Archive

14 Sep Why the Read & React is More Interesting Than Traditional Offense

I think about the Read & React A LOT. I mean, it is my job. I answer questions about it, write articles about it, I edit all the scripts, and as scary as it sounds, Rick and I talk about it over meals, on the flights...

22 Jul Origins of the Read & React

This article was published today in Basketball Times so I thought it may be of some interest to the Tribe, especially those who are new to the R&R. Several events in my life along with many lingering thoughts about basketball ultimately led to the creation of the Read & React. This article describes a couple - there are more that may be published in the future. There is very little teaching in here, it's just a story about how I reached my breaking point with traditional offense. Just over 10 years ago, after a rather average season, my assistant coach asked me if I was happy. It didn’t take long for the words, “Not particularly” to escape my lips. He knew that I was frustrated with the season, with myself, with... the job. “What would you do differently if you could scrap our entire program and start over?” he probed. Again, it didn’t take me long to respond because I’d thought about that very thing almost every day. “I would teach our kids how to play the entire game by principle.” I, of course, knew his next question before he said it, “Why don’t you do it?” The honest answer was simple: I didn’t know how. I had a lot of pieces; a lot of 2-man and 3-man game principles, but not the entire thing. It seemed like a pretty tall order to create a seamless offensive system that would tie together transition, man-to-man, and zone without contradiction. And, it couldn’t be limited to only one formation like 5 OUT, or demand a certain type of players, or a particular style of play because my players and talent level changed every year.

06 Jul Hundreds of Tiny Successes

During last month’s Read & React Clinic in Detroit, I got the opportunity to spend some time with a coach who ran a basketball club in Ireland. His club ranged from ages 6 - 64. They had chosen the R&R as their club curriculum and...

01 Jun Read & React versus Dribble Drive Attack

I’ve been asked from time to time to compare the Dribble Drive Motion Offense to the Read & React Offense. In order to make a fair comparison, a person should view the DVDs of both offenses, watch teams that run the offenses in real games, and talk to coaches who are sold on each offense. I’ve done all three, which might make me uniquely qualified to make the comparison. Admittedly, as the creator of the Read & React Offense, I bring a bias to the table. This bias might be a factor if we were comparing two offenses that were both 4 OUT 1 IN sets with an emphasis on creating dribble drive opportunities, but since the comparison is really “apples vs oranges”, my bias shouldn’t enter the equation. I would never attempt to speak for Coach Walberg (the creator of the Dribble Drive Attack – which he prefers in place of Dribble Drive Motion). If you want to know his offense, along with the big picture and philosophy behind it, do like I did – watch his DVDs. Without any hesitation, I can say that I appreciate the problems that Coach Walberg was trying to fix when he created the DDA:

• How to allow players to take advantage of their dribble-drive-attacking skills without using set plays.
• How to draw upon the creativity of players (making it fun for them) and yet maximize their options if the defense stops their initial action.
• How to get the best spacing in a 4 OUT 1 IN set.

There’s more to the DDA than I can sum up in a single paragraph, so we should look at the bottom line: Does it work?

09 Apr Freedom versus Control, Part 2

Most coaches are control freaks (I am). That’s why we invented plays – so that we can position players exactly where we want them and have them move exactly how we want. The problem is that defenses can play by principle, adjusting quickly to anything the offense does. And, like I said in the previous article, a coach’s predetermined sequence of actions (a play) prevents the offense from being able to adjust to the moment-by-moment actions of the defense. If that is the case, how do you counter a defense playing by principle? The answer is easy to say, but much harder to do. You must turn your moment-by-moment hunting of scoring opportunities over to your players, while maintaining control of the larger themes of the game (momentum, large adjustments by the defense, etc.). To say it another way: you need to control players and situations through the offense rather than with it.

06 Apr Could the Safety Valve Have Changed the Final Four?

Last night, the streets of Indianapolis were quiet, essentially vacant when you consider what they were like after Saturday night’s Final Four games. Butler’s Cinderella run fell 3 points short from being the perfect story. Regardless of the loss in the finals, I can’t look at Butler’s season as anything but successful. You almost couldn’t ask for a closer game. Only the scoreboard can separate the difference between these two teams; one shot, one pair of Free Throws, one turnover early in the game, one made or missed put-back, one call by the officials. Coach Brad Stevens has a great future ahead of him. And congratulations to the Duke team and Coach Mike Krzyzewski! What a fun team to watch all season long. When I consider Duke’s team, the word balance comes to my mind. Which is stronger: their defense or their offense? Everyone on their team rebounds on both ends of the floor. Their offense has a nice mix of dribble penetration, passing, post play, and screens. You can’t concentrate on stopping just one aspect of their offense or stopping one particular player. Coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to build his legacy as a legend in this game. But these are not the things I want to draw your attention to. I want you to forget the rest of the tournament and only consider the last three games – the Final Four and the Final.

04 Apr Freedom versus Control, Part 1

Players are smarter than coaches on a moment-by-moment basis. That ought to get your attention! Here’s what I mean:

• Players should know when they’re being over-played without the ball and can go back-door.
• Players should know when their defender is out of position and can be beaten by forgetting “the play” and ripping the ball to the goal.
• Players should see slight openings in the defense that a coach on the sidelines can’t and take advantage of them.

I could go on with this list (just like any coach could). So, when I say smarter, I mean more informed from the standpoint of the immediate read of the defense.

24 Mar Are You Focusing on the Right Layers?

The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80-20 Rule) is the law of the vital few, which states that for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Pareto noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden produced 80% of his peas. Other examples:

• In business, it’s been noted that 80% of sales come from 20% of clients.
• Most people wear 20% of their clothes (their favored clothes) 80% of the time.
• We spend 80% of our time with 20% of our acquaintances.

I’m ready to add another 80-20 to the list: 80% of your offensive actions will come from 20% of the Read & React layers. Why point this out?