Dave Rice's top play for UNLV this season

In the second half of UNLV’s win over Temple, the Runnin’ Rebels started almost every possession with a high ball screen for Cody Doolin. This is certainly a positive as Doolin is producing a team-best 1.15 points per possession, per Real GM.

But simply giving Doolin a high ball screen isn’t all UNLV did on offense against Temple. Per Synergy Sports, Doolin has shot on just six times on the 36 possession-ending ball screens he’s received. They ran a play multiple times that starts with a high ball screen and is intended for Chris Wood to get quality shots.

But the more complex play Dave Rice is calling starts with two high ball screens for the point guard.

Those screens always come from a wing and a post, Jelan Kendrick and Goodluck Okonoboh on this play. The wing always sets the first screen then cuts to the block. After Okonoboh sets his screen, he’ll go to down screen for Kendrick.

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The first option off this play is for the Wing to catch off the screen and score. Kendrick does a nice job curling off that screen, then getting into the lane for a quality shot. If the wing is Patrick McCaw then that down screen can free up a three-point shooter as well.

Dave Rice has talked a lot about shot selection early in the season, especially with his freshmen. Rice’s concerns are perfectly illustrated by contrasting that Kendrick score with this Rashad Vaughn jumper.

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Same play, but instead of Vaughn trying to attack the paint, he takes the least efficient shot in basketball. If Vaughn had come off the screen looking for a three, it would have been better than taking the long two.

Now that’s certainly not the only option on this set. If the down screen for the wing doesn’t create a good look, the screener immediately looks to post up, like Chris Wood does here before drawing a foul.

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If you notice this is actually Kendrick setting the screen trying to get an open pass directly to Wood near the basket. But it isn't open, and Kendrick pops out to feed the post.

Temple didn’t switch this screen, but if a defense does switch the down screen, UNLV would end up with Wood or Okonoboh posting up a guard.

If the post up isn’t caught in good position, the play continues to expand, as the wing will come back and screen for Doolin.

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Doolin misses a three, but the way his defender went under that screen allowed him to get an open look.

That’s the top three options on this play, and there are conceivably more. Doolin could look to score coming off the initial ball screens. But it is play that makes defenses defend four screens in about eight seconds. One wrong step can lead to an open look for the Rebels.