HALF COURT DEFENSE WITH WILL WADE

The following comes from the TABC Clinic on May 20, 2017

Want to be a blue collar program
     Toughness
     Discipline
     We determine the outcome

We’re going to foul but game will be played on our terms.

Detail & disciplined in the little things.

Don’t get bored with accountability.

Emphasis for us:
     Offensive Rebounds
     Turnovers Forced
     Steals

“Never bet against consistent behavior.”

Never lost 3 games in a row.

What we’re about — ACT the right way
      Aggression
     Committed
     Thankful

“Chance favors the aggressor.” — only sign in locker room

We teach team attitude and mindset everyday.

Meets individually with each player for 10 minutes weekly — no basketball.

Write a note to someone who has helped you but you haven’t talked to in 3-5 years.

What we emphasize…
     1. No fast break lay-up
     2. No paint touches
     3. No middle
           Influence baseline
     4. No rhythm 3’s
          No ballside 3’s
     5. No straight line drives
     6. No 2nd chance points

Don’t do defensive rebounding drills — demands two-handed, two-footed rebounds

Offensive Rebounding — Must do one of these four on 80% of the opportunities:
     1. Swim
     2. Rip
     3. Spin
     4. Pin

Need steals and turnovers to overcome defensive rebounding.

Takes all 5 defenders:
     1. Vision
          1/3 up the line
     2. Communication
          “Talk to the ball”
          “Talking makes us quicker”
     3. Active
          Always adjust your position.
          “If you’re standing, you’re in the wrong place.”
     4. Off Ball
          Box taped at top of the key — deny zone
     5. Terminology
          Staff created an app for the team — got the idea from the Phoenix Suns

Staff created an app for their team -- got idea from Phoenix Suns
     1. Team’s terminology
     2. 3 Best games that individual has played
     3. Highlight video of team
     4. Highlights of their favorite NBA player

Things That Require Daily Maintenance
     1. Conversion Defense
     2. Pressure
          Want offense to turn back to defender or hold ball above head
     3. Closeout
          Play 3’s and Drivers
     4. Post Defense
          Pressure teams can’t play behind
     5. Blockout
          Hit - Find - Get

Conversion Defense Priorities
     Basket - Ball - Ballside
     Sprinting - Straightlines
     Build out
     No Easies: Zero Lay-ups

Loves to start practice w/conversion defense drills to emphasis and get into their conditioning early.

Rat Race Drill: Continual 3/2
     Everything they do has a winner and loser

4/2 Continuous Drill: Our 4/4/4

Pressure Ball
     1. Make ball handler uncomfortable
          Above head or turn back
     2. It starts with closeouts
          Run them off the 3-point line
     3. High hands
          Trace—guard 2 dribbles
     4. Quick twitch
     5. No Middle
     6. Flatten the ball
          4/3 Contest (SMU Drill)
          Offense 3 passes, 1 Dribble
          3 Straight Stops

Closeouts
     1. Can’t be late — move on airtime
     2. Can’t be short — take away the 3 
          (Coach Wade: “3’s get you beat”)
     3. Principles—Low, chop feet

Post Defense
     1. Front
          Knock ‘em back
          High hands
     2. Early and big
     3. Wall up
          Square ‘em up
     4. Two areas
          Post box and perimeter
          Know where to fight

“Whether you say you can or can’t you’re right.”

We don’t trap post because of 3 point philosophy.

We don’t believe 2’s will beat you.

Exception: Will trap post with poor passing skills to create turnovers

“Hamer” = forearm

“Punch thru” = swim to fronting position

Low man wins in the post

4/1 post feed drill: Offensive post don’t always flash — “hold the real estate”

Blockout
     1. Emphasize every day
     2. Drill must finish with a clean rebound
     3. Make first contact — take away initial step

The Sandbag
     After 10 Turnovers
     Missed Blockout 
     Sprinting the Floor
     Court Balance

Has 10 balloons tacked to a board each day at practice...each turnover a manager pops a balloon...when all the balloons are gone they run.

Assigns an assistant coach to something specific…
     Head Coach of Turnovers
     Head Coach of Offensive Boards
     This is what they coach at practice in all drills

Game Standards
(Goal is to meet 3 of the 5 each game)
     1. 5 or more Turkeys (3 straight stops) 
          were 21-4 when they met this one standard
     2. 12 or less turnovers
     3. 40% of offensive rebounding opportunities
     4. 5 or less miscommunications
     5. Changes per team they play — often about 3 point defense

Ball screen defense — no switch, fight thru

PACK LINE CONCEPTS FROM CHRIS MACK

The following are a few concepts of Pack Line defense from Chris Mack of Xavier.

Pack Line defense helps give you a “system” to play defense.

1) Gives players answers and accountability

Certain things players can/can’t do do

They are given specific rules ex. “You can’t play behind the post” vs “Play hard”

2) Simplifies Scouting

Their coaches watch a ton of film but do not give it all to the

players. Instead they play certain actions in very specific ways and practice these

every day.

Example:  Practice defending staggered screens so when they play a team they already know how they will defend this and get better at it through out the year.

3) Creates a culture your players can believe in.

Varsity players “pass” down the defense by teaching your younger players without a lot of involvement from coaches.

GOLDEN RULE: When your man does not have the ball YOU MUST HAVE 2 FEET IN

THE PACK LINE.

Exceptions: If your man is cutting you must chase the cutter.

1) On the Ball: Have extreme ball pressure -- do not get beat to the outside NEVER GIVE UP BASELINE

Keep your butt to the basket

Don’t get beat baseline

If your man goes towards the middle do not get beat through the elbow, they can’t attack you on a straight line.

2) You must have two feet inside the pack line when your man does not have the ball and you are trying to form triangles

Defining Your Team

1. How do you close out?

2. Close out with two high hands to discourage rhythm shots

3. Play in then out

KEY: Your positioning is your help

Discourage shots, play the drive, call shot when the shot goes up.

MIKE NEIGHBORS PACK LINE CONCEPTS

We've been spending some time looking at our defensive approach and part of that review has been looking at other defensive systems such as Pack Line.  Here are some notes from Mike Neighbors, head coach at the University of Washington.  These are just a few of the notes I took from Mike while he was at Xavier.

When your man has the ball on the perimeter:
1. You were there on the catch.

2. You were the to take away the quick shot or quick pass

3. You were close enough to pressure without getting beat off the bounce.
     a. Don't get beat to the outside
     b. Don't get beat in a straight line

When your player does not have the ball on the perimeter:
1. You are about half way between the ball and your player

2. You are a step off the line that would connect the ball to your man

3. You are actively able to see both ball and man

Ball being passed to their player:
1. Move on the air time of the pass

2. Start with sprint and end with chops

3. High hands to active hands

Ball being passed but NOT their player:
1. Move on air time of the pass

2. Sprint to gap.

Teaching Points
1. Players must begin in proper position

2. Players must be vocal in communication of their responsibilities

"Ball" = this means I have the ball

"Gap" = this call means my player does not have the ball but I am in your dribble gap

"Help" = this call means my player does not have the ball but is on the opposite half of the court than the ball is.

THAD MATTA'S DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

Transition Defense:

Post Rule: “Get your butt ahead of your opponent’s butt.”

Goal: Force at least 2 passes when offense has numbers

Don’t allow a skip for a 3

Rule: Deep man never leaves paint until post comes to release.

Dribble Penetration:

Toughest thing to defend in basketball

Rule on Closeouts: “We don’t force the ball anywhere- we tell them don’t get beat.”

Coach Matta: “if you give up catch and shoot too much, you’ll lose your scholarship.”

TP: Don’t allow ball to get to the shot pocket when defending a shooter.

On non-driver, we will defend the passing hand (scouting)

Post Play:

OSU fronts the post

TP: Want quick feet like a boxer

Ball up top: up the line, on the line

Will front LP always, even if the low post takes a step off the lane

Show hands… sit down.. push him under basket

TP: if you are late fronting, don’t front.

Off Ball Screens:

TP: Jump to the ball- OSU wants jumper to extend far enough to swipe at the ball

Objective: get S guarding the ball

Down Screen: Trail all cutters- no sliding them

1st Rule: don’t get screened

“If you are constantly getting screened you are not going to be able to play for us.”

TP: Must start when the ball is in the air.

TP: “If my man is screening, play to help.”

On Ball Screens:

TP: On ball screen you don’t have a man.

Ball Defender Rule: Must make him use the screen (no rejection)

Ball defender must go once the screen (not behind)

Want defender on screener to recover (through to ally) between the ball defender and screener.

Basket Cuts:

Jump hard to the ball- stay in stance

No face cuts

Offensive Rebounding:

You can’t spend too much time blocking out

OSU likes bubble to work on rebounding

Screen the Screener:

Flex Cut

Jump low and take away low cut

Screen defender will bump high cut

On 6-to-6 pass, jump to the ball and swipe

Thru on down screen (swipe creates lane to cut thru)

Shooters with Great Range:

Vs. Shooter, OSU exaggerates denial- force back out.

