Ram Screen
One-line: A screen-the-screener action: a small player screens for the screening big BEFORE the big screens for the ball.
How it works
- Big (5) starts at the FT line, prepping to set a ball-screen for PG
- Wing (3) sprints from the corner and sets a screen on the 5's defender ("ram")
- Now the 5's defender is dislodged — 5 sets the ball-screen with a clean angle and rolls free
- PG attacks downhill with no help on the roll
Why it works
The ram screen disconnects the big's defender from him before the ball-screen. By the time the ball-screen happens, the help structure is broken.
Defense counters
- Switch the ram screen so the 5's defender stays with the 5
- "Show ram" call so defenders pre-fight for position
- Don't top-lock the rammer — let him through, then close on the actual ball-screen
See also
actions/spain-pnr.md,concepts/ball-screen-reads.mddefense/drop-coverage.md
Curated film & diagrams
Topic-targeted YouTube searches that always resolve. Channel pages for browsing.
Sources & further reading
Verified citations (this file's content can be checked against)
- Ram and Veer Offensive Basketball Set — Teach Hoops — walks the Ram screen-the-screener mechanic and shows the pin-down/Veer continuation; matches the file's "screener gets screened first" core.
- VIDEO Florida Gators — 4 Low Ram Ball Screen — YouTube (Coach Tony Miller / FastDraw) — film breakdown of a Ram-into-ball-screen set, useful for visualizing how the rammer's screen frees the screener's roll.
- FastModel Sports playbank — search "Ram screen" for dozens of college and NBA Ram variations (Ram Spain, Ram Pistol, Ram Horns).
Recommended further reading for staff
- Slappin' Glass podcast / YouTube — multiple episodes discuss Ram as a counter to switch-everything defenses.
- HoopsU and Half Court Hoops YouTube channels — both have several free Ram breakdowns showing reads vs switch and vs drop coverage.
Verification notes (Claude)
- The Ram action is well-documented as a screen-the-screener setup for a ball screen. Mechanics in the file are accurate.
- I could not find a single credible "originator" for Ram — it appears across European, NCAA, and NBA staffs without a clean attribution. The file wisely doesn't claim one.
- The defensive counters listed (switch the ram, "show ram" pre-call, don't top-lock the rammer) are standard but the specific terminology varies by staff.