March/April 2019 - 16

ESCAPING THE
HALF-COURT TRAP
An offensive strategy to thwart trapping zone defenses
By Don Kloth, Warren Township High School, Illinois
During my 40 years in coaching, I've watch teams
devise effective strategies against both man-to-man and
zone defenses. Then, once the defense switches to a halfcourt
zone trap, the offense struggles.
In some cases, the offensive team loses its composure,
the lead and then the game. This is not an experience that
any coach wants to go through. That's why it's essential
that coaches take time to prepare against half-court traps
when they develop their offensive packages for the season.
This is a simple offense that works against half-court
traps, as it has paid huge dividends for my teams over the
years. The offense is especially effective again odd-front
traps, like the 1-3-1 or 1-2-2.
Vs. odd-front trapping zones
In my breakdown I describe the offense versus a 1-3-1
zone, but we use the same trap versus a 1-2-2. Every year
I tell my team, " When the other team comes out in a 1-3-1
half-court, we need to attack it properly right away. " If
we show opponents we can attack it effectively for two or
three possessions, they usually abandon it. If we struggle,
the defense becomes more aggressive and we might face a
tough battle for the rest of the game.
DIAGRAM 1
DIAGRAM 2
DIAGRAM 1: This shows our 2-1-2 alignment versus
a 1-3-1 trap. We constantly remind 1 and 2 not to get too
far apart from one another, or too close to the sideline.
We like to reverse the ball once or twice before crossing
half court.
DIAGRAM 2: The ball is reversed. Notice the
movements of 3, 4 and 5. We sometimes use different
players in these spots. We might use our center or small
forward in the middle. This decision is based on the
players' strengths and weaknesses.
DIAGRAM 3: The ball is reversed to 1, who passes to
3. On the pass to 3, 4 cuts across the lane to the low-post
area. 5 moves to an open spot in the high-post area, and
2 moves to the left wing for a possible diagonal pass. 1
moves toward 3 for a possible return pass.
DIAGRAM 4: 3 passes back to 1, and 1 passes to 2. 2
swings the ball to 4 in the left corner. On the pass to the
corner, 3 cuts to the low post and 5 finds an open area in
the high post. 1 spots up on the right wing for a diagonal
pass, and 2 moves toward 4 for a possible return pass.
DIAGRAM 5: Skip-pass option. On the skip pass
from 4 to 1, 1 looks to immediately pass to 3 in the low
post. Our team has scored a lot of points on this move. If
DIAGRAM 3
16 MARCH/APRIL 2019
March/April 2019

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