I have been wanting to write something about Post Play Development (Girls’ High School Basketball) for at least a year, probably more. I wanted to share more than just a Post Player Development outline, so I have kept this topic on the backburner. The reason why this topic has been on my mind because I have found value in following different levels of basketball and taking what I have learned from one level and applying those things (lessons, concepts, etc.) to a different level.
Becky Hammon and Lindsay Gottlieb were great coaches before their NBA experiences, but I am guessing they took a lot from the NBA that have helped them immensely coaching in the WNBA (Las Vegas Aces) and Women’s College Basketball (USC Trojans). Jackie MacMullan wrote a great article on ESPN in 2019: “How the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lindsay Gottlieb made it to the NBA.” Check it out.
One of the things I learned from high-level Men’s College Basketball is how big of a role “Post Play Development” is to building a program. So, I have been thinking about how that can be applied to Girls’ High School Basketball.
2023-2024 Basketball Season
Before the 2023-24 High School Girls’ Basketball season, I was interested in seeing how Stevenson was going to use Emory Klatt (now at DePaul University), how Hersey was going to use Annika Manthy (now at University of Richmond), how Nazareth was going to use Olivia Austin (now at Dartmouth College), etc. … and by the way, Lyons Township this coming season with Nora Ezike (heading to Stanford University in the fall of 2025) and Emma O’Brien (Class of 2026) has perhaps the greatest match-up advantage in the Post that I have seen (or can remember).
Ironically, despite having this Post Play theme on my mind for a while, I became more intrigued with Guard-heavy lineups this past season because of what I saw at both the High school and College levels. I watched Loyola Academy Girls Basketball win a 4A Illinois State Championship with a roster filled predominantly with guards. UCONN WBB switched to a 4-guard lineup after suffering multiple injuries — reminded me of when I first saw a 4-guard lineup with Villanova MBB. I have liked the idea of 4 guards since seeing it from Villanova. I did have some doubts, but after seeing the subsequent success and the development of Villanova’s guards, it (3 or 4-guard lineups) has moved to the forefront of my overall coaching philosophy — I think I like 3-guard lineups more because I believe the “missing piece” for a lot of college basketball teams is what I call a “Versatile 4”.
Florida Gulf Coast WBB, a personal favorite, went from listing all of their players on their Team Roster from “Guards” (no Post Players) to “Shooters.”
With all of that said about Guard play, I am going to bring it back to the Post and what I believe is …
The Missing Piece
One of my favorite lineups: 3 Guards, “Versatile 4” - Missing Piece, and a Center
The best Chicagoland High School example of what I call a “Versatile 4” that can do what I listed above is Avery Cooper (Lake Zurich High School). Last year’s best example was Olivia Austin (Nazareth Academy). A good development project to fill this role is Avery Maddux (Libertyville High School Class of 2026).
Some other good examples in the area: Emma Briggs (Benet), Emma O’Brien (Lyons Township) and Reganne Reardon (St. Ignatius). These 3 players, however, have a little more “Wing” to their games. Sometimes players like Avery Cooper and Olivia Austin can also be used as 3/4’s (like Briggs, O’Brien and Reardon), but I think their greatest value in college will be at the 4-spot.
Jerami Grant is an NBA example who I think provides more value to his team at the 4 instead of the 3. He has shown that he can be a 20 ppg scorer playing as a Wing, but I still prefer him at the PF (as a Versatile 4). Using a player on the perimeter too much when they can be dominant inside is one example of “miscasting” a player. I believe Jerami Grant is a missing piece (or the final piece) for a championship contending team.
Gonzaga Post Play
The “GU” for Gonzaga University was often referred to as “Guard U” because of their track record of Guards: Matt Santangelo, Quentin Hall, Richie Frahm, Dan Dickau, Blake Stepp, Derek Raivio, Jeremy Pargo, Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, the list goes on. But, if we take a closer look on how Gonzaga MBB built their program, Post Play has been a staple — and in the beginning it was almost always playing with 2 “Bigs”. They used to do a lot of High-Low stuff — that has changed a little bit.
History of Post Play at Gonzaga: Casey Calvary and Jeremy Eaton were the 2 Post Players for Gonzaga when they made that first run to the Elite Eight in 1999. Since then: Cory Violette and Ronny Turiaf, JP Batista and Ronny Turiaf, Kelly Olynyk and Robert Sacre, Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris (one of the more underrated duos in college basketball history).
The 2017 Final Four team had Przemek Karnowski (7’1), Johnathan Williams (6’9), Zach Collins (7’0) and Killian Tillie (6’10). Rui Hachimura (6’8) was also on that 2017 team and would be part of one of the great forward combinations that I can remember two years later (Hachimura and Brandon Clarke in 2018-19).
Go-To Move: Jump Hook
Years ago, I was at a professional game in France (B level). I was watching a friend of Ronny Turiaf play who had a great Division II career in the United States. One of things I told him after the game was that he was going to his countermove before his go-to move. “Your go-to move is your #1 move for a reason!”
I want to emphasize your “Go-to move” before anything else:
Jump Hook and How to get to the spot that you want.
In picture (#4), that is where you need to get to — practice that against someone using a pad. Tap into your aggression to fight for space and to stay on balance.
Post Play Development Outline (Divided into Thirds). Focus on first third.
A. Footwork
Jump rope progression
B. Catch
Honestly, this is one of the more underrated parts of working with post players — Catching, Getting on Balance, Being Patient after the Catch, Surveying the Defense. A common mistake for High School and College players is to immediately put the ball on the floor after the catch.
Re-Post
C. Jump Hook Finishes
Left Shoulder
Right Shoulder
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Pump Fake Finishes
E. Seals
Shuffle catch (Seal on a man, slide back and forth)
Seal and Fire
Seal out
Bullet pass from top of key
Seal back and forth – catch and finish
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. 2 on 2
2 on 0 – Block to Block Screen Progression (shots for both)
2 on 1 – Block to Block (Score Low Post) either seal or feed
2 on 2 – Block to Block (Play to 5 or a Set # of possessions)
2 on 0 – Zone spots (shots for both)
G. Anchor Foot to Better Position (Back)
Catch with Baseline Foot (Turn and Face)
Shot
Sweep
Other Notes:
When I first started watching Girls’ HS Basketball, one of the things that stood out was what defenses should focus on taking away. This is the question that popped out to me: What would I rather have from a defensive standpoint: 1) a halfway contested shot 3-10 feet from the basket OR 2) an open 3-pt shot?
Answer: Let these players at that this level try to finish over the defense because that seems like a low percentage shot. I do not want to give up wide-open uncontested 3-pt shots.
Advanced Stats Show Impact of Post Players
— Offensive Rebounding and Getting to FT line (pin fouls on defense) —> Changes the whole game