Basketball Offense - High Flex Delay Offense
By Dr. James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ www.coachesclipboard.net
First see the Flex offense. You can use the Flex offense as a delay-spread offense. Nowadays with many US states going to a shot clock, there is less opportunity to use a delay offense. But you can also use the high flex offense as a way to open up the area below the free-throw line. Just bring the whole offense up higher, to the free-throw line extended. Then use the normal Flex rules. The diagrams here give you an idea of the concept, but you can put in many more options.
With the offense set high, there are great opportunities for back-cuts and quick lay-ups, especially when the defense is desperate and aggressively over-denying. Instead of having to teach a whole new delay offense, just use the High Flex. This offense enables you to use the clock, while still looking to attack for a lay-up.
Diagram FH1 shows the High Flex set with our low players at the free-throw line extended. O1 passes to O4, as O5 screens for O2, and O2 executes the flex cut.
Flex cut options when running the High Flex - the cutter could:
- run the cut as usual. If O2 catches the pass here, he/she could dribble-drive to the hoop. Or if O3's defender is denying, O3 might be able to back-cut to the hoop for a pass and lay-up.
- could curl-cut and go to the hoop (especially if the pass goes from O4 to O3).
- could back-cut for a lob.
Down-screen slip. After passing to O4, diagram FH2 shows O1 making the usual down-screen for O5 (who pops out on top). O1 would then move out to the weak-side free-throw line extended spot. Notice that the down-screener could at any time "slip" the screen and cut to the hoop for a pass and lay-up. This is another option that keeps the defense "honest", or takes advantage if they are not.
"Corner" (wing) pass. In diagram FH3, O4 could pass back over to O5, or make a "corner" (wing) pass to O3. Diagram FH4 now shows O4 executing the usual flex rules after passing to the "corner"... screening away twice and going to the opposite free-throw line extended spot. O4 first screens for O5 (who fills O4's original spot), and then O4 screens for O1, who moves up top.
"Corner"(wing)-to-guard pass denial. Diagram FH5 - if the "corner" to top pass is being denied, the guard down-screens, and again, could slip the screen and cut to the hoop for a pass and lay-up. Here O5 down-screens for O2 as O2 moves out on top.
Back-screen pick and roll. In diagram FH6, O2 passes to O1. Of course, O3 can make the usual flex cut over O5 (and this occupies the X3 and X5 defenders). But with the whole right side of the court open, here is another good option, especially if O1 is one of your better scorers... O4 comes up and back-screens for O1, and O1 dribble-drives to the hoop. You can run this as a pick and roll with O4 rolling off the screen.
Use your imagination... there are lots of things you could do with this High Flex set.
Related pages:
