Belmont is a beautiful team to watch on offense. In most every respect they are the opposite of our Bulldogs in how they score, how they screen, how they use their posts and in how poorly they defend.
The Belmont Bruins run a 4-out 1-in style of the motion offense that plays to their strength on the perimeter with their many players who shoot the 3 well. They recruit strongly to that offense, signing players who are good shooters but also skilled as passers and possessing a high basketball IQ to enable them to read and react to the isolation opportunities that the scheme creates.
It's difficult to defend against because it can be altered quickly to work against man to man or zone coverage. It creates isolation for their large point guard and is unusual in how it involves their lone post player. It differs from the typical 4-1 motion scheme in that Belmont uses the post for scoring, not screening.
Feeding the post is a prime option in their scheme, not just for rolling to the basket but also to set up a "short roll" where the post receives the ball facing away from the basket, pivots towards the hoop with ball in position overhead to pass directly to an open wing for a corner 3 or to a wing flashing to the rim.
Belmont is known for its 3-point prowess, but the Bruins rarely run set plays for their shooters. Instead, they let the point guard attack off the ball screen and also create opportunities by feeding the high post and reacting to the defense, which either guards the inside player with one defender or helps with another body, opening up driving lanes and 3-point looks.
Bruins Coach Rick Byrd talks about using the gravitational force of the ball to attract multiple defenders and then using crisp passing to send the ball into a player in the resulting open space. The offense is respected by experts on its reliance upon "drag screens" that don't block on-ball defenders so much as simply alter the defender's movement and cause them to commit themselves in ways that allow the screener to move into open spaces to receive the ball in a pick and pop shot opportunity or to a short roll opportunity that results in an assist for the screener when he receives the ball and quickly finds an open teammate.
They also use multiple off-ball screens to spring a shooter open deep along the baseline. Screeners are agile and mobile rather than beefy and stationary. Their reliance on screens often results in frequent fouling by defenders who strain to catch up with open shooters. So expect a choppy game with lots of free throws. Byrd is a master at taking advantage of special opportunities such as out-of-bounds plays and end of game situations.
Belmont's points either come from 3s or from short shots at the rim. They rarely shoot between five feet from the basket and the 3-point line, recognizing that middle area to provide the least efficient scoring opportunities.
The Bruins' lack of size and depth was their ultimate undoing last year against us and they will be punished on the inside by our much bigger team. Locking down on their post player is a key to beating them.
Here is a link to a tutorial showing basic plays in the 4-1 drag screen scheme.
Here is a video session with Archie Miller demonstrating the drag screen offense at a coaches' clinic.
Here is a link to a short video presentation by Coach Ed Cooley demonstrating Providence's ultra successful Double Drag Set Play.
If you check out these three linked features, you will be familiar with much of what Belmont runs and can appreciate better why the offense scores so well against our less-than-disciplined off-ball defenders who too often leave their assigned men to move towards the ball. Fortunately for us, our offense scores well inside and we rebound well - things that cause Belmont problems. I look for us to come away with a close win.
The Belmont Bruins run a 4-out 1-in style of the motion offense that plays to their strength on the perimeter with their many players who shoot the 3 well. They recruit strongly to that offense, signing players who are good shooters but also skilled as passers and possessing a high basketball IQ to enable them to read and react to the isolation opportunities that the scheme creates.
It's difficult to defend against because it can be altered quickly to work against man to man or zone coverage. It creates isolation for their large point guard and is unusual in how it involves their lone post player. It differs from the typical 4-1 motion scheme in that Belmont uses the post for scoring, not screening.
Feeding the post is a prime option in their scheme, not just for rolling to the basket but also to set up a "short roll" where the post receives the ball facing away from the basket, pivots towards the hoop with ball in position overhead to pass directly to an open wing for a corner 3 or to a wing flashing to the rim.
Belmont is known for its 3-point prowess, but the Bruins rarely run set plays for their shooters. Instead, they let the point guard attack off the ball screen and also create opportunities by feeding the high post and reacting to the defense, which either guards the inside player with one defender or helps with another body, opening up driving lanes and 3-point looks.
Bruins Coach Rick Byrd talks about using the gravitational force of the ball to attract multiple defenders and then using crisp passing to send the ball into a player in the resulting open space. The offense is respected by experts on its reliance upon "drag screens" that don't block on-ball defenders so much as simply alter the defender's movement and cause them to commit themselves in ways that allow the screener to move into open spaces to receive the ball in a pick and pop shot opportunity or to a short roll opportunity that results in an assist for the screener when he receives the ball and quickly finds an open teammate.
They also use multiple off-ball screens to spring a shooter open deep along the baseline. Screeners are agile and mobile rather than beefy and stationary. Their reliance on screens often results in frequent fouling by defenders who strain to catch up with open shooters. So expect a choppy game with lots of free throws. Byrd is a master at taking advantage of special opportunities such as out-of-bounds plays and end of game situations.
Belmont's points either come from 3s or from short shots at the rim. They rarely shoot between five feet from the basket and the 3-point line, recognizing that middle area to provide the least efficient scoring opportunities.
The Bruins' lack of size and depth was their ultimate undoing last year against us and they will be punished on the inside by our much bigger team. Locking down on their post player is a key to beating them.
Here is a link to a tutorial showing basic plays in the 4-1 drag screen scheme.
Here is a video session with Archie Miller demonstrating the drag screen offense at a coaches' clinic.
Here is a link to a short video presentation by Coach Ed Cooley demonstrating Providence's ultra successful Double Drag Set Play.
If you check out these three linked features, you will be familiar with much of what Belmont runs and can appreciate better why the offense scores so well against our less-than-disciplined off-ball defenders who too often leave their assigned men to move towards the ball. Fortunately for us, our offense scores well inside and we rebound well - things that cause Belmont problems. I look for us to come away with a close win.
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