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MORE BASKETBALL STRATEGY

OFFENSE

REBOUNDING

* Determine how many players you will send to the offensive board. Normally send three players against all teams, and four players when playing against a half-court team. There may be times when you send only two players to the offensive board because of a terrific fast-breaking opponent.

LATE IN GAME:

* Be alert for defensive substitutions late in the game. You score to take the lead, call time out and get your better defenders into the game. If you are shooting a free-throw, you can make the substitutions without calling a time out.

* When you are trailing by one or two in the last few seconds of a game, make sure you run a play that is NOT complicated and that might result in a bad pass or mistake. As few passes as you can make the better to get the ball in the hands of one of your scorers. Then, give him room to operate off the drive if he is not open for the shot. When that player receives the ball, DO NOT SCREEN for him since a screen will allow a double-team. A ball screen in this situation will also cause your ball-handler to have to make a decision, something you would like to stay away from.

*Your opponent has the ball out of bounds under your basket with 8 seconds to go in the game. You must spend a considerable time in practice preparing your defense for this situation. Too often, a guard takes an inbounds pass and dribbles the length of the floor for a lay-up that wins the game. A good, practiced defense should be able to prevent this.

* Score is tied with 20 seconds to go. Opponent has ball and calls time out. Make sure you substitute your 5 best defensive players. If the situation is in reverse, you might not want to call time out to keep your opponents best defenders out of the game. Whether you do call timeout will be determined by how much you have practiced the last minute situation.

* When you make a free throw to tie or take the lead in the last 15-20 seconds of a game, call timeout so that you can sub your best defenders into the game.

* When your opponent is shooting a free throw to win or tie with seconds left in the game, use any method available to distract his/her concentration. (1) Call time-out, (2) Substitute more than once, (3) Have a players comment to the shooter, (4) Have your captain talk to the referee. Use any distraction you can to break the shooter's concentration.

* When trailing late in the game, your team must know "when" and "who" to foul. They also must know who NOT to foul.

* When leading three points or less in the last few seconds and your opponent has less than six fouls, foul before they get a chance to shoot. This must be practiced or an official might rule an intentional foul giving the opponent two shots and the ball.

* When you are trailing by one or two in the last few seconds of a game, make sure you run a play that is NOT complicated and that might result in a bad pass or mistake. As few passes as you can make the better to get the ball in the hands of one of your scorers. Then, give him room to operate off the drive if he is not open for the shot. When that player receives the ball, DO NOT SCREEN for him since a screen will allow a double-team. A ball screen in this situation will also cause your ball-handler to have to make a decision, something you do not want him to have to do.

* Gary Colson theory: If opponent has ball with score tied late in the game, foul a poor free throw shooter with 15/20 seconds left. Opponent makes one, you go down and score to win. Opponent makes two, you go down and score a 2 to tie or score a 3 to win. (Colson was the highly successful coach at Pepperdine and the University of New Mexico and served as assistant to Jerry West when he was President of the Memphis Grizzlies).

* You lead by one point, 5 seconds to go, and your opponent has the ball needing to go full court. Use a 2-2-1 soft press to force dribbling and to make it difficult to pass downcourt. The 2-2-1 soft press is (1) harder to dribble through than a man defense and (2) it can force the opponents' best players to give up the ball.

FOUL MANAGEMENT

* Teach players to play with four fouls while the clock is running and a sub is coming in.