The base alignment for attacking a 2-3 and the first thing to install: a 1-3-1 with the point above the arc, two wings set wide so the top guards are not in the passing lanes, 4 at the free-throw line, and 5 running the baseline short corner to short corner. On every wing catch the ball side has three players (wing, 4 in the gap below the elbow, 5 in the short corner) for two defenders (the forward and the middle), which is the overload. The read is the forward: when X4 takes the wing, 4 and 5 are two players for X5 alone, and whichever one X5 takes, the other is open. Why the short corner and not the block: Coach's Clipboard's rule is that 5 never posts on the block, because the three low defenders double it; the short corner is behind the zone where the forward and middle cannot both see him. The counter comes when a coached zone sends X4 out to the wing and drops X5 onto the short corner on the flight, leaving the ball-side block empty: 4 dives to it from the gap for the pass from 5. Rule for the whole series: one post touch before any outside shot. Common mistakes: wings standing on the arc where the guards can deny them, 4 catching and dribbling, and 5 drifting to the block. I learned this alignment from Coach's Clipboard's Zone-23 offense, and Breakthrough Basketball's five zone concepts cover the principles underneath it; give both a look before you install the rest of the series.
