When 2 Trails Is Good

There are some situations where it is a good thing to have 2 T's. This goes agianst a lot of convention: "It is better to have 2 C's than 2 T's" is a common theme preached during training sessions and at camps. This philosophy is good, because you want both the C and the T to stay engaged in the play, and not bail out on rebounds when their support of the play around the basket is critical to get the best look and get it right. However, think about having 2 T's during the following situations:

1. If a team is purposefully slowing the ball down to milk the shot clock. This has happened in several of my recent games. The offensive team is running weaves well outside the top of the key to avoid the 5-second count on the ball handler. Lots of aggressive defense, lots of high screens, no real cuts to the basket or screens to free people up below the free throw line. By going ot 2 T's here, you get great looks at the screeners and secondary defenders, and have 2 guys actively involved in where the play is. You also don't have forced movement based on the L rotating ball side. If there is no play below the foul line, why would the L have to rotate? It is also very easy to slide back into the L-T-C alignment as the shot clock winds down, and the offensive team makes their play to score.

2. Same principle applies when there is no shot clock, and the defense is in a tight zone, usually a 1-3-1 or 1-2-2. If the offense decides to pass the ball east-west freqently out top to try and beat the top defender in the zone, you culd wind up with too many rotations. If the L is patient, and doesn't rotate until the ball is in play on one side or the other, you can have 2 T's, with the weak side T sliding down to C (2 or 3 simple steps) when the ball drops below the FT line on the opposite side, when their is potential for a scoring chance or post play, and the L rotates there.

As long as you're back to the L-T-C alignment on scoring plays and to support rebounding sequences, you can be a better crew by doing this at times. This is a great thing to talk about during a TO. This would be tough to pre-game, because it is is not a frequent occurrence, but if you like 45-minute pre-games, have at it!