AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 26
Friday, January 26, 2007
‘Screening’ their calls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With no basketball practice Thursday, and the fact the Yellow Jackets don’t practice until later Friday afternoon or play until Sunday, it’s time to ruminate. I’m going to write something for the Sunday paper about the art of setting - and using - screens.
Tech’s had tremendous problems with this recently, where some solid picks could’ve helped in many situations in the half-court offense, and most obviously on inbounds plays. There have been huge differences between Tech on the road in the last two games (they were pretty good offensively at Clemson) and at home.
In speaking with coach Paul Hewitt about this, he made the observation - which will be in the paper Sunday - that his team is much, much, much better setting screens at home, although he’s a bit baffled as to why the difference is so great. The Jackets looked like a totally different team, night and day, against North Carolina and Maryland than against Duke at home.
It may have something to do with the fact Tech plays with so much more intensity, passion, energy, whatever you want to call it, at home. They’re more committed to everything they do, and setting screens takes commitment.
My opinion is that a really good screen, or several of them, can change the emotional flow of a game, although there’s more to winning than simply setting a few good picks. They have to be well used, obviously, but good screens not only increase scoring (or inbounding) chances, but reduce turnovers. How many of Tech’s turnovers in the past two games came because the ball-handler was running out of time and forced a pass into a stationary, and often covered, target only to have it picked or batted away? A lot. Some of those plays came because somebody set, or used a screen too early, getting open before the passer was ready to pass. Still, too often that player will stand and call for the ball, and it leads to something bad.
Whether a good shot or a bad shot comes after a screen, at least it’s a shot, a chance for a score, an offensive rebound, or to draw a foul. Turn it over, and you have no chance for something good to happen.
So, is setting a pick about mind set? Skill set? Surely, some of both, but it doesn’t matter if the guy the pick is for doesn’t use it, either, and if the timing is off, as Hewitt explained, the pick might not matter even if it’s brilliant.
There are several areas in which Tech needs to improve to beat a pretty good Virginia Tech team Sunday, but playing harder (much harder in many instances) and setting solid screens would be two huge steps in the right direction.
