During the course of a basketball season almost all coaches have found themselves in a situation where their team is either tied or behind by a point or two with time running out on the clock. In such a situation there is time for but one last shot. Naturally, as coaches, we would like that last shot to be the best percentage shot possible under the circumstances.

For many years coaches have devised special plays for this situation. I place myself in the same camp with those coaches who have dealt with this situation by developing a special play to use against man-to-man defenses and one to use against zone defenses. Several problems continued to expose themselves under this method of dealing with the last shot situation. First, the coach might call for the man-to-man special, and the defense would slip into a zone. The obvious reverse situation could also occur. Second, such plays are designed for specific players possessing certain skills. If, for any reason, such a player is no longer in the game, a breakdown would be highly possible. Third, these plays were not repeatedly practiced in game situations, and as a result, the timing and execution would break down, with chaos and the inevitable panic resulting.

Having never felt comfortable in dealing with this type of game situation and frankly not enjoying much success with "special plays," I continued to search for an alternate method of resolving my frustrations in this area.

Several years ago my associates and I developed what has, for us, been a very successful offensive weapon in dealing with the last shot situation. We have used it with as little as four seconds on the clock with the ball being taken out on the end line. It can be initiated from anywhere out of bounds, and against either man-to-man or zone defenses.

Launch A 'Last Shot' Offense