The Triangle Offense – Corner Ball screen by Adam Spinella

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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Basketball Offenses

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September 19, 2014

The Triangle Offense – Corner Ball screen by Adam Spinella

triangle offense

By now we’ve examined the first three options after the ball goes to the wing initially within the Triangle and the Triangle is formed. We’ve seen the post options, the two-man aspects and the pinch post options. The final option is a pass from wing-to-corner, where the point guard gets the ball in the corner. This is the last option within any Triangle option for several reasons. The corner is an area where there are the least amount of creative options with the ball. It’s easy to trap the ball in the corner, the opposite side of the court is essentially out of the play, and the defense can force the ball into a dead spot either on the high wing or the baseline.

Still, there is an option within the Triangle Offense here, and some teams have executed well out of this. Whenever the ball goes to the corner, a Corner Ballscreen is initiated.

triangle offense

corner 3

2 passes to 1 in the corner, and then cuts thru to the opposite corner, usually on the baseline side of the man in the post. As 2 curls over 5, 5 will raise off his tail and go to set a deep corner ballscreen for 1. Often times you’ll see 5 set the backscreen on 2, though this is meant to be a quick action to make 5’s defender hesitate and not be in great hedge position. 1 comes off hard, and 5 will either roll or pop. The roll is usually there, although 2’s defender will often sit in the lane to help on this action.

If 1 comes off and doesn’t hit 5 on a pocket pass or shoot for himself, he swings the ball to 3 at the top of the key. 2 spaces to the corner and 4 will drop from the pinch post to the deep post. Now the Triangle is reformed between 2, 3 and 4, and the normal Triangle actions resume, with 1 and 5 making up the weak side.

There are two main reasons why the Corner Ballscreen is usually the last option within the Triangle Offense. The first is that ballscreens invite creativity; not to say that the Triangle Offense stymies creativity, but it makes it more difficult to know exactly where to be and what spots to fill if a ball handler does too much with his dribble.

The second is that the Corner Ballscreen is easy to trap in the corner or force baseline, limiting the options off of it. The most successful teams at using the Corner Ballscreen not only get the timing down but use the 4 out of the pinch post effectively: if he makes himself available as a flash man, 1 can pass to him and 4 can hit 5 on the roll to the hoop.

Coach Adam Spinella is entering his first season as an Assistant Coach at Culver Academies in Culver, IN. Spinella spent the three years prior as a Student Assistant Coach at Division III Dickinson College. The Dickinson Men’s Team advanced to two NCAA Tournaments and accumulated an overall record of 59-26 (.694) during the three-year span, with the 2013-2014 season ending in the Division III Elite Eight. A native of Bow, New Hampshire, Spinella has a keen interest in X’s and O’s, particularly in professional basketball, and skill development.

triangle offense