation—offering both coaches and leaders timeless lessons on culture, toughness, and connection.

Together with Hudl

Hudl Powers Every Possession

If you’re already using tools like FastDraw, FastScout, or FastRecruit—you know how essential they are to your workflows. And now that they’re fully part of the Hudl ecosystem, they’re more powerful than ever. From film and play diagrams to scouting reports and custom recruiting boards, everything flows together. One system. Built for high-performance programs.

​Learn more about Hudl and their variety of products or subscribers to Slappin' Glass can also directly email Winston Jones of Hudl at winston.jones@hudl.com.

Tactical

📺 Poland - Zoom DHO • Flare Slip​

"Attacking the full side of the floor off a Zoom DHO with the Flare Slip."

✚ Pair With: Using the flare screen out of the corner to generate confusion and closeouts out of the 4 Out Chase entry.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Poland Coach Igor Milicic's defensive strategy and load up on empty-side drag screens.

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📺 Finland - Burn Through • Backscreen​

"Multiple players cutting through the lane to create space and isolate a turnout screen or backscreen option."

✚ Pair With: Finland twisting the Get handoff back towards the full side of the floor to play a DHO with the 4-man.

🔒 SG Plus Content: The Utah Jazz’s use of the top flare in 5-Out spacing for Lauri Markkanen.

Interesting Reads

📚 Laws of 10x are Everywhere ​

Still, it’s useful to assume there is a 10x truth, and spend your time seeking that truth, rather than worrying about and fiddling with one hundred variables, almost none of which will turn out to be important.

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📚 The Finality of Everything​

This makes me think of all the micro-moments in my life, and the emotions that come with almost all of them. Each of them make me feel a certain way when they occur, but when I’m aware of their finality, I can understand how precious they really are.

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📚 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do​

8. They Don’t Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over

9. They Don’t Resent Other People’s Success

10. They Don’t Give Up After the First Failure

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Quote of the Week

Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan, Pat, and Eric

info@slappinglass.com

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