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 Outlet Play |
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THE FRAMEWORK AND TEACHING STEPS
The Outlet Set
The outlet set is in the back court. The back court is the area of the basketball court between the sidelines, the baseline, and the boundary which separates the back court from the mid-court. That boundary is between 6 and 8 feet of the centre line. The opposing team's basket is in the back court.
The basic outlet set consists of two lead and two trail positions. Each of the two lead positions is located in a side lane (the court is divided along its length into three equal lanes) between 5 and 6 feet from the sideline and between 6 and 8 feet from the centre line. Regardless of the type of entry, their location on the court is constant. However, the location of the two trail positions varies, depending on the type of entry.
There are two types of entries, throw-in and live-ball. To execute a throw-in entry, a player with the ball stands behind the sideline or baseline and passes it to a teammate on the court. Sideline throw-ins occur after a player on the opposing team breaks the rules. Baseline throw-ins occur after an opponent scores.
A live-ball entry occurs the moment a player on defence gets a rebound, intercepts a pass, or picks up a loose ball.
Naming the positions. During a live-ball entry, the player who gets possession of the ball is in the point (P) position. The other positions are the two leads (L) and the trail (T).
During a throw-in entry, the player who takes the throw-in is in the entry (E) position. The other positions are the two leads (L) and the trail (T). The player on the court who receives the entry pass becomes the point (P), and the player who executed the pass moves on to the court to become the trail (T).
The purpose of play in the outlet level is to enter the ball into the mid-court, from where players execute a dribble or passing entry into the front-court set.
Making Back-Court Entries
Occupying positions. At the moment an entry is anticipated, players must occupy positions in the outlet set. Regardless of the type of entry, two players must occupy the two lead (L) positions, and a third, the trail (T) position; the fourth, the player with the ball, is in the entry (E) position (during a throw-in entry) or in the point (P) position (during a live-ball entry).
For throw-in entries, designate the player who will occupy the entry (E) position. Not knowing who is going to occupy that position can cause confusion, which will slow the temp of play. The other three players occupy the two lead (L) and the trailer (T) positions on a first-come, first- served basis. This is the quickest way to occupy positions in the outlet set.
As teammates anticipate getting ball possession, the player designated to execute the throw-in moves quickly to get the ball and to occupy the entry (E) position. At the same time, the other players immediately turn and begin running up the court to occupy positions. The two lead (L) positions should be occupied first. The player who is ahead of a teammate has priority over that teammate. Consequently, the player ahead of his/her teammates has priority to occupy one of the lead (L) positions. The teammate behind him/her has priority to occupy the other lead (L). So, the player behind him/her moves to occupy the trail (T) position.
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Teaching Step 16.Explain and demonstrate how players occupy positions during a throw-in entry. Have the players practise. First, they must know who is designated to occupy the throw-in position. Have them stand at random in the key area. Then, make a basket. As they anticipate the score, each player should move quickly to occupy positions in the outlet set. Next time, roll the ball toward a sideline to cue a sideline throw-in. Finally, cue entries by randomly scoring or rolling the ball toward one sideline or the other.
In live-ball entries, the player who gets possession of the ball is in the point (P) position. The other players should move quickly to occupy positions, as in a throw-in entry. However, because ball possession can occur anywhere in the back court, the player occupying the trail (T) position must exercise judgment as to where to be on the court in relation to the player in the point (P) position.
Therefore, when ball possession occurs below the free-throw line, the trail (T) should be in the middle lane between 15 and 20 feet in front of the point (P).
When ball possession occurs above the free-throw line, the trail (T) should be on either side of the point (P), slightly in front or behind, and never any closer than 12 feet. When the point (P) is in the middle lane, the trail (T) should be in one of the side lanes, and when the point (P) is in a side lane, the trail (T) should be in the middle lane. The leads (L) should never be less than 15 feet ahead of the point (P).
Teaching Step 17. Explain and demonstrate how players occupy positions during live-ball entries. Have them practise. Have four players take up places on the court, two below and two above the free-throw line. Simulate a rebound, an intercepted pass, or a loose ball situation. As they anticipate ball possession, have them occupy positions in the outlet set.
Sequencing Play Options and Assigning Priority
An overview. Players should advance the ball as quickly as possible to the mid-court. Each time a player gets the ball in the back-court, he/she should try to pass it to one of the leads (L). Not passing the ball to a lead (L), transfers priority to the trail (T).
A player in the point (P) can dribble only when teammates are not open.
Entry (E) position.The player in the entry (E) position can pass, first, to a lead (L) and, second, to the trail (T). After executing an entry pass, the player moves on to the court to play in the trail (T) position.
The (P) position. The player in the point (P) position can pass, first, to a lead (L) and, second, to the trail (T). Unable to pass, the point (P) can advance the ball with a dribble. While advancing the ball with a dribble, the point (P) should be ready to pass to a teammate who gets open.
