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The only thing that post players must do is react correctly to dribble penetration. Other than that, you have the freedom to do with your posts whatever suits your team best.

So, what if you have a scoring post player and a physical post player. Of course, these aren’t mutually exclusive, but I’ve seen this mix quite often. In fact, this post combination is what the Dribble Drive was specifically designed for.

If this is your scenario, consider a call that makes your athletic post player a Permanent Cross Screener/Pin Screener. If the ball enters the wing away from your Athletic Post, then she looks to set a Pin Screen. If the ball is entered on her side of the floor, then she immediately cross screens for the Scoring Post Player. Now she’s back on the weak side (in good rebounding position) and is ready to hunt for another Pin Screen. If the skip pass is ever thrown, then the Athletic Post Player immediately cross screens after the ball goes over her head.

In this manner, your Scoring Post Player is always cutting to the ball off a screen and your Athletic Post Player always winds up in weak-side rebounding position.

8 Responses

  1. Coach Torbett,

    Have you ever ran the Read and React Offense out of a High Low alignment? I didn’t know if you had any rules or ways to tweak the offense to use your post players within a High Low look.

  2. Coach H – The rule for her should be that no one takes a shot until she has touched the ball at least once every possession!

    When she has the ball in her hands, she has the freedom to choose the next best action – those without the ball react with their one predetermined action. This allows her to move everybody depending on her chosen action. I’m sure you’ve already made her aware this.

    However, when she passes, whether it’s on the perimeter or into the post, she must cut. Point out to her that cutters, like ball handlers, have the freedom to choose the next best action. This is where she can use her abilities inside and out.

    When she Passes & Cuts, she can choose to:

    1. Post up after her cut in the mid-post, high post, short corner on ball side or weak side. That immediately changes your formation from 4out to 3out – these kinds of formation changes are tough on defenses.

    2. Screen for her Post player. After the screen, there’s lots of options – flash to another posting spot, fill out to the perimeter, screen for a perimeter.

    3. Set a back-screen for any teammate on the perimeter. She can literally choose to take the place of anyone on the perimeter. And those who back-screen are often open for 3’s after they shape up.

    4. She can set a Pin Screen on helping defenders after her basket cut. If the skip pass follows, then she will be sealing a defender inside. Once again, a change in formation.

    5. She can use a Pin Screen if a teammate sets one for her on her way out of the lane.

    6. And of course, she can fill out to an open spot of her choice. This sounds trite, but filling out to the right spot can lead to a 1-on-1 isolation and the act of “filling out” becomes her move to get open. A bad close-out on her would be bad for the defense.

    Some other thoughts when she doesn’t have the ball:

    1. Her skill with the Read Line should be the best on the team. Most defenders will try to deny her the ball. When she is one pass away (especially when filling an open spot) and her defender comes over the Read Line, she should have the ball on a rear cut headed for the rim.

    2. Teammates should look to use the Speed Dribble or Dribble-At to create rear cut situations for her.

    3. A Power Dribble toward her will bring her to the ball on the outside in a Pick & Roll situation. I can’t help but think that this would be a good situation for her.

    4. Teammates who have made a basket cut should look to set her a Back Screen. Besides her obvious cut the basket, a back screen on her in a 4out formation allows her to use two staggered screens: the back-screen and her teammate in the post. How difficult is it to defend a great player who gets to use two staggered screens that come at unpredictable times?

    That’s a lot of options. Most likely, your team and your 4 guard will respond to some better than others. Try them all, find what works best, and leverage those as much as possible. Oh, and let us know how it goes.

    Hope this helps!

  3. I have a 4 guard that I want playing the perimeter and in the post. What are some options that I can do? I also have a center that I need to get the ball to also. My 4 guard can post, penetrate, hit the mid range and outside shot. What should be the rules for her when she is on the perimeter and in the post?

  4. The flexibility with your post players and the frame work of the R & R makes this a revoluntionary offense. We started with the R & R two years ago and went 19-4. This past season we were 25-2 with the R & R. We have graduated our two bigs – one 6’4″ and the other 6’6″. However, I honestly believe that we will be as good by tweeking our R & R while at the same time operating with a 5’10” post! We are going the above principles (using the Permanent Cross Screener/Pin Screener) in a 4 out set. Stay tuned for the results.

  5. Coach Torbett,

    If the ball is entered to your scoring post threat, where would you prefer your athletic post player to go. Would it be on the opposite short corner although this could compromise spacing if there is a laker cut, prefer then to flash high low, or would that be an opportunity to pin the weak side and flash to the ball.

    1. Because the posts have so much freedom in R&R (remembering that all they really need to know is the reaction to drilbble penetration), we treat a post feed as a dribble penetration, our opposite post would react accordingly (layer 4 post slide).

      If the ball comes in the post, the weakside post reads the ball. If the ball post goes to work below them, they I-cut. If they turn high-side, they slide short corner. This still gives plenty of space for the laker cut cutter and creates a nice rebound triangle around the rim for the putback.

    2. Ron,
      Read Coach Rob’s reply below.. Rob’s solution is a way to use “already existing habits” and therefore remain consistent. Notice what he said: ‘WHEN THE POST MAKES HIS/HER OFFENSIVE MOVE, then the other post makes the appropriate Basic Post slide.”

      But what if the post receives the ball and is waiting on the cutter before making an offensive move? First of all, I think the weakside post can still be hunting for a Pin Screen to set, because the ballside post can make the skip pass as well as a perimeter player. (The ballside post should be checking over his/her top shoulder after receiving the ball anyway!)

      If there’s no Pin Screen to set, I favor the weakside post moving up – towards the high post – so that the ballside post can see where the weakside post defender is located. If the weakside post defender doubles the ball, then the ballside post can easily pass to the other post. If the weakside post’s defender follows up to the high post, then the lane is open for a cutter or an offensive move.

      Summary: If the post receives the ball and immediately makes a move, make your slide aka Coach Rob’s read. If the post is going to wait for the cutter before making a move, slide up to the opposite high post elbow (if you’re not setting a Pin Screen).

      Don’t set this in stone! I am wide open for you or any other R&R coach to change my mind. Ex: I’ve know of a coach who’s rule was: In 3 OUT 2 IN, when a post feed occurs, the other post immediately fills out to the perimeter, changing the formation to 4 OUT 1 IN. If no score occurs, then the cutter (who had fed the post) screens for the post/perimeter/player and sends him/her back into the post, changing the formation back to 3 OUT 2 IN.

      There are so many possibilities and they probably depend on your personnel! Let me know if hear of any others.

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