We spend a lot of time talking about defense but we don’t spend nearly as much time talking about finalizing the defensive possession. Murry Bartow, the head coach at East Tennessee State University, once shared the following thoughts in a presentation at a coaching clinic.

We can finalize the defensive possession by:

Being in position, seeing the ball, and getting a steal.

Taking a charge.

Pressuring the offense into committing a turnover.

Rebounding the basketball.

The obvious purpose of playing defense is to keep the offense from scoring and to regain possession of the basketball. A defensive possession cannot be considered success unless both of those things happen.

In other words, players and coaches can’t be satisfied with playing good defense or even with playing great defense as it is possible at times to play great defense and still give up a score. Therefore the goal must be to play effective, game changing defense, and that can only happen if the possession is finalized!

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Nothing excites me more than watching a team change defenses or schemes during the game. The reason I love it so much is because of the strategy that then gets set in motion. When teams change things up then coaches have to adapt and that is really when things get moving. One of the best weapons a team has is the use of a full-court-press and I want to talk about 3 different times when a press is effective and when it should be set up.

I’m not going to discuss the different types of presses in this game, just the reasons why and when to press.

1. When you need to change the tempo

Teams often think that presses are created just to get steals and cause turnovers but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Missouri is coached by Mike Anderson who is notorious for his ’40 minutes of hell’ style that he learned from Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. The idea behind his pressure is simply to create a tempo that he wants his team to play at. It ensures in almost every case that his team will be able to play at the speed they want to play at. When Missouri struggles it is when they aren’t able to get their press in play and speed up the other team. They want an up and down style that is caused by the press and if it creates turnovers then great, but if not then they still get their desired purpose.

2. To wake up your team

If your team is playing flat then nothing can get them to play harder or wake up like a press can. It is along the same lines as #1 but different in the sense that sometimes a team just comes out with a lack of energy and the press gets them running and involved in the game quicker. I love watching teams that employ a press when starting a game just to ensure that they get out on the court and know the game is on from the opening tip. It’s a great reason why Missouri and pressing teams are so successful especially early in the season.

3. To create turnovers

This one is the most obvious but when teams are pressured they tend to make mistakes. The press creates the feeling of having to hurry or getting rushed to make a play. Players often have more than one defender coming at them and it causes them to stress and make poor choices. Turnovers lead to easy baskets and more possessions for the other team. Any time the defense can take away a shot chance they improve their chance of winning in the end.
Other situations worth considering the full court press

Some great times to throw a press out are after made baskets, made foul shots, inbound plays on the opposite ends of the court or even on missed foul shots. Most coaches will have some presses taught to each team that will be used in certain situations.

Not only should you know when to run the press your team also needs to know how to beat the full-court-press when it is used against them. Learn from the best coach in the game Duke Head Coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Check out his full court press break instruction.

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If you want to rebound like Kevin Love then you need to avoid these common rebounding mistakes!

1. Standing still and watching the flight of the ball.
2. Assuming the shot will be made and running down to the other end of the court too early.
3. Assuming a specific teammate or specific opponent will rebound the ball.
4. Thinking you can just out jump your opponent so you don’t screen out
5. Running under or getting pushed too far under the basket.
6. Moving into a position directly behind an opponent and then staying here. (Players who do this often get stuck with the nickname “Velcro”)
7. Being afraid of contact and not fighting for crucial inside position.
8. Not anticipating where the ball will come off the rim and then racing to that spot.
9. Rebounding with only one hand instead of two.
10. Bringing the rebound down below your waist where the defense can grab it

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Careless fouls are the politically correct term for what most coaches call “Dumb Fouls.” No matter what you call them, they need to be avoided if you want to be an outstanding defensive player. The following list comes from former coach and current author Ernie Woods.

What constitutes a careless or lazy foul?

1. Reaching instead of moving your feet to establish good defensive position.
2. Reaching because you are tired and out of condition.
3. Fouling out of frustration after a bad call or play.
4. Committing a technical foul. Since most leagues now count technical fouls toward disqualification, loss of control not only puts you in foul trouble but also creates an unforced turnover!
5. Fouling because you are too slow getting back on defense and are out of position.
6. Trying to block shots instead of taking a charge.
7. Going over the back of an opponent for a rebound instead of establishing good rebounding position.
8. Fouling a player in the act of shooting.
9. Playing defense by standing behind a player in the low-post area.
10. Establishing defensive stance after your opponent has already received the ball.
11. Fouling a dribbler from the side.
12. Committing an offensive foul by driving into a crowd.
13. Creating a foul on your teammate by coming off a screen before the screen has been set.

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Long time basketball coach JD Barnett developed a well deserved reputation as being an outstanding defensive coach and mentored both Tubby Smith and Tom Izzo.

Here are Coach Barnett’s Defensive Rules given at a coaching clinic when he was at the Uniiversity of Tulsa:

1. Contest every shot
2. Retreat quickly to the ball line which is the line parallel to the endline at the point of the ball
3. Allow no penetrating passes lower than this line
4. Allow all non penetrating passes
5. Always see the ball and your man
6. Try to intercept any lob or bounce pass
7. Jump to the ball on every pass
8. Maintain proper weakside position
9. Always trap the ball in the low post
10. Keep pressure on the ball at all times
11. Never foul a man who is not an offensive threat
12. Do not give up layups
13. Do not give up second shots

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Few people in the country get to see as many college basketball games each year as television sportscaster Jimmy Dykes. Before getting into broadcasting Dykes was an assistant coach at several major college programs including Kentucky, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State and so he definitely knows his basketball. The following are some his thoughts on the game:

1. Coaches want ‘everyday’ players. (Play hard every possession, Go to class every day, Do the right thing all of the time)

2. Coaches must look at themselves first after game. (What did I not get done to prepare?)

3. If you are not tough, you will not win consistently!  (Get loose balls, Refuse to get screened, Don’t let one mistake compound)

4. If you can’t talk it – You can’t execute it.

5. You must score consistently from these three areas: 1. Free Throw line 2. Around the basket 3. Open shots

6. Quality of our shots vs. quality of our opponent’s shots determines Wins vs. Losses

7. Cut with a purpose. Cut like you are going to get the ball!

8. Must shoot 30% or better from the 3-point line. (Shot selection, Who is taking the shots?)

9. It’s not the number of plays you run, it’s how well you run them that matters. (Execution is everything!)

10. Great players embrace contact and get through it. They make plays regardless.

11. Protect against straight line drives to the basket. (Guard your yard)

12. Contain the ball in middle third of the floor.

13. Communicate on all ball screens.

14. Any form of selfishness must leave. It can’t be tolerated! (On the court and off the court)

15. Substitutions (Trust their effort, Trust their memory, Trust their talent)

16. Emphasize who you are every practice and every game. (Create and maintain an identity!)

17. Everything in your program is either taught or it’s allowed.

18. Fix problems immediately. Don’t let something small turn into something big.

19. Work them as hard as you are willing to love them.

20. Hold everyone in your program accountable for everything they do.

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Still looking to buy a last minute Christmas present for your “favorite” basketball coach? Then by all means consider subscribing to Basketball Classroom! (Especially if your favorite coach is you!)

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Check it out – you and your players will be glad you did!

Merry Christmas from your friends at HoopSkills!!

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Here are some very useful coaching coaching nuggets that I received from Alan Stein, Assistant Basketball Coach at legendary Dematha High School.

1. Give players a Quote of the Day
2. Communicate the goals for that day’s practice.
3. Remind players of what the team needs to be good at in order to reach its goals.
4. Work your perimeter players in the post. Helps create scoring opportunities and teaches how to feed the post.
5. Incorporate the specific movements that you must defend in games into your drill and 5-on-5 work.
6. Stress the principles within your offense.
7. Practice Special Situations regularly.
8. Reinforce to your players how the team approaches each offensive and defensive possession.
9. Always end practice on some positive note. Keep players hungry for the next practice.
10. Have scheduled Team Dinners to help team building.
11. If your players feel they are a part of something that is special, they will take pride in being a member.

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Man to man defense is by far the most common defensive tactic in the game today. However, there are still many teams that play a zone. Here are the most common reasons why a zone defense might be a team’s best choice.

1. Defense of Choice (Coach really believes in zone defenses, such as Jim Boeheim at Syracuse)
2. Can’t Defend the Offense. (Just not as fundamentally skilled as the opponent)
3. Lack of Team Depth (Way to stay out of foul trouble)
4. Team is Lacking in Size and/or Athleticism
5. Convinced that Opponent Can’t Shoot

As soon as you determine “why” your opponent is playing a zone then you can more easily determine “how” you should attack it.

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• Do you have set plays that can be run from all locations on the court, regardless of how much time is left on the clock?
• If you are behind 1, 2, or 3 or if the game is tied, do you want to take the last shot or will you take the very first good one?
• When do you start fouling?
• When do you quit fouling?
• If you play with a shot clock do you want a “two for one” even if it means taking a rushed shot that first possession?
• If you are ahead by 3 do you foul to prevent your opponent from shooting a 3 to tie the game or do you trust your defense to get a stop?
• After gaining possession with time running out do you call time out to set a play (and allow the defense to set up as well) or do you just push the ball and attack?

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