More on the Flex Offense

I'm not an expert on basketball stratergy, but we've been getting hundreds and hundreds of emails asking, "Jimmy, what is this flex offense you speak of?" Through my extensive Google research, I've found a site here that explains pretty simply how to run the flex. It'll help you figure out what you're watching against this Gonzaga team that's become so good at this relatively simple offense.
Step 1
Set up the offense. To run the flex offense the point guard will bring the ball up on the left side of the floor. The shooting guard should be positioned along side of him to the right. The small forward is in the left corner with the center on the left block and the power forward on the right block.

Step 2

Trigger the offense with a pass. The point guard should pass the ball to the shooting guard. When the ball is passed, the center will set a back screen for the small forward and the small forward will cut to the middle of the lane looking for a pass from the shooting guard. This is the basic "flex" cut that the offense is named after. As the small forward cuts through the power forward should move out to the three point line on the right side to make room for the small forward to take his place on the right block.

Step 3

Screen the screener. The next step when you run the flex offense is for the point guard to set a down screen for the center who had just set a pick for the small forward. The center then flashes to the free throw line. If he is open, the shooting guard should pass to him. If not he should run all the way out and replace the point guard at the top of the offense.

Step 4

Reset the offense. The formation is now flipped from when the offense started. The shooting guard has not moved yet, but the center is now up top, the point guard is on the offside baseline, the small forward is on the right block and the power forward is now on the ball side baseline.

Step5

Flip the play. Now the offense runs the same play, just to the opposite direction. The shooting guard passes to the center, the small forward sets a back screen for the power forward who cuts through the lane, the shooting guard sets a down screen for the small forward and we are once again set up in the same formation as we were at the beginning of the play. Players have shifted spots, but the same basic spots on the floor are occupied.

Step6

Run the flex offense over and over. This is a very basic offense, but if the screens are set properly, there should be ample opportunities to get open shots. If it is run correctly no one will be able to dominate the ball and everyone will get a chance to score.

There you go. Now you can run the flex offense flawlessly.