The Rocket Offense: Pro-Style Transition Ball-Screen Sets & Breakdowns

with Jeremy Bialek,
Houghton College Head Men's Basketball Coach;
2019 NCHBC National Champion; 2x Midwest Regional Champions (2009, 2019);
former Indianapolis Homeschool Wildcats Head Boys Coach;
6x ICBA State Champions (2011, 2015-2019); over 440 career wins; 7x Conference Champions

The D'Antoni-coached teams of Phoenix and most recently, Houston, have utilized a successful ball screen motion offense that took them all the way to the Western Conference Finals. 6x ICBA State Champion (Indiana) coach Jeremy Bialek models his own ball screen motion offense off of this potent offense to give his players numerous scoring opportunities, and, he details the entire system in this informative, instructional video.

By installing the ball screen motion offense, your players will learn to read how the defense plays a screen and react accordingly. Most importantly, this is a fun, up-tempo style of offense that can be used in the half-court and out of transition.

Philosophy, Diagrams, and On-Court Demonstration

No matter what, with this offense, your players will have great angles of attack that will present various scoring opportunities in the half court and in transition.

Coach Bialek's offense ideally has two ball handling outlet options. The ball handlers' focus is to get downhill, especially in transition. Pushing the pace and stretching the floor with shooters in the corners will allow the ball handlers to force help side defenders into tough decisions as they turn the corner and look to attack the rim, hit a post rolling, or find an elevating shooter on the wing.

As teams pick up on your transition ball screens, they will look to defend the screens several ways. With a hard hedge/trap, ball handlers can time the screen just right and look for a slipping post player or back the ball out in order to draw the defenders out and create space. This will allow your players to re-attack and split the defenders going downhill or hit the wing who can then hit the roll.

On a regular hedge, ball handlers can use a hesitation move to create separation and a timing delay, allowing them to turn the corner or reverse the ball, looking for the post player on the roll. In a switching situation, guards can look to attack the switch with a bounce off and re-attack, especially if the mismatch is a slow-moving post player. Your ball handlers can also take advantage of a post player diving hard to the basket and sealing a guard.

Bialek gets his half court offense rolling with several easy-to-use entries that create movement and provide opportunity to get the ball into your best player's hands. Using dribble hand-off options, you can create downhill action, attacking the middle of the floor out of a corner hand-off and a ball screen within the lane. Using double down screens, Bialek shows how you can create action for your best shooter to come off of down screens and a ball screen for an open 3-pointer or a driving lane to attack the basket.

Breakdown Drills

Beginning with 5-on-0 transition, your players will learn the lanes and spots they need to fill to spread a defense out and create space for ball screens and driving lanes. As athletes learn the rhythm and spacing, you can add a defense into the mix and allow your offense to see reads and their options to attack coming off of the ball screen, down screen, or dribble hand-off option.

Breaking down ball handlers' attacks, Bialek uses 1-on-0 and 1-on-1 screening drills where players are attacking downhill in transition and work on their finishing moves around the rim. Building into 2-on-0 and 2-on-2 drills, players learn how to hit the post player rolling or popping with various passes such as a pocket pass, bounce pass, lob pass, and even behind the back passes. Each drill will help your players learn the timing, accuracy and rhythm of the screening action.

This is a great break down and build up of this pro-style ball screen offense that has helped teams at all levels build winning programs. From breakdown drills, to teaching reads, to sets for your best players, you will learn how to get the most out of your athletes and teach them to have fun in this up-tempo offense.

128 minutes. 2018.