GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S

BUILDING THE FULL COURT SCRAMBLE

By Eric Konkol
Assistant Basketball Coach
George Mason Univeristy

Applying effective full court pressure is an excellent way of taking your opponent out
of their comfort zone in two simple ways. Its immediate effect is placing duress on the
ball handlers, potentially forcing dribbling on passing errors, well before they get across
half court and into the scoring area. In the long term, the effects of persistent pressure,
constant guessing, and an increase in tempo can cause additional physical and mental
fatigue on your opponent and give you a great opportunity for success.

Nearly eight years ago, Jim Larranga inherited a George Mason University men’s
basketball program that suffered through seven losing seasons including four last place
finishes in the Colonial Athletic Association. After implementing an intense style of
pressure defense that includes the Full Court Scramble, George Mason now has the most
wins in the CAA as well as four postseason tournament appearances in the past six years.

At George Mason, we believe that being successful at the Full Court Scramble requires
three inner qualities before our players ever step onto the floor. Our three-part philosophy
includes: attitude, commitment, and class.

First, everyone must have a positive attitude. Each of us makes a decision each day on
what type of attitude we will have. We emphasize enthusiasm, passion, along with hard
work in our program. There is going to be adversity, and how we bounce back is vital.

Secondly, everyone must be totally and unconditionally committed. We must work hard
to improve every day, no matter the circumstances. It is easy to work hard when things
are going well, but those who are totally and unconditionally committed work hard even
during tough times.

Thirdly, everyone must act in a first-class manner. We must represent the program with
pride and respect. We understand that our actions impact not only ourselves, but also our
teammates, coaches, university and family.

Once we deliver this philosophy to our team, we are ready to get on the floor and build
the Full Court Scramble.

Full Court Scramble Drills

On the court, the Full Court Scramble requires three essential fundamentals before we
practice our 5-on-5 situations. They are:
1. Apply extreme pressure on the ball handler
2. Anticipate the pass
3. Effectively trap the dribbler

In order to excel at these three fundamentals, we spend time each day in our pre-season
individual workouts as well as our team practices on drills that incorporate these
fundamentals. In addition, although we are developing our defense, the offensive players
in each drill must work hard to make game-line plays to make each drill effective.

These drills are:

1. Nose on the Ball
2. Anticipation Drill
3. Herding Drill

Nose on the Ball

“Nose on the Ball” requires the defender to work

very hard to influence the ball handler to crossover
at least three times before half court. We call it
“Nose on the Ball” because we want our defenders
to do just that. Our defender isn’t looking to gamble
and steal the ball. His goal is to make the offense’s
job very difficult. Diagram 1.

1. In Diagram 1, the defender passes the ball to the offense and closes him with hands
high and quick choppy steps.

2. The offense then quickly zig-zags up the court with the defense closing guarding and
making him crossover at least three times.

3. At half court, the offense picks up his dribble and the defender immediately pressures
the dead ball by closing the space between them and
“mirroring” the ball with both hands. After a count
of two, the offense passes the ball to a coach at half
court.

4. In Diagram 2, the defense immediately jumps to

the ball and denies the pass back to the offense.

5. The ball is passed to the offense and the zig-zag

dribble continues to the end line.

Anticipation Drill
Diagram 2.
The “Anticipation Drill” works the defender to
quickly anticipate the direction of a pass. The defender is concentrating on deflecting the
basketball three times to get out of the drill.

1. In Diagram 3, the defender begins in the middle of the free throw line facing half
court. Two offensive players stand with their inside foot on the elbow, also facing half
court. A coach stands on the circle at half court, with a ball, facing the players.

2. The coach passes the ball quickly to one of the

players at either elbow. The defender in the middle

Diagram 3.
tries to anticipate where the ball is
going and get a deflection. The
Diagram 4. coach can utilize pass fakes and no-
look passes to make it difficult.

3. The defender stays in the middle

until he gets three deflections.

Herding Drill

The “Herding Drill” focuses on two

defenders trapping a dribbler and
then running out of the trap once a
pass is made. The offensive player’s
goal is to dribble as quickly as he
can in straight lines to the left or
right. We do not want him to use a
variety of risky moves.

Diagram 5. 1. In Diagram 4, the offensive

player begins underneath the rim
with a ball. The two defenders begin where the lane line extended meets the three-point
line. A coach stands at half court facing the players.

2. As soon as the dribbler begins in one direction, the two defenders try to “herd” him
into a trap. It is important that they do not get beat! They must use the sidelines as
another defender and work together.
3. In Diagram 5, the dribbler crosses over, the defenders close up the space between
them and force a trap. The trap must wrap up the dribbler and now allow him to step
through the trap.

4. Once the trap is made and after a two-count, the passer throws the ball to the coach at
half court. The defenders then sprint out of the trap, run the coach down, and either tip
the ball out of his hands or block an attempted lay up.

Full Court Scramble Defenses

Now that we have built a strong foundation with our philosophy and drill work, we are
ready to work with our players 5-on-5 in our five full court scramble defense. Our five
full court defenses are:

1. Full Court Man

2. Quick trap
3. Slow trap
4. Twist
5. 55

ABQ will present the second part of George Mason’s ‘Full Court Scramble’ in our
second quarter edition... Full Court Scramble Defenses will be the subject.

About the author

Eric Konkol

Eric Konkol is now in his third season as a member of Jim Larranaga’s coaching staff at
George Mason. His responsibilities include recruiting, game preparation, scouting,
evaluation of players, and breaking down game tape. Konkol previously was an assistant
on Buzz Peterson’s staff at Tennessee and Tulsa. Konkol also is the director of the Jim
Larranaga Basketball Camps at Geroge Mason. He is a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin at Eau Claire and earned a master’s degree in sport management at Tennessee.
He can be reached at ekonkol@gmu.edu.

BAYLOR UNIVERISTY'S
PRESS OFFENSE
By Matt Driscoll
Assistant Coach,
Baylor University

Included are some basic sets of the Press Offense. This will be our basic set vs. man or
zone.
Most of the time we will go to our 14 Triangle set, but this gives us good early movement
and the potential for an easy basket on the other end. The inbounder must clear the lane
and basket. Never throw the ball to the offense below the block (trap area). Later in the
year, add cut and replace with your bigs coming to front court. (See Diagrams 1A-1-D)

Diagram 1A. Diagram 1B.

Diagram 1C. Diagram 1D.

Press Offense - l Man

A. 1 man will always work to get open off the 5 man...if the 3 man hits the 1 man we are
in our normal movement (Diagram 1-A)

B. 5 man will look for an opening in the middle... 4 man is diagonal... 2 man is up the
sideline... 1 man must pass fake first up the floor...normally we will eventually reverse to
3 man (Diagram 1-B)

C. 3 man will take a dribble then hit the 4 man flashing back up the sideline... 5 man will
bail out help side on pass back to 3 man...2 man will fill middle where 5 man vacates
then quickly get back to the ball side deep spot...1 man will become the middle relief
(Diagram 1-C)

D. If we haven’t been able to make a forwardadvancing pass, we will now ask our 1, 2, or
3 man to get the ball across half court in a triangle formation... the 2 man is looking for
an open area anywhere in the middle of the floor... 4 and 5 man are going to space to the
front court staying stretched (Diagram 1-D)
Diagram 2A. Diagram 2B.

Diagram 2C. Diagram 2D.

Press Offense - 14 (2 man)

This will be our basic set vs. man or zone. Most of the time we will go to our 14 Triangle
set, but this gives us good early movement and potential for an easy basket on the other
end. Inbounder must clear lane and basket. Never throw the ball to the offense below the
block area (trap area). Later in the year, add cut and replace with bigs coming to front
court.(See Diagrams 2A-2D)

A. If the 1 man is being dogged, the 2 man must always be ready to walk his man to the
middle of the floor then change direction quickly out to the wing (Diagram 2-A)

B. 5 man will look for an opening in the middle... 4 man is diagonal...1 man is up the
sideline...2 man must pass fake first up the floor...normally we will reverse to 3 man
(Diagram 2-B)

C. 3 man will take a dribble then hit the 4 man flashing back up the sideline... 5 man will
bail out help side on pass back to 3 man...1 man will fill middle where 5 man vacates
then quickly get to the ball side deep spot...2 man will become the middle relief
(Diagram 2-C)

D. If we haven't been able to make a forward advancing pass, we will now ask our 1, 2,
and 3 man to get the ball across half court in a triangle formation...1 man is looking for
an
open area anywhere in the middle of the floor... 4 and 5 man are going to space to front
court staying stretched (Diagram 2-D)

Press Offense - 14 (4 man)

This will be our basic set vs. man or zone. Most of the time we will go to our 14 Triangle
set, but this gives us good early movement and the potential for another basket on the
other end. Inbounder must clear the lane and basket. Never throw it to the offense below
the block area extended (See Diagrams 3A-3D).
Diagram 3A. Diagram 3B.

Diagram 3C. Diagram 3D.

A. If the 3 man can't hit the 1 or 2 man he must run the baseline and pass to the 4 man...4
man is walking his man into the middle then making a quick change of direction to the
outside open area...3 man will hit 4 man (Diagram 3-A)
B. 1 man is going ball side hard toward the sideline... 3 man is filling behind... 2 man is
going deep diagonal. If 4 man can hit 1 man, we're successful...normally, we reverse the
ball back to the 3 man (Diagram 3-B)

C. 3 man will take a dribble then hit the 2 man flashing back up the sideline...5 man will
bail out deep ball side...1 man will fill middle where 5 man vacates...4 man will become
the deep diagonal (Diagram 3-C)

D. If we haven't been able to make a forward advancing pass, we will now ask our 1, 2,
and 3 man to get the ball across half court in a triangle formation... the 1 man is looking
for an open area anywhere in the middle of the floor... 4 and 5 man are stretching deep to
create space (Diagram 3-D)

Diagram 5A.
Diagram 4.
Diagram 5B. Diagram 5C.

Press Offense - 14 Double

This will be a nice option to go to at the end of a game to get the ball in the hands of our
best free throw shooter. 2 man has to make a quick change of direction to move deep... 4
and 5 man set a double staggered for the 1 man... 1 man has a choice reading his defender
– he can turn down the screen or go under the double or over the double (Diagram 4)

Press Offense - 14 Triangle

This is a common offense vs. presses. The

1, 2 and 3 man will form a triangle staying
15 – 18 feet apart at all times. The triangle
will sometimes have 2 in the back court or
1. That is the beauty of this press offense;
the fact that it is very flexible. Inbounder
must clear the lane and basket. Never
inbound to the offense below the block
area extended. (See Diagrams 5A-5D)

A. No matter what it takes we will get the

ball inbounded to the 1 man or 2 man
coming back to the ball... if we have to go
to the 4 man who will go right back to the

Diagram 5D.
3 man when we are in Triangle (Diagram 5-A)

B. 5 man is bailing out to the ball side deep and scraping the sidelines... 4 and 5 men
arearound the 3-point line extended waiting for a possible long pass (Diagram 5-B)

C. 1, 2 and 3 man will continually work ball back and forth looking to get ball over half
court...middle person is always looking to move to an open area... staying behind ball in
back court is important to make an easy pass out of any trap... we can throw it ahead to a
post player as well... bigs can also communicate a cut to each other. (Diagram 5-C)
D. We will drive the middle man hard to the basket then out the ball side (looking for a
trap)...the opposite big will fill the foul line area...3 man will fill behind... 1 Man is deep
diagonal...these are our normal spots when we are getting trapped...this is a good time for
teams to trap so we should be prepared (Diagram 5-D)

Efficient and Effective

Offensive Post Play
By Jim Hayford
Whitworth College Men’s Basketball Head Coach

We want our post players to have confidence that they can score whenever we get
them the ball at the block. The system of post play that I am about to describe allows for
the offensive player to react to defensive pressure with confidence and simplicity. My
experience has shown me that many post players are stuck in a “paralysis by analysis,” or
in other words, “which move should I go to?” We want to train post players with a
mindset that is simple and will hold true regardless of the opposing player’s defensive
scheme or positioning. Confidence is built through skill development that is absorbed
through repetition. Our post players will be conditioned through extensive
preparation to stick to what they have been taught by developing instincts that are
based on this system of offensive post play.

