Intro to the Wetz Sets Basketball Explainers
Compiling breakdown videos as a resource to learn the game
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If you’ve been following our YouTube content, you’ve probably seen our series of explainer videos on various basketball actions, plays, defensive techniques, etc. Thanks to the brilliance of Her Hoop Stats legend Jenn Hatfield, these have become known as the “Wetz Sets.”
In fact, it wasn’t just the name that was Jenn’s idea, it was the entire concept. When Jenn reached out to me about the idea, saying she would love to find some type of “Basketball 201” course to learn about regular actions teams run or how to “appreciate the finer points of defending a screen,” I knew immediately that something like that would have value.
There are already several great resources for this. There’s The Basketball Dictionary, and there’s also The Basketball Action Dictionary (yes, two different things, both excellent). There’s Hoop Vision, which is probably more of a 301 course, but is a fantastic publication. Then there are places like The Basketball Playbook or FastModel’s PlayBank with helpful diagrams and breakdowns.
The only problem? Upwards of 95% of the content on these sites is centered around men’s basketball.
It’s like Carolyn Smalls said on a recent episode of the Rebel Edition podcast: The terminology doesn’t change, but it’s still important to cover all aspects of the sport from the perspective of the women’s game as well.
That’s where the Wetz Sets series comes in. We’ll be using this space to break down different types of plays or common words and phrases you’ve probably heard but may not have understood. And we’ll be doing it exclusively using women’s basketball film.
If there are ever any concepts you’re interested in learning more about, feel free to let us know! Our goal is to grow in our knowledge of the game as a women’s basketball community, and that’s always a collaborative effort.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?