Defense

James Jones 2-3 Zone Techniques

By Coach Brian Williams on June 9, 2020

This video is with Coach James Jones of Yale University.

The video is 3 minutes long so you will not get a detailed breakdown of how he coaches a 2-3 zone, but you can pick up a few coaching points that you might be able to apply to your zone defense.

You will need to be on a network that allows you to access You Tube to view the video.

Click the play arrow to view the video.

There is narration with the video, so please make sure that your sound is on.

You can find out more about the Championship Productions video that this clip is from at this link: 2-3 and 1-3-1 Zone Defenses + Zone Offense Sets.

The video with Coach is available in both DVD and online format.

Click the play arrow to start the video.

Defensive Switching Tactics

By Coach Brian Williams on April 22, 2020

Army Men’s Assistant Coach Zak Boisvert has assembled some clips of NBA switching tactics.

Most of us don’t coach NBA players and yes, the players in the video are not all playing for the Warriors. I do realize that.

The videos are to share some ideas for switching tactics that might spark some thought in your staff as to ways to enhance what you already do on defense.

Zak has an outstanding site with posts on various coaching topics at www.pickandpop.net

His You Tube channel has several videos with various types of man to man plays, zone sets, and inbounds plays as well as clips on various defensive coverages.

You can subscribe to receive an update when he posts a new video Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

You can follow him on Twitter at this link: @ZakBoisvert

Click play to see the video

These is a You Tube video, so you will need to be on a server that allows you You Tube access.

Triple Switch

There is narration with this video, so please make sure your sound is on.

Switching SLOB Zipper Cuts

Using 1-3-1 Defense to Change Momentum

By Coach Brian Williams on February 4, 2020

Coach TJ Rosene, Men’s Head Coach at Emmanuel College.

The content is located on the Glazier Coaching Vault at this link: Transition Pistol Offense

All of the basketball content in the Glazier Vault at this link: Basketball Glazier Vault Access

You will need to click on the image of the video to start it.

These are Vimeo videos, so you will need to be able to access Vimeo in order to view it.

PUT YOUR CURSOR OVER THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO AND CLICK (IMAGE LOOKS LIKE THIS) TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON FULL SCREEN TO BE ABLE SEE LARGER DIAGRAMS AND VIDEOS

There are 4 videos in all.

1-3-1 Decision Pressure

Importance of Angles

Driving & Rebounding Responsibilities

Film Examples

Reasonable Defensive Expectations – because there are no shutouts in basketball

By Coach Brian Williams on January 17, 2020

This article is republished with permission. The original article was written by Don Siko and appears at Reasonable Defensive Expectations – because there are no shutouts in basketball.

Finishing up some current thinking on charting individual player defensive accountability, we’d like to share one more thought on how coaches can use postgame defensive charting to zero in fixable issues:

In the sample defensive accountability spreadsheet we’ve used twice before, the team in question gave up 68 points and we assigned accountability to each point two different ways-by player and by the type of score (missed containments, closeouts, blockouts etc.).

Every coach out there implicitly understands that of the 68 points scored by the opponent, only a certain number of points were especially avoidable. While coaches would like to think that all or most scores against us can be prevented, history tells us otherwise.
Most good coaches practice honesty with their players when it comes to this issue. When coaches preach a defensive philosophy or technique and the player executes it perfectly and a score still is the result, most coaches don’t then blame that player for the result. There are many examples but a couple illustrations follow:
- A perfect blockout and the ball bounces long to the opponent.
- A perfect closeout and the opponent buries the trey in spite of little or no space.
So, let’s agree that only a certain number of points given up in a game are “truly” accountable.
If that it is the case, there is obviously a baseline number, or if you will, a benchmark by which the 68 points can be evaluated. For sake of argument. Let’s choose the Virginia Cavaliers as the benchmark team. If we agreed that if Virginia played in that same game, they would likely have given up roughly 52.7 points (their current nation-leading points against total). Granted, Virginia’s slow pace of play contributes to this low total but we also shouldn’t forget that Virginia is also 3rd in the nation in defensive FG%, 5th in defensive 3pt FG%, 6th in TO margin and 5th in fewest fouls. As long as I’m talking Virginia, I also have to ask why the Cavaliers’ defense, aside from pace, isn’t more widely and routinely copied by others. Ironically, I’m quite sure that as the Virginia staff self-evaluates, among the 52.7 ppg they surrender are points that they believe are avoidable according to THEIR baseline or benchmark standards.
So, the purpose of this exercise is that now that we have a baseline of 53 points (maybe 58 adjusted to pace), we’re really focusing in on the 10-15 “worst” points we surrendered, no matter which player was accountable or which type of score we gave up. Sometimes these points given up are one-offs; sometimes not. But, if we especially emphasize these 10-15 points to our players, it’s another way of zeroing in on a teaching tool and how we can get our players to adjust and improve defensively from game to game. “Shrinking” the defensive game results down into some sort of synopsis is good for players. What method one uses can vary from coach to coach.

X Out Switch Screen the Screener

By Coach Brian Williams on December 29, 2019

Army Men’s Assistant Coach Zak Boisvert has assembled some clips of a defensive concept for defending Screen the Screener actions.

This tactic allows the defender of the first screener on the cross screen to hedge a little longer.

Zak has an outstanding site with posts on various coaching topics at www.pickandpop.net

His You Tube channel has several videos with various types of man to man plays, zone sets, and inbounds plays as well as clips on various defensive coverages.

You can subscribe to receive an update when he posts a new video Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

You can follow him on Twitter at this link: @ZakBoisvert

Click play to see the video

This is a You Tube video, so you will need to be on a server that allows you You Tube access.

Bruce Weber Rush Conversion Defense Drill

By Coach Brian Williams on December 11, 2019

You probably already do something similar to this to work on conversion defense. To make communicating to to our players more clear, I like to use the term “conversion” when we are going from offense to defense and “transition” when we are going from defense to offense.

I think that there are 3 key teaching points from this video for your conversion defense.

It isn’t the drills you run that help you improve, but the way you teach execution and how well the drill correlates to improving a skill that will influence the outcome of a game.

#1–Every time you do any type of conversion defense drill, play your defense rules. Coach Weber’s are having a player at the basket and a player pick up the ball. I know that in the video he wants the ball corralled earlier than this group of players picks up the ball.

#2–All players are sprinting.

#3–You don’t pick up your assigned man to man player, but you pick up the closest open player.

His two versions of the Rush Drill are on the baseline/ft line and out of 4/0 offense into conversion defense.

I also like to play live 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 and yell “change.” Offense sets ball down and converts to defense. in my opinion, this is as close as you can come to simulating trying to defend a live ball turnover. You can also add the requirement to the drill that on the change of possession, you have to guard someone other than who guards you. I would rather emphasize picking up the ball ASAP and getting another player back to the basket, then picking up open shooters.

You will need to be on a network that allows you to access You Tube to view the video. Click the play arrow to view the video. There is narration with the video, so please make sure that your sound is on.

You can find out more about the Championship Productions video that this clip is from at this link: Developing Defense Through Practice Drills

The video with Coach Weber is available in both DVD and online format.

James Jones 2-3 Zone Techniques

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