I have outlined our method of low post scoring efficiency into six steps. Steps 1-3
are the “foundation.” The fundamental three steps are principles that hold true in all
situations. Detail is given to each step below. Steps 4-6 are the “reaction.” These
steps are a progression of what the offensive player’s instincts will be trained to do
in response to the defender’s positioning (See steps 1-3 “The Foundation”)

1. Know your place of comfort: Where are you most effective: above the block, on
the block, or off the block? Determine an advantageous spot where you can be an
effective scoring threat. You don’t want to end up too far under the basket or too far
away from the basket after receiving the ball and attempting a field goal. What is the
ideal place for you to receive the ball and be a scoring threat based on your physical size,
strength, and jumping ability? The larger the post player the more space they can cover
with their pivoting. The stronger the post player the more space they can maintain. The
greater the jumping ability of the offensive post player the more ground that can be
covered while leaping and “attacking” the basket. A good offensive post player will “lay
their stake” to this most important place of real estate on the court where they are able to
 operate at optimum efficiency.

2. Ready to receive the ball: Once an excellent offensive post player has located
themselves at a “place of comfort” they will need to establish and maintain that
space with a solid base. A solid base requires that their feet and elbows are outside
of their hips yet not so far outside that they give up lower body strength and balance.
Balance and strength are maintained by being bent at the knees, buttocks extended,
and elbows extended or what we call “sharp elbows.” A target hand needs to be
shown and direct eye contact established with the passer. An effective offensive post
player will stay strong with a good solid base so they can keep their advantageous
position. The offensive player must initiate physical contact with their defender and
physically take the spot they want and then hold that advantageous position.

3. Go get the ball: There are too many post players who fail to catch passes because they
do not shorten the pass to receive the ball. It would be ideal if each pass was perfect and
the post player didn’t have to move. However, that is rarely the case. If the post player is
not an active catcher, the defense will get steals in the post. With this in mind, one must
realize that their “place of comfort” (Step 1) must account for their end location after
meeting the pass. Steps 4-6 “Reaction” based on defensive positioning

4. Drop Step Power Move: If the defender is on the high side, then drop step
baseline with shoulders square to backboard, power dribble and score. If defender is
on the low side, then drop step middle to pin defender away from rim and power
dribble, finishing with opposite hand of the side the defender is on. Remember your
drop step should pin the defender out of the play. Shoulders need to be square to the
glass at the release of the shot, leaving the defender no chance to obstruct your shot
except by going through your body to foul you.

5. Face Up and Shoot “Face Up Pivot”: When the defender is playing directly
behind, a power drop step is not an option. We want to turn and face with one of two
different pivot moves so that they are looking at the defensive player and the rim.
This is what we call “face up.” It is important to face up to the basket without a
dribble. A strong face up pivot can be done off either foot to the baseline or middle.
If there is a gap between the offensive player and the defensive player then we will take
this shot. This requires skill development through shooting repetition from the 8-13 foot
range. If the defender is playing close enough that an uncontested jump shot is not
possible, then you move to the next reaction, step 6.

6. Secondary Move: After facing up and attracting defensive pressure the offensive
player is now ready to go to a “secondary move.” We teach the offensive player to
prepare to put the ball on the floor by bringing the ball down though their body with a
hard and swift movement so that they are in ready position for a crossover move, with
their lead foot placed outside the defender’s foot. This is a simultaneous movement to
step through the defender while bringing the ball to a lower position across their body.
We now want one strong dribble with a big hop (two foot jump stop). They are now
ready to make an explosive jump and bring the ball high and finish the shot preferably at
the rim level or higher. At this position they are also able to go to a jump hook finish. The
pictures which accompany this article will demonstrate the full progression of steps.
About the author
Jim Hayford

Jim Hayford led Whitworth College to the basketball promised land in only his second
year as head coach of the Pirates. In 2002-03, Hayford directed Whitworth to a 23-4
record, a Northwest Conference title and an appearance in the 2003 NCAA Division III
Tournament and raised his overall record with the Pirates to 43-11. You can reach Coach
Hayford at jhayford@whitworth.edu

Down Low
Tennessee’s Principle For Developing Low Post Players At Any Level

By Greg Brown
Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach, University of Tennessee

All coaches are in pursuit of a championship, whether it is a county championship in

junior high, or a state championship in high school or a national championship at the
collegiate level. Regardless of the level, a team can not be a championship team without
strong post play. This does not mean that a team must have size to have great post play.
Actually size is overemphasized. Post play is about spacing, angles and momentum.

I have had the opportunity in my short career to work at every level from junior high to
participating in the National Championship game at the NCAA Division I level. There
are certain principles essential to developing strong post play. Therefore, the degree of
execution of these principles determines how successful the post play will be. Brian
Billick of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens said that systems succeed and fail based on
execution of the minute details of the basic fundamentals. Post play is simply executing
the basic fundamentals.

At the University of Tennessee, we believe that there are some general characteristics of
successful post players. These characteristics are needed to develop a post player at any
level. Posts should be:

1. Aggressive
2. Love contact
3. Want the basketball
4. Want to score after they receive
the basketball
5. Communicate
6. Play strong
7. Good FT shooter

Post play is an attitude that a player must bring. It is also an attitude that must be
developed by the coaching staff daily.
We look at six areas when we plan the development of our post players:

1. Head
2. Heart
3. Hands
4. Feet
5. Ability to shoot
6. Strength

Our first objective must be complete mastery of the individual fundamentals. Coach
Wooden often said that we must teach our players to properly and quickly execute the
fundamentals of the game for the welfare of the team. We work daily to improve our
fundamentals: body balance, footwork, the ability to dribble with either hand, proper
mechanics – shooting and passing, effective foot moves and ball fakes, moving without
the ball and getting to the offensive boards. In order to develop these skills, players must
see the skill demonstrated correctly, feel it correctly and then execute the skill properly
and quickly.

TEACHING PROGRESSION

Coach Pete Newell said the game of basketball is overcoached and undertaught. Too
many coaches worry about plays and scoring without any regard to skills. Proper skill
development will lead to an effective offensive player. That is why we feel it is essential
for post play to be taught in proper progression. Too many times “moves” are taught
before anything else. Some teach “moves” without any regard to technique or any
progression of the game. Our basic philosophy revolves around executing the principles
that we teach so that no move will be needed. We do not want to complicate winning. Vic
Braden, legendary tennis player said that losers have tons of variety. Champions take
pride in just learning to hit the same old boring winners.

The following is the progression we follow when teaching skill development to our posts:

1. Getting Open Where I Can Score

2. Staying Open
3. Safely Receiving the Ball
4. Scoring Simply

GETTING OPEN WHERE I CAN SCORE

Before they can score a post player must first get open.
We want our post players to get their work done before
they catch the ball. Defenses are designed to keep the
ball out of the post. Therefore, we must teach as many
ways as we can to get open in the post. The first way we
teach is to simply run the floor. We grade our players in
practice and games on their percentage of four-second
transitions. We time our post from the defensive
blockout to offensive posting position, and allow them Diagram 1A. Defense is high
four seconds to do so. We want our posts to run a Step with high foot 1, Plant
straight line from rim to rim. Our game goal for each with 2 Leg whip on 3
post is to get at least two layups per game.

The second way we teach getting open in the post is a

simple V-Cut. We teach a V-cut on every cut. We want
a change of speed with every change of direction. This
allows us to attack a defender’s angle and momentum.
Our rule is high/higher and low/lower. Suppose the
defense is high, then we walk the defender higher, plant
to change direction, then the third step is a leg whip
with the high foot that we started the V-cut with. If the
defender is low then we walk the defender down to cut
high. (See diagram 1) Diagram 1B. Step - 1, Plant -
2, Leg Whip - 3
The third way we teach to get open is to create a passing
lane and go to an area where you can score. On baseline
penetration, we want our posts to I-cut up the lane (See
diagram 2). We teach our posts to have live feet and
hands ready with ten toes facing the rim. This gives
them the opportunity to shoot directly off the catch in a
squared-up position. We do not want them to adjust
their feet after catching the ball.

On penetration to the middle, our posts step to the short

corner and receive the ball in a position to shoot off the
catch. (See diagram 3). Diagram 2. I-cut

STAYING OPEN BY SEALING

Once a post player gets open, they must work hard to

stay open if they want the pass to be delivered to them
in a position to score. We believe that the ability to stay
open separates a good post player from a great post
player. If a post knows how to seal, one person can not
keep them from catching the ball.

Diagram 3. Step-out
It is critical that the post understands what a seal is, but, most importantly, we want them
to understand the definition of a perfect seal. Post play is a battle for the feet. We want
the post player’s feet between the defender and the ball. First, the post player makes
contact first from the waist down. Make the defense take a step back on the first contact.
We want the post to keep a straight back, with their head behind the knees, and then put
the back on the defense. We want the arms out horizontal with a right angle at the elbow.
The elbow is shoulder high. The triceps are parallel to the ground. The hands are in a
wide push up position. The hands and arms make an “L” from shoulder to finger tips. The
post should be able to see the back of their hands when posting. The last part of the
perfect seal is to have both feet in the paint. This gives the easiest chance to score and
gives an angle to pass the ball.

As a coach, we now have to teach how to get the perfect seal. We teach three types of
sealing:

1. Seal In
2. Seal Out
3. Lob

To seal in (this means we want the post to seal the

defender in the paint), we want to create a passing lane
before the ball gets to the passing area. Step-over and sit
on the defender’s thigh, knock the defender back.
Emphasize showing the numbers on their jersey to the
ball. This creates the perpendicular passing angle to feed Diagram 4A. denotes post
the post (See diagram 4). We work on this seal when player's feet
defenses are playing behind and trying to push us off the
block or when we run an action to bring the post to the
ball (coming off screens, exchanges, etc.)

Against defenses that front our posts, we teach sealing

out (keeping the defense out of the paint, while we have
both feet in the paint). When we are fronted and our
post is facing the top, we simply step over and seal out.
We want our posts to do this before the ball goes to the
top, so that the defender will stay in a fronting position
(See diagram 5). When facing the baseline and the
defense fronting, we teach the pin and spin. We pin the
defense with our hip, then leg whip and make the Diagram 4B.
defender take a step back.

When setting up for the lob, we try to seal in one time.

We turn and face the baseline making contact at the
hips. We want both hands above the shoulders (keeps
from getting a push off foul). The ball is thrown at the
bottom edge of the backboard. The seal should be held
until the ball is directly above their head.

Diagram 5.
If the defense three-quarters, we teach the seal step. We picked up these teaching
principles from Rick Majerus. In this case, we take the decision away from the post.
Anytime the defender’s belly button crosses our thigh, we seal. We step forward with the
foot closest to the man. We must make and maintain contact. This is a key phrase for us.
Do not let them drop their rear foot, because the defender will come over the top and
knock the pass away.

SAFELY RECEIVING

Once our post gets open and stays open they now have to safely receive the ball. We
teach receiving the ball in a progression. If we do not teach it this way, often the post will
try to score before they have received the ball. First, we teach to receive the ball with two
eyes, two feet and two hands in that order. The post should catch the ball with both feet in
the air. The jump stop gives you better balance every time and allows them to turn in
either direction. We want the post to meet the pass and catch the ball perpendicular to the
path of the ball on the feed. The height of their head remains constant every time. They
should meet the pass instead of pulling away. We use a baseball analogy when teaching
receiving the ball. We want our posts to catch the ball like a catcher in baseball – getting
their body behind the ball; as opposed to catching like a first baseman – reaching for a
pass while trying to keep a foot on the base.

SCORING SIMPLY

Now we are ready to score. If we have done the first three things in our progression
perfectly, then no move or dribble is needed. We want our players to score as simply as
possible. We have four general rules for our posts regarding scoring:

1. Shoot closer to the basket than where you catch it. Attack the rim.
2. If we catch with at least one foot in the paint, then no dribble.
3. If we catch with both feet outside the paint, then we allow one dribble. This dribble is a
power dribble attacking the rim.
4. They are to use the glass on all lay-ups and power moves. This takes away indecision.

Specific moves are used outside the paint with the defense playing behind. We want our
posts low and under control (the slower you play inside, the better you are). We teach
four basic moves. We want our posts to develop a go-to move – a move that every
opponent knows and a counter to that move.

