The on the ball screen, commonly referred to as a Pick and Roll, has been used for years in professional basketball. John Stockton and Karl Malone, of the Utah Jazz, are often recognized as the two who ran it the best, but the Pick and Roll was used effectively by many players long before them. And, it has been used effectively by plenty of players since them, but Stockton and Malone continue to be the standard bearers on how to execute the Pick and Roll.
For years the Pick and Roll was virtually ignored in amateur basketball, except in 2on2 and 3on3 games on the playgrounds. However, in recent years, it has become more in vogue in amateur basketball and you tend to see it used quite a bit now, whether in set plays or in motion offenses. Why it was ignored, I’m not entirely sure, however I do know many coaches were afraid of bringing players together making it easy for the defense to trap with a double team on the ball. I have talked to many college coaches through the years about their reluctance to use the Pick and Roll and I know many were afraid of the trap, but I also got the feeling that many were uncomfortable….Read More on the Pick and Roll
