Alex Barlow learned under Brad Stevens, returns to Butler as Dawgs' offensive 'mastermind'

As Butler point guard Posh Alexander dribbles the ball up the court, he glances back toward the Bulldogs bench for instructions.

His eyes lock on Alex Barlow, as the first-year Butler assistant coach holds up a whiteboard with a color or phrase on it, and that simple gesture gives Alexander everything he needs to know.

The Butler coaching staff wants to play fast and decisively. The 30-second shot clock is just a formality. The Bulldogs want to operate more like a professional team, where the 24-second shot clock doesn't allow long drawn-out offensive sets. Barlow doesn't want any wasted movement on offense, and with a veteran group of players, sometimes, words aren't needed.

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"Against Xavier, I wrote on the board a play that we didn't even have in," Barlow said. "It's a common action that other teams have run against us that our players know. So, to be able to write on the board, we're running this, and they're able to do it on the fly without us ever practicing it.

"That got us back into the Xavier game. ... To be able to do that, that's impressive. It's something that isn't easy. Not every player can do it."

Learning from Brad Stevens

There's a cliche troupe about the scrappy undersized player who is destined to become a coach, and Alex Barlow never shied away from it. At 5-11, the Springboro, Ohio, native never had any illusions of a lengthy pro basketball career. He played 5 minutes as a freshman walk-on under Butler coach Brad Stevens.

Barlow moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and elevated himself to hero status with a one-handed floater with 2.6 seconds left in overtime, beating top-ranked Indiana, 88-86. The shot was a finalist for the GEICO Play of the Year. He started the final 65 games of his career, earning a scholarship and helping Butler reach the NCAA tournament in 2013 and '15.

While playing, Barlow had one eye toward future. He studied Stevens' routine, asking questions and learning what it takes to run a successful program.

"I've always watched extra film. That is how I was a player," Barlow said. "I've always watched more than just the film that they would show the team. I've always asked questions like, 'Why did you do this? Or what was your thought process behind this? Why did we foul? Why didn't we foul? What did you see to draw up this play, knowing it would work?'"

Barlow had a typical coach-player relationship with Stevens. After graduating in 2015, Barlow's first coaching job was with the Boston Celtics under Stevens, then the head coach. Barlow served as Stevens' video assistant for two seasons. He served as an assistant for the G League's Maine Red Claws in 2017-18 and moved to a player development role with the Celtics from 2018-19, before returning as the Red Claws/Celtics associate head coach from 2019-22. Barlow was promoted to head coach of the Maine Celtics during the 2022-23 season.

Barlow's time working under Stevens, now the Celtics President of Basketball Operations, allowed their relationship to mature.

"When I got to Boston, he was the head coach and I was on his staff, he was like a mentor," Barlow said. "Someone I could lean on, someone I got to learn so much from, someone that was always helping me, giving me pointers.

"When I became the head coach (of the Maine Celtics) he was the President of Basketball Operations and it formed a new relationship. He was my boss, but at the same time, someone I could lean on. Someone I could ask questions to, being in the head coach's chair for the first time. It's a relationship that I value. He's someone that's been instrumental in my career path and I know he's someone that will continue to be instrumental as my career continues on."

Bringing a bit of the NBA to Butler

Working with superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown helped Barlow ingest a wealth of basketball knowledge. On Thad Matta's Butler staff, Barlow's in charge of designing the offense, and the sets he'd run in the G League translate well to college.

There's nothing that makes an offensive set an NBA set, per se. Good offense starts with good offensive players. Butler may not have pros at the level of a Tatum or Brown, but Barlow works to put the Bulldogs in ideal positions to score.

Butler ranks fourth in the Big East, averaging 77.4 points per game. The Bulldogs have scored 90-plus points seven times, and their 99-98 win over Creighton on Feb. 2 was one of the highest scoring regulation-length games in Big East history. The high-level shot-making of Butler's leading scorers Pierre Brooks II (14.8 points per game), Jahmyl Telfort (13.7) and DJ Davis (13.4) was on full display against the Bluejays.

Butler's offense is predicated on creating mismatches. Putting Telfort on the low block and letting him power his way to the basket or pass to an open teammate. Using a screen to get Brooks a head of steam on a drive to the basket. Using pindowns and flare screens to free up Davis from deep.

"Credit to Barlow, he's the mastermind behind the offense," Davis said. "It's a pro system in a college setting. We just try to get it to the hot hand. Try to get matchups, move the ball and feed it to whoever is open. We have a lot of options. ... We all space the floor well as well as play together and move the ball. That alone allows us to trust one another, that goes a long way."

Basketball fans can see a lot of what Butler runs every night during an NBA game. Barlow said the best coaches steal great ideas from other coaches, and Butler's staff is always looking for new ideas. Barlow added it's important to play to your players' strengths. You wouldn't run a player off a screen who isn't a good shooter. A good offensive set wouldn't have a bad passer trying to make a pinpoint pass.

At this point in the season, even the best set can get blown up by an opposing defense. Once something is put on film, opponents have a chance to study it and are alert to certain actions. After last week's loss to St. John's, Matta said there are no more secrets. The go-to play or move that worked during nonconference play may not work during the heart of the Big East season. During Butler's recent five-game losing streak, it averaged just 62.8 points per game.

Now it's up to Barlow and the Butler staff to find an adjustment to the adjustment. They have to find a way to get Butler's offense flowing again and finish the season strong.

"The first time against Creighton, we scored on them at a higher rate than anyone has all year," Barlow said. "We continued into the first half of the next game at home, then they made some adjustments. We tried to adjust to that, but they did a better job. They executed a little bit better than we did.

"So, it definitely is tough, but at the same time, we have good players. We have guys that are capable doing a lot of things. So, there's always an adjustment. ... It's a little bit of a chess match in trying to guess (what the defense will do), but I think our guys have done a really good job anytime we've had to adjust, they've done a good job adjusting on the fly."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Alex Barlow back with Butler basketball with Brad Stevens lessons