1. Baseline drop step power move – when the defense is behind you and shaded to the top
side. We want to point the toe at the basket, meet the ball, locate the defense and pivot on
our right foot (assuming we are on the right side). Then, step heel-toe towards the basket.
They should take up space when stepping heel-toe. We want both legs flexed without
stepping too far. Two things happen simultaneously as you drop:

a. Your head comes up. Most shots are missed around the basket because they bring their
head up with their shot. There is a correlation between the amount of concentration you
place on the target and the success that you are likely to have. Therefore, throughout the
mechanics of the shot we want the post to see the target. Make the move with the head
up.

b. You want to move your hand to a shooting position on the ball. The weight should be
transferred from the outside foot to the inside foot, from the heels to the toes. We jump
up on the angle. Lead to the rim with the inside elbow up – we call this “knifing”.
Knifing leads to “And 1” plays.

2. Baseline drop step to the middle

3. Baseline turnaround jump shot off the glass. We believe this move makes all the other
moves better. When making the turn the ball does not go below the chin. We want a low,
quick, hard turn with eyes early on the target.

4. Shot fake and step-through. We emphasize a 2-inch shot fake. We simply want to start
the shot (then give the fake time to work), stay in triple threat and step through the
defender under their raised arm with eyes on the target. This move is great to use when
the defense is playing off and/or using an arm bar. Next, pivot to freeze the defense.
Make the defense come out of their stance. Step through with your back foot. They
should keep the ball tight to chin as they step through the defense.

5. Jump Hook. Feet are parallel to the baseline. Keep the ball chinned then take it straight
up and release the ball at a 12:00 position. Lead with the other hand.

6. Then we teach adding a fake to each of the moves.

Teaching the progression is not enough. We now have to replicate the principles in game
situations at game speed. Individual skill development is critical to post play. We have
skill development periods in practice as well as pre-season and spring workouts.
However, the key to development is what our players do on their own during the year.

During skill development, we want to shoot 75 percent in unguarded drills and 65 percent
in guarded drills and 80 percent from the Free Throw line. The ball is to be chinned 100
percent of the time with two hands on every catch. They are to use their outside hand on
every power move with the inside arm up and use the glass when going to the glass.

We are very committed to teaching the game at the University of Tennessee. As Vince
Lombardi said, they call it coaching, but it is really just teaching. I have been very
fortunate to learn these principles from Pat Summitt, Don Meyer, Mike Roller and many
others. I certainly take no credit for being original in these thoughts, but I hope these
ideas will help you teach post play in your program.

About the author

Greg Brown
Greg Brown begins his second year on the Lady Vol Basketball Staff, but this time as an
assistant coach. After working as a graduate assistant in the basketball program since
2002, Brown was hired by Head Coach Pat Summitt to fill in the vacancy left by Mickie
DeMoss, who took the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky on March 17,
2003. For more information email gbrown@utk.edu

SNAKE BITE
PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO IMPLEMENTING THE RUN & JUMP
"SNAKE" DEFENSE

By Dr. Gamal Smalley

Assistant Basketball Coach,
Pasadena City College

In naming our trapping style run & jump defense, “snake”, we had to look at the
significance of the code name itself and question if it fit the philosophical approach to
what we were trying to teach. Snakes are legless reptiles, some of which have a
venomous bite which they use to kill their prey before eating it. Other snakes kill their
prey by constriction, for example strangulation, which causes suffocation. At Pasadena
City College, we love to take advantage of our quickness and aggressive defensive style
of play. The run & jump defensive pressure is one of several defensive niches that we use
to take our opponents out of their rhythm, while causing indecision and disrupting their
offensive structure, thus causing an offense to suffer asphyxiation. This is a condition of
severe lack of oxygen, and in the absence of remedial action (such as effective dribbling
and passing) can very rapidly lead to unconsciousness and
even death, otherwise known as offensive confusion.

Ok, enough of the metaphoric articulation, I think you get the

picture. The run & jump man to man defensive pressure can
be extended full court from end to end if preferred but we
like to attack in the back court while allowing the poison to
continue all the way into areas that go a few feet beyond the
half-court line. Those are areas where we especially like to
bite because the offense can no longer throw the ball
backwards, for risk of a backcourt violation.

The run & jump defense epitomizes our team concept of

togetherness and unity through hard work and individual
commitments to the greater whole of our team goals for
success. If just one person does not carry out their
assignment, the defense can break down. Thus the run &
jump defensive pressure requires complete dedication from Diagram 1. Deadly bites
every player on the floor. However the elements required to for run and jomp trap
opportunities are in the
trapping zones.
implement the run & jump effectively are also elements that promote our overall team
philosophy with regards to everyone making a difference. The psychological impact of
everyone being a piece to the puzzle is greatly emphasized in the run & jump, as it
requires a trapping pressure defense that must be carried out with an aggressiveness that
is intensified by having hands tracing the ball and blocking the passing lanes.

Defensive teammates away from the ball must be aware of all the holes and quick enough
to make the necessary switches in the rotation. There are no lay-ups given because the
determined defenders away from the ball don’t allow anyone to get open. We get into our
run & jump by applying tough full court man -to -man pressure. You can influence the
dribbler toward the sideline by overplaying him to one side, but our defenders must
possess the ability to deny all passing lanes while being intelligent enough to turn the
dribbler to the jumper side to allow the double team to happen.

In our defensive sliding drills we emphasize turning the dribbler with a run and slide drill,
daily. We are always preparing our players for the mindset needed to bite in the run &
jump. Because we are playing straight man-to-man defense, teams generally do not
design a press break offense against us. We want the ball handler to be convinced that he
can beat us up the floor, one on one. We have to be cleaver enough to sell that concept to
our opponent by mixing up the run & jump on various trips down the floor, luring the
dribbler into a false sense of
security. Dribblers that try to push the ball up the floor at a high speed are even more
vulnerable to the run & jump, and that’s just the way we like it. We love those impatient,
"streetball-tape-watching" ball handlers whose egos won’t allow them to pass the ball up
the floor, with patience, control and deliberate ball fakes as well as precision (the way we
subsequently teach our offensive pressure releases). That’s not a knock on the producers
of those street-ball mix tapes and shows. I hope they keep making them over and over.
That’s more opportunities for the snake defense to bite those
non-fundamental ball handlers where it hurts, but enough of
that for now!

Just like a snake who waits for the most opportune time to
attack, we bite with a quick double team as our defender
either forces the dribbler to one side or we take advantage of
our opponent’s inability to space themselves properly on the
floor. In that instance our jump comes when offensive players
get too close to the man bringing the ball up the floor. When
one or more offensive players are close enough to each other,
our defender not guarding the ball can leave his man and
jump the offensive player with an aggressive double team. In
that scenario our defenders are taking what the offense gives
them.
Diagram 2. Special bites
The run & jump is an exciting means of applying defensive
are at the mid-court
pressure and is particularly effective against teams with poor
area because the offense
can not throw in the
backcourt.
dribblers. However a key element to the success of the run & jump is our ability to help
and recover. We realize that we are leaving one man open for a moment but we are ready
to give help when needed and recover back in our rotations. When the opportunity
presents itself, we run & jump but we never gamble. We like to think our opponents are
the one’s gambling by not spacing themselves properly. Though we use the code name,
“snake”, and symbolically referring to our run & jump traps as bites, we are also like
piranhas on the kill for the ball. We often change our code names but the symbolism is
the same: we are antagonistic predators seeking to provoke an attack on our opponents.
(See Diagrams 1-4)

Though the run & jump can often

produce steals, steals are not our
main objective. What we really
want to do is disrupt the flow of
our opponent’s offense and force
them to play a hurried style of
play with quick shots outside of
the context of their offensive
design. Thus we control the tempo
of the game.

Another important aspect of

implementing the run & jump
defense centers on quick
transitions from offense to
defense. After a score we have no
time for artistic celebrations,
Diagram 3. Players must Diagram 4. When a
crowd acknowledgements, or
rotate to cover gaps and ballhandler dribbles in
finger pointing to one’s
holes once the bites are your area you can leave
grandmother.
on! These trapping bites your man at any time to
are not risks when jump him but the
We must be totally committed to
everyone is hustling in primary areas to bite are
the attack, for any wasted gestures
the defensive rotation. in the trapping zones.
or temporary distractions caused
by a lack of concentration could result in a lost opportunity to hurt our opponents ability
to function properly. The run & jump style of play relies on a lot of defensive
communication which coincides with our overall expectations as a team. It takes hard
work to play the run & jump defense but it’s a lot of fun and serves as a great teaching
tool with regards to applying defensive pressure.

About the author

Dr. Gamal Smalley

Dr. Gamal Smalley is in his third year as an assistant coach at Pasadena City College.
Considered a defensive specialist, Dr. Smalley works primarily with the Lancers on
defensive philosophy, drills, and footwork. He can be reached at:
gamalsmalley@hotmail.com

Dissecting Defense
Drills & Strategies for a Dominating Defense

By Laci Tompkins
Redlands Community College Women’s Head Basketball Coach

Like many teams at the college level, we prefer to play a pressure man-to-man defense.
We try to break down every possible scenario our team may face defensively through
defensive drills. Each day our team does seven or eight breakdown drills during our
defensive segment. They each are approximately four minutes in length. After the players
have learned the specifics of each drill we will mix the order of them up so they do not
become monotonous. These drills are not done at the exact same place in the practice
each day. This is so our practices do not become predictable, because we do not want our
players to pace themselves.

In a half-court set we would like to begin by influencing the ball to the sideline. This will
establish help position and usually put at least one defender in help position. We work on
this in a drill we call “DRIVING LINE.”

“DRIVING LINE” DIAGRAM 1 - There is an offensive and defensive player starting

at the half line. The offensive player begins dribbling the ball strongly to the basket. The
defender must force them to the outside and hopefully cause them to pick up their
dribble. If the offensive player picks up their dribble they will then pass to a coach
standing at the strong side elbow. This leads into the second drill.

Out of the same drill set as “Driving Line” we would move right into “DENY HIGH”
where the offense would v-cut several times from the block to outside the three point line
(free-throw line extended) after passing to the coach. The defenders must deny.

Diagram 1. Diagram 2. Deny High

“DENY HIGH” Diagram 2 - The defender is learning to give the “perception” that they
are in the passing lane and that the passing lane is not open. They are doing all this
without turning their head on the basketball.

Still in the same set that starts at the half-court we are now in “TAKE A CHARGE”
where the defender slides over to take a charge from the coach who is at the elbow drives
to the basket.

“TAKE A CHARGE” Diagram 3 - We teach them to

cross their arms in front of their chest, rock back on
their hills, and fall sliding backwards. It is essential that
they do not catch themselves with their wrists. Our
charge technique teaches them to displace the weight of
their body on several points as opposed to just their
tailbone.

From the same set we go into “HELP AND

RECOVER” where the defender slides over to take a
charge from the coach. This time instead, the coach
passes out to the offensive player so the defensive Diagram 3. Take A Charge
player must then recover back to her girl once the coach
drives and kicks the ball back out. The offense will shoot and the defender must block
out.

“HELP AND RECOVER” Diagram 4A/B - The defense must learn to chop step down
into a defensive stance as they run out to cover the offensive player. If this is not
emphasized the offense never fails to shot fake and go right around her.

Diagram 4A Help & Recover. Diagram 4B.

We then go to “THROUGH THE SCREEN.” The team moves their lines down to the
wing and four players become involved in this drill. The coach is still at the high elbow
(close to the three point line). There is an offensive player on the block and one on the
wing. There is a defender guarding the girl on the block and one guarding the wing
player. The offensive player on the wing starts with the ball and passes to the coach and
goes to downscreen. The defense is taught to “jump to the ball” which automatically puts
her in position to open up and let her teammate, who is on the block, slide through the
screen. The one who is coming up through the screen, from the block out to the wing,
must get their arm out to create the “perception” that their offensive player is not open.
We are constantly stressing “arm in the passing lane”, or at least close enough to give the
“perception” that it is in the passing lane.

