Key to Offense - Getting to the Elbow

I was lucky enough to attend the Nike Basketball Clinic in Wisconsin Dells. Outside of having to go to Wisconsin, it was a great clinic with plenty of outstanding speakers. Even though I would rather listen to small college and high school coaches, these guys were really good. I got to hear some great coaches with some outstanding ideas that we can use at our level.

The biggest thing I picked up was how many coaches emphasized getting the ball to the elbow. Every speaker who talked offense made it a priority. We had coaches who talked about Dribble Drive, pick and roll, even the Princeton Offense, and every single one put an emphasis on getting the ball to that elbow. This emphasis dovetails with what I learned this year using our 4 out motion offense - we had a lot of success when we got the ball there with the post and drive. It will continue to be an emphasis of ours next year as well.

With the dribble drive and the pick and roll, the drive was used to attack the elbow. In the Princeton offense, the post flashing high on the entry was the way to get the ball there. Even Coach Knight, who talked off ball screening, talked about getting the ball to the elbow. It seems to be a priority wherever you looked.

How do you use the high post in your offense? Do you use it enough?