Billy Donovan Florida Gators Elevator Plays

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 Plays | Basketball Set Plays

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June 5, 2014

Billy Donovan Florida Gators Elevator Plays by Wes Kosel

Attached are a two plays from Coach Billy Donovan using an elevator screen. I have seen this screen used often in the NBA to get shooters open on the 3-point line. I have also heard this screen referred to as a “gator screen” in which the screen closing is an alligator’s jaws instead of an elevator door. This fits the Florida Gators perfectly, and many defenders got lost in the gator jaws throughout the season. The first play is a box set play in the half-court, and the second play is a box set inbounds play from the baseline. Donovan could use this action to get any player a shot, but had a lot of success running Michael Frazier II, Casey Prather, and Scottie Wilbekin through the elevator screen.

Billy Donovan Florida Gators Elevator Plays – Box Elevator

The play starts in a box formation with both post players on the left side of the box and the wing players on the right side of the box. 2 screens down for 3 who pops out to the wing. If 3 is open, 1 passes to 3 for a quick shot. If 3 isn’t open, 2 plants and cuts toward the left wing. He cuts through the elevator screen from 5 and 4. 5 and 4 time the screen perfectly so that they step together just as 2 clears the screen. If 2 has enough space between himself and his defender, his defender will be stuck behind 5 and 4. 1 dribbles over and passes to 2 for a shot.

Billy Donovan Florida Gators Elevator Plays – Elevator BLOB

The play starts with the same formation as play 1 with the posts on the left side of the box and the wing players on the right. 2 screens up for 3 who cuts to the corner for a quick shot. If 3 is a threat from deep, 2’s defender will have to help on the screen putting him behind 2 as he runs through the elevator screen from 5 and 4. 1 passes to 2 for a shot, but if he isn’t open 2 dribbles off of a ball-screen from 4 as 1 cuts to the wing off of a screen from 3.

Wes Kosel is an assistant coach for men’s basketball under Head Coach Doug Novak at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kosel joined the staff at Bethel after serving two seasons at Texas Lutheran University and one season at Haskell Indian Nations University. Kosel has an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from the University of Kansas, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Houston. The Bartlesville, OK native is also a NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and taught weight training and aerobic fitness courses while coaching at Texas Lutheran. He has coached AAU programs, volunteered with elementary and middle school basketball teams, and has worked basketball camps for various programs including the Houston Rockets, University of Houston, Texas State, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.