Purdue Two-Big Zoom Offense

SAIT identity system. This is our offensive base for FY26. Two bigs on the floor, motion built around zoom action, with high-low, Spain PnR, and pin-down DHO chains as the spine. See also my-team/identity.md. The broader zoom and two-big motion reference library lives in the appendix at the bottom of this page (variations, practitioners, defensive answers, drills, verified film).

Diagram legend: White solid = off-ball cut. Blue dashed = dribble. Yellow dashed = pass / DHO. Red bar = screen. Grey square = defender. Animations loop every 9 seconds.

Origin and inspiration

Built on Matt Painter's Purdue offense, which has run a true two-big lineup nearly every possession through the Edey years and into the Trey Kaufman-Renaud / Daniel Jacobsen era. Painter's Purdue is consistently top-5 in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom. The system is patient, half-court oriented, and refuses to play four-out small ball. The "zoom" piece (pin-down into a dribble hand-off) is borrowed from modern NBA and Euroleague offenses (Ettore Messina, Mike Budenholzer's Hawks/Bucks, Quin Snyder's Jazz) and stitches the two-big alignment to a guard-friendly continuity.

Core principles

1. Two bigs always on the floor. A primary big (5) who rolls, posts, and rim-runs. A secondary big (4) who can pop, set the second screen in zoom, and DHO from the elbow or slot. At SAIT this is Yopa (5) and Denault Gabriel (4).
2. Spacing is 3-out-2-in. PG up top, two perimeter players in the corners or wings, two bigs at the elbows, slot, or short corner. Not 5-out, not 4-out. The two-big footprint is non-negotiable.
3. Zoom is the connector. Every possession should at least threaten a pin-down + DHO to keep the defense moving. Zoom forces switches, top-locks, or chases, and every one of those triggers a counter we have repped.
4. Patience over pace. Half-court emphasis. We are not chasing 75-possession games. Use 18 to 22 seconds of the shot clock by default. Push only off live-ball turnovers and clear long rebounds.
5. High-low is the bailout. When the perimeter action is taken away, the second big flashes to the elbow and we throw it inside.
6. Second-side action. If the first zoom is denied, swing the ball, run zoom on the other side. Painter's Purdue almost never settles on the first look.

Alignment (base set)

        PG
   B4         B5     (slot / elbow)
S         S          (wings or corners)

PG initiates. B4 (Denault Gabriel) is the popping / DHO big at the elbow or slot. B5 (Yopa) is the screener / roller / post player. Two perimeter shooters fill the corners or wings.

What zoom actually is

Zoom = a chase screen (pin-down) immediately followed by a dribble hand-off (DHO) from the screener. The shooter sprints off a pin-down and then catches a DHO from the same big. It is one continuous action from the shooter's perspective. Standard zoom uses one big as the screener and one as the DHO partner. Two-big zoom uses BOTH bigs: the popping 4 sets the pin-down, the rolling 5 takes the DHO (or vice versa), and the second big in the action becomes a hand-off threat or a back-screen target.

Signature actions

1. Zoom (the base)

What it looks like. PG dribbles toward the wing. B5 (Yopa) is on the elbow ball-side. B4 (Denault Gabriel) is in the opposite slot or short corner. The strong-side shooter starts in the corner. B5 sets a pin-down on the corner shooter, who sprints up. PG hits B5 with a DHO toss, B5 hands it off to the curling shooter coming up off the screen. B4 spaces the slot.

Reads.

• Shooter clean off the pin-down: catch and shoot off the DHO.
• Defender chasing over: shooter rejects the DHO, drives middle, B5 rolls.
• Defender top-locks the pin-down: slip read (see Zoom Flip).
• Defender goes under: shooter pulls up off the DHO.

Counters. Zoom Flip (next), Zoom Flare (when defender top-locks aggressively).

2. Zoom Flip (slip the screen, big rolls)

What it looks like. Same alignment. The shooter starts up the pin-down but the defender top-locks (jumps over the top of the screen to deny the catch). B5 reads the top-lock and slips the pin-down, diving directly to the rim. The shooter clears through to the opposite corner. PG hits B5 on the slip for a layup or feeds B4 at the elbow for a high-low.

Reads.

• B5 wide open on the slip: lob or bounce pass.
• Help comes from the weak side: B5 finds B4 at the elbow, B4 hits the open shooter.
• No help: B5 finishes.

Counters. Zoom + Spain (when help collapses the slip).

3. Zoom + High Ball-Screen

What it looks like. Run zoom on the wing. The DHO becomes a true ball-screen: B5 stops the toss short and screens for the shooter, who is now the ball-handler. B4 lifts to the slot (relocates). It is a zoom into a side PnR, with the second big spaced for a kick-out three or a high-low pass.

Reads.

• vs Drop: shooter pulls up off the screen or pockets to B5 on the short roll.
• vs Switch: B4 in the slot is open for a swing-and-attack.
• vs Hedge: re-screen, or B5 slips and runs to the rim.

Use it most against. Drop coverage teams. This is our base attack on any pack-line / drop opponent (Concordia, Augustana, NAIT, MHC, St. Mary's).

4. Zoom into Spain (back-screen the popping big's defender)

What it looks like. Run zoom on the wing. As the shooter takes the DHO and turns it into a side PnR, B4 (the popping big) sprints in and back-screens B5's defender (the dropping big). B4 then pops to the top of the key for a catch-and-shoot three. The Spain element solves the drop-coverage problem: the defender who would normally tag the roll is back-screened, leaving B5 a clean lane to the rim and B4 open at the top.

Reads.

• B4's defender helps on the lob: kick to B4 popping for three.
• B4's defender stays home: B5 catches the lob or layup.
• Both bigs help: weak-side shooter is wide open in the corner.

Use it most against. Pack-line and drop teams that won't switch (Briercrest, NAIT, MHC). Spain is the cheat code vs disciplined drop.

5. Twist (screener and cutter swap roles)

What it looks like. Run zoom action but the bigs swap who screens and who is the DHO partner. B5 cuts up like a shooter would. B4 sets the pin-down for B5. B5 takes the DHO from a guard who has lifted to the slot. Now we have a big handling on the perimeter with a guard finishing through the lane.

Reads.

• B5 is a credible shooter: catch and shoot.
• B5 is not a shooter: catch, attack a closeout, drive-and-kick.
• Defense switches: B5 has a small in the post.

Use it most against. Teams that scout the standard zoom and pre-switch the pin-down. Twist makes them hesitate because the big is now coming off the screen.

High-low (the connector)

When zoom is taken away (the wing is denied, or both bigs are tagged), B4 flashes hard to the elbow and we throw a high-low pass to B5 sealing on the block. This is the classic Painter bailout.

Counters (universal)

Drilling (install order)

Day 1: Zoom mechanics, no defense.

• Pin-down + DHO breakdown, 0v0. Both sides of the floor. 10 reps each side.
• Add a guided defender. Shooter reads chase / over / under.

Day 2: Zoom Flip read.

• 2v2 (B5 + shooter vs two defenders). Defender top-locks. Slip and finish.
• Add B4 for high-low rescue.

Day 3: Zoom + Spain.

• 4v4. Second big back-screen install. Reps vs drop.

Day 4: Twist + second-side action.

• 5v5 with predetermined coverage. Stop, fix, restart.

Day 5: Live 5v5.

• Whole-system reps. Track shot type, decision quality, not just makes.

Famous practitioners

• Matt Painter, Purdue. The system this is modeled after. Two bigs every possession, patient half-court, deep counters library.
• Greg McDermott, Creighton. Heavy DHO and pin-down user, similar two-big logic with a popping 4.
• Ettore Messina, Olimpia Milano. Euroleague reference for zoom with off-ball flare counters.
• Quin Snyder (Hawks / formerly Jazz). NBA-side zoom and Spain practitioner.
• Mike Budenholzer (Suns / formerly Bucks). Spain PnR popularizer in the NBA.
• Landry Kosmalski, Davidson. Two-big motion at the mid-major level. VIDEO 2 Big Motion Offense.

