Think of your team as a group of dogs (in the nicest way you can). Teach those dogs a bunch of tricks and you have a basketball team that is capable of following directions and may be entertaining at parties. But… will they win games they shouldn’t win?
Now, take those dogs and train them how to hunt. Provide them with the strategy, but allow them to find the most efficient and effective way to get the job done. After all, basketball players are smarter than coaches on a moment by moment basis. If you did that, you’d have a team capable of much more than entertaining at a party.
Check out how the Brookwood boys use the Read & React as a framework to hunt for the weaknesses in the defense, waiting until the right moment to pounce. Yes, the coach is still in charge, he just doesn’t slow his team down with micro-managing.
Clip 1: This is a good mix of Pass & Cut, Back-Screens, and Down-Screens that finally create a Penetrate and Pitch scoring opportunity. The coordination of Layers and players allows one action to set up another action that sets up another action, etc…
Clip 2: Another good combo of the two main Layers of the Read & React: Drive & Circle Move and Pass & Cut. These two set up a third Layer for the score; the Baseline Drive. The Natural Pitch is open, but not for the shot – it’s the re-drive that scores.
Clip 3: 3out using the High Posts (1-4 formation) is used to initiate the action and flow into 5out against this zone. A little Pass & Cut (Hook & Look against zones) creates a Read-Line-Rear-Cut lay-up – against a zone!
Clip 4: This is another good clip of 5-player-coordination. The team probes and hunts until there’s a defensive breakdown. It’s unplanned and unscoutable.
Clip 5: The Pass & Cut Layer creates an empty spot to be filled at the top of the key: “The best look in the house!” This is identical to the Fill-the-Spot-Over-the-Read-Line-Rear-Cut drill on the Read & React Drills DVD. Unlike other offenses, the drills of the Read & React don’t simply make you better at the offense, they are the offense!
Clip 6: This is good example of a specific read in the Pass & Cut Layer. When filling an empty spot, if your defender is trailing you, then curl and make your basket cut.
Clip 7: What happens when you Back-Screen you way out after cutting? Besides the fact that you’re incorporating another Layer of Action from the Read & React, Back-Screens away from the ball occupy two defenders and sometimes prevent them from being in proper “help” defensive position. When the wing decides to drive the middle (all the way – almost uncontested), look at the Back-Screen action on the opposite side of the floor. They should get an assist!
Clip 8: Right out of transition there’s a North-South drive with a pitch to the corner. There’s no shot, so the corner “dribbles at” his teammate up top (Speed Dribble Layer) and forces a Rear Cut for a lay-up. This combination of Read & React Layers is what your team should be drilling after learning the basic reactions of the Read & React.
Looking for more game footage? Check out our Read & React Video page for game clips from all levels of basketball.
It looks so much more complicated when you’re watching the offense instead of running it. But just by watching this, I see that the R&R offense gets personalized to each team just based on what the players strongest skills are.
Just like motion. In fact a mix of downscreens, basket cuts, backscreens and drives was considered motion for the last two decades.
Seems as if this team runs a screen away action when they pass from point to wing: one player ran a tight cut off the screen. They move well and really cause problems for help defense.
Just a few simple level one layers repeated until the defense breaks down and they get a layup or uncontested jumper. Nice!