by Coach John Leonzo
We place a high value on our players’ ability to finish at the rim. In order to develop our players’ skills in an efficient manner, there are 6 types of finishes that we want them to master.
Before teaching the 6 finishes to our players, we break the 6 types of finishes up into 2 separate categories. The first category are finishes that you want to use when you have space between you and your defender. The second category are finishes that can be used when you need to create space between you and your defender.
Finishes to use in space:
- Outside hand reach: As a player drives to the rim, they will pick the ball up on the outside of their body, take off of one leg, and extend their arm away from their body as they shoot the layup. We want this to be an underhand layup.
- Inside hand reach: In this finish, the driver will shoot an extended underhand layup with their inside hand. In most cases, the player jumps off the inside leg as well. This can be a great way to disrupt a shot blockers timing, as well as finish fast at the rim.
- Reverse finish: This is a similar finish to the outside hand reach, but is done at the opposite side of the rim. We encourage players to use this finish when their driving line is below the block.
Finishes to create space:
- Power finish: When a player driving to the rim has their shoulder pointed at the chest of the defender, we want them to jump stop and finish with power. The emphasis here is to have your chest and shoulders squared to the baseline. This stance forces the defender to go through your body if they want to block the shot.
- Back pivot: When a player jump stops at the rim and still needs to create space away from their defender, the back pivot is a great solution. In this finish, the player will pivot away from the defense on their outside foot. The player can finish with a baby jump stop or push shot at the conclusion of the pivot.
- Step-thru: When a player jump stops at the rim and the defense is crowding the ball, the step-thru can help the player escape to space. This time, the player will pivot on their inside foot and step by the defender with their outside foot before finishing at the rim.
