Offense - screener responsibilities

When screening on the ball, the screener has just as many responsibilities as the ball-handler that receives the screen. If the ball-handler needs to be patient (in the waiting and reading of the screen) then the screener needs to sprint to the screen in order to buy some time for that action to occur. As mentioned in a previous post, the screener must screen above the ball (further from the hoop) in order to cause enough of a defensive disruption. The screener must make contact with the defender and therefore needs to be low and wide enough (must take up space). A screener must have a strong basketball I.Q. - after all, they need to read both the defensive reaction as well as their ball-handler's decision. Screeners need to consider:

• opposition coaches will be instructing their defenders to NOT get hit by the screen so emphasis needs to be placed on making defender contact
• must pay attention as the action may require a re-screen (which will happen quickly) based on movement, don't assume job is done after the initial screen
• if ball-handler accepts the screen and drives defender into it, then screener will need to roll if screen defender hedges or flare away if screen defender zones off to the lane
• if ball-handler rejects the screen (because of defender leaving a drive line) then screener will need to space away opposite or step back (as a fill) into space away from defenders
• if ball-handler splits the screen and the hedging defender (because the ball defender chased behind and the hedge defender left a gap) then screener should look to flare away from the two defenders (to open space)
• if screen defender zones off the action to the lane, and ball defender goes under the screen, then the screener should read and stay as the wall for the ball-handler to shoot behind
• overall, the screen must be aggressive and the screener should be a threat and space to an area that is effective and does not draw defenders to the ball
• screeners must always be aware that teams may trap the ball-handler and therefore need to be visible to the ball on all movement out of a screen
• all of this, and much more, is covered in great detail every summer during the weeks of intense basketball instruction at COBA