THE 2-OUT/3-IN OFFENSE

Many coaches such as Bob Knight and Steve Alford have found it advantageous to run an offense that is physical in nature and allows for a limited number of ball-handlers.  This offense has been the 2-Out/3-In Offense.  This offense features three big men who are all adept at handling the basketball and are capable of making plays within the structure of the offense.  This offense also works well with two guards who are capable of hitting big perimeter shots and facilitating the big men within the framework of the offense.

Advantages of the 2-Out/3-In Offense

First, the offense is that of a physical nature.  The three big men will set screens that will wear down the defense over the course of the game.  This will become advantageous to us late in games and might even result in some foul troubles for defenders who are looking to match the physicality of the offense.

Second, the offense also allows for match-up advantages for the offense.  If you are playing a team that has post players who are not very good perimeter defenders, the post players can take advantage.  The offense puts bigs on the perimeter playing defense when they are not accustomed to such a requirement.

Finally, the 2-Out/3-In Offense can be run from either a three-around-two look or a four-around-one look.  This gives the offense a degree of flexibility as to whether to run with two posts in the offense or to isolate the low post.

Disadvantages of the 2-Out/3-In Offense

The first big disadvantage of the 2-Out/3-In Offense is that it requires three big men who are skilled enough to set screens, play facing the basket, and posting up.  The offense also requires a lot of breakdown time for it to work effectively so that the offense can become mastered.

The other disadvantage is that if you have a play-making guard, this offense will stifle his ability to create scoring opportunities for himself.  The offense works best when the guards work as feeders and the bigs work as the playmakers.

Finally, the offense does not lend itself well to the fast break.  As with any other offense that is dominated by as many big men as this offense requires, the fast break is not likely to occur with any degree of frequency.  Teams that employ this offense will want to avoid getting into high-scoring games and instead focus on wearing down the opponent with the aggressive screening action of this offense.

Three-Around-Two Look

There are two formations from which a team can run a 2-Out/3-In Offense.  The first of these is the three around two look shown in Diagram 1.  This has the three inside players occupy both low posts and the high post.  The two guards, working as feeders, position themselves at the wings.

Diagram 1

There are a number of options that can be run when the ball is passed to the wing.  The first of these is to have the ball-side low post position himself and work to get open as shown in Diagram 2.  While this is happening, the help-side low post sets a back screen for the player in the high post.  The feeder can pass to either of the three with his looks being the post-up, the cutter, and the screener in that order.

Diagram 2

Should this option not be available, another option is our screen-the-screener option.  In Diagram 3, the ball-side low post sets a cross screen for the help-side low post.  Once the cutter has come though on the cross screen, the high post sets a down screen for the first screener.

Diagram 3

If at any time the ball is entered into the low post, our remaining post players have to know what to do.  The high post will dive just to the help side of the front of the rim while the help-side low post will fill the high post area (Diagram 4).

Diagram 4

The first pass look for the low post player with the ball is to look to pass the ball to the big man cutting down the lane (Diagram 5).  If that pass is not available, there are other options available with all of these being on the perimeter.

Diagram 5

If the ball is passed back out to the feeder who made the initial post entry, we want to run the screen-the-screener option (Diagram 6).  This way, we can look to get the ball right back inside to a different big man or we can reverse the basketball much easier.

Diagram 6

The ball can also be passed back out to the point as shown in Diagram 7.  When this happens, both feeders will v-cut and replace themselves.  The high post can also look for the high-low entry to the post who cut down the middle of the lane on the post feed.  If the ball gets swung from here, we want to change sides of the floor.  When that occurs, we will run the screen-the-screener option shown in Diagram 8.

Diagram 7

Diagram 8

The other perimeter pass that can be made is to the help-side feeder (Diagram 9).  When this play occurs, the dive man will post up low and look for the basketball while the player passing out of the post will set a back screen for the high post.

