Technique or Coverage? The Flex Action That Taught Us the Real Difference

When we think of adjustments, we typically go straight to coverage changes.

Go to a hedge.
Change to a drop.
Trap it.
It feels like problem-solving.

But most of the time, the truth is simple:

It’s not the coverage. It’s the technique.

A few seasons ago, playing Geneseo Men’s Basketball twice in our regular season, we had one of the clearest examples of that distinction — five clips that show why the first adjustment should almost always be technical, not tactical.

This progression is a big reason why I rarely change coverages in prep unless I’m convinced we’ve already maxed out the technique.

And as context:
This was Year 1 of us installing a full switching system. The language, intensity, timing, and urgency were all brand new to our roster. The system would eventually help us win a league championship the next season and a regular season championship the year after — largely with the same players.

But early on, the growing pains were real.

---

Clip 1 — Prep Film: Geneseo’s Flex Cut vs. Another Opponent

Geneseo runs a basic flex set.
Nothing complicated. Nothing new.

And in preparation, they hit the flex cut more often than you’d expect.
In this clip, they hit the cutter and draw a foul on the post-up.

We assumed this action would be straightforward for us.
We were a switching team.
We assumed switching the flex screen would neutralize the cut and flatten out the action.

But the next clips showed us what happens when technique doesn’t match the coverage.

---

Clip 2 — Game 1: Geneseo Prepares for the Switch, High-Cuts for a Jumper

They clearly knew we would switch the flex.

So instead of running the cutter tight to the screen, they high-cut it — to create space for a clean mid-range jumper.

This was our first signal that our switch wasn’t good enough.
Yes, the coverage was “right,” but the execution wasn’t:

• We didn’t switch at the level of the screen.

• We didn’t switch physically enough to disrupt timing.

Coverage was not the issue.
Technique was.

---

Clip 3 — An Improved Switch… That Reveals a New Problem

In the next clip, you can see us execute the switch properly on the cutter:

• We switch and jam at the point of the screen.

That part is solved.

But if you watch the screener’s defender — the player who switches onto the big — you see the next weakness:

• He’s out of position.

• He relaxes after the switch.

• His urgency isn’t there.

This is a common Year-1 switching problem:
Players think the danger ends after the switch, when really it begins.

And Geneseo, well coached, wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to punish it.