"That offense/set/style of play would be great if only I had the right players."

Those words (or something like them) are a common refrain of many coaches.

Personnel limitations and changes are a constant challenge for all coaches, especially those from high school and below.

As a result, many teams end up overhauling what they do on an annual basis to adapt to the current players.

That's not a bad idea. Coaches should adjust to the strengths of their team.

But what if you had an offense that was adaptable to any personnel? Enter the Zoom Offense.

Why An Adaptable Offense Is A Game Changer

Many coaches would love to have a system they can use year after year. There are a number of reasons why:

• Players don't have to learn a new system every year
• High school coaches can install the system with their feeder teams and have players well versed in the system by the time they get to high school
• You can structure your player development around the skills necessary to succeed in the offense
• You become a better coach because you are immersed in the offense over a period of years rather than having to study a new system every season

The Adaptability Of The Zoom

At the younger ages, the Zoom can be more of a continuity offense. This makes it easier for players to learn.

As they get more experience in the system, you can add in the reads that make it nearly impossible to guard.

You can also adjust the system to your players' strengths. If your best player is a post, there are actions to exploit that. If it's your point guard, you can run actions to highlight their abilities.

State Champion coach Nate Steege has used the zoom as his base offense for years. During that time, he has coached teams made up of all different types of personnel.

He has evolved the offense to fit any team's personnel. As he says in the video, the system is about getting the right players in the right position.

What's great about this is it doesn't matter if you have one post on the floor or two. If you have two posts, you can run two post flow.

If you have one, run one post flow. Coach Steege's use of a trigger in place of the second flow is a brilliant way to maintain the integrity of the offense while accounting for positional flexibility.

A strength of the offense is that you can easily go back and forth between one and two post flow within a game, depending on who's on the floor. Because of the similarities, your players can easily transition between the two.

Why This Matters

So far, we've seen the following:

• The zoom offense can be adjusted to any team's personnel - you can use it year after year.
• The zoom offense is easy to teach and progress over time - you can use it top to bottom in your program and have your kids grow in the system every season.
• The zoom offense can take advantage of individual player strengths - in any given year, you can tailor it to showcase your best players.

In other words, you are set up for success for both the short run and long run!

Conclusion

The prevalence of zoom actions across the basketball landscape attest to its flexibility. If it's this popular, it's being used successfully by all sorts of different teams.

Right now, many teams are still using it in their set plays. That's good, but it only takes advantage of the action a handful of times a game.

What if you could take advantage of the zoom every possession? Well, you can. To learn more, click here.

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First

Leave a Comment Name : Email (not published) : Three minus one is equal to?  (Prevents Spam) Answer :  Load New Question Comments : Leave this Blank :