Basketball · Team offence & sets · Screens & pick-and-roll

Horns set and options

Five players run the horns set from the elbows, with the elbow hand-off, pin-down and flare as reads, first against air and then 5v5.

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Start / 6
Time
20 min
Players
5–10
Age
U16+
Area
Half court
Equipment
3 basketballs5 bibs

Setup

  1. Horns alignment: point guard at the top, bigs at both elbows, shooters in both corners.
  2. Run it 5v0 first, then 5v5 with the defence playing honest man-to-man.

How it runs

  1. The guard enters to either elbow; the ball-side corner lifts to the wing as the entry is made.
  2. Elbow hand-off: the big dribbles at the wing and hands off; the far big sets a pin-down for the weak-side corner.
  3. Flare: if the guard's defender sags on the entry, the far big flares the guard to the weak-side wing for the skip.
  4. Five reps against air, then live 5v5 to a stop: 24-second clock, 90-second rotations.

Coaching points

  • Bigs catch at the elbow and face up straight away; you can't read the floor with your back to it.
  • On the hand-off, the receiver reads the defender: over the top means turn the corner, under means stop and shoot.
  • Pin-down: the cutter walks the defender into the screen, then curls, fades or pops depending on how the defender chases.
  • Space stays at 4–5 m; if two players share a spot, one moves.

Common mistakes

  • Screeners leaning or sliding into the cutter's defender: hold your ground, arms in.
  • The guard dribbling before entering, so the set starts late on the clock.
  • Corners lifting too early, so the wing is crowded before the entry.

Say it: “Catch, face, read the screen.”

Make it harder

  • The defence switches every off-ball screen; the screener slips.
  • Start every rep with 12 seconds on the shot clock.

Make it easier

  • Call the option before each rep.
  • Defence plays with hands behind their backs for the first reps.

Pairs well with

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.