Flex Offense

#27
#27
Smokeybluetick, I have watched TN basketball and basketball in general for years. There are many other on here who have as well. I do like the pressing style of defense that generates most of our points. I also like the fast pace out of missed shots. However, a halfway decent team can slow the pace of the game with a controlled offense and kill us. Prime example was Belmont from last year. Good shooters, controlled the pace of the game, didn't allow UT to run, and ran a great halfcourt offense.

I believe we won that game by 2.

If they can do it, any team with good guard play will control us come tournament time.

When we have our 4 and 5 guys shooting 20 foot jump shots with 4 seconds left on the shot clock, we are in trouble.
 
#28
#28
Bruce ran this offense at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN and was very successful. He then took it to University of Milwaukee Wisconsin and was successful. I played for Bruce 2 years at the University of Southern Indiana, and his philosophy is really not to score out of the flex offense (maybe a easy basket sometimes) but to have the defense work laterally for 20 seconds or so and then go into a play call. By doing this the entire game and his "55" pressure, by the second half teams will not have the depth UT has. This offense might not look like it is working but he is wanting to score off a play call or fastbreak.
 
#29
#29
khoward61 said:
Bruce ran this offense at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN and was very successful. He then took it to University of Milwaukee Wisconsin and was successful. I played for Bruce 2 years at the University of Southern Indiana, and his philosophy is really not to score out of the flex offense (maybe a easy basket sometimes) but to have the defense work laterally for 20 seconds or so and then go into a play call. By doing this the entire game and his "55" pressure, by the second half teams will not have the depth UT has. This offense might not look like it is working but he is wanting to score off a play call or fastbreak.
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Thanks for the insight, please continue to contribute. The scheme we run (albeit imperfect) is often oversimplified when its is discussed.
 
#30
#30
I guess someone should tell gonzaga and maryland to stop running it as well. All maryland did was win it all in flex. Flex has sooooo many ways to get in it and run with options. In all reality only the princeton offense has more options than the flex
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#31
#31
khoward61 said:
Bruce ran this offense at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN and was very successful. He then took it to University of Milwaukee Wisconsin and was successful. I played for Bruce 2 years at the University of Southern Indiana, and his philosophy is really not to score out of the flex offense (maybe a easy basket sometimes) but to have the defense work laterally for 20 seconds or so and then go into a play call. By doing this the entire game and his "55" pressure, by the second half teams will not have the depth UT has. This offense might not look like it is working but he is wanting to score off a play call or fastbreak.
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Thanks for this explanation. I could not understand why we wasted 20+ seconds in the half-court offense before moving to a play to try to score. At least, even if you don't agree, this explains his approach. This was a great post and provided very useful information.
 
#32
#32
I tried to post this last night, but couldn't get on the board.

For anybody who wants to see how the flex is supposed to be run, watch Stanford. I don't know how good Johnny Dawkins team is after a vacation OT loss to UK in a ballroom, but they run that offense pretty well.
 
#33
#33
cotton said:
I tried to post this last night, but couldn't get on the board.

For anybody who wants to see how the flex is supposed to be run, watch Stanford. I don't know how good Johnny Dawkins team is after a vacation OT loss to UK in a ballroom, but they run that offense pretty well.
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Anyone willing to screen, set up screens and cut hard can execute the offense to some degree of success. Watching us set and use screens probably makes RMK puke.
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#34
#34
BigPapaVol said:
Anyone willing to screen, set up screens and cut hard can execute the offense to some degree of success. Watching us set and use screens probably makes RMK puke.
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Click to expand...

Both statements could be made about just about any sound offense, which is why I continually find issue with folks that blame our Flex scheme. It is not the offense I would choose for our personel, but if you screen and cut well and make good decisions with the ball, it will get open looks.

As an offense, it will work if you have good players doing what they are supposed to do. If you don't have good players, or they aren't doing what they are supposed to do, no offense will work consistently against good competition.
 
#35
#35
cotton said:
Both statements could be made about just about any sound offense, which is why I continually find issue with folks that blame our Flex scheme. It is not the offense I would choose for our personel, but if you screen and cut well and make good decisions with the ball, it will get open looks.

As an offense, it will work if you have good players doing what they are supposed to do. If you don't have good players, or they aren't doing what they are supposed to do, no offense will work consistently against good competition.
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All of that is the coaches responsibility, and he is paid really well to get it right.
 
#36
#36
cotton said:
Both statements could be made about just about any sound offense, which is why I continually find issue with folks that blame our Flex scheme. It is not the offense I would choose for our personel, but if you screen and cut well and make good decisions with the ball, it will get open looks.

As an offense, it will work if you have good players doing what they are supposed to do. If you don't have good players, or they aren't doing what they are supposed to do, no offense will work consistently against good competition.
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That's my view. I'm of the Don Meyer school of thought, which says screen hard, set up screens well and cut off them like you mean it. Don't be caught standing still on O unless you have superior position in the post. No set O, but do not be still. Guys standing find a place to sit shortly thereafter.
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#37
#37
PPPpartsp3 said:
All of that is the coaches responsibility, and he is paid really well to get it right.
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That's why you see so much divergence of opinion on Pearl. It is impossible to ignore his regular season results, arguably the best in Tennessee history. It is almost as difficult to ignore the fact that that success has failed to translate into tournament success.
 
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#38
#38
BigPapaVol said:
That's my view. I'm of the Don Meyer school of thought, which says screen hard, set up screens well and cut offon them like you mean it. Don't be caught standing still on O unless you have superior position in the post. No set O, but do not be still. Guys standing find a place to sit shortly thereafter.
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That's the main frustration I have with Pearl's teams. There is no part of that negated by a pressing, free-wheeling, fast-paced style. You can still take Bruce's personality witout giving up fundamental basketball. You can run and gun while still screening and cutting and boxing out and playing defense.
 
#39
#39
Gonzaga and Maryland's version of the FLEX is really much closer to standard motion offense than the classic FLEX pattern. the Vols run ONE PATTERN over and over in the halfcourt.... watch what happens when they make a pass out of the PATTERN... everything gets out of whack and they have to spend 5-8 seconds setting it all back up again.... which involves getting everyone on the floor back in a set spot to start the pattern going again.

i've watches 2 full games of Gonzaga and 1 of Maryland this year... i'd be perfectly happy if our version of the FLEX was as fluid and seemless as either of those teams. instead... we look like a JV team who's learned 1 FLEX option.
 
#40
#40
khoward61 said:
Bruce ran this offense at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN and was very successful. He then took it to University of Milwaukee Wisconsin and was successful. I played for Bruce 2 years at the University of Southern Indiana, and his philosophy is really not to score out of the flex offense (maybe a easy basket sometimes) but to have the defense work laterally for 20 seconds or so and then go into a play call. By doing this the entire game and his "55" pressure, by the second half teams will not have the depth UT has. This offense might not look like it is working but he is wanting to score off a play call or fastbreak.
Click to expand...

WOW! I have to admit... I was a HUGE BP fan during his first 3 years... but i started to see the writing on the wall at the end of the 07/08 season... Lofton's senior year.

This quote by khoward is quite revealing and very concerning. the goal of your halfcourt offense is not really to score out of it??? make the defense work??? how does the opponents defense work when 2 guys stand 30 feet from the basket and pass the ball back and forth with an OBVIOUS dis-interest in attacking the basket even with a pass??? teams scout us coach.... they know our flex pattern.... they walk through our flex pattern in practice to learn where our players are going to go in the halfcourt. how does CBP really think he's working the D with this JV offense? WOW!! no offense works a D harder than 5 man motion offense worked to perfection. everyone remembers how much running Loften would do in the halfcourt from time to time... coming off screens etc. imagine 5 guys working that hard to get open and working that hard to get others open with picks and screens. you run that for 30 seconds and you're gonna have a tired azz D.

at the D-1 level... you can't count on being deeper and in better shape and out working your opponent to win championships. elite programs WON'T get outworked and WON'T be out-"depthed".... they must be out EXECUTED. which means you have to have a reliable SYSTEM you are EXECUTING. it also helps to have a great game day coach. i love the pressure D... i love the passion.... please please please please ditch this JV offense. we MUST have a legit halfcourt offense to compete with elite programs year after year.
 
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