(Rental)-Corner Offense, Set Plays, & Practice Drills

Cheryl Reeve: Corner Offense, Set Plays and Practice Drills

Cheryl Reeve helped build the Minnesota Lynx franchise into one that has dominated the WNBA. Reeve has guided the Lynx to four WNBA championships and has twice won the league’s Coach of the Year award. A big part of her success comes from the drills you will see in this video. Not only do the drills help in player development, they also help to establish a certain culture, one that has helped the Lynx win.

Practice Drills

You will see Coach Reeve’s version of the classic layup drill and other full-court drills that help prepare players for her up-tempo style of play. These drills emphasize conditioning, competition, and efficiency. Players work on changing direction and attacking the basket off the dribble. Other drills include:

• Three-Man Weave: Works on spreading the floor and firing the ball ahead in transition while eliminating bad passes and missed layups.
• Secondary Drill: Learn to use ball screens in the secondary break and how to teach them to your players.
• Speed Drill: Work on quick outlet passes and advance passes to players running the floor in a continuous fast break drill.

Corner Offense

An alternative to the Triangle offense, the Corner offense is great for teams with good shooters, big guards that can post up, or teams that don’t have a dominant post player. Proper spacing spreads the floor for cuts to the basket and post up opportunities by guards.

Coach Reeve breaks down the multiple options in her Corner offense, showing you how ball movement helps to open up scoring opportunities. Split screens, flare screens, and dribble handoffs are all used to create 3-point attempts or easy layups.

You will also see how Coach Reeve counters certain defenses by using back door cuts, corner passes, and ball reversals to get two-man actions on the weak side. No matter what a defense throws at you, the Corner offense has an answer.

Set Plays

Coach Reeve demonstrates some set plays that she has used with great success. There are three plays out of the Corner alignment, two variations using spread ball screens, and an end-of-game play for a 3-point shot. The plays include:

• Cheek: This is a great play that uses a back screen to post up on a smaller guard or get an open 3-pointer.
• Thumbs Up: Using misdirection with a screen the screener action on the perimeter, this play can result in either a layup or 3-point shot.
• Punch: This is a great play to involve the weak side of the Corner offense and get an open look for your best shooter coming off a screen.

This is a wonderful look at an offensive philosophy that has been used with great success at the game’s highest levels. It is simple enough that coaches at levels can benefit from the drills and plays taught in this presentation.