Scoring options off a 1-4 high set.

Five interlocked plays that will lend continuity and power to the offense

At miles community college, we use a 1-4 high set as an entry into our motion game or as an offense onto itself.

In the December issue, we focused primarily on the six options we used for both purposes. We'd now like to choreograph five of the more intriguing special play adjuncts.

All of them stem from our 1-4 alignment with our post players (#4 and #5) at the elbows of the lane, our two perimeter players (#3 and #2) at the ends of the free-throw line extended, and the point guard (#1) up at the top.

CAROLINA (DIAG. 1)

A play that is designed to get us an easy backdoor lay-up or dunk. Our point guard (1) initiates this option by dribbling away from the side that we really intend to attack. In this instance, he dribbles right, as 4 and 2 set a decoy double screen, 5 pops out to the high post, and 3 slides to the corner area.

As 1 comes up to the double screen, he pivots and passes to 5, then cuts over the screen to the wing area.

DIAG. 2

#5 now takes two dribbles to his right, then pivots to face 3. The latter cues off 5. Soon as 5 starts his dribble, 3 comes hard for the ball - selling himself by yelling 5's name or the word "Ball!" to make his man think he is coming up for the pass. At the fight moment, 3 V-cuts sharply backdoor for the lay-up or dunk.

DUKE (DIAG. 3)

After running Carolina successfully a few times, we expect the defense to catch on to what we are doing and adjust...and we then hit them with Duke, our counter play.

All of the movements remain the same except that when 5 picks up his dribble and pivots (as shown in Diag, 2) 3 does not go backdoor. He goes to the wing for the pass from 5, as shown in Diag. 3.

#5 will then go opposite to screen for 4, and then roll off the screen as 2 and 1 trade positions. The ball-handler on the wing (3) looks first for 4 and then to 5. One of them will usually be open, especially on a defensive switch.

WING (DIAG. 4)

#1 will again bring the ball to a side of the floor and pass to the wing (2), as 4 moves up to set a screen for 1. The latter drives over the screen, looking for the pass from 2, either immediately or after he reaches the deep block.

DIAG. 5

If nothing happens, 2 can pass back to 4 and move down to screen for 1. The ball-handler (4) will square up to the basket and look for a good option on either side of the lane: a pass to 1 on the wing, a pass to 3 coming back up the floor over the screen set for him by 5, or a pass to 5 rolling off his screen.

DRIBBLE (DIAG. 6)

Point guard 1 dribbles at the wing (3) and clears him out to the baseline, as #4 slides down the lane and 3 sets a quick screen in the lane for him.

Meanwhile, 5, after popping out for a moment, comes back sharply to set a screen in the lane. The timing has to be prefect: 3's screen for 2 and 5's screen for 3 - coming upcourt after 4 has cut over him.

DIAG. 7

If 3 doesn't get the ball after coming up the floor over 5's screen, he looks for the pass from 1, and then swings the ball over to 2, and the offense can then go right into its motion game.

If the defenders guarding 5 and 3 pull a "big man-little man" switch., we look to feed the ball to 5 on the post.

JAZZ (DIAG. 8)

In the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Utah Jazz ran a 1-4 set that had 1 passing to the wing (2) and then cutting to the basket off a high-post back-screen by 4. He looks for the pass from 2.

DIAG. 9

On the other side of the floor, 5 has slid down the block to join 3 in a double-screen. #4, after screening for 2, rolls to the hoop, while 1 comes off the double screen.

This will give ball-handler 2 three options: a drive off 4's back-screen, a pass to 2 on the roll, or a pass to 1.

Shawn Neary, Assistant Coach, Miles Community College (CA)