The Basketball Australia National Performance Camp was held at BA Centre of Excellence in January. As part of the camp, the coaches attended a seminar on trends in the international game. Here are some observations from the seminar.
Observations from the 2019 FIBA World Cup
Adam Caporn – Basketball Australian Centre of Excellence Men’s Coach and Australian Boomers Assistant Coach
Offence –
- Movement into middle pick & roll to get the ball in the hands of your best playmaker on dominant hand
- High “Gets” (stationary hand-off) action with big and best playmaker was a predominant action
- “Gets” as the pressure release for overt ball pressure on handler
- Use of strategic denial to compliment the pack
- Action to position shooting around the playmaker in MPR
- Importance of teaching screening and consider this in the talent identification
- As soon the screener forces the defender to change the line, screener sprint out of it
- Consider the role of the screener as a facilitator
- Cutters are very disciplined with their cuts, both off away screens and cutting off “gets” – timing and patience
- Use of pick and roll as a decoy for a playmaker
- Value of strength in traffic under physical presence – decision making
- Elite bigs can play-make on the roll/short roll
- Shooting remains the master skill
- Post as a passer and facilitator to create offence
Defence –
- Pick and roll defence – key strategy was to disrupt teams getting to the pick and roll
- Use of mush/drops as the predominant strategy against pick and roll, late switching when required
- Defensive transition – bigs rebound, above foul line get back, corners run through the elbow on way back
Observations from the FIBA Under 19 Women’s World Championships and World University Games
Peter Lonergan – Basketball Australia Director of High Performance Coach Development
Offence –
- Shooting remains an area of deficiency and needs to be continually taught, drilled and emphasised at all levels
- Australia lead the U19 Championships in 3-point percentage at just 29%
- Free throw shooting – only two teams at the U19 event above 70%
- Extensive use of the high post entry at both the U19 and WUG tournaments
- High post catches into “Gets” action common action
- WUG more transition game, U19 was played very much in the half-court setting
- Pick and roll still prevalent – more out of Horns than “drags” or in broken play
- European teams more use of ball screens in the middle third of the floor
- Elite players had the ability to shoot the jump shot off the dribble
- Mid-range game more prevalent in the women’s game and needs to be developed, particularly in the pick and roll setting
- More use of the flare screen – Korea and Japan using the flare screen as the “finish” to possessions as the defence shrinks the floor late in the shot clock
- Offensive rebounding an important element – medal teams all had ability to create second shots and sent minimum to the glass at all times
- Big wings went to the glass consistently
Defence –
- Extensive use of zone in both the U19 and WUG
- Changing defence and use of defensive schemes common across both tournaments
- Man to man was predominantly pack/containment focused more than pressure
- The elite teams in both events had a better blend of denial pressure and disruption schemes
- Elite guards able to apply consistent, overt ball pressure without fouling
- More hard show against the pick and roll
- Use of switching in the man to man setting
- More half-court traps and disruption strategies than full court press
Other –
- Both Gems (silver medal) and World University Games (gold) did an excellent job in the execution of the scout at the defensive end, disrupting main actions
- The Australian teams grew through the tournament at both events and played their best games in the quarters, semis and medal games – product of effective use of in-tournament practice and use of video for review and game planning
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