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Offensive Rebounding

Attempts to prevent fast breaks and easy opposition points, often creates self-fulfilling prophecies. This leads to increased frustration. Attempts to improve the situation, often makes things worse. 

Sacred Cow “We need to get back on D” 

Observe: Coaches, Captains, Players, Spectators and Parents are guilty of this sin. It seems an obvious statement to implore your team to get back on defence, however it is often counter-productive. 

Problem: When we have a player or multiple players retreat on Defence, we lose Offensive Rebounders. Offensive Rebounding is the first stage of Defence. The lack of offensive rebounders, makes it easier for the opposition to take possession of the ball. It creates the secondary problem, in that the absence of offensive rebounders, means that the opposing player who rebounds has ample room to dribble and outlet the ball. A tertiary problem is that a pass is faster than our Defender can run. And lastly, that even if we have a Defender back, the nature of basketball favours the freedom of offence, it is relatively easy to score. We can occassionally stop fast breaks, but over time, it is a poor solution imploring this method. 

Origin:  We remember that many of the original college coaches, were coaching other sports. The importance of a goal-keeper in Ice Hockey seemed an obvious practical solution. However, in the beginning basketball scoring percentages were much lower, as the rules favoured Defenders. 

The Solution

It is interesting that in designing traditional zone Defences, we aim for a balance point between pressuring shooters, and maintaining rebounding positioning to give us the best chances of gaining possession of the ball. Whereas, traditional Offences, aim to gap, or distort the shape of Defence, in order to create space. This distortion of Offence, makes achieving Offensive Rebounds more difficult. 

Our mindset towards Offensive Rebounding, needs to have a greater purpose than merely attaining possession of the ball. Attempting to gain Offensive Rebounds, is extremely useful to preventing fast breaks, since we are able to deny or pressure outlet passes. We also deny the opponent space to dribble and acquire an outlet angle. So while, we may fail in obtaining an Offensive Rebound, we still deny the opposition from gaining an easy fast break. 

Our Offence also requires reconsideration. In attempting to build space for our Offence, have we distorted the flaw in such a way, that it creates opportunistic holes for opposition to outlet from. Have we also shuffled our players into positions from where rebounding is difficult. Is there any point in yelling at our point guard to sprint back on defence, when our offence has dictated that the point guard makes a cut under the basket and into a baseline corner (i.e. is now the furthest player). 

The design for our Offence, should consider Offensive rebounding, and how we are shaped to be able to transition into our Defence. Just as Defences are shaped to be balanced, so to should the design of our Offence. These considerations, will be key inputs into the design of our Offence in later chapters. 

Importantly, we need to define roles, based on where we are situated on the court, rather than providing roles to specific individuals. For this reason, you will find that traditional positions are rarely referred to. 

A sample system for Offensive Rebounding may look like this: 

1. Offensive Player in any Post position Rebounds. 

2. Offensive Player in any Baseline Corner, moves under the basket, to add an additional rebounder. 

3. Offensive Player on Wing (same side the ball was shot from) moves to foul-line area, since most missed shots rebound to the opposite side of the floor, boxing out on this side can be counter-productive. It is far more useful to deny the middle of the floor for an opponent to dribble and improve outlet angles. Also, in the middle of the floor, missed rebounds are often tipped and ricochet. It is very worthwhile location to win the crumbs. 

Note that the above three (3) positions, now gives us a rebounding triangle. 

4. Offensive Player on Wing (opposite side to where the ball was shot from) shadows the first passing lane, since most rebounds will be outlet on this side of the floor. 

5. Offensive Player Furthest from Basket and Nearest Middle of Court, retreats adjacent to Opposition Player. 

Key Teaching Points

1. Design of Offence needs to consider appropriate balance that enables Offensive rebounding and dovetails with Defensive Transition. 

2. Offensive Rebounding system needs to define roles based on players situation on the floor at that moment, rather than to specific individuals, in order to be relevant, regardless of the situation. 

3. Preventing Clean Outlets by the opposition, is the key key point for inculcating into players who are otherwise skeptical of their ability to gain Offensive Rebounds. 

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