Down four to the #2 ranked Kansas Jayhawks on the road in the Phog with just over four minutes left, Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford called a play for his 5'11" (and that is generous) freshman point guard that was previously 0-for-6 from deep to get a three-point look. Naturally.
The Cowboys put the Freshman point guard in a number of screen situations, with the end result being a three-pointer that Forte nailed to bring the Cowboys within one. It was this shot by Forte that sprung OSU's run down the stretch, resulting in one of the rarest things in college sports: A Jayhawks loss in Phog Allen Fieldhouse. And it was all thanks to some great play design, patience and execution by the Cowboys in a very tough environment.
The Pokes are going to go through the entire screen family on the right side of the floor on this play. It starts with dynamic forward Marcus Smart kicking the ball to Phil Forte on the wing with center Michael Cobbins coming over from the free throw line for a little pick-and-roll.
Kansas center Jeff Withey shows hard on Forte, who really had no intention of penetrating or shooting off this pick-and-roll, so Forte kicks the ball to Smart. The goal of this pick-and-roll is to get Forte's man (Naadir Tharpe) to fight over the screen and have to catch up to Forte.
As soon as Tharpe catches up to him, Forte makes a swiftly changes course and gets a flare screen from Cobbins. Forte probably could have gotten an open look in the corner had he tried, but instead, he fades to the right block and gives a trailing Tharpe the impression that his part in this play is over.
But once Tharpe recovers, Forte once again changes direction, this time getting a downscreen from Cobbins. This time Forte's intention is to shoot the ball, and as he flashes up to the right wing, Smart hits with a perfect pass, allowing Forte to square his shoulders to the basket and to drill a three to bring the Cowboys within one.
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