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Coaches know that midseason adjustments are vital for keeping the pick and roll offense effective as the basketball season unfolds.

Keeping this offense productive and efficient throughout an entire season can be a complex issue. This is why we’ve left the real analysis to Baylor University head women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen. 

Nicki Collen became the Baylor women’s basketball head coach in 2021. Collen came to Baylor from the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream franchise, where she spent the last three seasons as head coach. She earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors in her first season there.

Coach Collen’s ‘Nicki Collen - Pick and Roll Offense’ clinic will help you understand what midseason adjustment you can make to the pick and roll to ensure it remains a high-level and efficient offense for the remainder of your season.

Ball Handling

Ball Handling

One way Coach Collen tries to minimize turnovers within the pick-and-roll offense is by having all of her players practice ball handling for 5-10 minutes at the start of every practice. 

Sloppy ball handling by either the guard who’s dribbling or the post player who could be receiving the pass on a roll can be a common cause for turnovers, which all basketball coaches know can be a death sentence. 

Outside Hand Passing

In addition to focusing on ball handling, Coach Collen notes that it’s crucial players practice passing the ball with their outside and non-dominant hands. 

In many dribble drive situations off of the pick and roll, the only way a player can get a pass off in the correct location is by utilizing the off-hand. 

Players should also be starting their pick and roll offense at the free throw line extended. This positioning should always be the priority because it spaces the floor and provides optimal angles. 

Work Your Feet

Work Your Feet

It’s common to see that players get lazy with their footwork midseason. This is why Coach Collen stresses footwork during a practice’s pick and roll segments. 

Coach Collen has her guards stutter their feet when moving part of the screen set for them. Once this stutter occurs, they will be able to make the correct read. 

Another vital aspect of the pick and roll’s success is that the post player who sets the pick separates from the screen as quickly as possible and gets to their correct position. 

To separate as efficiently as possible, the post player needs to have their pivots perfected regardless of where they’re rolling to after the screen.

Twist the Screen

Twist the Screen

To add crucial layers to a basic pick and roll offense, Coach Collen recommends “twisting the screen”. 

This essentially means that after the additional pick and roll, an extra wrinkle an offense can add is that the post player who sets the pick can pivot back around and set another screen for the same guard. 

This will open up for a baseline drive, a kick out to either corner, and/or set the post player up to roll into the paint or to get the upper hand on an offensive rebound. 

This extra screen twist is perfect to institute into an offense in the middle of the season to throw defenses off balance and give them something else to prepare for. 

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