with Robyn Fralick,
Bowling Green University Head Women's Coach;
former Ashland University Head Women's Coach; 2017 NCAA DII National Champions;
Coached the first perfect season (37-0) in NCAA Division II Women's Basketball history (2016-17);
2017 Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Coach of the Year;
2018 NCAA DII National Runners-Up;
2x Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
Coaches looking for an offense that will increase post touches with some high ball screen action mixed in may find the High-Low offense works for them. Robyn Fralick's offense answers so many questions that coaches are looking to answer about scoring from both inside and out.
With the High/Low action, bigs are the main focus. Scoring easy buckets near the basket is the key, but because of this post attack, the guards actually end up more open as their defenders drop down to help in the paint. Fralick's offense is a great tool for any coach trying to have offensive balance and a productive scoring attack. In this video, she covers great transition concepts that are sure to help your team get easy baskets quickly.
Coach Fralick does a great job throughout the video of breaking down the pieces of the offense so players can just go play.
Building the Break
Fralick introduces her transition offense - a great complement to the High/Low offense - by first breaking down some of the 3-on-0, 4-on-0 and finally 5-on-0 aspects. This build up helps players see some of the opportunities that are presented in the offense. Key points are:
- Attack with the ball out of the net
- Get the ball up the court with speed
- Point guard needs to get her backside to the sideline
While these are some fundamental concepts that all fast breaks should have, Fralick does a fantastic job in the build up drills of getting her players to stay true to these concepts, which help ignite their fast break. Another nice part of this break is that it shares some of the same concepts that will eventually be shown in the High-Low offense, specifically the constant and immediate looks into the post.
Fralick includes a game of "Baseball" using the transition concepts. While this sounds like a fun drill, it's still part of the build up she uses to help her players learn to play the game instead of running plays. Additionally, she works the transition concepts with 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4. This build up shows the pieces of the offense, as well as how they work to get the ball into the post.
High/Low Motion Offense
This offense is great because it has a structure that all players can follow, but also allows athletes to play basketball within the structure. Another important facet of the offense is consistently working through the post with ball screens and interchangeable post action. Fralick expects that both bigs are interchangeable and also expects that her 1, 2, and 3 are interchangeable with each other. This ability to have players playing multiple positions takes away many restrictions that can plague some offenses.
Coach Fralick begins with a 5-on-0 workout. Players run through many of the concepts that are in the offense, but are still encouraged to make decisions out of the offense instead of just following a set drill structure. Fralick then gets players into another Baseball Game where they once again build up from 2-on-2 to 3-on-3 to 4-on-4. In this session, post ups, drives and especially skips for open threes consistently present themselves.
Included are shooting drills for the post and perimeter players. These drills are also great additions to the whole package as they emphasize shots that players will see in games. The post players get short corner looks and shots from the top of the key, while the guards work on dribble hand-offs and skips that are constantly present in the offense.
Game Footage
Fralick finishes the video by breaking down game footage of the different aspects taught throughout the video.
Develop and implement an effective offense that gets both your posts and your guards involved! Coach Fralick's instruction and on-court action help break down everything you'll need to successfully install this offense.
103 minutes. 2018.
BD-05306B:
with Robyn Fralick,
Bowling Green University Head Women's Coach;
former Ashland University Head Women's Coach; 2017 NCAA DII National Champions;
Coached the first perfect season (37-0) in NCAA Division II Women's Basketball history (2016-17);
2017 Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Coach of the Year;
2018 NCAA DII National Runners-Up;
2x Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
In just her second season as head coach, Ashland's Robyn Fralick has already found the key to program success: utilizing both a full-court and half-court attacking defense to build team chemistry and facilitate a sense of ownership amongst the roster.
Coming off of an undefeated 37-0 season that resulted in a National Championship, Fralick's pressing/trapping approach yielded an increase in seven turnovers forced per game, with the added benefit of creating a tough-minded team mentality.
In this video, Coach Fralick discusses the importance of core values and the defensive philosophy employed by her team, individual defensive breakdown drills, team drills, and finally finishes up with game footage showing the effectiveness of pressure defense in live play.
Full-Court / Half-Court Pressure Defense
An efficient way to utilize the full depths of your roster is to implement an exhaustive, attacking style of play that requires bodies in order for the system to function at its peak. A system that will engage a player's yearning for opportunity, is fun to play, and tasks endurance levels will ultimately create a sense of togetherness and ownership amongst the team as every player will have a role to play in determining team success.
In discussing the philosophy and demonstrating the scheme, Fralick touches on:
- Varying the "when" and "where" that traps occurs in order to create a sense of unpredictability.
- The responsibilities and positioning of the "trapper, gapper, and safety" roles within the attack.
- The four goals of the philosophy and how they directly translate to the system's success.
- How to handle defense of ball screens in the half-court and how it falls in line with the underlying philosophy of the defensive system as a whole in the full-court.
- Help defense positioning, both in the full-court and the half-court, and how it places players in the best possible position to achieve a deflection.
- A review of game film in order to illustrate the talking/teaching points of the system that were on display throughout the video.
Pressure Defense Breakdown Drills
Breakdown drills are essential to isolating specific teaching points and creating a competitive environment in which to instruct players on how to react. Fralick brings a package of two offensive-based breakdown "finishing" drills (after all, what good is forcing a turnover if it doesn't directly translate to points at the other end!), and six defensive-based drills that aim to:
- Develop offensive footwork and "finishing" move sets around the rim.
- Simulate the 'chaotic' element where the press is beaten and the defense is forced into 'scramble' mode to match-up in the half-court.
- Create the perfect trapping alignment via body and foot placement, in a controlled and confined space, that places an emphasis on reading the offensive player's eyes.
- "Control" the ball-handler and force the offensive player into positions on the court that are advantageous to the defense.
- Position the off-ball defenders up/on the line of the ball to place them in position to concurrently defend their man as well as cheat just enough to increase the odds of a deflection if a pass were to be made in their direction.
The mantra of "defense travels" still holds true today. Create a fast-paced, engaging, exciting style of play that uses defense as its foundation. By utilizing the depths of the roster within an engaging, full-court defensive pressure based attack, Coach Fralick has wielded the 'controlled chaos' ideology into a winning formula that you can apply to foster ownership and excitement within your team.
74 minutes. 2018.