Formations remind me of chess openings. They help put facilitators, screeners, and scorers in positions to succeed. Run hard to defend actions.
Horns fills both corners to flatten the defense and opens the middle with the twin high posts. Any action runs to either side. Simple works.
While basketball (according to Coach K) is about "making plays not running plays," moments arise where set plays create high quality shots.
Pick-and-roll. Obviously, you can run a high ball screen to either side. But 'elbow get' type action creates another angle and action defenses are less used to seeing. Your read determines whether you reject, drive, pass to the roller or popper, or get the mid-range shot.
Double pindowns. The girls ran this with seventh graders and scored a major playoff upset over a superior team. We ran it five times and scored three hoops and a free throw (1.4 points/possession). It "forced" the opponent into a zone defense and the other coach was truly pissed off.
Backscreen (Nurse). Geno Auriemma ran this for Kia Nurse. If it's good enough for Geno...
DHO with weakside downscreen. When it works, it sets up back cuts later instead of the DHO.
"Bucks action." I call this Bucks action because the Bucks ran similar stuff a bit when Jason Kidd coached. It sets up multiple off-ball screens and potential mismatches for size and speed depending on where you deploy personnel.
Summary: Horns simple sets.
- Alternative pick and roll
- Double pindowns
- "Nurse" (Backscreen)
- DHO
- "Bucks action"
Lagniappe 2. "Every day is player development day." Jason Tatum didn't get this move out of nowhere. Coach Hanlen explains.
Lagniappe 3. Retreat dribble. Retreat dribbles are flexible to avoid traps and to 'reset' before a dribble attack into a drive or shot.