Horns play: Use curl as decoy to set up screen

From Dave Rose, BYU Cougers head coach

A guard in the corner comes off a double screen from both posts and the defense is convinced it’s a curl – fool them by having the curler set a backscreen for one of the post

Why use it

BYU’s Dave Rose has the Cougars scoring a lot of points this season (more than 85 a game) and he utilizes a lot of Horns sets to net easy buckets. Run enough Horns sets with different actions and teams cannot scout you. BYU ran this play at the start of overtime against Harvard in the Diamond Head Classic.

Set up

This is an extended Horns set in that the guards are higher than the corner and the posts are outside the 3-point line rather than at the elbows.

How to play

4 and 5 run toward 2 and set a double screen. 2 curls tightly around the double screen and runs through the lane. This typically is a good option off a Horns set, so expect the defense to focus on 2. [1]. 5 now comes high to offer a ball screen for 1. 1 rejects the ball screen and dribbles in the opposite direction. 2 comes through the lane and sets a backscreen for 4. 4 uses the screen and comes hard to the left block. 1 passes to 4 [2]. 4 scores at the rim as 5 crashes the boards for a possible rebound [3].

Technique

On the curl, be sure 1 is looking at 2 to sell this fake even more, especially if you’ve passed to the curler on previous Horns plays. Have 4 wait for 2’s screen and not release to the left block too soon.

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