Why this fits SAIT

• We have two playable bigs (Yopa as 5, Denault Gabriel as 4 with shooting touch).
• Carter is a credible PG who can initiate, take a DHO, and finish a side PnR.
• Bennett is a wing who profiles as the zoom shooter (sprints off pin-downs, takes DHOs).
• The system absorbs roster gaps. If our SG slot is unsettled, zoom still works because the action is generated by the bigs, not by an elite catch-and-shoot guard.

Sources and verification

All YouTube links above were verified by URL resolution at install time. If any link 404s, replace it with a search on the same channel and topic, do not fabricate a replacement.

Written sources:

• Mike Sherman, _Purdue's Offense Explained_, Hammer and Rails (Purdue SB Nation site). Searchable archive of Painter offense breakdowns.
• KenPom team page for Purdue. Confirms top-5 offensive efficiency rankings under Painter.
• Slappin' Glass podcast, multiple episodes on two-big spacing and Spain PnR (Patrick Carney and Dan Krikorian).

See also

• systems/actions/spain-pnr.md
• systems/actions/zoom.md
• systems/concepts/ball-screen-reads.md
• systems/offense/horns.md
• my-team/identity.md
• my-team/sets.md

Global Reference Library

The wider zoom + two-big universe, kept on the same page so this is the single zoom destination. The install above is SAIT-tailored. Everything below is library-grade reference: variations, practitioners, defensive answers, drills, verified film.

A coaching librarian's tour of zoom action and two-big motion across the NCAA, NBA, EuroLeague, and FIBA. Built for the SAIT staff as the broad reference behind our two-big install. The team-specific install document lives at systems/offense/purdue-two-big-zoom.md (Painter-rooted, SAIT-tailored). This file is the wider library: variations, practitioners, defensive answers, drills, and verified film.

Naming note. "Zoom" and "Chicago" are used interchangeably by many staffs (Coach Hoops, FastModel, NBA Playbook all group them). This file uses the Hoop Vision / Painter convention: zoom = pin-down or down-screen flowing immediately into a DHO from the same big. Where a source uses "Chicago" for the same picture, treat it as the same family.

1. What is zoom?

Zoom is a three-player action that chains a screen for a shooter into a dribble hand-off (DHO) from the same screener.

Setup (5-out shown, but works from 4-out / horns / wide):

  C(corner)              P(point, ball)              W(wing)
              5 (in lane)
                              4 (top, will receive)

Step 1: 5 sets a pindown / down-screen for C
Step 2: C sprints up out of the corner toward the slot
Step 3: 4 dribbles toward C and gives a DHO
Step 4: C is now downhill at the rim with momentum,
        5 rolls or seals, 4 pops or relocates

The two screens (down-screen + DHO) happen inside roughly 1.5 seconds. The shooter's defender has to chase through or under the down-screen and then immediately navigate the DHO. That double tax is the reason zoom became the most popular action in basketball after the Warriors-Curry era and the Painter-Edwards/Cline Purdue teams (2018-19) put it on film.

Why it punishes modern defensive coverages:

• Drop. The DHO partner is high (above the screen). The shooter catches behind a static drop big with separation already built in. Pull-up J or downhill drive.
• ICE on the DHO. The action runs middle-out, not sideline-down. ICE rules force the ball back to the middle, which is exactly where zoom wants it.
• Switch. The screener is a big, the cutter is a wing. A clean switch creates a small-on-big seal at the elbow or post and a big-on-small chase on the perimeter.
• Hard hedge. The shooter pops behind a flare into open space (the zoom-flare counter).

