Sunday, December 25, 2022

Basketball: Make Life Harder for Offenses

What defensive "musts" keep coaches awake at night? Oblige that insomnia. Here are five: 

1. Ball containment

2. Pick-and-roll

3. Long closeouts

4. Transition 

5. Basket cuts

How can we satisfy our need for sleep? 

Containing the ball starts with a stopper mentality

  • Defense begins with ball pressure and containment. 
  • No direct drives. 
  • Each coach decides whether to force weak hand. 

Pick-and-roll. 

  • Get everyone on the same page. 
  • Teach and excel at what you know, e.g. show (fake trap), drop, or trap coverage
  • Work the coverage and trust the protection
Long closeouts. 
  • Limit long closeouts with better ball pressure to make skip passes and ball reversal harder.
  • Get more athletic (offseason training)
Transition. 
  • Assign 2 or 3 to the glass
  • Beat opponent to half-court, fully engaged
  • Stop the ball, protect the basket. 
Limit basket cuts.
  • Jump to the ball to stop front cuts.
  • Teach your preferred technique to deny back cuts. 
Lagniappe. Improvement of the game goes through individual improvement.