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Watching the men’s Final Four and more specifically, the championship game, reminded me of one of the reasons I created the Read & React. It has nothing to do with the implementation of the offense; rather, it is how to use the Read & React during a game. Let me begin by saying that I’m not a college coach and I have no NCAA championship rings. I’m just a student of the game. When I watch games on any level, I’m always looking for something that I can learn and pass on to you - asking myself, “What would I do in this situation? Would I do anything different?” And of course, I’m always viewing it through the eyes of the Read & React. With that being said, here’s what I want the Tribe to consider: “The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” Imagine the following scenario. In your preparation for your opponent, you’ve chose to emphasize a particular action - the high ball screen, for example. But, once you get in the game, it is clear that your opponent can defend that screening action perfectly. In fact, they are defending it so well that you are getting almost nothing from it and the shots that you do get aren’t the ones you want (and even those are going in). What do you do?

Perhaps one the most important times for a coach is the weeks immediately following the season. During this time you get the chance to look at what worked and what didn't, locate successes and failures, analyze all of it and make a rough plan for...

In yesterday's post, we mentioned the simplicity of the Escape Hatch for a dribble penetrator who can't make it all the way to the rim or just doesn't like what he sees. Today, let's take it one step further. What if that ball handler (1 in this case) drove right, bounced off to the Escape Hatch, then immediately crossed over and attacked again - this time to the left? What would that do to the defense? Let's take a look at it. Bounce Off Escape Attack Frame 1
With 1 driving right, every other offensive player Circle Moves to the right. This forces every defensive player to rotate as well. Most likely, x2 has helped on the drive and now must recover to his man in the corner.

Since the Read & React promotes spacing, player movement, and ball movement, some suggest that a team can't rebound well amidst the constant shuffling. Of course, we disagree. But, due to all that movement, sometimes rebounding responsibilities can get lost in the continual mix of players.
Here's a drill that can clarify those rebounding responsibilities for you and your team. Rick explains this drill completely in the audio portion below, but I thought a diagram or four might be helpful. And, for more audio from PGC Basketball's interview with Rick, you can check out this post and this one. 3:15 - Rick Torbett on Rebounding Responsibility The best part of this rebounding component is you can attach it to the end of any 5 player drill. That way you can work on whatever actions you need to while still getting in your rebounding work. In this instance, we used a simple 5 player Circle Movement Drill. Basketball Rebounding Drill Frame 1
Start with any player driving North-South to the goal. This forces the other players to Circle Move one spot. Here, 1 drives North-South right causing Circle Movement right.