References:

• Coach Hoops. "Zoom Action: The Most Popular Play in Basketball"
• NBA Playbook. "Chicago/Zoom Action: Pindown-into-DHO Reads"
• VIDEO Hoop Vision. "How Purdue used Zoom action for Edwards and Cline" (Jordan Sperber, Oct 2019)
• VIDEO Hoop Brainiac. "Zoom action. Pin down into a DHO"

2. The two-big lens

Zoom was originally a Warriors / 5-out action. Putting two bigs on the floor changes the math in five concrete ways:

1. A second DHO hub. Both 4 and 5 can be the handoff partner at the elbow. Defenses can't pre-tag one big as "the DHO guy."
2. Hi-lo windows. When the chase shooter is top-locked, the off-ball big slips into hi-lo. The DHO partner becomes a high-post passer the moment the chase action dies.
3. Spain conversion. The non-DHO big becomes the back-screener. Zoom flows directly into Spain PnR (see Section 4).
4. OREB volume. Two bigs on the strong side after the DHO turns every middle drive into a paint-touch with two crash threats.
5. Mismatch creation. After a switch, you have a guard guarding your 4 and a 4 guarding your guard, with 5 still at the elbow as a passer. That is a layered mismatch problem the defense has to solve in one possession.

Painter's modern Purdue (Edey-era and Boilermakers post-Edey) is the canonical NCAA two-big-zoom reference. Olympiacos under Bartzokas (Vezenkov + Fall / Milutinov) and Real Madrid under Mateo are the EuroLeague analogues. Denver under Malone is the NBA analogue when Gordon plays the second-big role next to Jokic at the elbow.

References:

• Hoop Vision. "The Starting Five: Defending Edey"
• Hoop Vision. "The Starting Five: Purdue's Ball Screen Sets"
• Hoop Vision. "The Sandwich Method" (defending two-big lineups)
• Hoopsplaybook. Matt Painter motion offense diagrams
• Hoopsplaybook. Gonzaga 4-out 1-in motion

3. Variations of zoom

Each entry: action, defense it beats, counter to the defensive answer, real example, verified film/article.

3.1 Base zoom (chase + DHO)

The vanilla. Pin-down into DHO from the same big. The shooter ends up at the slot with the ball, downhill momentum, and a big rolling.

• Beats. Drop coverage. Soft hedge. Anything that asks the chase defender to fight over.
• Counter to the answer. If the defense switches, the screener slips for the seal (see 3.2).
• Practitioners. Purdue (Edwards/Cline 2018-19), Kentucky under Mark Pope (Pope's 5-out is built on continuous zoom), Florida's continuity offense.
• Film: VIDEO Hoop Vision. How Purdue used zoom action for Edwards and Cline
• Film: VIDEO Pindown DHO. Purdue direct clip
• Film: VIDEO The ZOOM offense action. Coach Nick breakdown
• Film: VIDEO Zoom action. Pin down into a DHO. Hoop Brainiac
• Film: VIDEO Breakdown of the zoom action
• Articles: Half Court Hoops. Kentucky 5-Out Zoom Offense. Half Court Hoops. Florida Gators Continuity Offense.
• Diagram: hoopsplaybook.ca. Zoom action

3.2 Zoom slip

The DHO big reads the catcher's defender top-locking or pre-switching, fakes the handoff, and slips immediately to the rim. The ball-handler hits the slip with a pocket bounce.

• Beats. Top-lock chase. Pre-switch off-ball. Aggressive ICE on the DHO.
• Counter to the answer. If the help digs early, kick to the corner spacer for a 3.
• Practitioners. Boston Celtics (Mazzulla, Horford as the slip big), Houston Rockets-style 5-out zoom.
• Film: VIDEO Top Lock Counter ft. Stephen Curry. The slip read when defenders top-lock the chase screen
• Film: VIDEO How to Talk Basketball. Top-lock explainer (why slip beats it)
• Film: VIDEO How to Teach the 2-Man Game. DHO, Get Action, Ball Screens, Pin Downs (slip variations)
• Article: Hoop Vision. The Starting Five. Zoom Zoom Zoom (paid)
• Diagram: hoopsplaybook.ca. Top-lock counter

3.3 Zoom flare

Instead of the DHO big handing it off, the cutter veers off the chase screen and the DHO big sets a flare screen behind. The shooter pops behind the flare and catches in rhythm.

