While the Run and Jump is primarily a full court pressing system, it can also be run effectively in the half court as well. In 2006 Coach Jim Larranaga used a Run and Jump style half court defense that he called the “Scramble” to lead George Mason University to the NCAA Final Four. (Coach Larranaga has since moved on to the University of Miami)

In the Scramble, the on-ball defender picks up the ballhandler full court and attempts to turn him at least three times before he crosses half court. Once the ball crosses half court the defense executes one of two tactics that are called “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down.”

In “Thumbs Up” the nearest off ball defender rushes the ballhandler just like he would when handling a clear out situation during a full court Run and Jump. Other defenders rotate and look for a possible steal. If the next pass is downward, towards the basket, the trapper follows the ball and sets a second trap. If the pass is horizontal, the defenders fall back and match up with an offensive man once again.

In “Thumbs Down” the trap is going to be set on the first pass receiver in the front court. Since the first pass is usually made to a wing player, the on-ball defender’s goal is to actually beat the pass to the wing. From there, all the principles and rotations are exactly the same as the ones used in the full court Run and Jump. As in “Thumbs Up” the trapper (the original on-ball defender) will rotate off and set a second trap on any downward passes.

This defense can be extremely disruptive by itself but if combined or alternated with the full court Run and Jump, the results could be lethal to the offense!

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The topic for this blog comes from a question asked by fellow coach in Idaho. Last week JT contacted us regarding switching screens in his man-to-man defense. Although the answer seems simple, the underlying message is one that I think every coach could benefit from.

JT’s question: “What is the real point of switching screens in a typical man-to-man defense?”

Now like many of you when I first read this question I started to immediately think of reasons why a coach might call a “switch everything” defense.

1. Switching screens allows your players to stay in the passing lanes and gives them a better chance to get a steal.
2. Switching screens puts your players in a better position to take a charge.
3. Switching screens might surprise the ball handler forcing him or her to pick up their dribble.
4. Switching screens gives the offense a different look and challenge that could easily disrupt their offensive momentum and flow.
5. Switching screens neutralizes those offenses that rely solely on screens to start their offense or to free up their shooters for open shots.

The real answer to JT’s questions is that you switch screen in hopes of taking something away from your opponent.  You are adjusting your defense in hopes of causing panic and frenzy for the offense that will in return result in more possessions for your team.

I HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

Remember if you have a question that you would like answered on the blog please feel free to contact us here at HoopSkills

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I always have to laugh when our team is pressing and I hear fans start yelling “Somebody run up there and help them!” or something to that affect

The offense brings multiple players up to help break a press because they think it gives them an advantage.  At first glance this may appear to be true but when taking a closer look, these types of formations may actually help the defense more than the offense. First of all, more offensive players in the backcourt means that you can have more defenders in the backcourt as well. More defenders results in shorter closeouts and more opportunities to trap. Advantage = defense!

The second thing to consider if this – using a multiple player formation such as the four across may very well make it easier for the offense to inbound the ball. But what happens if the player always receiving the inbounds pass is a team’s center or maybe even their worse ball handler? That player can be pressured and trapped much easier than an experienced guard. If it is indeed a post player who receives the inbounds pass, all other players can then be denied a return pass, and the post player can be pressured and forced to dribble the ball down the sideline. Even if he manages to advance the ball without committing a turnover, how many offenses do you know of that are initiated with a post player dribbling down the side line? Advantage = defense!

If your opponent insists on bringing more players up to “help” just make sure that you don’t get beat with the deep “homerun” pass and force them to pass the inbounds pass to a non ballhandler. If you can accomplish those two things your press has a chance to be very, very effective.

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Emphasize absolutely no 3’s to a team’s 3 point shooter

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One of the best ways to teach motion offense is in a 4 on 4 setting because it opens up the middle of the floor and encourages cutting, driving, and flashing to the ball.

