Like most sports, the winning team in basketball is determined by the number of points your team scores. A high school game lasts just 32 minutes, putting pressure on every possession to be efficient and productive. This article examines three aspects of the crime; distribution, selection and location of shots.

If there are 60 possessions in a high school game (45 due to turnovers and free throws) and you shoot 45% from the field, your team will average about 21 baskets made per game. I guess your team could generate about 6 open trays. If you break fast and push, probably a couple more. That leaves about 15 shoes your team has yet to make.

The following questions are very important to ask and reflect on:

1. Based on your team and offensive philosophy, where will those shots come from? (I mean where on the court, not who).

2. What type of shot distribution would you prefer from your team based on what you know about your team? Answer this based on how YOU want the shot distribution to be, not what your team would want.

3. Now, the challenge is to match your “offensive plan for shot placement and distribution” to match the offense you run. This will take some time, but the time will be worth it. The biggest offensive mistake I see in high school basketball is the “aimless offense.” Tea “Aimless offense is where there is no consistent basis dictating who shoots and where they shoot from. “Answer this: If you were a football coach, would you put your guard at the quarterback and your receivers at the line? Of course not. How does this relate to basketball?

In basketball, would you have a 21% shooter making 3-pointers? Who would you like to take more shots per game, a 52% shooter or a 30% shooter? Who is allowed to drive the ball into the paint and can make consistent plays without turning the ball over? What have you defined as a “bad shot” for your team and does everyone accept it? These are questions that need to be answered and decided before his next season.

The best advice I ever got was from Jim Crews, the current Army coach who had been a player and assistant coach at Indiana as well as a head coach at Evansville. He said PURPOSE is the most important thing in offensive basketball. He advised me to do this: In practice, while your team is in the middle of a possession, yell “Stop.” Ask them what they are trying to do. In other words, you are asking what your approach of that possession is. If you say, “Trying to score, coach,” you need to address the specific purpose of your scoring attempt.

This is an excellent thought and one that coaches should ask themselves. Too often the offense “searches” the defense without a clear purpose. Ultimately, someone will take a chance because they feel like it’s time to do so. That’s a recipe for defeat because shot distribution, selection, and placement are usually so lopsided. This is a lot of things to think about, but if you spend time on this, give me your answers back, we’ll be making great progress. together!

Before your next season, I challenge you to analyze your offense in terms of the type of shots you want on the offensive end. By looking at shot distribution, selection, and placement, you’ll be designing a productive and efficient offensive machine!