Syracuse keeps scouting simple.* How often youth teams see familiar faces varies.
A magic genie grants three wishes. Belichick-like, Syracuse takes away your wishes. "Boeheim utters a variation of the same request: “Give me the best three actions they do. If we can stop their top three actions, they’ll try to beat us by doing something else.”"
We had lost, often close, every game to our neighboring rival (Wakefield). They used three strategies - a couple of players made threes, they ran give and go plays off the high post, and went to the low post against our substitute centers.
In a twelve-team league, we had the number two offense, so even a few better defensive possessions could change the outcome.
We faced a final matchup in the postseason, so we changed up our defense. We played a triangle and two with two guards staying with the two perimeter shooters, the triangle to contain the drivers (with our shot blocker), and I substituted our center out far less and played another shot blocker in her absence (I could have left her in the whole game).
The girls executed the plan and we emerged with our first postseason win.
*Hat tip Brook Kohlheim
Lagniappe. "There is an opportunity to always question them."
Collaboration creates edges.
Lagniappe 2. Excellent video teaching the DHO technique and reads. All handoffs are not created equal. Create OPTIONS including the handoff, continuation, and backdoor cutting. And coming off the handoff, attack DOWNHILL.