“THROUGH THE SCREEN” Diagram 5

Next we do a few post defensive drills. One is “2 v. 1

IN THE POST”. There are four passers on the
perimeter. One is on each elbow above the three point
line and the other two are on the wings. There is an
offensive player on each block (these are the ones that
create the 2 v. 1 concept). The team line is under the
goal from which a single defender steps on to “front”
the post. The ball starts on the left wing and is passed
around the horn. The defender jumps to the proper
defensive position on each pass. When on the wing the
defender “fronts.” When it is passed to the elbow, the
defender jumps into three-quarters defense. This means Diagram 5.
that they are between the offensive player and the goal with their body covering three-
quarters of their body. The ball is then reversed, so the defender jumps on the pass to
what we refer to as “hoops” position or rather “help” position. She then jumps to cover
the offense on the other block in three-quarters position. The ball is then passed to the
wing in which the defender swings her foot closest to the baseline through and fronts the
post on that side.

“2 v. 1 IN THE POST” Diagrams 6A-D

Diagram 6A. 2v1 in the post Diagram 6B.

Diagram 6C. Diagram 6D.

Another post drill is “1 v. 1 IN THE POST”. There is an offensive player on the block
with a defender in “hoops” or “help” position while a coach has the ball on the offside.
The offensive player diagonally cuts to the high post on the strong side. The defender
closes the distance and beats her to the spot with her arm out in the passing lane. The
offensive player then slides down the strong side of the lane trying to post up. As she
does this the defensive player contains her and keeps her behind so that she is fronted by
the time she reaches the block. At this time the offense sprints across to the weakside
block and the defense will not follow her but remain in “hoops” position.

“1 v. 1 IN THE POST” Diagrams 7A/B

Diagram 7A 1 vs. 1 The Post Diagram 7B.

Yet another post drill we do is called “HELP THE POST”. Three groups consisting of an
offensive and defensive player are at three passing spots (See Diagram). There is another
group on the right block. The ball starts on the wing opposite of the post (the one on the
right block). Each defender is in the appropriate place in relation to the ball. The ball is
reversed around the horn. As this happens we are emphasizing “jumping to the ball,”
“hand in the passing lane,” and “ball pressure.” When the ball comes to the same side as
the post player and her defender, it is then lobbed in the air to her as to make a forward to
post lob pass. As the pass is in the air, the post defender should already be backing the
post under the goal. Simultaneously, the defender on the far side should have been in
“help” position (to us this is their head under the hoop), and she should come at an angle
to jump and swat the pass out of the air, or steal it, if it gets past the defender who was
fronting. After this is done successfully then we switch from offense to defense, then
after successfully doing that everyone rotates one spot.

“HELP THE POST” Diagrams 8A/B

Diagram 8A Help the Post Diagram 8B.

The next post drill we do is covering the “CROSS SCREEN”. There is a coach on the
wing with the ball. There is an offensive player on the block closest to the coach with a
defender fronting her. There is another offensive player on the offside block and her
defender is in the middle of the lane in “hoops” or “help” position. The offensive player
on the strong side screens across for her offensive player. When she does the strong side
defender takes a step back and pauses to help for just a second. The defender who was in
“hoops” takes a step up and beats her girl over the screen and forces her player to go
behind her by the time they reach the block. The coverage never changes. It does not
matter if the offside offense goes lowside or highside of the screen, the girl in help
position being screened will always go high. The girl fronting the post will always take a
step back.

“CROSS SCREEN” Diagrams 9A/B

Diagram 9A. Diagram 9B.

Next we will do either 4-on-4 block out, 3-on-3, 2-on-2, or 1-on-1 block out. These are
all similar with the coach shooting, then the defense must block out their player. They are
always in the defensive position according to the relation of the ball and their player. The
defense must get three consecutive rebounds in order to go to offense. If they miss one
rebound they will always have a consequence of running a sprint or doing a minimum of
5 push ups. There is always a line behind each set of players involved and when the
group on defense gets three in a row then the offense goes to defense and the people in
the front of each line jump on as the offense. There is no delay, no waiting for people to
get on. The point is to make it up- tempo, and they better adjust to my speed, just like
they must adjust to the speed of the game. There is no time to make excuses or give
explanations. If someone is slow getting on or getting out to their defensive assignment
by chop-stepping down after a rebound then they are removed from the drill and they do
push ups or run a sprint.

“4-on-4 CHANGE” is a total comprehensive drill that could include every situation we
have already broken down in previous drills. It is 4 v. 4 and when the coach yells
“CHANGE”, the person with the ball immediately sets the ball on the floor. The offense
becomes the defense and the defense becomes the offense. One rule is that you cannot
guard the person who was guarding you. As soon as the ball is set down an offensive
player can shoot the ball, drive to the basket, or pass. The defense must “point and holler”
the name of the person they are guarding to get organized as soon as possible. Note: It is
not a dead ball when the coach yells change. Play does not stop. Emphasis is on getting
the player with the ball stopped first, then get organized as the offense hopefully had to
back out and begin running offense again.

“DENY OPEN DENY” is the beginning of our second set of defensive drills. There is a
coach at each elbow of the lane. There are lines in each baseline corner. The first person
in line becomes defense and the person behind her in line steps on as offense. The offense
passes to the coach at the elbow and v-cuts. She then cuts back through under the goal
and continues to the opposite wing. The defender’s first
job is to jump to the ball on the pass, then deny as her
offensive player v-cuts. As the offense cuts through to
the other side we teach our girls to keep contact, open
up, then deny. We teach to never turn our backs on the
ball. To emphasize this we will roll a ball out and no
matter where they are in the drill they must dive on the
ball. If they do not dive on it, the team is going to run.
There is always a consequence. We want them playing
for their lives. It is do or die, and if we do not practice
that then it is not fair for me to expect it in a game.
Diagram 10.
“DENY OPEN DENY” Diagram 10

Out of the same set as Deny Open Deny we do “TAKE A CHARGE”. The offense cuts
through to the opposite side then v-cuts. As she is going back out on the v-cut the coach
drives and the defense takes a charge. It is similar to the drill shown earlier, however, it is
in a little different set. Literally, they will practice taking a charge, denying, and helping
and recovering every single day.

“TAKE A CHARGE” Diagrams 11A/B

Diagram 11A. Diagram 11B.

We then do “HELP THE HELPER”. There is a coach at the elbow, a line on the same
side as the coach in the corner, a offensive player on the offside block. There are two
defenders. One is guarding the coach, the other is guarding the offside post. The first
player in the line in the corner starts with the ball and drives hard baseline. The offside
defender who should be in help position should stop the drive outside of the lane. The
defender guarding the coach then diagonally slides down to cover the backside. The ball
is passed around and each defender keeps rotating appropriately. When the ball is finally
shot then they rotate to their own offensive player to block out. The absolute worst thing
the defense can do is allow the baseline pass across. If this occurs then we start over until
they do not allow it across. Reasons the pass may be getting across is because of not
getting the ball stopped quickly enough, or the top defender is not sprinting to get down.

“HELP THE HELPER” Diagrams 12A/B

Diagram 12A. Diagram 12B.

“OVER THE SCREEN” is next is succession. We have offense and defense on both sides
at the top of the key, free throw lane width apart. Offense 1 passes to offense 2 and the
sets a ball screen on her. The defender guarding the screener (offense 1) will jump out
and hedge if the offense comes back toward her direction on the dribble. The screened
player is taking a hard step up and shoving over the screen so that it is not a factor. Thus
her partner hedges temporarily so as to give her time to fight over the screen. The goal of
the hedger is to not allow more than two dribbles. After hedging the defender must sprint
back covering a pass that may be coming back to her offensive player.
“OVER THE SCREEN” Diagram 13

Diagram 13. Diagram 14.

The next drill is “FREE SHOT BLOCK OUT”. We put players around the lane
simulating a free shot. We want our players with both feet together at the top of each of
their lane assignment boxes. They are on balance with the weight of their body on the
foot closest to the goal. This is so they can explode to block their player out and we have
shortened the distance between them and the player they are responsible for by moving
them as high in their box as possible. Another rule is that we must all have our hands
straight up in the air. Now our hands are ready for a quick rebound.

“FREE SHOT BLOCK OUT” Diagram 14

To bring everything we have broken down all together

we finish with “5 on 4”. There are 5 offensive players
and 4 defensive players. There is one designated driver
on offense. Her job is to drive to the basket every time
she gets it. There is not a defender on her initially. This
forces everyone to help on defense, so we are helping
and recovering, pointing and hollering, and getting the
ball stopped first.
Diagram 15.
“ FREE SHOT BLOCK OUT” Diagram 15

About the author

Laci Tompkins

Laci Tompkins just finished her fourth year as head coach of the Redlands Community
College Cougar Women’s Basketball Team. This past season the Cougars finished with a
26-6 record, the third straight year of at least a 20 win season. Coach Tompkins has
coached four All-Americans and played collegiate basketball at the University of Science
and Arts of Oklahoma. You can reach Coach Tompkins at tompkinsl@redlandscc.edu

Denial
Emporia State’s Point Zone
By Matt Corkery
Women’s Associate Head Basketball Coach,
Emporia State University

The Point Zone is an effective half-court defense that is relatively simple to teach while
offering the benefits of more complicated match-up zone defenses. I think it is important
to mention right off the bat that we are not a zone team at Emporia State. We like to press
and play pressure man to man defense in the half-court. We feel like the “Point Zone” is a
good change of pace that fits our personnel. We have a tall shot blocker at the center
position who really makes this zone work for us. I believe you must be big at that spot for
this zone to be effective. Most of the information provided in this article is based on the
Point Zone run by former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

The “Three P’s” of the Point Zone

In teaching this zone to our players we begin with the

“Three P’s”: Point, Partner, and Paint. You should begin
teaching this zone by using only four defensive players,
1-4. We will talk about the 5’s responsibilities later.
Guard the basketball using man to man principles. At
Emporia State this means influencing the ball to the
sideline when it is above free throw line extended or to
the baseline if it is below free throw line extended. We
pick up the basketball or “Point” the ball on the three
point line and not beyond. We don’t want to extend the
defense too far and create gaps that the offense may be
able to take advantage of, but we still want to take away Diagram 1.
three point opportunities. When a defensive player is X1 & X4 are partners
guarding the ball, we make them call “Point” loud X2 & X3 are partners
enough for all of their teammates to hear. When the
“point” is called, the defense adjusts accordingly. The four defensive players work
together using the “partner” system (Diagram 1). The partner rule is this; when my
partner “points” the ball, I’m in the “paint,” or protecting the basket. You must start with
the “Three P’s” in teaching the Point Zone.

“T-Principle”

The “T-Principle” is the next step in teaching the zone.

This principle involves the proper spacing of the
“Wingmen” in relationship to the basketball. When the
“point” is called by the player guarding the basketball,
the player to her right and the player to her left are her
“wingmen” (2). X2 and X3 are wingmen for X1, X4 and
X1 are wingmen for X3, and so on (3). Proper spacing
for a wingman is at a 45-degree angle off the ball and
Diagram 2.
X3 & X2 are wingmen for X1
(T-Principle)
approximately 12 feet from your teammate. Wingmen play in an open stance and see the
ball at all times. Players must develop a feel for the proper spacing in relationship to the
basketball. The “Wingman Rule” is this; I have the next pass in my direction, unless it is
over my head (skip pass). Most of the mistakes our players make in this zone come from
being too concerned with where an offensive player is rather than putting themselves in
the proper spacing according to the position of the ball. Be more concerned about your
POSITION than PLAYERS! If you are in the proper position defensively by following
the “Partner Rule” and the “T-Principle,” you don’t have to be concerned with the
spacing of the offense. X1 through X4 follow the same rules and are interchangeable.

The Center

Teaching the center position is very, very simple. They

have one rule, stay on the line between the ball and the
basket. As simple as it sounds, you would be surprised
how many players mess this up! The center often times
becomes too concerned with offensive players posting
up. The center should face the ball with her hands up at
all times. She is never in a “deny” or “cover-out”
position. She protects the lane with her hands. We want
her moving on an arc about 6 feet from the basket (4). If
there is an offensive player in front of her, we want her
to move them away from the basket with one point of Diagram 3. X1 & X 4 are
contact (forearm). Your center must have an “enforcer” wingmen for X3
mentality. The paint belongs to her and she is going to protect it by playing physical and
blocking shots. We want our center to step up and challenge every dribble penetration
into the lane. We do not “seal” on penetration and give up the pitch out three point shot,
rather we force the penetrator to score over our center. We believe the mid-range game of
most players is a weakness and just about everybody we face can hit the three
consistently. We do not want to give up any “penetrate and pitch” or “inside out” threes
against our zone.