• Beats. Hard hedge or any aggressive show on the DHO. Switching that telegraphs.
• Counter to the answer. If the flare defender top-locks, slip-flare into a backdoor.
• Practitioners. Boston Celtics (Tatum / Brown coming off Horford or Porzingis flares), Sacramento under Brown era.
• Film: VIDEO Ettore Messina. Flex action, Zoom, Flare
• Film: VIDEO Pitt. Man offense, Horns, Zoom action (with flare counters)
• Article: Hoop Vision. The Starting Five. Three-Point Stats (Northwestern zoom into flare)

3.4 Zoom flip / twist (screener and cutter swap)

After the down-screen is set, the screener immediately becomes the cutter and the cutter becomes the screen-setter for the trailing big. Used as a counter when the defense pre-switches the original action.

• Beats. Pre-switch. Anticipation. Scout-driven defense.
• Counter to the answer. Hammer screen on the weak-side corner if the help over-rotates.
• Practitioners. Purdue uses twist as a Chicago counter. The 2022 Boilermakers are a clinic example.
• Film: VIDEO Chicago Triple. Purdue Boilermakers Chicago counter
• Film: VIDEO Ettore Messina. Flex, Zoom, Flare (screener-cutter swap concept)
• Article: Half Court Hoops. Purdue Boilermakers Chicago Counters
• Diagram: hoopsplaybook.ca. Twist action

3.5 Double zoom

Two zoom actions stacked. The shooter comes off the first chase + DHO, declines the shot, and runs into a second pindown + DHO from the other big.

• Beats. Anything that survives the first zoom. By the second action, the defense is scrambling.
• Counter to the answer. The first big slips after handing off the second time, with the now-vacated lane wide open.
• Practitioners. Warriors (Curry era, Kerr's motion). Real Madrid (Llull / Campazzo).
• Film: VIDEO Ettore Messina. Double drag into dribble handoff (closest two-screen analog)
• Film: VIDEO Hoop Vision. How Purdue used zoom action (stacked zoom reps appear in the breakdown)
• Channel: HoopVision68. Filter "double zoom" / "double pindown DHO"

3.6 Zoom into Spain

The cutter comes off zoom, attacks downhill, and the chase-screening big sets a ball-screen. The non-DHO big sets a back-screen on the dropping defender. Pure Spain PnR off zoom flow.

• Beats. Drop coverage. The most painful answer for traditional drop schemes.
• Counter to the answer. If the defense switches the back-screen, the popping big shoots over the smaller defender; if they top-lock the back-screener, run zoom into stagger instead (see 3.7).
• Practitioners. Spanish national team (Scariolo, Ricky Rubio + Marc Gasol). Olympiacos (Vezenkov as the back-screener-popper). Toronto Raptors brought Spain to the NBA via Casey/Nurse.
• Film: VIDEO Spain Pick and Roll. Breaking down the basics
• Film: VIDEO Spain Pick-N-Roll breakdown
• Film: VIDEO Breakdown Series Episode 7. Spain Pick-and-Roll
• Film: VIDEO Decision making out of Spain Pick and Roll
• Article: Mundo Deportivo. Spain Pick and Roll. El sistema de la selección
• Diagram: hoopsplaybook.ca. Spain pick-and-roll
• See also: systems/actions/spain-pnr.md

3.7 Zoom into stagger

Instead of a single down-screen, two bigs set a stagger for the cutter, who then takes the DHO from the second screener. This is what teams run when the original chase defender consistently fights over.

• Beats. Aggressive over-the-top chase. Top-lock with weak help.
• Counter to the answer. If the defense switches the stagger, slip the second screen for a rim catch.
• Practitioners. UConn (Hurley) runs stagger-into-handoff repeatedly in their Chin series. Villanova four-out roots are stagger-heavy.
• Film. Hoop Vision. UConn Chin Series. Half Court Hoops. UConn's Ridiculous Playbook. Hoopsplaybook. Villanova 4-out 1-in motion.

