Tips and Drills to Build a 5-Out 'Organized Chaos' Offense

with Dan D'Antoni,
Marshall University Head Coach;
2018 Conference USA Tournament champions;
2019 CIT Champions;
led Marshall to the school's first NCAA Tournament (2018) since 1987;
former Assistant Coach (for brother Mike D'Antoni) with the Phoenix Suns, NY Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers;
played for the Thundering Herd (point guard); was inducted into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990

Having helped his brother Mike D'Antoni create the famed "Seven Seconds or Less" style of play, Marshall University head coach Dan D'Antoni uses this on-court demonstration to present a style of play that creates excitement for fans thanks to a high-scoring, fast-tempo style. Playing positionless basketball and teaching concepts instead of plays, Coach D'Antoni shows how his brand of "Hillbilly Ball" creates countless scoring opportunities and an identity of a high-scoring team.

Organizing the Chaos

A major part of developing the up-tempo "organized chaos" of Coach D'Antoni's offense is shooting. His team does much more shooting than most programs that play a convention style of basketball.

The first drill presented is a two minute drill that develops running the floor and shooting 3-pointers in transition. It involves getting the ball up the floor fast for long-range shots with a goal of 20 makes in two minutes.

Next, "Long Arm Layups" is used to teach dribble penetrators how to attack the basket while being forced to change hands on the attack. Without gathering the ball with the opposite hand, the dribbler must shoot a long arm layup off of the bounce. Other variations of different types of finishes in transition are also demonstrated.

Player Development

To create positionless basketball as part of Coach D'Antoni's offense, players must possess versatile skill-sets. Citing former NBA head coach Rick Adelman, D'Antoni remarks, "If you get in trouble go small; and if that doesn't work go smaller." His brand of basketball has been used with five point guards on the floor at the same time.

The Step-Back Drill is used to teach players to step back behind the 3-point line when driving opportunities are taken away. A step-back is even effective when athletes are forced to the middle of the floor, as demonstrated in a variation of the drill.

Integral to Coach D'Antoni's player development is the use of the two-man game on the perimeter. Here, a perimeter player makes a downhill drive with the idea of getting an offensive player open in the corner. Depending on what the defense does, open 3-pointers and dunks are available as scoring options for the player in the corner. The drill also includes shots for dribble penetrators who get behind the 3-point line for open jumpers.

Next, you'll see D'Antoni add a third player to include the element of a post player in the offense. Using hand-backs and ball screens, the 5-Out 'Organized Chaos' offense now incorporates an inside attack element that spreads defenses and opens up the lane for driving opportunities while forcing defenders to deal with the threat of a post-up.

NBA Actions

Having been an assistant with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, Coach D'Antoni covers two of the most basic actions in today's NBA: "21" and the pick & roll.

The "21" action is used in transition to attack. The options involved are handing back to the passer, hitting a post and going to get the ball back, or using the post as a ball screener to attack the middle of the floor from the side.

A well-executed pick & roll is one of the hardest actions to defend in the game. D'Antoni discusses the need to create a gap between the ball screener and the ball handler coming off of the ball screen, as well as the use of the pocket pass. To teach these concepts, a two-player drill is utilized. The offensive concept of the drag screen is also demonstrated. Of all the