I mentioned in the previous post, What the Read & React Looks Like, that the offense can easily take on the personality of your team: a lot of that personality revolves around the personnel you have each year.
So, if you have a small, quick team, you can run 5 OUT. If you have a dominant post, you can run 4 OUT. If you have two post players, you can run 3 OUT. And, if you have all of those components, you can alternate seamlessly between those formations.
In fact, once you get the Foundation of the offense in, your team can switch between formations every season, every game, every possession, or within a possession, all based on how you want to play and how your players best fit together. All of this can be done without the fundamental actions of the Read & React ever changing.
Here’s a video showing footage in every formation: 5 OUT, 4 OUT, and 3 OUT.
5 OUT Formation
Notice the patience this boys’ team demonstrates while looking for an opening. These guys really know how to hunt.
4 OUT Formation
The first clip in this series is Randi Peterson’s Coe College women. They start 5 OUT before the post player changes it to a 4 OUT by finding an opportunity to slide into the mid post.
Since their post is so versatile, the Australian Youth Team (at least in these possessions) run the offense through him allowing him to threaten the basket and find open teammates.
In the final clip of the 4 OUT series, keep your eye on #50. He doesn’t look very imposing, but he is clearly extremely intelligent. He constantly moves, looking to help teammates and make things happen. Then, when the defense writes him off, he slips the screen for a wide open lay-up. By the way, I’ve seen more clips from this game and he does this at least 3 more times.
3 OUT Formation
Emmanuel College (clip 1 of this series) shows what two non-dominant post players can do. These two guys work together and set three consecutive double staggered screens to open up the 3-point basket. Now, they don’t always run this Variation, but it shows the versatility of a creative coach within the system.