The lead (L) position. In order to see the entire court, a player in a lead (L) position should have his/her shoulders parallel to the sideline. A lead (L) can adjust his/her location in the lane by moving toward or away from the ball. As he/she moves, the shoulders should remain parallel to the sideline and the movement should be parallel to the sideline. This movement parallelto the sideline is called moving with the grain.
When the player with the ball is ready to pass, a lead (L) who is open can call for it. Calling for the ball involves presenting a target hand to the passer. The target hand gives the passer a cue as to where the receiver wants the ball. For example, the target hand for a lead (L) should be the one farther from the defence. A lead (L) in the left lane should present his/her right hand by raising the hand above the head, away from the defence, and toward the passer.
If the player with the ball executes the pass, the lead (L) protects the passing lane by moving, diagonally across the grain, toward the ball.
If, when the lead (L) calls for it, the player with the ball does not execute the pass, then the lead (L) releases, by dropping the hand and moving away from the ball. This action transfers priority to the trail (T).
Teaching Step 18. Have players set up on the court, as in Step 17. Cue a live-ball or throw-in entry. Have them occupy positions. Have the player with the ball execute a pass (called an outlet pass) to a lead (L). As the pass is on its way, the other players have to occupy (on a first-come, first-served basis) the new lead (L) positions ahead of the ball and the new trail (T) position to the side and slightly behind the point (P) position. The lead (L) positions should be between 15 and 20 feet ahead of the ball. Until the point (P) cues a dribble entry, the leads (L) should be on the ball side of a line extending from the free-throw line to both sidelines.
Once all the players have occupied the new lead (L) and (T) positions, the point (P) executes a dribble entry into the front-court set. As the dribbler arrives in the ball-side trail (1) position, have the players do the What Happens Next Exercise for three or four passes, as in Step 9.
The trail (T) position. When the player in the trail (T) position has priority, he/she can execute a slant, curl, or flare cut, call and release, and cue an exchange or a stunt. Like a lead (L), the trail (T) can move with the grain away from or towards the ball.
A slant cut is a diagonal cut from a side lane to the centre of the middle lane. It can be away from the ball or towards the ball, ending between 15 to 20 feet ahead of the ball. Players can move with the grain before initiating a slant cut.
Approaching the centre of the middle lane, the player who is executing a slant cut must choose to either curl or flare. To curl, a player plants the foot further from the ball and uses it to push off directly toward the ball, calling for it. If the ball is not on the way as he/she calls for it, the player must release.
To execute a flare, the cutter ends the slant cut by planting the foot nearer the ball to push off away from the ball.
A player should curl (ball cut) when he/she can get between the defender and the ball, and flare (basket cut) when the defender is between the ball and him/her.
An exchange occurs when a player exits from the middle lane to move into a side lane. Not receiving a pass after executing a flare cut or after releasing, a player exits into one of the side lanes, becoming the lead (L). The player who was occupying that position moves to occupy the now vacant trail (T) position.
Rather than executing a slant cut, the trail (T) can cue the nearer lead (L) to execute the slant, by moving quickly and directly towards him/her. As that player executes a slant, he/she moves to occupy the lead (L) position. This manoeuvre is called a stunt.
Teaching Step 19.Introduce the play options assigned to the positions in the outlet set. Explain and demonstrate how they are assigned and sequenced. Identify the cues for transferring priority>/i> and for exchanging and stunting.
An Exercise. Have the players do a What Happens Next Exercise. Have the players, for example, execute a throw-in entry to the trail (T). The leads (L) transfer priority to the trail (T). How do they do this? What happens next? Have the players walk through the various options. After walking through several options, the team executes an entry into the mid-court, resets, and executes a front-court entry.
The Defensive Framework
Players on offence should be ready to play defence the instant they anticipate losing possession of the ball.
The basic set. Players use this set when a teammate shoots. It consists of two offensive rebound (R) positions and two safety positions, a long and a short. The long-safety (LS) position is located in the mid-court. The short-safety (SS) position is around the top of the restraining circle.
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Occupying positions. Except for the player taking a free shot, teammates should begin occupying positions in the basic set, the moment they anticipate a shot.
One way to occupy positions in the defensive set is for the player who takes a free shot and the player who executes the penetrating pass to occupy the two rebound (R) positions.
The other two teammates occupy the long (LS) and the short safety (SS) positions, on a designated or first-come, first-served basis. They can also stunt.
To prevent an outlet pass to one of the leads (L), the long-safety (LS) position should be occupied first. The player moving to occupy that position should cue his/her partner by calling out, "I've got long". The other player is the short safety (SS).
Play after a defensive rebound. The long safety (LS) is responsible for preventing long passes to the two lead (L) positions. The short safety (SS)is responsible for an entry pass to the trail (T).
One of the offensive rebounders (the player who takes the free shot could be designated) matches up with the opponent who gets the rebound. The other rebounder moves quickly to the mid-court to release the long safety (LS), so that they can match up with the two leads (L). The short safety (SS) matches up with the trail (T).