3.8 Zoom into ball-screen continuation (Chicago action)

After the DHO, the same big who handed off then immediately turns and sets a ball-screen for the now-driving cutter. Two screens become three. The Chicago label gets used here interchangeably with zoom-PnR.

• Beats. Anyone who survives zoom but is still recovering. The on-ball defender is already trailing.
• Counter to the answer. Reject the ball-screen if the defense over-helps. Slip if they switch.
• Practitioners. Sacramento (Sabonis as the elbow hub), Memphis (Bane coming off Adams). Painter has used it as a Carsen Edwards staple.
• Film. Coach Hoops zoom article explicitly diagrams zoom-into-ball-screen. Half Court Hoops. Sacramento Kings 2022-23 Preview.

3.9 Elbow zoom vs wing zoom

Same mechanics, different geography. Elbow zoom has the DHO partner at the elbow, attacking middle. Wide zoom stretches the DHO partner out to the slot extended, attacking the side. Wide zoom is what you call against ICE and against teams that load the strong-side help.

• Beats elbow zoom. Drop, soft coverages, anything that lets the ball touch the paint.
• Beats wide zoom. ICE, blitz schemes that overload middle.
• Counter. If the defense ICEs wide zoom, run zoom into Spain (back-screen on the dropping big). If they jam elbow zoom, flow into hi-lo.
• Practitioners. Real Madrid runs both flavors out of their elbow series. Denver runs Jokic-elbow-zoom relentlessly with Murray as the cutter.
• Film. Half Court Hoops. Nuggets vs Clippers Game 5 Breakdown. Hoopsplaybook. European motion.

3.10 High-low after zoom

When the chase shooter gets top-locked and the DHO is taken away, the DHO partner big slips toward the rim and the chase-screening big becomes the high-post passer. Pure two-big hi-lo in 1.5 seconds.

• Beats. Top-lock chase. Switch that puts a guard on the DHO big.
• Counter to the answer. If the help collapses to the slipping big, kick out to the corner spacer.
• Practitioners. Painter (Edey / Kaufman-Renn era), Gonzaga with Timme + Holmgren, Olympiacos (Fall + Vezenkov).
• Film. Hoop Vision. The Starting Five: Defending Edey. Hoopsplaybook. Gonzaga 4-out 1-in.

3.11 Reject zoom

The cutter refuses the DHO and back-cuts. Best vs aggressive over-the-top chase that overcommits to the handoff.

• Beats. Over-the-top chase. Aggressive jump-to-the-ball recovery.
• Counter. If the defense sags off in anticipation, take the catch-and-shoot.
• Practitioners. Warriors (Curry rejecting handoffs is a staple).
• Reference. Listed as a variation in the existing repo file systems/actions/zoom.md.

3.12 Iverson zoom (Iverson cut into zoom)

The shooter starts on the weak-side block, runs an Iverson cut across the elbows (using both bigs as walls), and the second big flows into a DHO at the slot. Combines Iverson series entry with zoom finish.

• Beats. Switch-everything teams (the Iverson cut creates pre-switch confusion before the DHO arrives).
• Counter. Top-lock the Iverson cut. The cutter flares back over the second big for a flare 3.
• Practitioners. Boston Celtics built their entire ATO Iverson series around this picture for Tatum. Spurs Pop-era ran a variant.
• Film. Half Court Hoops. Boston Celtics ATOs: Iverson Series. See systems/actions/iverson-cut.md.

4. Two-big actions that complement zoom

These are the natural companions inside a two-big motion install. Each one shares spacing, personnel, and reads with zoom, so they all live in the same playbook chapter.

