By Harry Turner
Photos Taken By Jonae Guest
With 32 teams participating in the league this year, 32 coaches have had to come up with successful algorithms to formulate winning records. Like most summer sports, organization can be difficult. With families traveling and students playing multiple sports for multiple teams it can be hard to organize a group of high schoolers to jell. As summer league has progressed over the past few weeks, some of the play calling and coaching tendencies have looked familiar between different teams.
On the offensive side of the ball the greatest concern in the new age of basketball is spacing. Public and private school coaches have been running a heavy dose of five out motion and four out one in. Five out is often featured with smaller/quicker lineups where all five offensive players are aligned around the three point arc. This looks to optimize complete floor spacing. After a pass is made towards the basket the passer will cut through towards the bucket and retreat to the weak side if he doesn’t get the ball, or simply screen away for his teammate opposite of the ball. When a pass is made going away from the basket in the direction of half court, the passer can simply walk his man down to the block and replace himself back on the perimeter. Five out is an easy call for coaches to make as it’s hard to mess up a free flowing structure that is built off spacing and moving after you pass. Four out one in features a similar set up except with one player inside the three point line. With that one player around the hoop and the rest circling the perimeter, players are able to attack with high low action, and run plays that can be used in five out or three out two in sets. When teams aren’t pushing the tempo for fast break opportunities many can be seen running the occasional horn set and 1-4 high. The horn set is one of the more popular calls in basketball. The set assigns the point guard with the ball at the top of the key with a player at each of the two elbows and the other two spotting up in the corners. Once again this has been a successful set to call at summer league as it is a simple play that allows teams to operate out of pick and rolls and high low action. The 1-4 high has been used by several teams. This set provides the ball handler with 4 viable passing options, which takes a lot of pressure off your point guard. With two forwards at the elbows the other guards/forwards will align themselves on the wing making a straight horizontal line across the floor. This creates opportunities for backdoor cuts, staggered and flare screens, and my personal favorite the elevator screen.
On the defensive side of the ball man to man and 2-3 zones have been the typical designs. When teams look to press it is often a chaotic man to man full court trap or 1-2-2 zone. Pressing at this level can dictate a game. Many teams have used a man press to speed up their opponent, and a 1-2-2 zone to slow them down. A well executed press can resuscitate a team’s own offense when they look lifeless.
For inbound plays just about every squad comes out with a box set, line set, or four flat (four low) when passing the ball in from the baseline. With two players on the blocks and the other two at the separate elbows, the four offensive players form a box shape that can be used to run several basic inbound plays. A couple schools from Montgomery County have used a 2-3 zone to neutralize the screening that takes place out of a box set, while others have stuck to man defense. A four flat when inbounding the ball from the baseline forms a horizontal line with four offensive players in each of the short corners and blocks. This is a play that has contributed to Tom Izzo’s success at Michigan State, and is a simple way to get your best player the ball.
It has been impressive to watch these summer league rosters come together and play as collective groups. Several teams are coming off seasons of experience with each other, while others are looking to build chemistry week by week this summer. Some strategic tendencies have been noticeable, but each coach adds unique aspects in their play calling in order to cater to the strengths of their players.