Play after a score. One of the offensive rebounders matches up with the player taking the throw-in. The other rebounder moves quickly to release the long safety (LS) so that they can match up with the leads (L). The short safety (SS) matches up with the trail (T). Ideally, the players on defence should be matched-up with their opponents before the player in entry (E) position executes an entry pass.
Play during all other entries. As players anticipate losing possession of the ball, the closest player to the ball should call, "Ball", and guard the opponent with the ball. At least one player should be in position to deny passing lanes to the leads (L). As quickly as possible, everyone should be in front of the ball and matched-up with their opponents.
Play after matching up. Once players have matched up with their opponents, play is the same as described in Front-Court Level of Play, except that the drop to the ball by players who are guarding opponents without the ball, can be more than three-arm lengths.
Teaching Step 20. Explain and demonstrate the defensive outlet set. Identify the location of the positions and their names. Explain and demonstrate how players occupy positions in the defensive set. Hereafter, when a teammate shoots or when players anticipate losing possession of the ball, everyone moves to occupy positions in the defensive set.
A 4-0n-3 Exercise. In this exercise, there are three defensive players, a long safety (LS), a short safety (SS), and a rebounder (R), and an offensive team. The rebounder (R) is in the money. The other two defenders, like the four offensive players, randomly occupy positions in or near the key. As you cue a live-ball or throw-in entry, the players on offence and defence occupy positions in their respective sets.
The players on offence try to advance the ball as quickly as possible to the mid-court. The players on defence do everything the rules allow to stop them from advancing the ball. The exercise ends when the offence enters the ball into the mid-court, or when the defence causes a turnover.
The Rules of Play
The rules are the same as in front-court level of play, except for the following.
Phase transition. In the outlet level of play, phase transition is the same as in basketball, that is, players move from offence to defence the instant they score or turn the ball over, and from defence to offence the moment they get possession of the ball.
Starting play. The same as in the front-court level of play, except the team on offence starts play by executing a throw-in entry from behind the baseline.
Offensive rebounding. A player who gets an offensive rebound gets a free shot.
Held Ball. When a held ball occurs, the ball is awarded to the defence.
Guarding a player without the ball. While the ball in the back court, the drop to the ball can be more than three-arm-lengths away, but not when the ball is in the mid-court or front court.
Violations. The same as in high school and in the front-court level of play, except for the following.
1. During play in the outlet set, a player moves laterally or diagonally across the grain(except when meeting a pass) to occupy a position in another lane. While moving to occupy that position, he/she is in no man's land. A player with the ball should never pass to a teammate who is in no man's land.
While in no man's land, players should read what teammates and opponents are doing. They should never watch the ball. For example, after getting a defensive rebound, the player in the point (P) executes an outlet pass to one of the leads (L). Anticipating the pass, the player in the other lead (L) must move quickly to occupy the ball-side lead (L) position in the mid-court. As that players moves from one side lane to the other, she/he is in no man's land.
2. In order to maintain set symmetry and to keep the passing lanes reasonably short, it is critical that the leads (L) do not run away from the ball. This running away usually occurs after an entry when the players in the lead positions -
(a) are more than 20 feet ahead of the ball, after a live-ball or sideline throw-in entry; or
(b) move beyond the free-throw line extended, either while the ball is in the mid-court or before a front-court entry occurs.
Also, when releasing after calling for the ball in the middle lane, the player must not run away from it, but, after four or five running strides, cue an exchange with a lead (L).
3. Executing a dribble, before initiating a pass is a violation.
4. Passing to a player in the trail (T) position, before initiating a pass to a lead (L) is a violation.
5. Calling for the ball and not releasing is called parking, a violation.
Penalties. When a player on offence or defence commits a foul (personal or technical) or a violation, the opposing team is awarded the ball. If a team is awarded the ball in its back court, it executes a sideline throw-in. If it is awarded the ball in its mid-court or front court, it executes a front-court entry from the mid-court.
An exception: Should a defender foul a player who is executing a free shot, the shooting team is awarded two points, if the shot is missed. The offending team is awarded a baseline throw-in. If the shooter scores, the basket counts, and the team retains possession of the ball in the mid-court to execute a front-court entry.
LET'S PLAY
Adding Play Options
Passing entries into the front-court set. The point (P) can cue a passing entry from the mid-court into the front-court set. While advancing the ball with a dribble in the mid-court, the point (P) stops, but continues to dribble. This action cues the trail (T) who has priority to occupy the ball-side trail position in the front-court set. The player in the trail (T) position does this by executing a slant cut. The pass to the player in the ball-side trail (1) position cues the other players to occupy positions in the front-court set.
The player in the trail (T) position can cue a stunt. She/he does this by moving quickly and directly at the nearer lead (L).
The point (P) should end his/her dribble only at the moment he/she decides to pass, not before. As the cutter is approaching the ball-side trail position in the front-court set, the point (P) can end the dribble and pass, or execute a dribble entry into the front court by dribbling to the trail position in the other half of the court.
How many different ways can players enter the ball from the mid-court to the front court?
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