(Rental)-Transition Offensive Sets

Chris Holtmann: Transition Offensive Sets

Ohio State University head coach Chris Holtmann shares his approach to offensive basketball in this on-court presentation. Holtmann, the former coach at Butler and the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year, uses a philosophy based on analytics to explain why he does what he does. Watch and learn as he takes you through his transition game right into the half-court offense.

Transition Offense

Transition is a big part of Coach Holtmann’s offense and he uses a series of drills to build it. A 5-on-0 drill that can be used as a warmup serves as a great way to teach the philosophy, roles, and different options in the fast break. Holtmann prefers to score early in the shot clock so he teaches players to run on turnovers, long rebounds, and blocks. The ball is immediately kicked out to a “bust-out guy” who either makes an instant advance pass or uses a drag screen by a trailer.

The transition game looks to take advantage of good shooters that run the wings. Holtmann teaches the concept of “cutting the court” where your best shooter gets a transition 3-pointer made possible by a penetrating point guard who pitches the ball back.

Building to 5-on-5

To build the half-court offense, Holtmann starts with spacing and penetration. Using another 5-on-0 drill, Coach Holtmann emphasizes moving to space so that penetration into the lane is more effective. He also uses a 3-on-3 drill to practice timing, spacing, and passing and catching under pressure.

The drills progress to 5-on-5 where Holtmann works the transition offense against a live defense. The drill uses a 12-second shot clock to force an early scoring opportunity. Players learn the mentality of playing fast and attacking a defense quickly.

When transition fails to produce points, the offense gets into its half-court game called Flow. The offense uses many of the basics taught in the earlier drills, i.e. spacing and penetration. Ball screens are added to take advantage of the defense and get the ball to opposite sides of the floor as much as possible.

Coach Holtmann’s video does a great job of explaining not only the “what” of his offense, but also the “why.” This video is a must-have for any coach looking to build an offense and teach it to their team.