Whether you are in a situation where you have a poor foul shooter on the line or you are in one of the "miss - rebound" situations to tie a game, your opportunity to score does not have to end with a missed foul shot.

Poor Foul Shooter

There is no more frustrating position to be in then when your best player, or your post player or the player who attempts the most free throws is a poor foul shooter. Your team works hard, gets the ball where it belongs, you get a good shot and the whistle blows. Your bad foul shooter steps to the line and clanks the shot off the rim. The good play is gone, your positive reinforcement is gone and your player's hard work effectively turns into a turnover.

There are two things you can do; put your hands over your eyes, bemoan your fate and pray, or you can prepare for the situation and turn it into another offensive opportunity.

Condition your players to always expect a miss and teach them that a missed foul shot will present, if played correctly, additional offensive opportunities. By running a foul line play, your rebounders will become more aggressive and your foul shooters will become better shooters because the shots will become depressurized by knowing your team can score, even on a miss.

Miss - Rebound for the Tie

You are down 3 points with 2 seconds to go. You are on the foul line for 2 shots. You make the first shot. What do you do now? The obvious answer is to try to miss the shot and tip in the rebound. I think that this is one of the most mismanaged situations in the game. It doesn't have to be. It really is an easy situation. It should be practiced, maybe for 2 minutes, twice per week.

Run the same plays you run for your poor foul shooter, but here is the key. Because teams don't practice this, you often see the foul shooter change his shot. You see him rush, very often you see a flat shot in an attempt to throw the ball off the rim and have it bounce back. I think you'll find that your best chance is to take a regular foul shot. This will keep your players in rhythm; give you more control over the situation and give you a better chance for success.

Just teach your shooter to take his regular foul shot; just change the target from the hole to the side of the rim.

Below are the 2 plays I have had success with on an offensive foul shot.

"X"

"O"

Practice these plays 4 to 8 fouls shots per week and you might sneak a basket per game and change your season.

Addendum - Defending the Offensive Foul Shot

I thought I would share this with you. This singular moment changed my outlook on what it was to be a head coach. It was also a pretty coaching move.

I had been a head coach for 3 games, 39 minutes and 58 seconds. We were in the exact situation explained above. We were down 3 with 2 seconds to go and a one-and-one on the line. My player made the first shot. We were now down 2 with 1 shot. I knew we had it. After 3 games, 39 minutes and 58 seconds as a head coach, I knew all there was to know about coaching. We had practiced this situation and I knew we were prepared. We ran "X" to perfection. We rebounded and scored to tie the game. Then the whistle blew. In my mind I say "We win." We're going back to the foul line with no time left. We make the shot, game over.

But, no! The referee called a lane violation, not on us, but on THEM! We took a deep breath and resigned ourselves that we would have to do it again. We had tipped our hand and would have to do something else. I called "O." After the ball was handed to our shooter, I watched as one of their players took 2 steps into the middle of the lane and then step out. We ran the play and sure enough, they were called for another lane violation. We tried again and sure enough, they did it again.

After the third attempt, the referee came over and instructed ME to tell my shooter to make the shot or he would give me a technical foul for making a "mockery of the game!" In those days a technical foul carried the penalty of a foul shot plus possession. We would have no chance of winning. We set up for the shot, their player stepped into the lane and then out, we made the shot. There is no violation on a made shot. They got possession, we lost by 1.

Why did the referee come to me? Well, we were on the road and the other coach had been a head coach for 38 years. After the game, the other coach came to me and told me he had been beaten the same way 30 years before. He vowed he would never lose like that again so he practiced that for 2 plays per week for 30 years.

I then figured I had a few more things to learn.


Do you have any questions or suggestions for this offensive play? Let us know by leaving your comments...

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First tim says: 9/14/2010 at 4:21:36 PM Does this work if the rule states(middle school/travel team) that you can't enter the lane until the ball hits the rim? Thanks Like     login   register Joe Haefner says: 2/13/2010 at 7:16:19 PM Thanks for the heads up, Matt. Good to know if it ever comes up for me. However, if I have the same referee and opposing coach as Don, I'm sure it won't matter. Like     login   register Matt says: 2/9/2010 at 12:26:29 PM Ref got it backward. I don't have the rule book reference off the top of my head (I'm a HS referee), but if there was going to be a tech. for "mockery of the game", (which is actually referred to in the rule book as a "travesty" not a "mockery") it would go against the player intentionally committing a violation. The tech. would be assessed and your foul shooter would finish his / her 1 attempt with the lane cleared. You would then choose a shooter to attempt 2 foul shots with a clear lane, AND THEN you would throw the ball in at half court opposite the table. This tactic is not valid in a properly officiated game according to National HS Federation Rules. Like     login   register olivia says: 10/18/2009 at 12:31:11 PM so this play should be affective what if your teamates dont listen to you when you tell them what plays to run cuz your the captain and your coach gave you permission?ive already told my coach Like     login   register Coach LOS says: 9/17/2009 at 2:38:55 PM I was taught "X" by some of the veteran ball players when I first start learning the game of basketball (many moons ago). I now train others on the tactic, and it is still effective ! Like     login   register Terrell McArthur says: 12/4/2008 at 11:39:41 AM OUTSTANDING, thanks for the plays as well as the story accompanying it, I got a very hardy laugh as well as 2 new plays to run. This is an outstanding site and I look forward to visiting it often, good luck this season. Like     login   register

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