Why KU Jayhawks coach Bill Self has flip-flopped one of his favorite plays this year
Ochai Agbaji is playing like a first-team All-American — a trend that continued when he scored 25 points in Kansas’ 88-62 victory over Tarleton on Friday night.
And while the 6-foot-5 guard deserves most of the credit for that after strengthening his game in the offseason ... just know some of his scoring outburst also can be credited to a coaching staff that’s rethinking what it has done previously to best mold to its players’ strengths.
There aren’t many secrets when it comes to college basketball scouting, especially when studying some old staples of KU coach Bill Self’s playbook.
One set that has worked over and over again — so much so that college basketball analyst Jordan Sperber recently labeled it “Bill Self’s favorite play” — has involved a guard getting it on the wing, a fake ball screen drawing the defense to the perimeter and a throw over the top to get a big man an easy shot.
Udoka Azubuike, for one, feasted with this coordinated movement, taking it to Dayton’s Obi Toppin a few times in the Maui Invitational a few years back while getting well-placed passes from Agbaji.
Self, though, has flipped the play on its head this year after almost a decade of running it a different way.
Now? Agbaji — a guard — is the one posting up inside instead of KU’s biggest player on the floor.
The Jayhawks showed an example of just how effective that could be to start the second half Friday, as Christian Braun tossed it to Agbaji, who was able to put in an easy layup over helpless Tarleton defender Tahj Small.
Running this play for Agbaji specifically, Self said, has specific advantages.
For one, Agbaji’s athleticism makes it so that when a ball is tossed in the air, he’s likely to come up with any 50-50 ball thrown his way. Much like a football team throwing a jump ball to a tall receiver, Self is trusting that his own guy will go make a play (with position) better than the opponent.
Another reason it has a chance to work: Agbaji’s scoring prowess means most coaches are going to instruct their defenders to deny him the ball.
That plays right into KU’s hands. Because the goal is to have KU throw the ball over the top, the defender will naturally be in the wrong spot if he’s following instructions to keep the ball out of Agbaji’s hands.
Self also says there could be further tinkering. Something else that could develop: Forward David McCormack, with his passing ability, could at some point be the one delivering those throws to KU’s guards inside.
Braun says the team has worked on this new guard-in-the-post wrinkle a lot in recent practices.
“I think seeing Ochai do it has been a good look for us,” Braun said. “We’ve been scoring off it.”
It potentially could become more successful over time too.
On one instance against Michigan State, Agbaji was open, but Braun left the pass too short for a turnover. Another time against Tarleton, Braun’s attempted pass to Agbaji was deflected out of bounds.
There should be time to improve. Self said afterward he was making it an emphasis this year to get big guards Agbaji, Braun and Jalen Wilson involved in actions like this “probably more than I ever have.”
Consider it another evolution for Self and staff, who are even re-imagining their old playbooks in a never-ending pursuit to get better.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why KU Jayhawks coach Bill Self has flip-flopped one of his favorite plays this year."
