Friday, January 24, 2014

Elite Hoops Basketball Playset: Iowa

Posted by Anonymous | Friday, January 24, 2014 | Category: | 0 comments

Inbounds plays can be the difference between winning or losing a gameby two points. This is a time during the game when the ball is close to the basket and the defense is guarding from a position they are not used to being in on defense. With this being said, the offense needs to have a number of different options to go to from out of bounds. "Iowa" is a playset that forces the defense to play against their principles and often leads to wide open shots if the timing is correct.


"Iowa" begins with P3 taking the ball out of bounds with P5 on the block, P1 and P4 on the elbows, and P2 in the weak side corner. On the slap of the ball, P5 pops to the corner to receive the pass and P1 steps out free throw line extended. When the ball is passed to P1, P2 sets a screen for the inbounder cutting over the top for a layup. P5 then sets a screen for P2 looking for a shot in the corner. If not open, P1 has the option to pass to the 

Friday, January 17, 2014

Elite Hoops Basketball Playset: Release

Posted by Anonymous | Friday, January 17, 2014 | Category: | 0 comments

During games, sometimes the opposition feels so confident on defense that they begin to lunge for steals and pressure the ball to the point where the offensive players are uncomfortable. "Release" is a playset that has a number of options and different looks to throw the defense off balance. If ran correctly, the defense will most likely stop playing the passing lanes and respect the offense which takes pressure off of the players. 


"Release" starts in a 4 out set with P1 passing the ball to P2 and cutting to the corner. On the catch, P3 flashes to the ball side elbow. When the ball is in the air between P3 and P2, P4 should start his cut to the basket looking for a layup then clear to the corner. P2 then sets a downscreen for P1 curling off of a handoff from P3. P5 sets a backscreen for P3 rolling to the rim then finishes by screening away for P2 in the corner looking for a shot.

A.J. Holland
Elite Hoops Basketball

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Who do you want running your team?

Posted by Anonymous | Wednesday, January 1, 2014 | Category: | 0 comments

As the NBA continues to grow, new players, especially at the point guard position, are emerging into stars. With that being said, a legitimate argument can be made about who is the best point guard in the league. The first names that come to mind are Chris Paul, Tony Parker, and Russell Westbrook but young players such as Steph Curry are beginning to show how great they truly are and that they belong in the discussion with these players. Taking any of these players would most likely help your team but are you looking for in your point guard?

Some coaches believe that your point guard has to be a distributer that looks to get the team involved before deciding to take over the scoring load. From the players listed above, Chris Paul and Tony Parker best fit this description. These two players have nearly perfected their timing on when to help out with scoring. Very rarely do you see these two players start the game in attack mode. Instead, they make sure everybody is getting a feel for the ball and seeing if a teammate has the hot hand. If the score begins to get out of hand, that is when they decide to be more aggressive and take on the scoring load.

Other coaches believe that they need the point guard to put points on the board in bunches and this is what Westbrook and Curry step onto the court trying to do.  This year Russell Westbrook is averaging 21.3 ppg and attempts 18 shots per game even though he has Kevin Durant, the best scorer in the NBA, on his wing. Because of this, he is often criticized for not getting his team involved even though the team as a whole has been very successful. Curry is also a big time scorer like Westbrook. He is a deadeye shooter that has the green light to pull up for 3 at any given moment. Unlike Westbrook, Curry is looked at as the best player on the team so he does not have to deal with the media pressuring him to pass. He averages 23 ppg while still managing to get nearly 10 ast every night for his successful Golden St Warriors.

Even though teams are eager to bring in these elite point guards, how important are they? Looking back at the past NBA Championship teams, the majority of them did not have elite point guards. With that being said, it is clear that the style of your point guard can vary. Some teams benefit from having a scoring point guard while others benefit from having a distributer. Deciding what best fits your system is the key!

A.J. Holland
Elite Hoops Basketball

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