Oklahoma State Cowboys Backscreen Attack
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have two of the top three scorers in the powerful Big 12 Conference. Junior guard Phil Forte (17.4 ppg) and senior forward Le’Bryan Nash (17.1 ppg) are the focal point of Travis Ford’s offense.
Likewise, they are at the top of opposing scouting reports. Teams often use “zero” coverage on Forte due to his deep shooting range and shooting ability (58 eFG%). Defenders will not help off Forte to seal a drive, hedge a screen or for any other reason.
At 6’7” Nash is the classic in-between player. He lacks the consistent outside shooting ability to play the wing and his strength is scoring in the paint (44% of his shots are at the rim). Finding Nash space in the lane requires more creativity than simply posting him on the block for he often draws a much bigger defender.
Ford must use the gifts of these two players and play through them for the Oklahoma State Cowboys’ offense to be efficient. And he knows full well what kind of defensive attention Forte and Nash will attract.
Ford often uses a backscreen offense that has flex elements such as screening for the screener to manufacture offense for the Cowboys.
The best element of this offense is that Ford uses Forte as a screener. When Forte is screening the defense is less likely to hedge on the cutter. A solid screen by Forte can yield an open cutter.
Further, the offense has the screen-the-screener element. When Forte backscreens he is immediately receiving a downscreen. In the video below, Forte sets all of the backscreens that result in easy baskets. In the final frame versus Texas, Forte’s screen frees Nash from his taller defender.
Deeper into the offense, there are screen-the-screener opportunities for Nash as well. You will see him set a screen for the baseline cutter then receive a downscreen (flex element) that enables him to score in the lane.
There are also three-point opportunities to be had when a good shooter sets the backscreen.
This offense is designed to get two of the Big 12’s top players the ball. Ford exploits the fear of opposing defenders by making Forte a screener. That gives Nash the few feet of space he needs free of bigger defenders to score around the rim. This is a good example of tailoring an offense to fit the skills of your best players.
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Email: randy@radiusathletics.com
Bio:
– 197 wins in nine seasons as a Head Basketball Coach
– Clinician at several coaching clinics and camps
– Head Coach of several state-ranked 30+ win teams
– Basketball Consultant & Coaching Mentor
– B.S. in Physical Education from Texas Christian University
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Click on the pdf link to download the Oklahoma State Cowboys Backscreen Attack:
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