Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Fran Dunphy is head coach of Temple University's men's basketball program and is one of the most respected coaches in the nation with nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Lawrence Hsieh is a sports writer and coach of youth athletics.

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The Baffled Parent's Guide to Great Basketball Plays

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contents

Chapter One

This chapter provides the context for the play diagrams and descriptions in the chapters that follow. We need a shared language for referring to areas of the court, player roles, and player positions in the common offensive formations. Once we have that, the play diagrams will make perfect sense and we'll minimize the opportunities for misinterpretation.

Note that at their first use, basketball terms used throughout the book are in italic and defined or explained. (Also see the glossary on page 125.)

About the Game

The Court

The most concrete context for the game of basketball is, of course, the court on which the game is played. College courts are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide, though the dimensions of youth league and middle school courts vary. But all courts include the features identified in the court diagram. The inbounds area is defined by two sidelines and two baselines. A midcourt line divides the court in half. The half that is the offensive zone or frontcourt for one team is the defensive zone or backcourt for the other. The team with the ball attacks the basket in its offensive zone, and the other team defends that basket. At halftime the teams switch ends.

In a successful trip "down the floor" to its offensive zone, a team either makes a field goal (a basket shot against defenders) or makes one or more foul shots or free throws (undefended baskets shot from the foul line). If unsuccessful, the offensive team loses possession of the ball to the defensive team by missing a field goal or foul shot and failing to get the rebound (a missed shot), or by committing a turnover (loss of possession of the ball).

Offensive-Defensive Transitions

There are several ways in which the offensive team can turn the ball over. The defensive team can steal the ball from a player dribbling the ball, snatch a pass before the ball reaches its intended recipient, or retrieve the ball after causing the ball handler to bobble it. In any of these cases play is continuous, and the defensive team immediately becomes the new offensive team without having to inbound the ball.

The basketball court.

The offensive team also turns the ball over if a player steps out-of-bounds while in possession of the ball, accidentally throws the ball out-of-bounds, or commits an infraction. Infractions include the closely guarded rule and other infractions discussed below, traveling (taking more than one step with the ball without dribbling), and committing an offensive foul. In any of these cases the defensive team becomes the new offensive team and either inbounds the ball from a baseline or sideline or takes a free throw, depending on the situation.

We'll discuss other turnovers where relevant. For a complete description of basketball rules, fouls, and other basics, see The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Basketball by David Faucher, and The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Girls' Basketball by Sylvia Hatchell and Jeff Thomas.

Since the defensive team is allowed to gain possession of the ball by stealing it from a dribbler, stealing a pass, or rebounding a missed shot, the essence of successful defense is to make it hard for the other team to dribble, pass, shoot, and rebound. And the purpose of this book is to find ways around these defensive tactics.

When possession changes with a made field goal or free throw, the defensive team becomes the new offensive team, and it must inbound the ball from behind the baseline of its defensive zone and travel the length of the floor into its offensive zone.

The defensive team can also gain possession of the ball by rebounding the opponent's missed field goal or foul shot, or by stealing the ball. When possession changes in this manner, play is continuous, and the new offensive team advances the ball over the midcourt line without having to inbound. This may present a fast-break opportunity if the defenders are slow getting back to their defensive zone. When possession changes after an infraction, the new offensive team will either inbound the ball in its defensive zone or shoot free throws in its offensive zone, depending on the situation.

No matter how a team gains possession in its backcourt, it has 10 seconds to advance the ball over the midcourt line and into its offensive zone. Failure to get the ball into the frontcourt within 10 seconds results in a turnover. Once the offense advances the ball into the frontcourt, it may not recross the midcourt line on that trip down the floor. Inadvertently dribbling or passing the ball back over the line constitutes an over-and-back or backcourt violation — another turnover.

A Few Rules about Fouls

For our purposes in this book, we'll discuss most rules as they bear on the plays in question. Keep in mind these few rules, however, which are designed to facilitate the pace of the game and are relevant to many of the plays we'll examine:

• Closely guarded call. A player with the ball who is guarded by a defender within 6 feet of her must not dribble in place for longer than 5 seconds.

• 5-second call. A player who picks up (gives up) his dribble must pass or shoot within 5 seconds.

• 5-second call on the inbounder. A player inbounding the ball to a teammate must pass the ball in within 5 seconds.

• 3-second lane call. An offensive player can't stay in the lane (also called the key or the paint) for longer than 3 seconds. If she steps outside the lane, she can step back in with a new 3 seconds. The count also restarts when an attempted field goal hits the rim of the basket. The rule is designed to prevent the lane area from clogging.

The Players

Each team has five players on the court, and substitutions can be made in any dead-ball situation — whenever the referee blows the whistle and play stops for a foul, a time-out, or the end of a quarter. You can substitute after the first of two free throws and after the last free throw but not before the first free throw, and you can't substitute for the player about to shoot a free throw.

The five players on the floor typically include two guards, two forwards, and a center (who is really a specialized forward). Guards are perimeter players who mainly play away from the basket on offense, but are also playmakers who create scoring opportunities by driving (making dribble moves) to the basket, and they guard the other team's guards on defense. Forwards specialize in driving to the basket or making post-up moves near the basket on offense. The center often plays with his back to the basket on offense, relying on a variety of close-range post-up moves; guards the basket on defense; and rebounds the ball at both ends of the floor.

There is much overlap in the responsibilities and desirable skill sets of these positions—more now, certainly, than there used to be. For example, the best guards are able not only to shoot the ball from the perimeter, but also to drive to the basket. Sometimes a team's best rebounder is a forward, not the center. And the best centers today are...