Butler University Basketball Playbook | 2013 NCAA Tournament
There isn’t much to write about Brad Stevens that hasn’t already been written. We all know about the back-to-back NCAA Championship Game appearances and his new job as Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. However, in this post I will take a look at the 2012-13 version of the Butler University Basketball Bulldogs; Brad’s last season at Butler.
Coming off a disappointing season the year before in which they failed to reach the tournament, Butler switched conferences into the Atlantic 10. Yes, the A-10 might not be considered a “major” conference, but when you routinely place 4-5 teams in the Big Dance every season you cannot be called a mid-major.
Aided by the eligibility of Rotnei Clarke Butler finished 27-9 overall and 11-5 in conference play; good enough for third place in their inaugural season in the A-10. Defense has always been a backbone of Steven’s Butler teams but this was a great offensive team as well. Butler had an offensive efficiency rating of .1096 points-per-possession (PPP).
The Butler University Basketball offense was built primarily on slowing it down, averaging a shade under 65 possessions per game putting them in the bottom half of the country, and sharp execution. They scored at an average of .903 PPP in a half-court setting, good for 48th in the country and putting them in the 87th percentile.
The Butler University Basketball Offense relied on well-timed cuts and screens to create opportunities for open jump shots and post-ups. When you watched them play, it was almost like a chess match; watching one player move in hopes of freeing up a teammate for another move. Butler was insanely efficient no matter how you classified them. According to Synergy, they averaged .933 PPP on possessions labeled “post ups”, good for 18th in the country. On possessions labeled “cuts” they scored at a rate of 1.3 PPP (12th in the country) and on possessions labeled “off screens” they scored at a rate of 1.085 PPP (26th) per Synergy.
In the following Youtube Clip and diagram we dissect all of the offensive sets that Butler used during the 2013 NCAA Tournament run.
The first clip exemplifies how Butler University Basketball Offense is run. There is back screens, ball reversals, post entries and weak side action to discourage help. We also see a very disciplined defensive effort by Bucknell. The possession concludes with #15 Rotnei Clarke coming off a down screen after setting two screens himself. The defender trails the play and has no help from the defender guarding the screener because of where the screen was set. Clarke curls slightly off it towards the ball and hits an impossible shot that all but clinches the game for the Bulldogs.
In clip #2, the Butler University Basketball Offense back screens #23 Khyle Marshall from the opposite wing to the ball side block. The defender over pursues the play and get’s caught on Marshall’s outside shoulder. #15 Rotnei Clarke delivers a perfect bounce.
Clip #3 shows a similar set. #24 Kellen Dunham back screens #21 Roosevelt Jones to the ball side block. Dunham then comes off a stagger screen on the perimeter towards the ball. Marquette does a good job jamming the back screen and trailing Dunham on the stagger. The defender’s that were guarding the screener also do a good job extending and protecting.
In clip #4, the Butler University Basketball Offense starts off in a “Horns” set. A Horns set is when there is two players at the pinch post. #15 Clarke dribbles at #21 Jones on the wing and he backs his defender down into the vacant block. The two offensive players a the pinch post then turn and set a stagger screen for #24 Dunham in the weak side corner. Again Butler does a great job entering the ball into the post and occupying the help with weak side action. A Bucknell defender is late to help and ends up committing a foul.
Set #5 shows a slight wrinkle in Butler’s post entry set. They back screened #23 Marshall to the ball side block, however #44 Andrew Smith did not feed the post. Instead, he reversed the ball back to weak side and Marshall set a back screen on Smith’s defender who was helping towards the ball.
In clip #6 we enter the ball screen series for Butler University Basketball Offense. This set is a simple high ball screen for #21 Jones. The defender guarding the screener is playing it soft and traces the ball handler for 2 dribbles, allowing the screener separation when he flares. Butler does a great job spacing the floor negating the help and Jones throws a good drag pass for the shot.
Clip #7 shows the Butler University Basketball Offense running a “twist” action. The twist action is popular in the NBA and is when a ball handler uses a ball screen, then changes direction and gets another ball screen from another teammate. In this clip Marquette defends the first ball screen by going over and playing level with the screen. In the second ball screen it appears they attempt to trap the screen. #15 Rotnei Clarke does a good throwing a drag pass back to the screener who flared. The defender guarding the man in the corner rotates off his man and to ball and #44 Smith makes the extra pass for the open shot.
Clip #8 shows the Butler University Basketball Offense running a “double drag” ball screen. A double drag is when the ball handler gets two ball-screens one after the other, almost like a stagger. In this play the ball handler #15 Clarke comes off both screens with his defender fighting over the top of both of them. The defenders guarding both the screeners are playing soft, but the one guarding the second screener traced the ball for one dribble disallowing Clarke from turning the corner. The second screener rolled to the hoop drawing the defender of the first screener who flared to the wing. Clarke throws a perfect drag pass for an open shot.
The following two clips show the Butler University Basketball Offense running dribble hand-offs. Clip #9 shows the ball entered into #31 Kameron Woods at the pinch post. The ball handler #3 Alex Barlow runs off Woods into the ball side corner. #24 gets a down screen and comes around to enter into a dribble hand off with Woods. This serves as almost an inverted ball-screen and forces the defense to defend both the ball-handler and rotate over to the roller.
In the tenth and final clip Butler changes sides of the floor to enter into a dribble hand off for #15 Rotnei Clarke. Clarke is freed in the corner by a down screen and his defender trails him the whole way. The defender guarding #23 Marshall is late to show to the shooter and Clarke gets off a shot.
John Zall BIO
Coach John Zall just completed his first season as an Assistant Coach at Division II Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. This past season Franklin Pierce University won 20 games and advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Zall arrived at Franklin Pierce after spending the past 3 seasons as the Associate Head Coach/Head JV Coach at O’Bryant High school in Roxbury, MA. During his tenure at O’Bryant the program improved from 4 wins to 12 wins and qualified for the MIAA State Tournament twice.
Coach Zall also has experience as an AAU Head Coach for the Boston Warriors. As Head Coach for the Warriors his team won the 2011 16U State Title and twice competed in AAU Nationals down in Orlando, FL. On top of being a student at Northeastern University, Zall was named Head Coach of the Men’s Club Basketball team for the 2012-13 season. During his lone season as Head Coach, Northeastern finished second in the Northeast Regional Tournament featuring colleges from throughout the East Coast. Coach Zall has also spent time as a Head Coach in the Bay State Games where his team won the Bronze Medal in 2012 and at various camps including: Five Star, Boston Celtics, NIKE, Franklin Pierce University, Hoop Group and The Elite 75.
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Click on the pdf link to download the Butler University Basketball Playbook:
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