Oklahoma State Cowboys: Unlocking Phil Forte

Phil Forte of the Oklahoma State Cowboys is the second leading scorer in the Big 12 despite intense defensive attention. How does Forte generate offense and what help does Travis Ford give in unlocking this scoring weapon?

Oklahoma State junior guard Phil Forte has long been a sidekick. During his high school career in the Dallas area, Forte helped Marcus High School to back-to-back Class 5A State Championships in 2011 and 2012. Despite gigantic prep success, Forte was overshadowed by his high school teammate Marcus Smart now with the Boston Celtics.

Smart and Forte both joined Oklahoma State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) in 2012 and once again Smart stole the headlines. Forte played the role of the spot up shooter on a team laden with NBA level talent in Smart and Markel Brown (now with the Brooklyn Nets).

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Forte is playing out his college career in Stillwater and some still see him as second-fiddle to the Cowboys’ ultra-talented Le’Bryan Nash. Forte, however, is emerging from that shadow.

Through five league games, Forte is pouring in 18.0 points per game and is second only to Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield in Big 12 scoring. Forte’s quick release and deep range have long been known in Big 12 circles. His activity away from the ball can run opposing defenders ragged.

But how is it that an undersized guard (listed at 5’11”) who receives top-billing on opposing scouting reports is able to get free for 18 points per night? Let’s look at three scoring areas and some ways Oklahoma State Head Coach Travis Ford uses his playbook to unlock Forte.

Transition Offense

Opposing defenses, coaches and every player on the opposing bench knows where Forte is at all times. Often you will see Forte’s defender face-guarding him all over the court.

Some coaches put Forte’s assigned defender in “zero” coverage meaning he has no help responsibility. He is not to leave Forte to help seal a drive, to hedge a screen or for any other reason. And because of Forte’s deep range this zero coverage starts as soon as he steps out of the locker room.

With this sort of defensive attention, getting Forte a clean look at the basket against a set defense is challenging. As a result, Forte has the green light from Ford to shoot or attack in transition.

In these situations, defenses are scrambling to find their men and Forte can gain a bit of much needed daylight before the defense recovers. And a sliver of daylight is all he needs as evidenced in the clips below.

Giving Forte the freedom to shoot in transition is often capitalizing on the best view of the basket he will get. Forte has a terrific ability to gather his feet quickly and hop into his shot.

Ford does not mind his star guard pulling the trigger in transition because he knows that clean looks are much harder to manufacture against a set defense.

Screen-The-Screener

Once in the half-court, things get harder for Ford in his quest to find shots for Forte. Opponents tend to put longer and rangier defenders on Forte to make his catches harder and to obstruct his view of the basket.

To create space for Forte, Ford utilizes “screen-the-screener” sets. First having Forte set a screen for a teammate causes his defender to hedge for a moment to cover an open cutter. The better screen Forte sets, the longer his defender must help on the cutter.

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Hedging is a tactic taught by most every man-to-man defensive coach. By doing exactly what they are coached to do, defenders give Forte a bit of a head start to come off a screen of his own.

In this clip in an 74-72 win over the Missouri Tigers we see an action the Cowboys often use directly from their break. Forte, at the bottom right corner sets a effective backscreen for Michael Cobbins. Forte’s defender hesitates not wanting to let Cobbins come free on the block.

Forte then runs off a downscreen from Nash and knocks down a quick shot using the screen-the-screener technique.

Ford often targets Forte for baseline out of bounds plays. This is a one of Ford’s favorites and it uses the screen-the-screener action to free Forte.

The play begins in a box set with Forte on the low corner of the box opposite the ball. He sets a backscreen for a teammate (most often Nash) then sprints off a screen for a quick shot.

Screen-the-screener action is a smart strategy to help Forte free himself. Forte screens well and in doing so gives himself the extra step or two needed escape tight coverage.

This tactic can often serve Forte’s teammates well. In the Cowboys 69-58 Big 12 win over Texas, the Longhorns used lockdown defender Demarcus Holland on Forte in zero coverage.

Moving Without The Ball

In most of Ford’s offensive sets and patterns, he puts Forte on the move. Staying in constant motion and negotiating a maze of screens gives Forte the best chance to free himself. Because of Forte’s size he cannot simply shoot over defenders; he needs spaces and running off screens creates it.

From their narrow 63-61 road loss to No. 9 Iowa State, we see Forte on the move attempting to rid himself of Cyclone defender Matt Thomas.

Forte crosses the court with a rub off Cobbins then receives a backscreen from Cobbins that does not free him. Forte immediately cuts off a Cobbins downscreen. This rescreen of Forte gives him the shot he wants. This sort of constant motion is difficult to defend.

Against Texas, Forte uses a Cobbins backscreen then a staggered screen to rid himself of Texas’ Javan Felix. Felix knows he is beaten after the first of the staggered screens and begins calling for help to Texas teammate Myles Turner.

When Forte catches Turner is there but a simple shot fake lifts Turner and Forte buries the three. Because of his reputation as a shooter, Forte’s shot fakes are effective.

It is Forte’s energy and willingness to move constantly without the ball combined with Ford’s well-designed backscreens and staggered screens that help Forte get the space he needs to score.

The Big 12 is shaping up to be a brutal race and Forte is helping the Cowboys get into the mix. To survive, Oklahoma State must win at home and pull off a few road victories.

A player with Forte’s skills can help the Cowboys return to the NCAA Tournament, but skill is not enough. Having a good player and simply asking him to go get points is not possible in the Big 12 gauntlet.

Ford knows this and these strategies show it. Unlocking Forte and devising offense to maximize his skills and give him chances will often be the difference between a narrow conference victory or a crushing league loss.

Next: Kansas State Wildcats: Big 12s Leader Lacking Recognition?

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