Cling to your job like the Lone Ranger holds onto a runaway train. How can I save myself? "Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment." Study decisions.
What works? Ask why. What isn't working? Ask why.
Failure strikes at any point from start to finish. I wanted to introduce run and jump as an extended defense. Introduction came with breakdown actions. We didn't get it, part of our "ball containment" problem. Abandoned.
When transition defense fails, why?
- Lack of clarity about floor balance
- Lack of numbers back (3 or 2 to the glass?)
- Ball not stopped/slowed
- Buddy running...offense not beaten to half court
- Not fully engaged...get back with alertness
Pick-and-roll defense failure
- Is everyone on the same page?
- Is the communication ELO - early, loud, often?
- Is there pressure on the ball?
- Is the coverage working (e.g. show, switch)?
- Is the protection trusted?
Half-court offense failure
- Poor initial spacing
- Lack of urgent cutting
- Lack of unselfish, timely, and accurate passing
- Poor shot selection
- Low skill shooters
Actions must serve results. Track your results. How did we do with spread, horns, sets? Did zone or man defense work better? Did extended defenses help us or our opponents? If we can't defend the ball and space, then extending the defense probably won't work. If we have exceptional athletes who hound the ball and react on the pass, a lot of defenses will work.
Kevin Eastman advises:
- Do it harder.
- Do it better.
- Change personnel.
- "#$%&, it ain't working." Change things up.
Additional considerations:
- Don't ignore in-season development
- In-game adjustments can save games, switching defensive assignments, changing from base defense
- Out of the box thinking...nothing says the 2 can't guard the opponent's 1 and so forth ("a game of matchups")
- When controlling the game, will changing tempo or strategy confuse opponents or us?
Lagniappe. I mentally misrepresent Spain PnR as primary design to free the roller via 'screen-the-roller'. Multiple options emerge including the ballhandler, the roller, and shooters whose defender helps.
