with Bryan Petersen,
Kirkwood Community College Head Coach;
2016 NJCAA DII National Champions;
2016 Spalding National Coach of the Year;
2x ICCAC Champions (2016, 2018);
NJCAA All-American at Kirkwood;
Petersen is the first in NJCAA DII National Tournament history to win the Championship as a coach and play in the National Championship game;
former player at Iowa State and graduate assistant under Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg
In today's game, there's a major emphasis on up-tempo style of play. As you extend your season of play, opposing teams will plan to take away your transition game and force you to beat them within the half-court.
NJCAA National Championship coach Bryan Petersen breaks down the finer points of his half court offense that have been influenced by offense masterminds Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg. He shows you how to incorporate principles of spacing, ball movement, screening, timing, and shot selection into an effective half court offense. With quality spacing comes quality shots, and Coach Petersen will help you locate those sweet spots on the floor for your team with technique and drills.
Basic Motion Offense
Petersen explains the right distance for great spacing in the half court as 15 feet or more between teammates. He covers the areas and spots on the floor within his half-court attack from a 4-Out 1-In or 3-out 2-In alignment.
To maintain maximum spacing, players need to understand how to react to penetration. You'll see athletes walk through dribble penetration movements while reacting to drives from the wing to the baseline and from wing to the middle.
Spacing Drill
Spacing in any offense is important, but you rarely see communication being emphasized within an offense. Petersen streamlines spacing within the offense by having players working certain areas of the floor. Athletes will flash to open areas or cut through while communicating. Great teams communicate, and Petersen's teams incorporate plenty of talking in his offense.
Wing Continuity Ball Screen Offense
As you build your offense, cutting through and filling open areas is important. Petersen builds off those concepts and incorporates ball screens on the wings. Ball screens are within the flow off the offense and are always used when a side of the floor is isolated by the two offensive players involved.
You'll see Petersen's "20" wing ball screen continuity offense. This offense is built in a 3-Out 2-In set, looking to create hard closeouts and produce middle penetration at the rim. He explores the simplicity of the offense while creating multiple options based upon defensive adjustments. This offense is built for back-to-the-basket inside post players, while providing options for pick & pop post players.
Eventually, opposing teams will pick up on the pattern, and for this reason Petersen shows two counters for wing and corner denials.
Breakdown Drills
Petersen moves into various 3-on-0 breakdown drills to help create a strong continuity for the ball screen motion with various adjustments. He incorporates more post touches and reactions in this breakdown series. Players work on getting open versus pressure and working 3-on-0 in different spots on the floor.
Set Plays
You'll get five set plays that can be used to counter defensive adjustments within the 20 offense.
- 1 - Gets your best shooter a shot.
- 25 - Uses a back screen for your best finisher and is a good counter for teams that hard hedge.
- Thumbs Up - For a shooter with a hot hand, especially good against teams that switch ball screens.
- Thumbs Down - Designed to get a post touch.
- "Cyclone" and "Cyclone Slip" - A late game full-court set for a 3-point shot.
If you're looking for more ways to dissect opposing defenses in the half court, this video from Coach Petersen is a great option. The breakdown of floor spacing into his ball screen motion offense will give you the tools to get great shots at the rim and strong perimeter shot choices.
Produced at the Nike Championship Basketball Coaches Clinic in Indianapolis (IN) Fall 2016.
63 minutes. 2018.