“Betty” Help

“Betty” baseline and “Sally” sideline are the two most

reliable defensive players you have on your squad. They
will never let you down! When the basketball is near the
corner against the “Point Zone” we call it a “low” point.
In this situation X4 gets her help from “Betty” baseline
and not a teammate. “Betty” is our wingman so X2 can
stay at the basket (5). Another point to make in
reference to this diagram is the positioning of X3. When
the ball is in the corner, X3 should be on a direct line Diagram 4. X5 between ball
between the ball and the elbow and X1 is anticipating & baseline
the skip pass. When there is a “high” point on the wing,
a “wingman” should fill on the baseline (6). If there is enough spacing for an offensive
player to be in the corner or the short corner, then X4 should fill the baseline “wingman”
spot and X2 covers the basket. Remember, X1 through X4 are interchangeable. Any of
them could end up “pointing” the basketball on any spot on the floor.

Diagram 5. "Low" Point - X2 stays at Diagram 6. “High” Point - X4 fills

basket baseline

“Jump” the Dribble Entry

In coaching the Point Zone you need to develop a

philosophy of how you want to guard the dribble entry
or dribble drag. This type of dribble is a non-penetrating
dribble used in place of a pass. You can do two things in
the Point versus this type of dribble. One is to stay on
the basketball and rotate your entire zone accordingly
and the second is to exchange the dribbler with a
wingman, which is what we do at Emporia State. We
“jump” the dribble entry in a very aggressive fashion
(7). As X3 sees the dribble coming at her she attacks it
in a “run and jump” fashion. She closes out the dribbler Diagram 7. Exchange Point
with her hands up and forces the ball handler to stop or on “Jump” on dribble entry
at least bounce the dribble outside toward the sideline. If the ball is at the top, this
exchange should occur about lane line extended. X3 is
now “pointing” the basketball and the zone adjusts
accordingly. X1 recovers to a wingman position for X3.

Trap Baseline Penetration

As mentioned earlier, you should guard the basketball

using man to man principles. We want to keep
penetration out of the middle of the floor and force it to
the sideline or baseline. If the ball is on a “high” point
on the wing and the dribbler attacks the baseline, we
trap the dribbler with our wingman (8). If we have a Diagram 8. Trap Baseline
“low” point then we use “Betty” to help us trap on the Penetration
baseline, not a teammate.

Diagram 10. High Post Entry
“Tighten” on Blocks
Diagram 11. X4 opens up
“Butt to Baseline”
Diagram 12. Corner Shot
Diagram 13. Wing Shot
Skip Passes
Diagram 9. Skip Pass
I believe the Point Zone does a
great job guarding the skip pass.
The “Wingman Rule” is to “take
the next pass in my direction
unless it is over my head.” So if
that pass is over my head, that’s
a skip pass and it is not my
responsibility! Weakside
defenders take the skip pass and
should be anticipating them. We
often have players pick off skips
and turn them into layups. A
good point to mention here (no
pun intended) is that all of the
teaching points you use to coach
your zone defenses apply to the
Point Zone. Things like keeping
your hands up at all times,
moving when the ball is in the
air, communicating with your
teammates and playing through
“scramble” situations are some
examples. As we all know,
simply playing hard makes up
for a multitude of errors.
Post Entries
When the ball goes inside
against our zone, we like that
matchup. We play the low post
and high post 1 on 1 with no
double teams. X1 through X4 need to learn how to position themselves when the ball
goes inside. On a high post entry, X5 steps up to challenge, X4 and X3 “tighten up” on
the blocks and X2 and X1 drop to ball level and anticipate the pass out. The number one
mistake players make on the post entry is to turn their back on the pitch out man. When
the ball is entered to the low or high post, players should keep an open stance and get
“butt to baseline” and be ready for the pass back out (11). We do not want to give up any
“inside out” three’s!

2 Guard vs. 1 Guard Front

If you decide to run the Point Zone one decision you need to make is the initial set for the
defense. You can run it from a 2-3 or a 1-3-1 initial alignment. Dean Smith ran the point
from a 2 guard front because he wanted initial protection on the blocks when the ball was
at the top. At Emporia State we like the 1-3-1 set unless the ball is out of bounds under
the basket, then we go 2-3. No matter which you choose, as soon as the first “point” is
called the defense is the same. Another important question is how to properly use your
personnel. X1 is typically your smallest guard and someone who can put pressure on the
basketball. X2 also needs to be able to put good pressure on the ball. X3 needs to be a
very good rebounder and a smart player. X4 needs to be a smart player who can cover
lots of real estate. X5 needs to be BIG and have the ability to block shots and control the
boards. Our initial alignment is also dictated by our transition offense. We want to keep
players close to their lanes so we can get out quickly and run the break.

Rebounding

I wish I could tell you that the Point was different than any other zone in America in that
it was actually GOOD for rebounding. It’s not. It’s just like any other zone defense in that
rebounding can be a weakness. One positive is that you keep your center close to the
basket at all times, but if teams flood the backside board there can be some problems! In
setting up your block out assignments, consider that perimeter shots will come from three
spots; corner (12), wing (13) and top (14). These diagrams show the assignments we
teach our players at Emporia State. However in rebounding, there is nothing more
important than aggressive players who pursue the basketball!

The Last “Point”

The Point Zone we run at Emporia State is entirely our own. We have taken the
principles of Dean Smith, Roy Williams and other great coaches and tweaked them to fit
our philosophy and personnel. One of the great things about this zone is its adaptability.
You can make it more aggressive or less aggressive, add trapping situations, add post
doubles, even turn it into a “junk” defense i.e. the “Point and One.” The possibilities are
endless with a little imagination. There are other details that I don’t have time to cover in
this article that are important to running the Point effectively. Please feel free to contact
me if you have any questions about the defense. Good luck to you and your team this
upcoming season.
About the author
Matt Corkey

Matt Corkery is in his third season as the Associate Head Women’s Basketball Coach at
Emporia State University. The Lady Hornet program has been ranked as high as #2 in the
nation in Division II this season. For more information on this subject, contact Coach
Corkery at
Corkerym@esumail.emporia.edu

Disruptive Behavior
Southern Miss’ Defensive Philosophy is to disrupt the continuity and flow of the
offense.

By James Green
Men’s Basketball Head Coach
University of Southern Mississippi

At Southern Miss, our primary objective on defense is to make the offense do things
that it is uncomfortable doing. We want to take them out of what they are trying to do.
We do not want the offense to have any continuity or flow. One way in which we do this
is by attempting to limit touches in the paint whether by dribble penetration or post
entries. We also strive to make the offense take contested, low percentage shots. Our goal
is to allow the offense only one shot, and when that shot goes up, we rebound with all
five guys. We try to limit the offense to no more than two transition lay-ups per game.
Another key element of our philosophy is our belief in 60x2. Simply put, we feel sixty
percent of a team’s scoring comes from two players. Therefore, we try to limit their
touches, limit their shots, and force them into poor decisions. Also, no one in the history
of basketball has ever scored without the ball. Therefore, rebounding, limiting turnovers,
and proper shot selection are important as they reduce the amount of time the other team
will have the ball.

Attitude

Before one can begin discussing the X’s and O’s of any offensive or defensive system,
before one can begin discussing their team’s ability to win games, and before one can
begin to discuss success, one must first consider attitude and its effect on a team. With a
proper attitude, a player, as well as a coaching staff, is more adept at handling the
adversities that are inherent in sport. When players have great attitudes, problems that
plague some teams seem to work themselves out. Great attitudes result in good practices
and attentive players who buy into what we are trying to do.

Stance

A player cannot guard without being in a good stance. It is impossible to guard the
caliber players we face in Conference USA without being low and ready to move.
Therefore, we emphasize to our players every day to play defense low (knees bent and
feet apart) and with live feet. If a player’s feet are dead, it is harder for him to react when
the offensive player makes his move to dribble, pass, or shoot. When guarding a player
who still has his dribble, the defensive player should be moving “in and out” of that
player’s space, making him uncomfortable.

As most coaches teach, when guarding, a player should be focused on the offensive
player’s numbers or waist. One of the most important points we teach when talking about
stance is how to react when guarding a player with the ball who is dribbling or who still
has his dribble. We use the key of back foot! By saying back foot, we are reminding the
player that when the offensive player starts to make an offensive move on the dribble, our
first move is back. We step back with our back foot while pushing off of our forward leg.
By doing this, we create space between the offensive player and ourselves. By creating
this space, we have a chance to get back in front of the offensive player (between the man
and the basket) and prevent him from beating us to a spot. Notice that I have not said
anything about foot position, heel toe alignment, angle of the body, which foot should be
up, etc. That is because we do not teach any of the above. In essence, our philosophy is
“get down and get’em.”

That is a little simplistic, but as long as they get the job done, it really does not matter.
The only time we really discuss the above is if we determine through the scouting report
that we need to force a player one direction or another based on his strengths or
weaknesses. In that case, we put our nose on the ball. In other words, we get the midline
of our body in line with the ball, which will then force the player to go the desired
direction.

Ball Pressure

Ball pressure is an integral part of our defensive system. We use good ball pressure to
create turnovers, wear down offensive players (both physically and mentally), and make
it difficult for the opposing offense to run their offense whether it is a motion, a set, or a
continuity offense. As mentioned, a key benefit of good ball pressure is that it will wear
down the offense both physically and mentally. When watching teams that consistently
apply good ball pressure, one will notice that they will always make a big defensive play
late in a close game. This is typically due to two reasons: (1) they are a good defensive
team, and (2) the opposing team is tired mentally and physically; therefore they are more
prone to make bad decisions and execute poorly. We emphasize three things when
discussing ball pressure: (1) Live feet; as already mentioned, having live, active feet, and
being ready to move is important in being a good defender. A player will find that if he
closes out on an offensive player with live feet, the offensive player will often not even
try to penetrate or score because he assumes he cannot easily make a move without
forcing the play. (2) Live hands: live hands make it difficult to see open teammates and
make passes difficult to complete. (3) Call ball: we have our players call ball for a
number of reasons; first, it makes for good communication on the court. Players know
who has the ball and where the ball is if they are negotiating a screen or perhaps are
shading a player. We work on ball pressure by playing one on one and by using the Zig
Zag drill, which most everyone has done in summer camp before.

Also, when closing out, if the defender sprints out to the offensive player making a bunch
of noise, it is intimidating; he cannot hear his own teammates calling for the ball, or his
coach yelling instructions, which makes for a chaotic situation, which is what we want,
the offense to be in chaos. However, there is a drawback to applying great ball pressure;
once in a while you will get beat. When a defensive player gets beat, he must turn and
sprint ahead of the ball to cut off the dribble. Now obviously in the half court he will
have more help than he would in the open court, but even in the half court one cannot
assume that help will be there. Help may be late, one’s teammate that was expected to
help may have gotten caught up in traffic, etc. We work on recovering with our Run-
Slide-Run drill (Diagram 1). We have a line in each corner on the baseline, the player
will sprint to the elbow, slide and cut an imaginary defender off. He then turns and sprints
to the sideline at half court. He continues this pattern all the way to the opposite baseline
while calling ball.

Defending Screens
On the ball screens we always go over the top. We do not deny that this is very difficult
to do, but when executed, it is also very effective
because it makes it hard to score or cause defensive
mismatches. We will conditionally go under a screen if
it is way out on the floor out of shooting range or if we
determine that it would be best based on our scouting
report. The man on the ball must apply great ball
pressure and try to push the ball handler out away from
the screen as far as possible. The man guarding a screen
has possibly the most important job. He must get behind
the screener, with his leg closest to the basket slightly
behind the screener’s leg farthest away from the basket.
The defender must maintain contact with the screener at
all times to prevent him from slipping to the basket.
After he is in proper position, he must get low and
spread out, forcing the ball handler to go past the screen
in an arc. This allows him to let his teammate through
without being screened.

