Gregg Marshall Wichita State Pick and Roll Actions by John Zall

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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July 23, 2014

Gregg Marshall Wichita State Pick and Roll Actions by John Zall

The Wichita State Shockers were one of the best stories in NCAA History this past season. They started the season an astonishing 35-0 en route to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Eventually, they were upset in the 2nd round by the Kentucky Wildcats who began playing up to expectations when it counted.

A huge reason for the Shockers success this past season was their offense. They ranked 10th in the country in Offensive Efficiency Rating with an average of 1.161 Points-per-Possession (PPP). They were also ranked in the top 90% in Half-Court Offense averaging .946 PPP.

One of the staples of the Wichita State Offense was their pick-and-roll game. According to Synergy Sports, Wichita State ran plays that could be classified as pick-and-rolls for close to one fifth of their offensive possessions. They ranked 18th in the country in pick and roll offense with an average of .926 PPP. Wichita State also had more possessions running the pick-and-roll than the 17 teams ahead of them, further proving how reliant they were on this particular action.

Head Coach Greg Marshall does an outstanding job making the defense react to Wichita State’s offensive movement. Defenses often had to react to the rolls,slips, flares and relocations that the pick-and-roll created. Per Synergy Sports, Wichita State ranked in the 7th in the country with an average of 1.073 PPP when the defensive committed on a pick-and-roll.

The accompanying clips and play diagrams illustrate the variety of pick-and-rolls used by Coach Marshall and the Shockers.

The first clip shows a Kentucky defense frantically trying to “help the helper” eventually failing to make one last rotation and giving up an open 3.

The next 2 clips show a Wichita State offensive favorite; the roll and replace. The roll and replace is when the player setting the screen rolls toward the rim while another player elevates to the perimeter.
Clips 4 and 5 show the Shockers using the pick and roll to aid them in changing sides of the floor. In both possessions, the multiple changes ultimately allow them to create wide open shots.

In clip 6 Wichita State runs a simple side pick-and-roll that causes the player guarding the weak side shooter to guard the roll resulting in a wide open 3.

In clip 7 the Shockers run almost a delayed stagger ball screen. The first screener slips, and the second screener rolls hard to the rim. The player guarding the weak side shooter stays attached as he elevates. The help is guarding the first screener who slips and is filling in the opposite corner making him a step slow and the second screener and roll man gets a layup at the rim.

The eighth and final clip is brilliantly executed. Wichita State runs a side pick-and-roll and elevates the weak side shooter. However, the help for the roll man is occupied by a flare screen on the opposite side of the floor resulting in a wide open layup.

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.