• Spain PnR. Ball-screen + back-screen on the dropping big's defender. The screener rolls free, the back-screener pops. See systems/actions/spain-pnr.md. Mundo Deportivo article on Scariolo's Spanish national team origin is the canonical source.
• Stack PnR. The two bigs stack at the nail. The ball-handler picks which screen to use. Forces the defense to declare coverage before the action starts.
• Hammer. Drive baseline, weak-side flare screen for a corner shooter, kick to the cleanly opened 3. See systems/actions/hammer.md. Pure two-big hammer puts the second big as the flare-screener.
• Chicago. Pin from the elbow into DHO. Cousin of zoom, see systems/actions/chicago.md. Many staffs use Chicago and zoom as synonyms.
• Twist. Screener and cutter swap roles mid-action. Used as a counter to pre-switching defenses.
• Get action. Pass-and-follow into a ball-screen for the passer. Pairs with zoom because both are pass-and-screen-rhythm actions. See systems/actions/get-action.md.
• Double drag. Two bigs both set ball-screens in succession on the same possession. Standard NBA two-big counter when the first ball-screen gets blitzed.
• Iverson into zoom. See 3.12 above.
• Ram screen. A small sets a flare/back-screen on the defender of an incoming ball-screener, springing the screener for a clean roll. See systems/actions/ram-screen.md. Two-big ram has the second big as either the rammer or the recipient.

5. Defensive coverages and how zoom beats each

References:

• Hoop Vision. The Starting Five: Drop Coverage
• Hoop Vision. No Threes (UConn defensive strategy)
• Half Court Hoops. Houston Cougars MONSTER Defense
• See systems/defense/ice-pnr.md, systems/defense/drop-coverage.md, systems/defense/switch-everything.md, systems/defense/scram-switch.md, systems/defense/no-middle.md.

6. Drilling progression

Standard four-step build for installing zoom + two-big motion. Volume guidance is for one practice block, repeat across the install week.

Step 1. 3v0 walk-through (10 min).

Three players: ball-handler, cutter, big. Walk through the read tree: shoot off the DHO, attack downhill, slip, reject. Add the second big and walk hi-lo and Spain conversions. No defense.

Step 2. 3v3 shell with the action live (15 min).

Same three on offense, three guards on defense. Coach calls the coverage (drop, switch, ICE, top-lock). Offense reads. Score on a make or a defined "good shot." Reset.

Step 3. 5v5 controlled with scout team in the targeted defense (20 min).

Full lineup. Scout team is locked into one coverage per rep. Offense runs zoom out of multiple alignments (4-out, horns, wide). After 6 reps, change the coverage. Reference drills from systems/concepts/ball-screen-reads.md and systems/concepts/off-ball-screens.md.

Step 4. 5v5 live (15 min).

Defense plays whatever they want. Offense must execute zoom or a documented counter on every possession. Score with bonus points for a paint touch and a kick-out 3.

For a deeper drill catalogue, see Hoopsplaybook's drill index (Eric Johannsen): https://hoopsplaybook.ca/site_index.htm.

7. Famous practitioners

NCAA

• Purdue (Matt Painter). The two-big-zoom apex in college basketball. Carsen Edwards / Ryan Cline 2018-19 was the breakout, then Edey / Smith / Loyer modernized it. Hi-lo layer is unique to Painter. See VIDEO Hoop Vision Purdue Zoom, Hoop Vision Purdue Ball Screen Sets, Hoopsplaybook Painter motion, and systems/offense/purdue-two-big-zoom.md.
• Kentucky (Mark Pope). Continuous-zoom 5-out. Pope's offense is essentially a flow of zoom actions. Half Court Hoops Kentucky 5-Out Zoom.
• Gonzaga (Mark Few). Two-big roots with Drew Timme + Chet Holmgren era, hi-lo merged with handoff motion. Hoopsplaybook Gonzaga.
• Houston (Sampson). Zoom-flare and twist out of empty-side actions, paired with their elite defense. Half Court Hoops Houston Defense.
• Florida (Todd Golden). Ball-screen + zoom continuity hybrid. Half Court Hoops Florida Continuity.
• Villanova (Wright legacy). Four-out roots that flowed naturally into stagger-DHO and zoom. Hoopsplaybook Villanova 4-out.
• UConn (Hurley). Chin series + Iverson into stagger DHOs. Hoop Vision UConn Chin, Half Court Hoops UConn Playbook.
• Duke. Multi-formation playbook with zoom as a core piece. Half Court Hoops Duke Sets.
• Alabama (Nate Oats). 5-out with zoom as the Mark Sears bailout. Half Court Hoops Alabama.

NBA

• Boston Celtics (Mazzulla). Zoom slip + zoom flare, Horford and Porzingis as interchangeable DHO bigs, Iverson into zoom for ATOs. Half Court Hoops Celtics Iverson Series.
• Denver Nuggets (Malone). Jokic at the elbow as a DHO hub, Gordon as the second big setting back-screens / Spain partner. Half Court Hoops Nuggets vs Clippers G5.
• Golden State (Kerr). The originator of modern zoom volume. Curry and Thompson off the second screen into a DHO is the archetype.
• Miami Heat (Spoelstra). Zoom-into-Spain with Bam Adebayo as DHO partner. Half Court Hoops Miami Masterpiece.
• Sacramento Kings (Brown era). Sabonis as elbow DHO hub, full possessions of zoom into ball-screen. Half Court Hoops Sacramento.
• Memphis Grizzlies. Two-big looks with Bane and Adams pre-2024.
• Minnesota Timberwolves. Gobert + KAT two-big install (limited zoom, more drag and DHO). Half Court Hoops Wolves Offense.
• San Antonio Spurs (Pop legacy). The DHO motion offense that taught the league how to flow handoffs.

EuroLeague / Spanish ACB / FIBA

• Real Madrid (Mateo, Laso era). Elbow-DHO chains, chase screens, and Spain PnR in continuity. The European clinic version of the Painter offense.
• Olympiacos (Bartzokas). Vezenkov + Fall / Milutinov, two-big classic, zoom + Spain integrated.
• Fenerbahce / Anadolu Efes (Itoudis, Jasikevicius, Ataman). Heavy DHO-into-PnR continuity.
• Spain national team (Scariolo). Originated Spain PnR, integrated zoom in modern iterations. Mundo Deportivo Spain PnR article.
• Argentina national team (Hernandez / Magnano legacy). Continuous motion with elbow-DHO triangles. Hoopsplaybook Argentina motion.
• General European reference. Hoopsplaybook European offence.

No public clip located for some FIBA-rules zoom (defensive 3-second is permitted in FIBA, which slightly changes spacing math). Recommend FIBA Coaches' Corner: https://www.fiba.basketball/coaching and https://www.fiba.basketball/clinic.

9. Cross-reference

• systems/offense/purdue-two-big-zoom.md . the SAIT-specific Painter-rooted install, written in parallel by another agent. That file is the team-facing playbook (calls, alignments, drills tied to our roster). This file is the broader reference behind it.
• systems/actions/zoom.md . short action-card definition. Cross-checked at write time, no overwrite needed.
• systems/actions/chicago.md . pin-down + DHO cousin, used interchangeably in many sources.
• systems/actions/spain-pnr.md . Spain PnR mechanics, the natural conversion target after zoom.
• systems/actions/get-action.md . pass-and-screen rhythm action, pairs with zoom.
• systems/actions/iverson-cut.md . Iverson series, entry into zoom (Section 3.12).
• systems/actions/hammer.md . weak-side flare on baseline drives, the OREB-side counter to zoom drives.
• systems/actions/ram-screen.md . small-screens-the-screener pre-action, pairs with two-big PnR.
• systems/concepts/ball-screen-reads.md . read tree referenced in drilling.
• systems/concepts/off-ball-screens.md . pin-down and stagger fundamentals.
• systems/defense/drop-coverage.md, systems/defense/ice-pnr.md, systems/defense/switch-everything.md, systems/defense/scram-switch.md, systems/defense/no-middle.md . the coverages zoom is built to attack and the language we use to scout against zoom.