When former Syracuse center Roosevelt Bouie (1976-80) went to set high-ball screens, he bumped his opponents so hard that the other players’ jersey number would stick to his. Decades ago, players called setting a pick “headhunting.”

“I wanted to wear 50-22,” Bouie said last month, referring to his desire to stick his opponents jersey number to his No. 50 uniform when setting a screen. “Mastering the pick-and-roll is why I played 13 years in Europe. I learned at Syracuse that if you want the ball, all you have to do is go away from the ball and set a great screen. You’re not just setting a pick. You’re setting up an entire offensive move.”

For players, embracing a pick-and-roll heavy offense isn’t a suggestion. It’s a requirement to play productive minutes and help the Orange score. Syracuse calls a pick-and-roll nearly every possession. The pick-and-roll has always been a part of modern basketball, but its usage has soared in the past decade. Over that time, the offensive maneuver has become the cornerstone of the Syracuse offense. At SU, former standouts Gerry McNamara and Carmelo Anthony initiated the move in earnest as they led the Orange to the 2003 national title. And even though the defense knows it’s coming, this year’s Syracuse (13-5, 4-1 Atlantic Coast) team counts on the move more than anything else on offense.

SU’s best play is also its least complicated, dozens of former and current SU players and coaches said. One player, usually a guard, dribbles on the perimeter and calls another player, usually a big, to set a pick that blocks the path of the guard’s defender. While the move diminishes the traditional post game, players said they love it because it initiates offense — quickly.

“It’s a difficult play to defend,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim, in his 43rd season, said Monday. “A lot of teams end up trying to switch it, and it’s hard to do that. You get mismatches.”

In the Big East, Villanova was the first team to base many of its offensive sets on the high screen, Boeheim said. Now, Syracuse runs up to seven ball-screens on a single offensive possession.

When Syracuse freshmen arrive on campus, they learn within a few practices that SU’s offense runs through the pick-and-roll. Freshman guard Jalen Carey said part of SU’s pitch to him during the recruiting process centered on his role in SU’s ball-screen offense. Former players said they were initially surprised that a high-major program relies heavily on a play they learned in elementary school.

“Is the defense going to hedge? Switch it? You don’t know,” junior guard Tyus Battle said. “That’s what makes it so effective.”

“We’re tall and lengthy. It’s something we thrive off,” sophomore forward Oshae Brissett said.

McNamara, a former four-year starter at SU, noted that screen-oriented offenses enable players to attack the rim. Penetration in the paint is the goal. Guards who can work through an initial hedge and get into the middle of the floor thrive.

The beauty, he added, is that it sets up players on offense to be in rebounding position. One defender can’t fully focus on the ball and the screener at the same time. Even if the first options are covered well, teams can set another high screen and reset. Sometimes, he said, a third or fourth consecutive pick could be the one that frees up a man.

“Any defense you play against, if you can get to that middle area and create drive angles to break the defense down, you’re going to open up your options,” McNamara said. “We’re never going to get away from the pick-and-roll.”

The Orange exclusively play a 2-3 zone defense, but a lot of teams still set high-ball screens to get shooters open. Syracuse’s zone slows down offenses. A pick-and-roll can provide a spark. For SU, players said the defensive priority is to eliminate dribble penetration. When guards find room in the middle of the floor, the zone breaks down. This puts a responsibility on the guards to cut off drives and fight through ball screens. Smaller players also have to try to avoid slamming into a human wall, which Bouie likened to “getting slapped in a dark room.”

Players agree the hardest part of the pick-and-roll is the pick. The ball handler has to wait for the screener to come over and set up. If he waits too long, the play is broken. If he goes too early, the screener can be called for a foul. Once the screen is sturdy, the player with the ball needs to run his man into the screen.

If all goes to plan, the possibilities begin to open up. Mismatches and gaps follow.

“As long as you hit the guy and your teammate rolls or pops hard,” Carey said, “I feel like it’s unstoppable.”

– Senior Staff Writer Billy Heyen contributed reporting to this story.

Published on January 24, 2019 at 9:20 am

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