In transition defense, OSU teaches to run the lane- vs. shooter, run to the shooter.

3 Pointers in Late Game Situations:

Contact switch on dribble hand. Offs vs. Shooter on late game shot

TP: player switching on shooter should have high hands

5th Defender Principle: Defender whose man is out of the play-your goal is to mess up the play.

During walk thru, Matta makes sure player knows- “you are the 5th defender on this play. “

FOUR BASIC GUIDELINES FOR SWITCHING FROM DEL HARRIS

Switch with teammates of equal or near-equal size on screens and crosses.

Switch to keep big players inside and small players outside on screens. Do this on changes and crosses away from the ball when possible, and on matching up in transition defense, as well as in recovering on rotations. Any communication that can allow a switch to accommodate the big in-little out concept is usually worthwhile.

Switch within fifteen feet of the goal.

Use the “emergency switch rule.” That is, switch whenever a situation arises in which a switch will challenge an open shot, regardless of the mismatch as X2 does for X5 in D-60.

RICK MAJERUS DEFENSIVE THOUGHTS (PART II)

Defending the Pick & Roll
   Make the big beat your
   Look to switch -- best choice when possible
   Double it
   Wing -- "Black" -- Push it baseline
   "Red" -- toes to the ball...thru you -- hard show

Take the ball out of the hands of their best players

When in doubt, front.

Communicate: talk your way through it

Blockout: send a message

"You are being a selfish player when you don't talk."

"You've got to compete at the free throw line."

RICK MAJERUS DEFENSIVE THOUGHTS (PART I)

Stats of importance defensively
   1. Defensive FG% -- most important
   2. Rebounds
   3. Shot selection -- distribution 

Defense travels on the airtime of the pass

We want to influence bounce passes

Stance - lower, wider, longer

Denial stance: ear in chest w/toe pointed = better vision

Don't allow post catch...
   ...in the paint
   ...in rhythm 

Helpside Stance
   Maintain stance and vision
   Be close to the line of the ball than too far away
   Escape the paint and attack penetration
   Get out of the paint to block out
   Leave to soon rather than too late
   Meet cutters outside the paint.

Switching
   Talk it -- w/echo
   Touch it
   Switch it
   Deny it

Allow no pass from the top to the low post

Make sure referee sees your palms

Put a chest on anyone trying to get into the paint.

Distort route & timing

No one cuts below you to the rim

Scouting Report -- what are we going to take away?

JIM BOONE: PACK LINE CLINIC (PART II)

The following are Part II of my notes from Jim Boone's lecture on Pack Line Pressure Defense at last week's TABC Coaching Clinic in San Antonio.  Jim has been a life-long friend and a special member of my coaching circle.  He is absolutely one of the best teachers around and an excellent clinician.

3 PACK LINE KEYS:

1. Pressure on the Basketball (based on ability/athleticism)

              CLOSEOUTS

              “Kobe” - (Driver/Shooter) — elbows bent...finger touch closeness

              “Rondo” - (Driver) — “Sometimes not to guard is to guard.”

              “Curry” - (Dead 3)

             

Closeouts are about seeking leverage

Doesn’t like to switch — wants to maintain the integrity of the match-up

JB: “We are an eye-to-eye” program.”

Utilize echo yells

2. Already in Help

Chuck Daly: “Defense can’t guard two things in a row.”

Guarding non-ball defender

◄2 feet in Pack

◄Closer to the ball than your man

◄See ‘em both

TP: Defend with near arm, near leg (no open stance)

2/2 Full Court — Seal the gap

TP: Get off and get ahead

Tates Locke “Rule of Two”

              ◄2 minutes to Teach a Drill

              ◄2 days to Learn the Skill

              ◄2 months to make it a Habit.

JB doesn’t use a whistle in practice...wants player to be able to lock into his voice.

3. Can’t keep them from getting shots but can influence where those shots come from.

Things we can control:

◄Conversion Defense

◄Defensive Rebounding

◄Low Post Defense

JB likes to “Red” the post — double big to big

All players are denied pass inside of 16’

JB: “We don’t get to the mid-line on help because we don’t deny.”

Don’t concede post feed.

Side Ball Screen (Outer Third)

“Body Up” - make ball use screen

“Body In”

Screen Defender: Hand on hip

2 Steps Thru

High Ball Screen—Level/Show

JB: “If I was a high school coach I’d have an alternate defense for playing from behind.”

Al McGuire: Greatest emotion is winning

2nd Greatest emotion is losing

Winning goes to the head

Losing goes to the heart

Must learn to move forward