Sets have a place to complement transition, motion offense, and zone offense.
Including hard-to-defend actions creates defensive challenges.
Why Horns?
- Opens the lane
- Fills corners
- No “natural weak side”
- Puts pressure on corner ‘help’ defenders
- Simplicity
Elbow Get
Locate players to take advantage of strengths. Multiple options.
Duke Elbow series…clear and attack
Empty a side and create action from the elbow. Ideal for a big who can put the ball on the deck in an iso.
Complex Screening
Iverson action out of horns
Horns down
Favorite action, double downscreens sets up curls, flare lifts, or a drive for proficient point guards.
Take advantage of having a penetrating point guard or “iso big” who can attack the basket while both defensive sides are occupied.
Off ball simple and complex screens
UCONN women ran some Horns sets. Simple works with urgent cutting and talent as UCONN hammered Duke.
Left, staggered screen. Right, I call this “Bucks action” because Jason Kidd ran it some coaching the Bucks.
Horns is versatile but the setup is like lines on a sheet of paper. They work better with Hemingway writing than thirteen year-olds. Urgent cutting, solid screening, on-time and on-target passing, and finishing matter regardless of the offense.
Lagniappe. Emphasize our key concepts to our players. For example, ball pressure, deny penetration, challenge shots without fouling, and rebound.
Across every generation and level, great defensive teams have 4 universal traits:
1. Ball pressure/deflections
2. Blow up PNR a high % of the time vs using coverages
3. Stay out of rotation/offense is attacking small/neutral advantage vs big advantage spots
4. Collect…
— Chris Steed (@csteed) June 23, 2026