5 Continuity Ball-Screen Offenses with Horns Entries

Written by Wes Kosel

Wes Kosel will enter his first season as an Assistant Coach at Augustana University under Tom Billeter in 2016-2017. Kosel came to Sioux Falls after two season at Colorado College as the lead assistant. Kosel, a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, served as an assistant coach at Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Texas Lutheran University from 2012-2014. Kosel graduated from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He also has a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Houston. While attending Kansas, Kosel served as an assistant coach at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. A life-long student of the game, Kosel honed his coaching skills by working summer camps for various programs in Texas, Colorado, Missouri, and New Mexico. Kosel also is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Certified Personal Trainer, both of which are certifications earned through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Kosel and his wife, Molly, live in Colorado Springs.

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October 2, 2015

5 Continuity Ball-Screen Offenses with Horns Entries by Wes Kosel

Here are five popular ball-screen offenses with horns entries for each. Continuity ball-screen offenses are a great way to build fluidity in your offensive attack. International teams have heavily used the European Ball-Screen Offense in the past and current college and professional teams are using variations of it now to spread the floor and stress the defense with multiple pick-and-roll actions. This article will dive into the European Ball-Screen Offense along with four other continuity variations. Horns entries are provided for each offense as the horns set is one of the most popular in basketball today.

European Ball-Screen Offense

The European ball-screen offense has been around for a while, but is still very effective. Some of the advantages of this offense include simplicity, spreading of the floor, and constant fluid motion or continuity. In addition, this offense puts your team into great “2-man” actions. If you have good ball-handlers and post players you will get a lot of scoring opportunities off of the pick-and-roll. When I was at Haskell Indian Nations University, we used this offense and got a lot of open shots off of the continuity. It is very difficult for a defense to continue to guard multiple ball-screen actions with good players on offense. Another part of the European influence is the stretch 4 that can pass, shoot, and dribble. This offense is great for a stretch 4 as he will get tons of shots off of the initial kick out from the point guard. In addition, you can add in tweaks of your own such as a pick and pop option for your 4. Below is the ball-screen offense that we used at Haskell.

Click on the pdf link below to download the Haskell Indians Ball-Screen Offense:

Haskell Indians Ball-Screen Offense by Wes Kosel

In addition, a breakdown of this offense was posted earlier this week on Men’s Basketball Hoop Scoop. To read the article, click here: Chad Kills Crow Haskell Indians Ball-Screen Offense

European Ball-Screen Offense Video Breakdowns

Lason Perkins has a great DVD out on the European Ball-Screen Offense. Here is a sneak peek into his DVD with the initial ball-screen breakdown. To learn more about Lason Perkins’ European Ball-Screen Offense DVD, click here: Lason Perkins’ European Ball-Screen Offense

In addition, here is a sample video of the International Continuity Pick and Roll Offense DVD by Fran Fraschilla. Frachilla argues that this European style offense encourages more skill development in players as 4 players are on the perimeter at any given time. The 4 and 5 man have to spend time on the perimeter and in the post for this offense to run smoothly.

Regis Rangers Ball-Screen Offense

Last season we played the Regis Rangers (Denver, Colorado) coached by Lonnie Porter. Porter retired this past spring, but definitely left his mark on Colorado basketball. In 38 years at Regis, he won 538 games. Before retiring, he was 10th on the list of wins for active Division II coaches and is 31st all-time for Division II wins. His ball-screen offense is similar to the European version, but has some tweaks to it. In Porter’s offense, there is always a down-screen occuring on the opposite side of the ball-screen. His offense doesn’t use the back-door cut but instead send the player down to screen. This offense provides similar spacing and is utilized well by teams that have 3-point shooting big men. This playbook also includes a dribble push entry as well as a hand-off entry.

Click on the pdf link below to download the Regis Rangers Ball-Screen Offense:

Regis Rangers Ball-Screen Offense by Wes Kosel

Read more on Coach Lonnie Porter here: Lonnie Porter Regis Rangers Ball-Screen Offense

Double Flash Ball-Screen Offense

I have seen this offense used by several teams including team USA. The offense keeps the posts players off of the 3-point line, so it may serve your team well if your bigs cannot shoot consistently. The play starts with 5 and 4 flashing high to the elbows. 1 passes to 2 then cuts through to the opposite corner. Similar to the European and Regis offenses, a side ball-screen is set on the wing. In this offense, however, 5 stays put at the elbow and 3 serves as the kick out man for 2 if nothing is open on the pick and roll. To maintain continuity, 3 passes the ball to 1 on the left wing and then cuts through to the opposite corner. Another ball-screen is set on the wing and the action continues. This playbook also includes a hard hedge option and a dribble hand-off option.

Click on the pdf link below to download the Double Flash Continuity Ball-Screen Offenses:

Double Flash Ball-Screen Offense by Wes Kosel

Indiana Ball-Screens and Tight Stack Offense

These two offenses differ quite a bit from the European versions, but serve as great, simple continuity plays for teams at all levels. We used the tight stack offense when I was at Texas Lutheran University as an assistant.

The Indiana Ball-Screens offense starts with the post players on the blocks and three guards on the perimeter. 1 passes to 3 then cuts to the ball-side wing. 5 screens for 3 who drives middle. To keep the action moving, 3 kicks the ball out to 2 on the opposite wing and cuts below him to the left side of the floor. 4 sets a ball-screen for 2 as 5 dives to the block and 1 moves up to receive the next kick out pass.

The Tight Stack Offense begins with 3 and 5 on the left block, 2 on the right block, 4 at the right elbow, and 1 dribbling to the right wing. 4 sets a ball-screen for 1 as 2 cuts off of a double-screen from 3 and 5. If 2 doesn’t have anything, he receives a ball-screen on the left wing as 3 cuts off of a double-screen going the other way. If the defense is lazy, you can get some great slip actions off of the double screen for easy lay-ups.

Click on the pdf link below to download the Indian Ball-Screen and Tight Stack Offense:

Ball-Screen Offense by Wes Kosel

Horns Entries for Ball-Screen Offenses

With the horns set being so popular, it’s a good idea to add variety to your offense by creating horns entries for your current playbook. This will confuse your opponents and will create some additional scoring opportunities for your team. In this playbook, I’ve added horns entries for all of the above offenses: