Defense

This defense technique for defending a wide pin down screen is with SMU Coach Tim Jankovich.

The video is hosted on You Tube.

You will need to be on a network that allows you to access that site.

The video is two minutes and 33 seconds long. He discusses the position of the ball as to when they deploy this technique.

The video is from the Championship Productions You Tube Channel

If you are interested in learning more about the Championship Productions Basketball Coaching Video (available in both DVD and Instant Video Format) that this drill came from, you can click the following link: Tim Jankovich: Defensive Concepts vs. Man and Zone Offenses

Click the play arrow to view the video.

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

Army Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Zak Boisvert posted these videos on his tremendous resource site for coaches. PickandPop.net

Coach Boisvert has posted several videos of some of the better schemes he has seen. His YouTube channel is: Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

He also is also very active on Twitter: @ZakBoisvert

Editor’s Note from Brian. The post is provided as food for thought, not to imply that you should implement this in your defense.

If nothing else, at least you can see how other teams are defending.

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

This is a YouTube video. If you are having trouble viewing it, the reason could be that the network you are on blocks YouTube videos.

Click the play arrow to view the video.

NBA RED Post Defensive Coverage

This article on the tactics used by Loyola Chicago to double team the low post was posted to the FastModel Sports Basketball Plays and Drills Library by Matt Wheeler.

Matt Wheeler has spent the last 10 years coaching in the Orlando, FL area.

For the last 6 seasons he was at Olympia High School where he spent time as assistant boys varsity coach, head girls varsity coach, and head boys varsity coach.

You can also find out more about FastModel Play Diagramming software by clicking this link: FastDraw

Some ideas for defending the low post if you have a lack of size.

They will usually bring the extra defender from one of three areas: from the top, from the baseline and from the closest perimeter player.

Skilled teams can make you pay for putting an extra player on the ball.

Passing it out of the double team will put the defense in outnumbered situations.

The Ramblers excel in rotating out of these situations to get matched up before the offense can make them pay.

Doubling from the Top

x3 double teams 5 in the post.

x2 cuts to the nail

x4 cuts to the rim.

 

 

Doubling from the Baseline

x4 double teams 5 in the post.

x3 cuts to the nail

x2 cuts to the rim.

 

 

Doubling from the Closest Perimeter Player

x1 double teams 5 in the post.

x2 cuts to the nail

x4 cuts to the rim.

x3 rotates to take away the pass to the wing.

 

Defensive Responsiblities w/ No Cut to the Basket

x3 denies the pass out to 1.

x2 takes the first pass to the top.

x4 takes the furthest pass to the corner opposite corner.

 

 

Defensive Responsiblities w/ Cut to Basket

x3 denies the pass out to 1.

x2 bumps the cutter then must close out on the two furthest passes.

x4 denies the cutter and protects the rim.

 

 

Army Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Zak Boisvert posted these videos on his tremendous resource site for coaches. PickandPop.net

Coach Boisvert has posted several videos of some of the better schemes he has seen. His You Tube channel is: Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

He also is also very active on Twitter: @ZakBoisvert

 

Editor’s Note from Brian.  The post is provided as food for thought, not to imply that you should implement this in your defense.

If nothing else, at least you can see how other teams are defending.

 

X Switch for Chin and Back Screens

And, another post he made on using X Switch when defending STS.

X Out Switch for Defending Screen the Screener

This post was submitted by Coach Tom Kelsey.  Coach Kelsey has been a Head Coach at Belhaven University, Faulkner University, and Greater Atlanta Christian High School.  He has also been an assistant at LSU, Alabama, Murray State, and Lipscomb.  He played at Lipscomb under Coach Don Meyer.

Does your team have a defensive identity?

Do your players know what you want on the defensive end of the floor?

Can you quickly state what you want your team to be known for on the defensively?

What defensive concepts will help put your team in the best position to win your league?

All these questions you need to answer when putting together your defensive philosophy.

Taking ideas from years of coaching and finding how respected coaches teach their teams.

Here is a list I have used with my teams and it helps remind me as a coach the areas we need to concentrate on for each game and practice.

Defensive Philosophy

1. Transition

As soon as the ball changes hands (made shot, missed shot, turnover) we are sprinting back to half court to pick up our defensive assignment. Whether man or zone, we make every defensive transition a sprint to half court. Once we get to half court, our next immediate job  is to find the person we are guarding. If we are in a zone, our job is to pick up shooters in our defensive area.

2. Stop the Ball

It is the point guard’s responsibility to stop the ball from getting into a penetration area (inside the three-point area). Off the break, we are going to keep our opponent outside the three-point line.

3. Pressure the Ball

Once a team enters into their offensive set or motion offense, we will keep an extreme amount of pressure on the basketball. We do not want the offensive at any time to be able to pick apart our defense. Point guards will pick up the ball from the half court area and all other players are to keep pressure on their man if they have the ball within 25 feet of the basket.

4. Contain the Dribble

Players will keep the ball in front of them. Containing the dribble is a key component to us having success on the defensive end of the floor. We have to each be able to contain the dribble by being aware of how close we can guard the offensive player.

5. Deny the next penetrating pass

We will have a hand in the passing lane when the player we are guarding is the next possible receiver and they are a penetrating pass away. Our goal is to deny each penetrating pass for the player with the ball.

6. Helpside defense

Our ball side defense will make us tough and our help side defense will make us great. Our defense each possession is a team defense. We have a particular player to guard, but we will guard them as a team. Each player must be ready and willing to rotate spots as the ball changes positions on the floor. We will not allow easy drives to the basket in our half-court defense.

7. Fronting the Post

We teach each post player to defend the post. When the ball is above the baseline, we will front on the high side. When the ball gets to the baseline, we will rotate our position and guard from the low side. We never want to be directly behind a post player unless our scouting report dictates that is the only way we can guard that particular post player.

8. Doubling the Post

We will double in the post from different areas of the floor. Depending on the player and the opposing team, we will double from different areas of the floor. We will never double the post leaving a shooter open on the floor.

9. Guarding Screens

Our way of guarding screens will vary from game to game depending on the opponent. We will start the season by not switching any screens in the post or on the perimeter that are away from the ball.

10. Guarding Ball screens

On ball screens, we will work on switching the screen, going on top of the screen and staying with our man and we will work on trapping the ball screen.

11. Closing Out

We will contest each shot taken by our opponent. Each day we will work on our closeout position and stance. We will sprint half way to the opponent then break down in a defensive stance using short chopping steps to closeout. Our weight will be back and our hands will always be up with one hand contesting the shot. We will leave our feet each time to closeout on the shot.

12. Block out and Rebound

We take pride in making sure to have a good block out each time an opponent takes a shot from the field or free throw line. Our goal is to give our opponent only one shot each time they come down the floor. Once the ball comes off the rim or backboard, we want to put the basketball under the chin with our elbows out.

Army Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Zak Boisvert has these notes on his tremendous resource site for coaches. PickandPop.net

Coach Boisvert has posted several videos of some of the better schemes he has seen. His You Tube channel is: Zak Boisvert You Tube Channel

He also is also very active on Twitter: @ZakBoisvert

Editor’s Note from Brian.  The post is provided as food for thought, not to imply that you should implement all of these tactics. I realize that both the rules and the abilities of players vary greatly at different levels of play.

Diagrams created with FastDraw

Notes from Mike Longabardi. Assistant Coach Cleveland Cavaliers

-It’s in transition where great players are most dangerous. We have to be alert with our antenna up.

-Whenever a great player is isolated, we have to shrink the floor (no gaps; make the lane as tight as possible).

Versus the great point guard:

“Load to the Ball”

Below the ball and in this gap. If the great point guard sees this gap, they’re attacking this every time. If he doesn’t see a gap, he might be more likely to pass the ball—which is what we want. On the pass, we can deny it back.

“LOAD – LOAD – LOAD”

If we load correctly, we take away this guy’s seam.

“Load to Touch”

Get the ball out of his hands. Come all the way over and make him pass the ball. On the weak side, we have to zone
up. We’re not going to rush up at 5 if the pass is made there. We’re going to stunt from the weakside as x5 sprints
back into the play.

“Face to Face”

After a free throw, we don’t want to let Stephen Curry touch the ball. Whichever big for the other team is taking the ball out, we take his defender and play in front of the point guard (x1 plays behind) to deny him the ball. In an ideal situation, we’d like the opponent have to bring someone else up the court to catch the ball and initiate the offense. We would continue denying the point guard the ball (with just x1; x5 would return to his man).

“Hit”

After a free throw, the inbounder’s defender plays on the ball. The ball is inbounded to the great point guard. As the inbounder begins to head down the court after passing, his man (say x4) stops and runs at the ball for a soft trap (“Your guy goes away and then you start to come up”). We’re not going to run at him and leave us susceptible to him blowing by us. We’re trying to cause indecision and break his rhythm.

Versus Wing Isolation:

“Big Above”

The big has the ball above the free throw line and is the trigger man. The big having the ball on the free throw line is going to dictate us denying on the wing. We don’t do the traditional denial stance that your high school coach taught you. We “contact deny” with an arm bar into his oblique with one foot behind and one foot in front. Defender is underneath the offensive player (in between the great player and the basket) where if the offensive player were to cut, he would have to run the defender over. We want to push his catch out away from the rim.

“Fist Up”

The low big comes all the way over to the ball-side block. That great player is holding the ball on the wing knowing that if he’s going to drive, we’re going to bring early help. We’re into the ball, making him go baseline and trace the ball (we can’t let him scan). X2 has to sit on 5’s legs and x4 needs to be ready to fly out at 2 on a skip pass (x2 and x4 would x-out with x2 taking 4).

“Fire”

Rather than making the ball-handler go baseline, the on-ball defender sends him to the middle and we’re going to double with full rotation. We love to do this with around 7-8 seconds left on the shot clock. We will full rotate with x4 moving up to take 1, x2 moving up to 4. We would prefer the guard (x1) to rotate through the big to the corner (2), but if they’re moving it quick and x5 needs to closeout on 2 in the corner, we’re prepared to do that. If that were to happen, x1 is instructed to face box-out 5.

Versus Elbow Isolation:

-First off: make the catch hard. Push it out as far as possible

“Fist Up”

X5 comes over. X3 provides ball pressure and makes him go to the baseline. X1 sits on 5’s leg with x4 ready to x-out on a skip.

 

“Fire”

X4 goes. X1 sprints up to take 4. We probably won’t be able to rotate through the big so X5 will need to get out to the corner with x4 taking 5.

 

 

Versus High Post Isolation:

-Drive the catch out. One step makes a difference.

“Hit”

We’re going to come with the big to the weak hand of the isolated offensive player. X4 needs to come over. X3 pinches in to sit on 4’s leg. We’re going to dare him to throw the pass to the corner across his body.

Catch-and-shoot (shooter coming off a screen):

“Top Lock”

Don’t allow the great shooter to use the screen. We’ll play him on the high side and force him to cut to the baseline. The big needs to open up and see the ball (can’t give up a lob). The better the shooter the big is, the closer you are to him. If the screening big isn’t a good shooter, we can play way off.

“Blitz”

Shooter’s defender locks and trails. Screener’s defender traps right away on the catch. The other big defender pulls over. It is very important that we are quick with this. We are putting 2 on the ball and our rotation needs to be quick and early.

-We’ll often go “top lock” and if the shooter goes under the rim and comes out the other side, we’ll go “Blitz”

Versus the post-up (wing player):

“Red”

Dead front – sitting right on the post player’s thighs (good to spin into the front) and push him back. Driving him back shrinks the window that the passer has to make the pass. Ball pressure on the wing is critical. If the pass is made, the guy fronting should jump and attempt a steal (maddening how few times this guy tries to get the steal).

On the catch, we come with the low man on the weakside and we seal him into a trap with the 2 defenders.

-We will try to “Red,” but if we don’t “Red” it becomes “Gray.”

“Gray”

We’re coming from the baseline to double-team on the dribble. We’re not allowing the offensive player to go middle. Our baseline arm is on his body and our high arm is poking at the ball. You’re going to make sure he spins baseline.

Versus the post-up (post player):

“GOLD”

We start with one foot in front and one foot behind with the player’s chest leaning on the offensive player’s shoulder. Our double-team will be “Gray” (coming from the baseline) just like against the wing posting. We come for the double with whoever is the lowest man. On the catch, our baseline arm is on his body and our high arm is poking at the ball. You’re going to make sure he spins baseline. On the double, we form a T with our feet (no splits – body up). On the weak side, we form an I.

Miscellaneous:

-You have to give the great player different looks. They can’t see the same thing over and over. They’ll pick you apart.

-Whenever you double-team, you’ll be susceptible to the second shot. It’s very important that the guy that came for the double-team

You can see the original article and download the pdf at: Mike Longabardi Clinic Notes