High Post Offense: Stack High

The High Post Offense provides a valuable opportunities for teams to start by drawing the opposition’s defence away from the basket. The High Post Offense Stack High Play looks to overload the Point Position on the floor by bringing an extra player to this High Post position. This in turn creates additional space and opportunities for players to move on the floor.

A real strength of the High Post Offense’s Stack High Play is that the positioning of the defence is moved well away from the basket. This sees the defenders who are off the ball having to work that little bit harder to cover the help positions especially from two and three passes adrift from the ball.

This High Post Offense starts will all the offensive players at or above the foul line.

Five (5) and Four (4) set-up as a stack at the top of the keyway in the high post position.

One (1) pauses with the ball well above the three-point line and this action triggers both wing players (Two and Three) to exchange positions on long cuts through the keyway.

This action can feature one player screening for the other or just a straight exchange action.

One (1) initiates a pass to either wing.

The top player in the stack (Five) lifts to screen one side of the split line and the bottom player in the stack (Four) screens the other. This will effectively create a staggered screen.

As the cutter (One) passes the shoulders of the first screener (Five) this player now lifts to fill the point position again in the High Post Offense.

The cut made by One (1) is very long and so if a strong cutting position is established then a very big advantage can be created.

The cut by One (1) can be to either side of the double screen. The important part is the for the offensive player to read what the defender is doing and to try and exploit an advantage from this situation.

Scoring Option:

• The scoring cut from One (1) is the primary movement in this phase of the High Post Offense.
• If the defender of One (1) is cheating under the double screen this can be exploited by lowering the stack by Five (5) and Four (4) lower so this allows for an initial set back and three-point attempt by One (1)
• Another option if One’s (1) defender is cheating below the screen is to allow One (1) to re-screen for one of the stack player so they then pin the miss-matched Guard on the basket for an easy post advantage.

The High Post Offense now enters the continuity phase of the Stack High Play.

This now sees the ball being reversed back to the point position and quickly passed to the opposite wing.

The pass back to Five (5) triggers the initial cutter (One) to up screen for the lowest player in the stack (Four).

Four (4) over the screen ball side and dives to the basket. With this action Four (4) will now be isolated in front of the basket.

One (1) can set a second screen for Five (5) who can flash into the high post and a High/Low action is created inside the keyway.

These three players can continue to reverse the ball and up screen for one another now until an opportunity is created.

Scoring Options:

• Isolation of wing player
• Four (4) on cut to basket
• Five (5) following flash to high post

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