Duke Blue Devils: Ultimate 4 Preview

Coach Tony Miller takes a deeper have a look at widespread offensive units from the Duke Blue Devils forward of the 2022 Ultimate 4.

For years, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has used quite a lot of units to maximise the ability units of his stars. This 12 months has been no completely different. And whereas a lot of the 2021-22 season noticed the Blue Devils primarily taking part in out of primary ideas (i.e., ball screens, drive and kicks, and many others.) within the half courtroom, Krzyzewski has leaned on his Horns playbook within the first 4 video games on this 12 months’s NCAA Match. Let’s go contained in the XsOs.


The off season has arrived, that means there isn’t any higher time to make the most of FastDraw. Construct your play library. Manage your XsOs. Share participant growth drills with gamers. Create playbooks in your staff and employees.

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Duke Blue Devils – Frequent Units

[Click on a diagram to download it to your FastDraw library.]

Horns Elevator

In all probability the most-discussed Duke Horns set this March has been its elevator motion for AJ Griffin. What makes this set so efficient is that, although the protection is aware of it’s coming, there are nonetheless scoring choices primarily based on how the protection performs issues.

  • In Body 1, if the protection (x4 or x5) doesn’t present on the elevator display screen, there’s a glance from deep for the shooter.
  • In Body 2, if the defender (x5) exhibits, there’s a slip to the rim (or, if the protection switches, then a smaller defender is guarding 7-footer, Mark Williams).
  • In Body 3, if everybody performs the elevator motion accurately, the ball handler continues to be left with your complete proper aspect to make a play for himself.

Horns Ball Display screen

In Paolo Banchero, the Blue Devils have a 6’10” guard who could make a play within the choose and roll. And when given area to function, Banchero has the ability to attain it himself or the IQ to make a play for a teammate. 

If the protection switches, the opponent’s large is left making an attempt to remain in entrance of the faster Banchero. If a stunt or present comes from a assist defender, Banchero has proven the flexibility to search out the nook shooter. The expert passer can even drop it to Williams for a end on the rim.

Horns Flex

Duke additionally ran loads of flex motion out of its Horns bundle to proceed working the ball into the elbow and submit areas.

Paolo Submit Ups

Throughout their four-game run within the match, when the Blue Devils wanted a bucket, they’ve really used one thing aside from a Horns motion. With Banchero usually matched up in opposition to a smaller defender, Duke has used Wendell Moore as a screener to get Banchero the ball within the mid-post. 

Duke Blue Devils horns elevator

Within the West regional remaining, the Arkansas tried to disclaim Banchero the ball on the submit entry. As a substitute of forcing the problem, the Blue Devils merely ran a weak aspect pin down drawing away the assistance protection. Then they proceeded to throw excessive of the submit defender for a glance inside for Banchero.

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Duke faces a well-recognized opponent on this Saturday’s semifinal vs North Carolina. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see if the Blue Devils go to their favorites, or in the event that they’ll have one thing new of their sport plan for the Tar Heels.


For extra performs and drills from Coach Tony Miller, take a look at his PlayBank web page and FastDraw Chalk Discuss YouTube collection.

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Dr. Tony Miller is the boys’s assistant basketball coach at Bob Jones College in Greenville, SC. As well as, he serves because the director of BJU’s sport administration diploma program.

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