How to pick an offense for your basketball team.

In coaching basketball we always are wondering when we first start out the season what offense should we be running that best suits our personal. That is the question and actually the answer at the same time. Look at your personal.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. The first step in picking an offense is to look at our personal. I believe that one should each year, on the high school levels, take a long hard look at your players. How many returning players do I have? How much game experience do they possess? Do I have good team speed? How much size do I have, are just some 0f the basic questions one needs to ask.
2. Once you have asked and answered these questions honestly, not what you want to have, we all know that doesn't happen, then you can choose from the hundreds of offenses out there. Lets look at a couple here and hopefully we can give you some insight into this chore of coaching. The basic motion offense which spreads the floor and uses our players natural abilities, along with a pattern that can be run over and over. The motion offense or the continuity offense is good if your athletic, quick and do not have a true center. The draw backs here is that if you don't have five players that can run this type of offense you need to go to something else.
3. Lets take a look at the basic flex offense. Here we get good shots from the inside off of baseline cuts to the basket. Now we can use our big men for these picks and cuts, while are guards are still active with down screens and showing back to the ball. This offense verses man to man also gives us great looks from 15 feet if we are patient and get the player coming back from the weak side of the floor. There are numerous ways to get into this set, which is also an advantage.
4. Lets say that you have a good point guard and two solid post players. In this case how about a double stack low situation. Here the point can use his/her abilities to get to the basket and dish, or can go to a side and look for screens to the two post players. The ball now is in the hands of your best players 60% of the time. There are numerous options also off of this set.
5. One final set can be a 1-4 high offense with three guards and two post players. Watch Princeton University and you will see how this offense is used. The players are very basketball smart, and take advantage of errors being made from the defense. They look for back door cuts, from the outside guards, and pass and cuts from the point and wing spots. The post players have to be able to set good screens and pass the ball.
   They might use more bounce passes in this type of offense. The post players also have to be able to put the ball on the floor as it enables them to go one on one to the basket.
6. As one can see there really are numerous choices to be made. Some coaches keep the same offense year in year out. Many will change little things every year. This is a choice that you will have to make. Remember for every defense there us an offense and vice versa. You just have to find the one that suits your players, not the best team in your conferences players. Of course if you are the best team then congrats, and keep doing what your doing.