Defending the ball screen:
- Five player defense
- Starts four on four (opens space)
- Defensive teaching includes aggressiveness
- Ballhandler defense (BD) - pressure, influence the offensive player
- Hard show/hedge and recover (second most aggressive after trap)
- Always start with teaching aggressive defense
- Screener defender (SD) must inform defender before the free throw line
- SD not obliged to let screener go where he wants "no face cuts"
- BD push ball to opposite side of screen
- SD one hand denying the passing lane
- Third player (ball side) must be playing denial
- Fourth player (corner) is playing help and recover
- 3 will likely lift on the roll and x3 is critical because of shorter closeout. But it depends on the skill of the corner shooter.
- Doesn't like two hand up closeout because he feels it causes slow feet
- His first principle is don't allow direct drive.
- Closeout with hand up on the shooting hand
- "Recover with hands up and in the passing lane." (Chris Oliver)
- CO asks whether Trunic believes in "X-out"...no... but sounds open to exceptions
- CO asks about switching... depends on personnel.
- CO asks about going under... depends on shooter range (naturally)
- Not enough teams punish switching by getting inside mismatches...trend is punishing perimeter mismatches
Common mistakes:
- No ball pressure
- Face cut of screener (don't let screeners run free)
- Miscommunication
- Help side defenders not jumping to the ball
- When defense 'icing' (forces laterally), lack of ball pressure
- Big player responsibility is to control level of the ball (problem if good shooting big)
Practically, teams want to force mid-range and not spot-up threes. Trunic doesn't teach "fly by" on threes.
Teaches guards to move laterally first after the switch (because bigs usually aren't as nimble laterally)
New trends: "there is poison and medicine for that"
- Monotonous games (not enough intensity)
- Best teams have great intensity and pressure (fewer games in EuroLeague)
- Pick-and-roll 4 with 5 (not entirely new)
- Downscreen into PnR (hard for defense)
- Box and 1 defense
Adapts his systems to his players (seeing handoffs and flare screens)
He thinks simple sets may become the trend
Make life easier for your shooters (coming off downscreens isn't the easiest)
Classification - fast break, secondary break, sets
"Fast break is any numerical or space advantage."
He prefers four out, one in secondary action.
He likes exchanges 4/5 to create high/low (Villanova like?)
How does Serbia get such great teams with 8M population? (This is the golden section.)
- Hard work, fighting mentality (toughness)
- "Talented coaches can build talented players." Not so many strong youth coaches.
- High volume of practices.
- Starts with coaches willing to sacrifice.
- Too many coaches trying to copy top coaches' offense.
- Not enough skill with non-dominant hand***
- Too many coaches deviating from fundamentals (especially layups)
- Too much computers, not enough drills.
- Emphasizes fundamentals, physical development, intensity.
- Not enough emphasis on proper technique (I see so few players waiting for screen, even good players).
- It's about creating good habits, not just time in the gym.
NenadTrunic@gmail.com
Lagniappe: (from the playbook)
Professor Trunic talked about the value of getting inside mismatches. Here's one.