Game-Winning Strategies For Early Offense & Keys For Defending Ball Screens

with Nicki Collen, Baylor University Head Women's Coach;
Atlanta Dream (WNBA) Head Coach from 2018 to 2020;
WNBA Coach of the Year (2018);
Connecticut Sun (WNBA) Assistant Coach from 2017 to 2017;
Assistant Coaching positions with: Florida Gulf Coast (2014 to 2015), Arkansas (2011 to 2014), Lousiville (2003 to 2005), Ball State (2003) & Colorado State (2001 to 2003)

Modern basketball is played in the full court. As teams pick up the pace at every level of competition, the early ball-screen has become one of the most-effective early actions that an offense can utilize. In this video, Baylor Head Coach Nicki Collen provides viewers with an in-depth overview of her successful early offense, as well as several rock-solid defensive concepts.  

In an on-court presentation that’s loaded with terrific information, Collen highlights the successful components and proven concepts behind her quick-hitting, early offense with an emphasis placed on the first 10 seconds of a possession and a look inside some easy-to-implement early offense build-up drills. 

Team Practice, Early Offense Drills

The video begins with Collen breaking down how to use drag- and double-drag ball screens in an early offense and how to implement these concepts based on personnel – regardless of whether you use 3 guards, 4 guards or even 5 guards. To emphasize her points, viewers are shown several build-up drills that utilize a drag screen in transition from the trail. Viewers are reminded that the focus of these drills must lock in on three points of emphasis, 1) the guard attacking, 2) passing to the post, and, 3) post slipping on a hard hedge.

Collen uses 2-on-0 sequences and shows when to twist a screen, use step-up screens (which, she points out, are tough to defend, even for NBA and WNBA teams) and how to snake a ball screen from the step-up action.

From there, viewers are shown 3-on-0 sequences with a focus on playing inside out. Throughout the session, Collen emphasizes various communication points, such as the ‘open-person yell,’ and the importance of creating effective shooting lanes – while stressing the concept that hands and feet must always be ready.  

The early offense portion of the video ends with how to utilize the drift pass off a ball-screen refusal, how to use rise-up action when coming off ball screens from an overloaded side and how to create proper ‘roll and space’ concepts for the guards and post players.

Pistol Offense, Ball-Screen Defense & an Informative Q&A

Collen effectively covers a brief segment on the pistol offense, which is currently utilized by many NBA teams. She shows viewers three actions from the pistol which involve guard-to-guard-to-big actions – which incorporate dribble handoffs, step-up screens and pitch passes. The segment ends with a detailed explanation on how to properly guard the pistol actions by switching screens and then icing the ensuing action. 

This on-court presentation ends with a quick, but thorough tutorial on a variety of defensive concepts that teach players how to effectively defend ball screens – which ties in perfectly on her approach to executing her early offense. 

This presentation in this video is extremely detailed and will allow your program to improve in many key areas. Using Collen’s approach, you can tailor these concepts to fit your roster and become more-effective from all angles on the floor – including several fascinating international concepts on screening and spacing – which teaches players ‘how to play’ rather than just how to run set plays. 

81 minutes. 2022.