steve lucas of citigroup mortgage, seattle washington

Flex Offense myths debunked!
Myth #1: The Flex is an Antiquated Offense

Fact: The Flex is run at every level of the game in some form, from grade school to the NBA.

* The Flex is a staple in some of the most prominent Division 1 men’s basketball programs, including a perennial Cinderella, the University of Gonzaga, as well as 2001 national champion Maryland.

* The emphasis that the flex places on ball and player movement makes it an excellent developmental offense.

* In 2000, The Seattle Times named Mercer Island High School Head Coach Ed Pepple the Washington State Sports Coach of the Century

* Mercer Island has one of Washington State’s few true feeder programs. The flex is a cornerstone of the entire program…one that has won 4 state titles in the past 12 years

Myth #2: The Flex is useless against switching defenses.

Fact: The Flex can be run with great success against switching defenses if the proper adjustments are made. In the flex, those adjustments come in the form of special plays - often called by the coach or the point guard. One simple place to exploit switching teams is at the actual flex screen on the baseline. In 95 % of flex offenses, the first screen is a big - little screen - i. e. a tall player screens for a shorter player. The result? A big player finds himself or herself being defended by a smaller player, if only momentarily - in the basket area!

This differs from motion offenses - where the adjustments are supposed to happen during the play, at the point of the screen.

The versatility of motion in this situation can be a double edged sword. On one hand, it can be an advantage if the offensive players make the proper reads and adjust accordingly. On the other hand, a lot of motion offenses struggle to make these adjustments because, in the words of Jerry Tarkanian, “The more that players have to think on the floor, the slower their feet get”.

What the flex lacks in on - the - fly versatility, it makes up for in simplicity and clarity of purpose. The result: when a flex team runs one of its specials, it is far more likely to run it aggressively.

Myth #3: If you don’t run the flex, you don’t need to know the flex.

Fact: The screening action in the flex, especially the baseline screen and screen - the - screener action are actions that occur constantly in basketball games.

Also, learning about the flex is the best way to recognize it when you play against it - so that you can apply what you have learned about how to best defend it.