Block to block screens involving two big men are

negotiated in two ways. From an offensive standpoint,
one has two options: one can cut off to a block-to-block
screen, high or low. The defender away from the ball
always goes low. If the cutter goes low, he is then below
the screen already and simply beats the cutter to the Diagram 1.
spot. He is then in perfect position to front the post. If
the cutter goes high off of a screen, the defender again stays low and calls switch. The
defender guarding the screener takes the man cutting high when he is in perfect position
to guard. Likewise, the defender who went low steps up and then guards the screener,
preventing him from sealing him under the basket.

A block-to-block screen involving a little on a big is defended differently. Our rule is still
to get low, no matter what. If the cutter goes low, then everyone is in position and we
play. If the cutter goes high, our big goes low and meets him at the spot; our guard will
check the big cutting high. This will hold him up for just a second, and therefore give our
big enough time to beat him to the spot. Our guard then chases his man. Often after a
little on big screen the screener will receive a down screen. If we get a good check on it,
our guard will have time to recover by trailing the screen, as the check will prevent the
cutter from curling.

Off ball screens are handled in a couple of different ways. As a rule we trail, unless we
can shoot the gap with little chance of getting hung up on the screen. This is usually
determined by the scouting report. For example, if a player is guarding a man on the wing
away from the ball, he will be in help with a foot in the lane, preferably closer to the
midline of the court. If there is a screen for the wing to come to the top to shoot, reverse
the ball, isolate him, etc. The defender who is down off in the lane will shoot straight up
the gap, and meet the pass. However, if the ball is at the top of the key, our wing,
defenders will be in denial. If the trailer comes down to screen the wing then we will tell
our guy to trail while getting a check from the man defending the screener. We want a
check on every screen possible. This does two things: (1) it allows time for the defender
guarding the cutter to get around the screen as it creates space; and (2) it is discouraging
to the offensive player who cuts off of screens frequently to get banged around every
time he goes to receive the ball. Double down screens is another common situation that
would require that we trail the cutter.

As mentioned, we would switch on block-to-block screens if the cutter went high. We

will conditionally switch other screens if they involve big on big or little on little and the
scouting report deems it necessary or acceptable. For example we will switch on guard-
to-guard ball screens, or two wings crossing underneath the basket.

Denial

We deny all penetrating passes. A penetrating pass is one that advances the ball closer to
the basket. All passes to the post, passes from the top of the key to the wing, passes into
the paint, etc. are considered penetrating passes. We deny the post by getting three
quarters of the way in front. We want an arm and a leg in front with the hand up high
discouraging the pass. When denying the wing, we want to be on the line of the ball and
up the line. We want to be up the line to prevent the offensive player coming into us and
pushing off, creating enough space to receive the pass. Something else that denial helps
us do is push the opponent’s offense further out onto the floor. By stretching their
offense, they are being forced into a situation that fosters poor decisions and difficult
plays.
Help

A player should always help across, never help up. Helping up results in lay-ups for the
other team. Also, just as we call ball, we call help. By calling help, we are letting our
teammates know where we are that we can help them, etc. We spend a lot of time in drills
working on knowing when, where and how to help. One important drill we use is three on
three jump to the ball (Diagram 2, A and B). We have an offensive and defensive player
at the top of the key and on both wings. There is a
position the defensive player should be in wherever the
ball is. The offense swings the ball around, making the
defense jump to each position quickly.

Contesting Shots

When we contest shots, we ideally have our hands up

and our butts down, yelling shot so that our teammates
know to block out and go rebound. When approaching
the ball we stop when the player goes up, and we jump
straight up after the shooter leaves the floor. One thing Diagram 2A.
that we want to prevent when contesting a shot is the
drive. We had rather the offensive player shoot than
drive past us. We want to contest all shots!

Transition

Transition is incredibly important in our defensive

philosophy for several reasons. First, it is what the
offense wants, namely easy, open shots. One cannot
contest a transition lay up. Nor can one rebound it.
Therefore transition baskets go against all of our
defensive goals essentially. We use the key “Hole and Diagram 2B.
Ball” when talking about how we get back in transition.
When we shoot the ball, our guards are thinking one thing: get hole, get ball. The first
man back when the ball is shot will always take the hole. He will sprint down court
calling hole to let his teammates know he has it and his job is to guard the basket. He will
not leave the basket until a big gets into the paint and calls him out, at which point he will
fly out to the wing, ball side. The other guard will take the ball. He should turn and sprint
to half court, find the ball, and then attack it, attempting to turn the ball as many times as
possible to give his teammates a chance to get back and match up in transition. Those are
the two most important things. Another point we emphasize for our other three guys who
are getting back is to get out and deny the wings in transition. This is difficult to do with
the speed of today’s players; therefore it makes it even more important that we stress and
spend time on making sure that we cover the hole and stop the ball.

Rebounding/Intangibles
As stated before, no one can score without the ball. Therefore, if we do the things we
have been discussing properly, such as applying ball pressure, denying penetrating
passes, helping and recovering, etc., we will force the offense into a bad shot that we
should be contesting. When the shot goes up, we must go get it. All five guys must go
back and board it. When we block out, we step right at the offensive player splitting him
between the legs. Our leg should be on the midline of his body. We then check with our
forearm. We do not hit the player! We merely establish contact in order to feel where he
is going. We then reverse pivot and try to push him away from the basket. We work on
rebounding every day in our Rebounding Drill (Diagram 3). This is a very difficult drill.
It is physically and mentally demanding. It builds toughness and improves our ability to
rebound.

A coach is positioned at each wing. There are three players on the inside. They must get
three rebounds in a row to get out. At the key, and on
each wing, there are lines of offensive players who try
to board it when the shot goes up. A coach shoots the
ball and the two teams of three battle for it. There is no
out of bounds, the bleachers are fair game and the only
fouls are the holding of jerseys. During the rebounding
drill, we also get a chance to work on intangibles that
can make the difference in every game. Things like
hustle, diving on the floor for loose balls, and giving
that extra effort often make the difference in games for
teams who are out-manned.
Diagram 3.
Another intangible is taking charges. We stress this
daily and even have a drill for it. A player starts on the baseline. There is an offensive
player holding a ball just inside the three-point arc. On the horn the defensive player on
the baseline has 8 seconds to touch the opposite baseline and get back to take a charge.
When the horn blows after the 8 seconds, the offensive player attacks the glass! The
defender must beat him to the spot and take a hit. It is important to teach correct charge
technique to avoid unnecessary injuries. One should brace with one arm across his body,
and when hit, tuck his chin to his chest to avoid hitting his head.

Conclusion

There are other subtleties to our defense, but these are the basic fundamentals upon which
we make decisions based on our scouting report. We are very defensive minded in
practice as we strive to be a good defensive and rebounding team. We feel this allows and
has allowed us to be successful in the past in that it has given us a chance to win games
when we were either overmatched, having offensive difficulties, or playing on the road.
We would love to talk with anyone interested in further discussing our defensive
philosophy.

About the author

James Green
Green completed what turned out to be a winding journey through gyms and arenas
across the country when, on March 31, 1996, he became the 17th head basketball coach
in USM history. He replaced M. K. Turk, who retired following 20 seasons and 300
victories at Southern Miss. Through his six seasons at Southern Miss, Green has
compiled a record of 97-80.

For more information on this article or on Coach Green, email usmbb@hotmail

Quick Hits
Valparaiso’s Fast Break Offense
The many options of scoring in Transition

By Rex Walters
Men’s Assistant Basketball Coach
Valparaiso University

Having had the opportunity to play for some great coaches (Roy Williams, Pat Riley,
Chuck Daly, Larry Brown) and now getting the chance to work for a great coach in
Homer Drew, I am obviously very excited about the coming year. What I have found in
my time with these coaches is that there is not “one” way that is the right way. All of
these great coaches have different philosophies and styles of play. The one thing that all
of these men have in common is their organization and attention to detail. I have come up
with some of the “quick-hitting” plays that I have been involved with as a player or
coach.

In any fast breaking style of offense it is very important that there is an extreme attention
to detail. Players need to be held accountable for everything that they do on the court.
They should know from day one that they are going to play hard, smart and unselfish. I
have found that if you distinguish and assign layers responsibilities they know exactly
what is expected of them. Here are some basic rules (on a Made Bucket) for your players:

• The 4 or 5 man (whoever is closest to the ball) on a made bucket takes the ball out.

• 2 and 3 spring hard (first three steps, and wide, finding the ball.

• 1st Post Man sprints hard to ball side post.

• 1 man (point guard) gets and pushes the ball up the floor.

• Inbounder protects the 1 on the inbound pass (don’t head him into a turnover) and trails
to the top of the key.
The basic concept behind the “quick hitter” is to try and push the ball right up your
opponent’s back and score as easy a basket as possible.
The Point Guard (1 man) is always looking to pitch the
ball ahead to the wings (2 or 3) or to the Post player (4
or 5) who has beat his man up the floor. If the Point
Guard cannot pitch ahead or the defense has 3 or more
men back he must determine a side of the court and flow
right into a set. Coaches are not going to be able to call
out plays on the fly, but different offenses can be called
during timeouts, deadballs, and at the free throw line.

Diagram 1 (lower) hows the basic set of players and

their positions on the court.

• 1 dribbles to a wing
• 2/3 to ball side corner
• 2/3 to weakside wing (free throw line extended to the
3 Pt. Line)
• 4/5 to ball side post
• 4/5 trails to top of the key

Diagram 1 (upper)
•5 takes ball out
• 3 and 2 sprint out to the wings
• 1 receives outlet from 5 and pushes up – determining a
side Diagram 1.
• 4 runs to ball side post
• 5 trails to top of key
• Basic Set
• 1, 2, 3 are interchangeable
• 4 and 5 are interchangeable

The first look is always the Post but there are a lot of options that you can run out of this
set (secondary, quick, fast break offense-whatever you want to call it).

Diagram 2A. "Basic" (Played on High Diagram 2B. "Basic" (Played on Low
Side) Side)

Diagram 2C. "Basic" (Being Fronted)
• 1 skips to 2 if 4 is being fronted.
Diagram 4. "Double Down"
• 3 man sets himself up for 5 and 1 setting a double
screen
Diagram 6. "America's Play"
• 1 pitches to 3 and cuts to weakside point
• 1 pitches to 3 if 4 is played on the high side
• 1 kicks to 5 if 4 is being played on the low side
Diagram 3. Double Down
• 1 reverses thru the 5 to 2
• 4 continues to work and post up1
Diagram 5. "Double Down" (3 out 2 in)
Diagram 7. "America's Play" Continued
• 3 takes up the distance between him and 5 and
kicks it to him.
• 5 swings to 2
• 2 looks at 1 on post
• 1 gives count and cross screens for
• 4 fakes high and goes lot to ball side post.
Diagram 8. "America's Play" Continued Diagram 9. "Hi, Pick and Roll"
(3 out 2 in) • 1 has no passing options
• 5 down screens 1 • 1 uses 5 as a high pick
• 2 looks at 4 on Post, 5 on slip and 1 on catch and • 4 goes block to block
shoot • 3 starts to block looking to set up back pick for 5
• Finish 3 out 2 in • 2 spaces to the corner

Diagram 10. "Hi, Pick and Roll" Diagram 11. "Hi, Pick and Roll"
Continued Continued (3 out 2 in)
• 1 has the 2 in the corner to catch and shoot or to
feed the 4 on the post
• 3 back picks the 5
• 1 (with line dribble) can throw the lob or pitch to 3
• 3 can dribble over to create a good feeding angle to
5

As you can see, there is so much you can do with “quick hitting” plays. If you look at this
closely, you will see that there is so much more you can add during the year.

All of your dummy offense should be used with the full court, going at least 2 trips up
and down the court. All options should be employed and every play should finish with a
basket and a quick outlet to the other side of the court. It is a great conditioner and yet
your players will learn exactly what is expected of them. If you decide to play this way
(and have the personnel to do it) you need to be consistent that every drill that you do
works within the confines of this offense. You cannot play a full game in a Zone Defense
and expect to be a real running team. I believe that your defense should be set to create a
faster pace of play.
As a player, I found that the coaches that I played for were very detailed. All passes, cuts,
spacing, dribbles, looks and shots should be watched like a hawk. Do not allow turnovers
and the players should be going game speed once the basic offense has been put in. After
every option has been explored you need to decide if you are going right into a “Motion
Offense” or will run more set plays. (I am partial to Motion Offense.) I loved playing this
way as a player and am looking forward to coaching and learning even more about this
style from coach Homer Drew here at Valparaiso University.

