Posting #9, August 14, 2008

REBOUNDING BALANCE 

The team alignment that should immediately follow every shot attempt is one of the most understood concepts in basketball, but also one of the least practiced. I believe the main reason is coaches don’t believe it’s that important and it takes a lot of focus and enforcement during practice to create the team habit. At UCLA, at the end of every play in practice, we sprinted to this alignment. There were no exceptions. It was a huge part of Coach’s winning philosophy.  Three players surrounded the basket as inside rebounders, one player was positioned just below the  free throw line, and one player headed toward half court.



At UCLA, The nature of Triangle Offense, particularly its floor balance, put us in position to align this way, when any shot was taken. Here’s how that alignment took form.

One: The three players closest to the basket became inside rebounders, forming a triangle. Floor balance left no question as to who was the strong-side, weak-side, and middle rebounder. Each player made a move to get inside position or, in the least, position next to a defensive rebounder. In other words, no one got blocked out.

Two: If the shot was taken from the perimeter, the shooter, the moment he hit the floor again, cut and sprinted to the area just below the free throw line and, with hands above the shoulders, watched for a chance to grab the rebound should it carom over the inside rebounders.

Three: The weak-side perimeter player heads toward the half-court line and is the “protector.” He calls, “Safety!”

IMPORTANT POINTS:
One: NO DESIGNATED REBOUNDERS OR PROTECTORS: Some coaches pre-assign players as “inside rebounders” and “protectors.” The system described above does not do that because it is designed to create quick rebounding balance. At times, a guard would be rebounding inside while a forward was the protector.

Two: EVERY INSIDE REBOUNDER JUMPS TOWARD THE BALL: Even the inside rebounder that is positioned on the side away from the rebound jumps. This develops the habit of going after the ball and, equally as important, keeps all players moving should the rebound bounce around before someone gains possession. A healthy percentage of all rebounds are not obtained by the first player that touches the ball.

Three: THE LONG REBOUNDER DECIDES WHETHER TO GO GET THE BALL OR PROTECT: When the rebound bounces over the inside rebounders, the long rebounder must make a calculation whether he thinks he can get the ball or not. If not, he gets back to protect. This skill is trained before the practice session, much like a coach would train the back player on a zone press.  

Four: REBOUNDING BALANCE IS ALSO DEFENSIVE BALANCE: This alignment is conducive to making an aggressive team effort toward the offensive rebound as well as protecting against the fast break. The protector and the long rebounder stop the advancement of the basketball, while the inside rebounders sprint to the defensive end of the court to complete half-court defensive balance.

CONCLUSION: Suppose I told you I can get your team eight more points a game. Would you be interested? Rebounding/Defensive alignment, when practiced and enforced, will get you at least two more hoops and prevent two opponent scores.