The swing offense utilizes pieces from several offensive strategies. I developed it from parts of other offenses over the 8 years spent scouting offenses while an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin.
I blended these parts together not because I thought they were innovative or the answer to every defensive wrinkle, but because I really believe in them. The swing offense is basic and relies on solid fundamentals: cutting, screening, spacing and passing.
Run What's Effective
An offense that works with cuts to the basket off screens is most effective. The two most effective screens are the UCLA screen (upscreen) and backscreens from the wing or flank. These two screens form the basis of the swing offense.
"Big For Little"
The Swing Offense is different because through the course of the screening action your traditional "big" players are often out around the perimeter, while "little" players are working on the post.
Every player is responsible for practicing and learning post moves. More often than not, your guards can take advantage of mismatches on the block. Your 5 is still going to play in the post enough to be considered a post player, but they have to be versatile enough to step out, reverse the ball and pass into the post.
Handling Aggressive Overplays
Many teams we face like to pressure the basketball, so we need an offense that can handle the overplay. This offense is effective against pressure because it's a 4-out, 1-in offense. When one player has the ball, the other four players are tandem partners working off the ball to relieve pressure.
Make More Free Throws
One statistic we try to achieve in each game is to make more free throws than the other team shoots. Every upscreen and backscreen set for a player going to the basket draws attention. This offense also gets lots of touches in the post where you're going to get fouled more often.