About the author

Rex Walters

Rex Walters joins the Valpo staff as an assistant coach following a distinguished playing
career. He arrived at Valpo after preparing to serve as a graduate assistant at Emporia
(Kan.) State University.

While playing for Roy Williams at Kansas, Walters helped the Jayhawks capture the Big
Eight Championship in 1992 and 1993, earning First Team All-Big Eight honors both
years. Walters assists with recruiting, summer camps and coaching clinics, and
coordinates the players’ individual workouts and team meals.

Before embarking on a seven-year NBA playing career, Walters became nationally

recognized for an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Kansas and
Northwestern University. For more info on this article or on Coach Walters, email
rex.walters@valpo.edu.

The Worst Things We Do as Teachers

By Mike Dunlap, Metro State Head Men’s Basketball Coach

1. Take time to explain what we want from our players. We must strive for clarity
first.
2. Demonstration after we tell our players what we want; there must be a
demonstration each time. We need to give our players a picture demonstration
before we get into repetition.
3. Building blocks are the only way to develop a player. For example, if we do not
address a players feet and be specific about how we want him to pivot then it will
cost us down the road. Do not rush your teaching. We should do one thing at a
time.
4. Teaching your team to be physical takes technique, sequential instruction, and
patience. It is easy to call a player a "nutless wonder" without considering that
most players have never been taught the finer points of hand to hand combat. If
we would spend a little more time with football coaches we would figure out how
to teach our team to be physical.
5. Be objective about an all out effort. We demand that a player go at 100%
effort. What is 100% effort and has there ever been a player who knew what that
 meant. Probably not? For instance, put a heart monitor on a player and measure
their heart rate. The instructor can be more objective about individual effort this
way. Yet, we talk and sometimes yell at our players about going "all out" all the
time. What a stupid statement when you really think about it. How can a player
read and think? For example, a good offensive player must learn how to change
speeds with cutting and ballhandling. This requires that the offensive player
control his body and NOT play at 100%. Too many times we buy into the myth of
the 100% effort and forget about going after a player's intellect before asking for
a quality effort.
6. Demanding perfection. What a bunch of crap! The more a person chases
perfection the less they can enjoy each act. How can a perfectionist be happy
with anything? The least enjoyable person to be around is the perfectionist; I find
a lazy dog to be just as unpleasant. Demand that people do the right thing, yet do
not fall into the trap that nothing is ever good enough. If you are always chasing
perfection then how can you teach a player to enjoy a job well done. As Coach
Wooden stated, "A man must find balance, be it emotional, physical, spiritual, or
intellectual.". Why is it that certain coaches will say that they were devastated by
the loss at the end of a 33-1 season? If you believe in your preparation and
teaching process then how can any loss devastate you? In other words, losing is
part of sports; you learn from it and move on. A disciplined mind comes in many
different forms and being mentally tough also requires that you must accept the
brutal reality that no one is perfect and a quality effort is a joy in and of itself
regardless of outcome.
7. Follow through. If you want discipline in your organization then follow through
with consequences for actions. Our discipline breaks down when we do not
quickily punish the transgression. How come so many coaches fall prey to this
area? Because it could hurt the outcome of your season if you lose a certain
player. My experience tells me just the opposite. For example, George
Gwoldecky, head hockey coach at Denver University, benched his best player for
the national championship game. Coach Gwoldecky made a statement for all
time- period.
8. Take care of ourselves first. Whether it is our mental and physical health (i.e
eating, exercise, prayer, reading, etc) daily schedule, finances, family, and other
personal matters, we need to address those things first. Why? Because if you are
not in order how can you fully give to your team, staff, and school? You cannot.
9. Apologize. We demand so much from others and we want them to see their
mistakes and fix them. In short, we set ourselves above our own vulnerabilities;
we should openly admit our errors. Once you have done this in front of your team
it will be much easier for them to acknowledge their mistakes. This is an
imperative act by the head coach if you want quality communication.
10. Allow for failure. Part of learning is the margin of failure and sometimes you just
have to let the players fall flat on their rumps. This is difficult but necessary.

Attacking Zones
By Shane Dreiling

GENERAL THOUGHTS
 • Always look to fast break against a zone. Teams that play zone
have a tendency to play poor transition defense. Try to score before
the zone gets set up.
• Look to attack on the third side of the floor. Basically, get 2
reversals before looking to shoot, unless you have a wide-open lay-up.
• Move the ball and move people against zones.
• Flatten the zone, and then quickly reverse the ball to 3 people.
• Teach your players what a gap is (space between 2 defenders) and
how to attack it with the dribble or a cut.
• Use stacks to create overloads initally.
• Have some set attacks to get a good shot against the zone.
• If you have a post player that can shoot, step them out from the
high post or to the short corner to stretch the zone.

PERIMETER EMPHASIS

• Start behind the 3-point arc.

• Wing men stay below the top defenders in the zone.
• Be weak side ready. If the ball is on the wing, opposite wing should be on an angle, not in line with
the ball.
Have feet and hands ready to catch and shoot.
• Use the skip pass to reverse the ball, especially when a
post player is screening the back of the zone.
• Always look to drive the ball into a gap and kick out for open shot.
• Move the defense with pass fakes and shot fakes.

POST EMPHASIS

• Start behind the zone.

• Post up the middle defender in front of the rim.
• Screen the back defenders in the zone.
• Flash to the ball. A key teaching point is the ball moves first,
the zone moves second, then you flash between two defenders.
• Rebound the ball when a shot is taken.
• Use the short corner.
• If the ball goes inside and you don’t have a shot, look to pass
out to the opposite side of the floor to the wing spotting up or your
post partner.

2-3 Match Up Defense

Our match-up zone defense is a combination of the 2-3 zone that is taught by Fred
Litzenberger at the University of Oregon and the Point and Talk defense taught by Don
Meyer at Northern State University. This defensive scheme is our secondary defense but
our basic principles remain the same…. communicate to your teammates, pressure the
ball and help and recover.

Our 12 points of an effective Match-Up Zone Defense

1. You must use both man to man and zone defensive principles.
 2. Each man has area responsibility and man responsibility.
3. Each player must use man-to-man defense, area defense, and help defense.
4. Two defensive men must constantly defend three offensive men.
5. Offensive alignment will dictate defensive alignment.
6. Defensive players adjust to both the men and the ball. Neither has priority. Both
are of equal importance.
7. Each defensive player checks the ball, a man, and “part of the other four.”
8. “Communication” is more important for the back three players than for the
guards.
9. The key to the front line defense (guards) is “movement and adjustment.”
10. The key to the back line defense (center and forwards) is “communication and
adjustment.”
11. To be effective in the match-up zone one man must consistently and effectively
defend two—two defend three—three defend four—and four defend five.
12. Key word is still “adjust.”

Why should a team play a zone defensively? A team should look to play a zone if their
opponents can’t attack it consistently, you can’t guard the opponent man-to-man, you
need to control an excellent penetrating guard, and finally, you can sandwich or front and
back the post player.

The rules of our match-up are simple and go hand in hand with our other defensive
schemes.

Match-Up Rules

1. Continually point to your man and talk to your teammates.

2. Guard someone: don’t have two defensive players on the same offensive player.
3. Defense takes the shape of the offense’s alignment.
4. Keep bigs in and smalls out.
5. The post player comes out in emergencies only…as when the offense has five
players along the perimeter or if we have to defend an excellent perimeter shooter.
6. Help side defenders straddle the weak side lane line. The offense will screen
away and will send offensive players away so in our Match-Up, we assume all
offensive players are good shooters.
7. Guards dig into the post to help force the ball back out onto the perimeter.
8. Switch everything to keep bigs in and smalls out…however, we don’t switch the
dribble.
9. Pressure every shot without fouling: change or alter the shot.
10. Only guard to the “arc”. This allows us to protect the paint and high post area
while giving help in the post.
11. Do not deny passes out to the perimeter, but do pressure the ball.
12. Block Out, Pursue, Chin the Rebound, Outlet…”BOPCRO”

Question 429
Question 429- Please discuss the options to aggressively attack a half court trap which sends two defenders at
the point guard?

Coach Leonard Desmarais

Coach Desmarais,

Key to attacking any trapping situation is the ball handler recognizing the trap prior to it getting firmly set locking up the ball and
dribbler, and the players away from the ball flashing into passing lanes at the critical time prior to the help defenders closing off those
avenues of pressure release. Failure of either or both of these general produces a turnover or ineffective attack of trapping pressure. The
situation you are referring two describes what some call the "hourglass" press or trap which is a 2-1-2 Zone Trap. Not many teams play
this defense anymore and as a consequence it is a defense many teams are not well prepared to attack. Instinctively a player with the ball
normally attempts to pass out of trap pressure by locating the next adjacent wing player. While this works well when attacking a 1-3-1
Trap, it is normally not the best solution for attacking the 2-1-2.

I was a Division I Assistant coach in the 80's and we ran the 2-1-2 trap with
considerable success. We wanted teams to pass to the wings because the passing angles
out of this position were limited. If the ball goes to the wing don't want the ball there
very long because the weak side defenders can sit on any cross court pass if the
subsequent wing trap is sealed. Personally I believe the best way to attack almost any
trapping defense that tries to extend out near the mid-court line is by bringing both posts
up high creating in a sense a 1-4. An alternative might be to start one post low and have
the initial high post to one side. When the defense attempts to front the initial high post,
immediately flash the 2nd post player to the opposite open high post or even a bit
higher. When the ball can be quickly entered to the 2nd high post, dive the 1st high post
diagonal toward the basket. This will draw one bottom defender of the zone back into
the paint to stop this post to post pass for an easy score. When that occurs flare your
wings immediately into the open areas of the wing or corner for an open 3. In essence
anytime you can go through the high post to release trapping pressure that should be
your players highest priority. The ball at the high post is the most dangerous location
for any trapping defense.

Note here in the diagram to the right that D3 must essentially choose between O3
and O4. Teach O4 or O5 to step out a bit higher to draw this bottom defender up
somewhat like a high post entry pass. If the pass goes to O3, sprint one of the two
posts to the same side short corner and on the wing to corner pass dive the second
HP to the basket.

When the ball is at the wing the other problem area the 2-1-2 has in coverage is the
short or pull post. When the side defenders in the 2-1-2 trap the wing, the Center is
left with both mid-, low- and short corner- coverage by themselves. When a quick
wing to short corner pass occurs the Center normally sprints out to pressure the ball
and trap with the bottom wing. This leaves the mid post area open for a quick dive
by the offensive high post. Even more critical in this situation is that when the
center of the 2-1-2 commits to the rotate to the short corner, the weak side deep
defender must slide across to the strong side low post. This leaves the back side
vulnerable to the wing slipping in behind the defense at the basket. See the
attached diagram left here where I demonstrate these the second soft point of the 2-
1-2 trap. A quick short post pass can create a 3 on 2 attack triangle at the basket
when D5 must close out to pressure O4 on the baseline, and D4 must come across to
front O5 slashing to the basket. O2 can either duck under weak side basket for a pass from O4 or flare to the weak side corner. These
are the two most vulnerable areas of the 2-1-2 Hourglass trap. Good luck with your efforts to break down this trap.

Thanks for Asking the Coach

 TWO

Question 423

Question 423- I recently went to a clinic from one the the games top coaches Zeljko Obradovic. He told us
coaches that in his offensive system of play he uses primarily set plays with a definite beginning and end
point. They are not complete offensive systems of play. Can you explain to me the differences in these two
divergent offensive philosophies?

