Transition play
Transition: Numbered Break, Pitch Ahead
- Court
- Full court
- Length
- 8 steps
About this play
The numbered break's first option: the pitch ahead to the wing. Every player has one lane and runs it on every trip, make or miss, which is why a numbered break is the fastest break to teach. 1 takes the outlet on the sideline and pushes the middle third, 2 and 3 sprint the sidelines to the corners, 5 runs rim to rim, and 4, the rebounder, trails last. The wing gets the ball because the pass beats the defender at the nail and the dribble does not, and a wing who catches on the move has the drive before the defender closing on him has his feet. Personnel: 2 and 3 are your two best finishers in space and need to be able to shoot the corner three, 1 a guard who passes ahead instead of dribbling into traffic, 5 a big who will sprint without the ball. The read is the defender at the nail. If he is home, pitch to the wing. If he jumps to the wing early, 1 keeps his dribble into the seam. If X2 closes out hard, 2 attacks the closeout along the baseline, and when X5 steps up to stop him, 5 is sealing in front of the rim. The counter when the wing is denied: 2 crosses under to the far corner and 1 keeps the ball into the open seam. Common mistakes: wings drifting into the middle lane, the rebounder dribbling under his own basket, and the point guard driving a defender who is set at the free-throw line. Roy Williams's rule closes it: two or fewer defenders back, score in two or fewer passes; otherwise flow into the secondary. I learned the lanes from HoopTactics' numbered break page and Tyler Daniel's teaching video, and the pitch-ahead reads from Hoop Student's primary break breakdown; all three will take you deeper.
