fredbear said:

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Our demise can be attributed to one or more factors

1. The new offense is inferior
2. We have the wrong players to execute the new offense
3. We have the wrong coach to teach the new offense
4. The learning curve for this movement machine offense is too steep for college players
5. We have simply had a bad string of coincidences that have hidden how great we are
6. We have so focused on offense we have forgotten how to play defense.


Or a combination thereof

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Adriacus Peratuun said:

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Some people have asked about the Modern Offense mentioned as a hiring criteria and mentioned at the introduction.

First issue is terminology:

Plays, Actions, Sets, Spacing, Concepts are common terms that are sometimes used different ways.
To understand the change, you have to understand the lingo.

Sets: simply how the players are initially aligned on the court.

Examples:

5 Out: 5 player spaced on the perimeter [generally close to 3 point line]
4 Out 1 In: 4 players on perimeter and 1 player roaming the paint
Horns Set: 2 players in deep 3 point corners, 2 players at the elbows, 1 player high

Spacing:

How distant are players from one another in initial Sets and how distant they are from one another as you run Action. The more advanced the level of basketball, the greater the existence of/need for spacing.

Action: what offensive movement is used

Example:

Double baseline screen
High ball screen
Elevator screen

Those terms are fairly uniformly applied.

Plays & Concepts [sometimes referred to as Variations] are more fluid terms. That fluidity is due to differing offensive methods.

Kim Mulkey ran Set Plays [the most traditional form of offense].

Play A: Team aligns in Set X, player Y runs Action Z, other players do f, g, h, i. If the defense goes under the screen, player X flares to the 3 point line. If the defense goes over the screen, player X curls hard to dribble, elevate and shoot. Ballhandler and X are reading X's defender. If X isn't open, here is Option 2 and possibly 3. If none work, pull out and run a different play.

Mulkey's offense involved players learning a handful of plays and running them hundreds of times against various defenses [Dream Team told......defend it this way, that way, etc.]. Practices are basically mass repetition played out using changing variables.

Play [in Pattern offense]:

UConn WBB and Kentucky MBB used to be primarily Pattern offenses. Kentucky ran a pure dribble drive pattern. The same movement are repeated again and again until the defense breaks down. Players move in designated patterns. The goal is to get defenders out of position through constant motion. Another MBB version is the Princeton offense. A more complicated pattern with tons of variations [most through varying cuts due to defenders' positions]. UConn WBB ran a Slip Flow Patterned offense. Set patterns like Kentucky but with constant slip actions toward basket. They also utilized many Princeton offense concepts with back cuts. Basically, they blended the Kentucky and Princeton offenses.

Play in Modern Offense [NBA, WNBA, generally Baylor MBB]:

while there are some Set Plays for out of bounds, end of games, etc., the term generally means an identified Set & Action(s) to achieve the switches on D desired to get the most beneficial 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 matchups. This is was what Baylor MBB ran all season [including Gonzaga game]. Example: They ran predetermined "Plays" which were simply Sets/Actions to get switches resulting in Timme defending a perimeter player at the top of the key. And then they abused him. In a modern offense, plays can be unique to games/defenders but often repeatable. Getting Mitchell or Butler 1 on 1 against an opposing big. Faking a backside double screen to run a lift screen for a big.

Concepts:

easier to show than explain. Basically it involves how players move regardless of Play, Set, Action, etc. to achieve defender movement, driving lanes/angles, keeping defensive balance, etc.

Concept basketball is what Collen will spend 70-85% of practices teaching. Teaching by showing, teaching by doing. Muscle memory.

Here is a simple video NBA Africa, former Spurs assistant coach.



The benefit of Concept basketball is that practices are spent learning the O but also building individual skills rather than simply memorizing plays and variations. And the same Concepts are used no matter which Set the team is in or what Action they run. Tend to see fewer defensive imbalance breakdowns. Offense is much faster. Faster offense means more possessions and more shots. More shots means it is easier to keep players happy. Also, the faster the pace the more Baylor's superior athleticism comes to bear [pun intended].

There will be set out of bound plays, end of quarter plays, etc. but the bulk of the O will be the team running the Sets/Actions that the scouting report says are most beneficial. They will target specific defenders/matchups. Basically, you will see games similar to what the Baylor MBB team played this year.

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