Secret Ghost Screen Scoring Options to Boost Your Ball Screen Offense!

with Craig Doty,
Houston Christian University Head Coach;
Emporia State Head Men's Basketball Coach from 2018 to 2024;
Graceland University Head Coach from 2016 to 2018;
2018 NAIA National Championship;
2018 Don Meyer Award;
2018 NAIA Coach of the Year;
2018 IBCA Coach of the YEar;
2018 Heart of America Tournament Champions;
Rock Valley College Head Coach from 2012 to 2016;
2x NJCAA Division III National Champions (2014, 2016);
2x Spalding NJCAA Division III Coach of the Year (2014, 2016);
2016 NABC National JuCo (all levels) Coach of the Year;
2015 NJCAA National Runner-up;
4x Don Klaas NJCAA Region IV Coach of the Yearplayed college basketball for Morningside (guard)

Screening action drives today’s basketball offenses. From setting and using ball screens to incorporating ball screens – every offense has screening actions built in that are designed to free up a shooter.

Emporia State’s Craig Doty loves to use screening actions in his team’s offense. Ghost screens, or fake screens, are something his program thrives on. In this insightful video, Coach Doty demonstrates several ways to use a Ghost Screen and include what he calls ‘Barkley Action,’ along with ‘Yo-Yo Action’ and build them into your half-court motion offense.

Coach Doty also teaches concepts and principles for using switching ball screens. 

Ghost Screens, Barkley Action and Yo-Yo Action

Using a 4-out, 1-in setup, Coach Doty showcases the hottest offensive actions found in today’s game. Using a fake screen, he shows how offensive players can gain an edge on their defenders, slip past post players and create easy scoring opportunities.

Ghost Screens are a proven method post players can use to keep defenders on their toes. Coach Doty shows off 3-on-0 Ghost Screen situations, where he demonstrates how players can work on ghosting a screen around the perimeter and improve on their driving reads.  

Next, Doty shows how players who need a little more space to operate offensively can use either a Barkley Move or a Yo-Yo Action to help create scoring opportunities around the rim. These moves allow post players who like to play on the perimeter terrific opportunities to dive into the post and use their abilities to create a mismatch against opponents you’ve identified as weak post defenders. 

All of the actions that Coach Doty showcases are helpful in confusing defenses and these actions create wide open spaces in the half court, which, in turn, also effectively creates more space for all of your players on the perimeter.  

Switching Ball Screens

On the defensive side of the ball, switching on ball screens is a technique that many coaches prefer as a strategy over using multiple ball-screen coverages. Offenses will struggle to get into the paint against post players who are able to move and defend more space on the perimeter.  

Coach Doty explains the concepts and benefits for switching on ball screens and demonstrates with a great 2-on-2 Drill he uses to work on perimeter players fronting in the post and working on post defense. Doty shows that, combined with guards creating an ‘H’ in the post, this tactic is a method of defense that prevents easy passes and gives your defenders trust and confidence in their defensive help.

In addition, Doty explains how and why learning to play with ball screen actions will help your own ball-screen defense. By understanding what teams are going to do with your screening actions, your players will gain a better understanding of how to use a switching defense to defend them.

Coach Doty has won three National Championships utilizing switching defenses and taking advantage of ball-screen offenses. In this highly-valuable instructional video with on-the-court demonstrations, he goes over the basics needed to install a Ghost Screen and other screening actions into your offense and create frustration for opposing defenses as your team scores easily around the rim! 

58 minutes. 2023.