Like it or not, our teams see a lot of zone. In youth basketball, teams play zone because young players have limited skill and range. Some youth teams play almost exclusively zone.
Overall, expect to see at least 30 percent at the high school level. The best zones resemble man defense on the ball and help away. The best man defense pressures the ball and resembles zone away from the ball.
"Movement kills defense" even 50 years ago.
General principles:
1) Distort the zone. Shot fakes tend to displace players north-south and pass fakes east-west.
2) Beat the zone with transition before the defense is set. Realistically, you can't become fluent at transition because you're facing zones.
3) The Duke mnemonic- DR FlaPS (Drive into gaps, Reverse the ball, Flash to open spaces (see above video), Post up, Screen
4) Penetrate to pass.
5) Drive (draw 2) and flash into gaps.
6) Move the ball (2 second rule).
7) Screen opportunistically
Wisconsin, "Stack Jam"
8) Rebound! Zones are vulnerable to offensive rebounding.
9) Attack from behind (players stationed low are 'invisible').
10. Paint touches (see the old school video).
11) High Low actions are a regular theme.
General concepts work, too.
- Space to improve angles
- Don’t throw through hands
- Throw back (below)
- Have a few sets (simple works)
"X" combined screening actions.
"Fist Down" (MSU) - the idea is to get the ball into the heart of the zone with an overload of the middle defender.
Base actions. Spacing, passing, flashing, and quick passing.
Lagniappe (something extra). Modified from Del Harris (Coaching Basketball's Zone Offense, 1976)