Coach Juan Jose Kalemkerian

Montevideo, Uruguay,

Coach Kalemkerian,

Coach Obradovic is certainly one of the top coaches in the world today. There are reasons to use both set play and motion both with
positive and negative consequences. Motion play came about in the early 70's with Bob Knight's famous Passing Game because he
believed his team was more athletic and better skilled at each position and the passing game gave much more flexibility to getting the
ball to any one of these players. In general, motion games should be used to give freedom of choice to experienced and gifted players.
Motion games also lend themselves better to a continuity. With the increasingly sophisticated pressure defenses of the past 30-40 years it
has become increasingly difficult to rely on one, two or three passes in a set play situation to get a player open. Motion games often
have a built in continuity which permits fluid movement of the ball from one side of the court to the other and back. The idea behind this
is that you can stretch a pressuring defense by causing a team to convert quickly from ball side pressure to help side back to ball side
pressure and in the process open them up to screens, cuts or penetration to get into a high scoring position dictated by the motion.
Motion offenses were in general also more effective for teams with less talent prior to the advent of the shot clock. When there wasn't a
shot clock, teams could make 10, 15, or 20 passes in an attempt to control the tempo, clock and locate the one defensive weakness for the
"best shot" on any one possession.

As motion offenses have became increasingly popular (the shuffle, flex, passing game, 1-4 motion, etc.) I think that coaches have played
them for the wrong reasons. In some cases they are playing motion with less talent and skills and in many cases players who are not
threats to score are getting the ball in positions which are meaningless. In addition, defenses have become more adept at switching the
perimeter (same size players) and and forcing teams to rush shots prior to the shot clock expiring which reduces the long term
effectiveness of motion.

There has definitely been a trend back (at least at the NBA and International Pro game level) to set play offenses (a finite beginning or
end) because they don't need 8 or 10 passes to get the ball into the hands of a skilled scorer or mismatch. In addition the 24 second clock
doesn't permit a lot of time for a motion offense to take advantage of it's strength, breaking down the defense by increasing the number of
passes the defense must play fundamentally sound defense.

If in your team personnel you have 2 or 3 very highly skilled offensive players as Coach Obradovic has, it makes absolutely perfect
sense to run a series of set plays designed to get these prolific scorers the ball in the shortest time possible. The methods by which any
team can defend a specific set play are limited and as such these options can be overly rehearsed to the point of automation. Full
understanding of set play by all five players makes this type of offense a very dangerous weapon.

I found over the years coaching that in general at the higher levels set play works better than motion. Too many coaches run the motion
without purpose or a sense of which players should get the ball where and when. When this is the case, motion works against your gifted
players. The ball ends up in the hands of less skilled players more of the time than is effective for your team. However I grew up in
Motion Offensive systems. There are times when set play can become stagnated and your team has little flow or rhythm to the game. If
your better scorers go cold what often happens is the other players stand around and just watch. This can result is a lot of one and done
offensive possessions. As a pro coach I felt we needed motion game at times just to change the tempo or rhythm of a game and to get all
the players moving and more involved. I think the ability to play both has some significant advantage for a team both because there are
benefits to both and your players will learn to consistently defend both in practice which has carry over to games. If you take a look at a
colleague of Coach Obradovic, Svetislav Pesic (Alba Berlin, Rhein Energie Cologne, FC Barcelona and Serbia & Montenegro National
Team-2002 World Champions) he runs a set play offense called The Zipper that has some motion or continuity to it.
Another example of the value of changing between set play and continuity could be found if you watched the 2001 NCAA Final Four if
my memory serves me correctly. I believe in one semi-final an excellent Maryland team (who knew Duke and their set play offense very
well) had totally throttled Duke at Halftime. Coach Krzyzewski came out in the second half and went to a motion offense giving his
players the freedom to create on the court without giving Maryland the advantage of knowing so well how they wanted to attack and the
whole momentum of the game shifted resulting in a Duke win and another NCAA Championship two nights later with a win against
Arizona in the Final. Here was a case that set play wasn't working and the ability to shift gears led to a trophy.

There are many different perspectives on set play and motion games and what is most important is to select what works best for you and
your players. However my point is that the ability to change a focus on offense can be equally as effective at times as your ability to
change defenses when one isn't working to stop an opponent. Set play makes it easier for you to predict how a team will defend you and
practice ahead of time the counters to beat that defense. However motion offense makes it more difficult for the defense to control or
anticipate every situation because they are less predictable.

Thanks for Asking the Coach

Question 366

Question 366- I understand the way to teach the isolated parts of the Triple Post Offense by Tex Winter. What I don't really understand
is when do the players know which series they need to use and which solo game to use? Secondly, how do the players know which one
goes to the key spots (there are many ways to form the sideline triangle) and which guys will post? Is there some rules for mismatches,
or is their a leader on the court, or is it just a feeling. This is my biggest problem with this offense. I hope you can help me on these
points.

Christian Lemaire
Quebec, Canada

Coach Lemaire,

I think this question is a good one and for more reasons than the Triangle is a "hot" offense at the moment. There is more to running any
offense and options than just knowing the patterns. Most offenses with a number of options have those options born out of necessity
rather than creative magic. In other words the defense took something away, "so now what do we do to counter?" Keep that in mind as I
give my answer to your questions. Note also that I am no expert on the Triangle so my answers are more educated guesses based on
what knowledge I do have of the offense, than on personal experience running it.

The Triangle is predicated on getting a center (or another player) into the post along what Coach Winter calls the Line of Deployment.
This means that the two nearest players the guard and wing, or wing and corner (in the corner series) form equilateral triangles to the low
posts position. The line of deployment teaches that the defender on the post is forced to play one side or the other of this line of
deployment (line of the man with the ball, through the low post, to the basket) making it easier to make a quick entry pass from one of
the two passers in the triangle into the post for an easier scoring opportunity. Additionally because of this good spacing, it is more
difficult for the defense to double down on the post without giving up good scoring options off of cuts, screens, or rapid ball movement
to the player left most open by a rotating defense. All of the options in the Sideline Triangle series which involve strong side offense
(e.g., sideline triangle cuts, triangle splits, and cutting actions) are focused on getting the ball to this strong side post and the
consequences of the defense either being able individually to stop the post, or being forced to double and help on the post pass. This,
from my perspective should be your primary option of this offense.

Obviously the defense will do everything they can to take away these strong side options including denying the wing or corner entry
pass, and possibly trying to front or double the the low post on the strong side prior to being able to enter the ball there. The
consequence of this type of action is the weak side offensive play options including the forward to guard (at the top of the circle) pass, or
the wing to forward flash at the high post pass. All of the weak side options are essentially counter plays to keep the defense honest and
reduce the pressure exerted on any strong side options. I think what is confusing to you might be that Coach Winter teaches four basic
options in the Triple Post Offense; 1) sideline triangle, 2) guard dribble series, 3) guard inside series, and 4) the solo cut series. Each of
these options has additional and varies strong side and weak side options.

It is my take in observing the Bulls and now the Lakers through their championship runs that it is a mistake to try to introduce too many
options too fast in the Triangle. The Triangle (much like Bob Knight's famous 5-Man Passing game, and Pete Carril's Princeton
Backdoor Offense) is a motion offense based on good spacing, proper execution of fundamentals, good ball movement, and good read-
react decision making predicated by how the defense attempts to defend a specific action. Once your players have truly automated the
basic Sideline Triangle options (both strong and weak side) they eventually will find that good defenses figure out ways to take away the
most obvious options. Secondly, there are times in games when you want specific players to have the ball in their hands at specific
times. For these reasons you should consider, over the course of a season, adding additional options such as the Guard Dribble Series,
Guard Inside Screen, and Solo Cut Series (each with their own strong and weak side options). I would be hesitant as a coach, when
introducing the Triangle to my team, to interchange these different series every time down the court or on a consistent basis if you team
cannot find both rhythm and/or their positions. At least until they have several years experience playing this multi-faceted offense. With
that said let's take a quick look at when, where and why you might go to the Guard Dribble Series, Guard Inside Series, and Solo Cut
Series to help you gain more perspective on this offense.

In general any of the Triple Post Offense options that involve the dribble are designed to keep pressuring defenses honest. What most
good defensive teams attempt to do against the Triangle is to pressure the perimeter of the triangle so as to distort the spacing and
increase the passing distances. This negatively alters the practiced passing angles of the offensive team and also buys time defensively
for help defenders to get into better position to both deny and help on dangerous offensive situations. I would use the Guard Dribble
series when you find that teams are pressuring you out of the Sideline Triangle (both strong and weak side options) to the point where
you lose fluidity in ball movement within the Triangle. For example the outside give and go option on the wing entry pass initiate a
center clear out up the lane which thereby creates an open penetration lane to the basket for the wing in a 1 on 1 situation. You can also
run what is called the forward through (or give and go) option from this situation because of the center clear out. The weak side options
for the Guard Dribble series include a nifty center rub through cut (much like a flex cut) with the center flashing in behind following the
cut, and then a dribble weave option on the perimeter, as the defense attempts to sag down on either the center rub cut or flash.
Remember the most important aspect of the Triangle to keep in mind is constant ball and player movement and good spacing. If you are
seeing you team run the Sideline Triangle options and bogging down, consider changing up to a different series to find better movement
and rhythm.

I also believe you can use the Guard Dribble series when teams try to slough off and pack the inside to take away the interior game of the
Triple Post Offense. These perimeter dribble and screen options make it difficult to protect both the inside and all well spaced perimeter
players in tight quarter. This is especially true when guards like to sag down in on post to help and you can pin them inside unable to
recover to defender the perimeter shot off the dribble options. The dribble options are also effective when they force a small guard
defender onto small forward or big guard switch as a result of the interchange.

Moving on to the Guard Inside series, this set of strong side and weak side options I believe are oriented towards freeing one individual
player either through an on ball screen, or penetration and pitch to the weak side off of this action. The inside screen option (strong side)
is a guard to small forward pick and roll designed to force the center's defender up to help on penetration and leave the big man open near
the basket. The Lakers use this quite effectively with Kobe receiving the picking action by Derek Fisher, to penetrate drawing Shaq's
defender to help, leaving Shaq on a B-line to the basket. Without being an expert on this offense, I would consider using these kinds of
options when the shot clock is down following a dead ball inbounds to get a specific action. Again, if adding these options confuse your
players back up and reduce the number of options. Another example of this is the Guard Inside series (weak side) penetration dribble
option. Here the wing intentionally penetrates hard into the key to draw the weak side help defenders of the 2 and 4 men who flare away
to the weak side 3 point line to spot up.
If you are getting pressured, use this penetration option to create a needed 3 late in the game on penetration and pitch. If you take the
time to break down each of the Triple Post's options they each have specific purposes, mostly to isolate given situations and players when
needed. This requires not only understanding of how to execute the options by the players, but even more importantly a firm
understanding by you as the coach when to use them.

Lastly, let's look at the Solo Series both strong and weak side. It is my take that you use this series when you have two great players who
are difficult to defend and you want to isolate these two. Instead of the primary focus being the strong side triangle, you work more the
strong side two man game. For the Lakers this might involve Kobe and Shaq playing inside-out. Who helps on who? The consequence
is that defenses run additional defenders from the 3 man weak side which following good ball movement usually leaves Rick Fox or
Robert Horry spotting up weak side on the three point line. The difficult you will have, as you have suggested is when to use any of
these. It doesn't have to be you two best players, you might play the solo series with the two hottest players or two with serious
mismatch problems. For you the answer, is keep it as simple as possible. Teach and practice what your players can comprehend and
execute. If they have difficulty in these areas you either have to find and play the players that can execute, or reduce the amount of
options. When introducing another of the Triple Post Offenses series, keep to one or two basic options, maybe one strong side action and
one weak side action. As your players gain understanding about how to fill positions, balance back up and re-organize the offense after
breakdowns the ability to mix and match will improve. Note however, that I do believe it might take you 2-3 years to put in most of the
options and in some cases it might take 4-5 years to build up a players experience in the triangle enough so that they really read and react
the way the offense is intended. This may explain why Phil Jackson doesn't give rookies a lot of players time, or a long leash, and why
he tends to go out and get smart veteran players who have previous experience with the offense.

I'm not sure I have provided you the complete insight you need to make decisions about what to run and where. But hopefully I have
given you food for thought regarding what various parts of the Triangle are designed to do. Few books can teach you the interactive
parts of complex offenses, only experience teaches you that.

Thanks for Asking the Coach