Diagram 9

If the ball is passed back to the high post at any time, we look to get the guards involved and we work for the duck-in with the other two bigs as shown in Diagram 10.  When the pass is made to the high post, both guards will v-cut and replace themselves.  Meanwhile, the player who was on the ball-side low block will screen for the player situated at the other low post.  The high post will look for the cutter on the duck-in.

Diagram 10

Four Around One Look

Along with the three-around-two look, the four-around-one look can also be used.  This usually works best when you want to have the opportunity to isolate one big man in the low post.  This can be dangerous for an offense that is looking to double team the bigs with another big man.

Wildcat

The first offense from this alignment is one that Kansas State ran at times when Frank Martin was their head coach.  We call this one "Wildcat".  Here, the offense will get into a four-around-one alignment and the three big men work together looking to get the ball while there are two feeders working as pressure release men (Diagram 11).

Diagram 11

There is an overriding rule in the offense when a player in the high post makes an entry pass to the low post.  That rule is that the help-side high post player will dive to the basket (Diagram 12).  When this happens, the help-side feeder will get in a position between the free throw line-extended and the lane line-extended and look for the basketball.  It is important that the feeder stay behind the three-point line.

Diagram 12

In Wildcat, the low post has a two-second count to get the ball.  If this does not happen, the low post sets a back screen for the help-side high post as shown in Diagram 13.  Meanwhile, the ball-side feeder uses a v-cut and replace to get open.

Diagram 13

After the ball is reversed, the action continues with look inside for the low post for a count of two seconds (Diagram 14).  If not, we will look to get the back screen going and either get the cutter for a lay-up or reverse the basketball (Diagram 15).

Diagram 14

Diagram 15

Whenever the ball is passed to a feeder in Wildcat, the ball-side high post will screen away for the help-side high post (Diagram 16).  This will allow us to get the ball back to the high post if we are unable to feed the low post.

Diagram 16

Anytime the ball is fed to the low post, we will look to dive the ball-side high post and fill that vacated spot with the help-side high post (Diagram 17). 

Diagram 17

If the ball were to be fed to the ball-side high post from the feeder, we would look to go with a high-low entry or reverse the ball to the dive man coming to the help-side high post (Diagram 18).

Diagram 18

Griffin

When I was at William Jewell College, we had a team that was going to feature a line-up with three bigs and two guards who could facilitate the offense without being playmakers.  The coaches at Missouri Western State University helped us by teaching the coaching staff an offense that works similarly to "Wildcat", but uses down screens instead of the back screen.  We call this offense "Griffin". 

Diagrams 19 through 24 detail the action in Griffin.  For these notes, please refer to those made regarding Wildcat as they are similar with the exception of the type of screen utilized in the offense.

Diagram 19

Diagram 20

Diagram 21

Diagram 22

Diagram 23

Diagram 24

Post Dives in "Griffin" and "Wildcat"

Whenever there is a low post feed in Griffin or Wildcat, we have rules that we use to get the most out of a post entry.  The first pass look is to the dive man as shown in Diagram 25.  We will position the help-side feeder between the free throw line-extended and the lane line-extended behind the three point line so that he can get into the line of sight of the post player with the ball.

Diagram 25

As much as possible, we want to get back into the alignment so that we can run either Griffin or Wildcat.  Whenever the ball is passed out to the ball-side feeder (Diagram 26) or the high post (Diagram 27), we will pop the dive man back high.

Diagram 26

Diagram 27

If the ball is passed out to the help-side feeder in either Wildcat or Griffin, the feeder will dribble below the free throw line-extended and look to pass into the low post (Diagram 28).  The dive man will be the post-up.  Meanwhile, the remaining high post will start to the ball then set an away screen for the low post player who passed the ball out.  This will enable us to get back into the offensive alignment to run either Wildcat or Griffin.

Diagram 28

Teaching the 2-Out/3-In Offense

The best way to start teaching either one of these three offensive systems is to introduce it during five-on-zero.  The players should know what their responsibilities are and what they need to do to make the offense work.  You can also get more players involved and present the offense as to what it should look like when the drills involved with it have been fully taught.

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