One way to use a 4 on 4 setting is to take a particular play or movement and completely isolate it so that it can be executed over and over again. Here are some examples:

Pass and screen away only
Pass and basket cut only
Pick and roll only
Drive and kick only

While executing any of these plays it is always o.k. to cut backdoor if overplayed or to execute a dribble hand off. Later in the season you can instruct your team to execute any two, or any three, of these plays. However, no play can be run twice in a row. Eventually the team can be allowed to run any or all of the options.

While this drill will certainly improve your offensive efficiency it should also be noted that it will strengthen your defense as well as your defenders will  get countless repetitions in stopping basketball’s most common offensive movements.

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Here is a great competitive drill that allows you to work on your half court offense but really emphasizes defense.

Teams play “live” 5 on 5 starting at half court. (If you have 12 players, you could have three groups and play 4 on 4)

Defensive team starts out by working to get a single stop. (A stop means gaining possession of the ball either by a steal, a defensive rebound, or by an offensive turnover.)

After getting one stop, the defense then attempts to get two stops in a row, then three, then four and finally five straight stops.

If the offense scores then they get to play defense.

The two teams alternate back and forth until one team gets five stops in a row.

The drill can also be done backwards with each team staying on defense until they get five straight stops. When both teams have stopped five straight then they compete to get four straight stops, then three, then two, then one

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After an exhausting but fun week of vacation/recruiting in California I found myself playing some pickup basketball last night with several other college and NBA coaches. I have no idea why but for some reason I ended up guarding Eric Spoelstra, the coach of the Miami Heat. Eric had the ball out on the wing and I was in a great defensive stance and “D’ing” him up pretty good. He ripped the ball through from right to left and when he did I managed to get my hand on the ball. The ball squirted loose and started heading straight to the sideline. Without hesitating and without ever coming out of my stance, I took one long and low step and dove head first for the ball. Then right before I skidded out of bounds, a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back.

A split second later I found myself hanging over the side of our bed while Linda let go of my shirt and asked, “What are you doing? Are you okay?” When I told her that I was diving to keep a ball from going out of bounds, she started laughing so hard that she nearly fell out of bed!

The most interesting thing about this semi embarrassing story is that after 25 years of coaching basketball I am not dreaming about coaching, but about playing!

To any players who might be reading this, know that the time goes by quickly. Coaching is great but playing is the ultimate so take advantage and enjoy every single second you get to spend on the court. Once it’s gone it’s gone.

To any coaches who might be reading this, know that you have at least one player on your team who loves the game so much that, regardless of his occupation, he’ll still be dreaming about playing 25 years from now. Make sure you help that player reach his full potential and never do anything to squash his dreams.

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There are as many ways to play defense as there are man to man offenses, but regardless of the techniques used, there are some defensive absolutes. In his book “Coaching Team Basketball,” Indiana’s Tom Crean lists ten essentials of defense. For those of you following the NBA Finals, Tom Crean was Dwayne Wade’s coach at Marquette

1. Sprint back on defense
2. Talk on defense
3. Pressure the ball
4. Create deflections
5. Stop dribble penetration
6. Keep the ball out of the post
7. Defend the pick and roll
8. Contest all shots
9. Block out
10. Commit no unnecessary fouls

How does your team stack up in each of these areas? What one area, if strengthened and improved, would have the greatest impact on your defense?

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This playoff season has given me a new appreciation of coaching in the NBA.  The Indiana Pacers fired their coach midseason and hired a guy named Frank Vogel.  He’s a spitting image of Colin Cowherd if you ask me but either way he’s a fantastic coach.  He had the task of trying to stop Derrick Rose and the #1 ranked Bulls in the playoffs. 

I don’t want to hear about the BULLS winning 4-1 in the series.  I’m a giant Bulls fan.  I’m here to talk about the coaching job that Vogel did.  Frank Vogel kept the Pacers in nearly every game and held Derrick Rose to some horrible shooting percentages and a lot of turnovers.  Much of it had to do with the way they defended the ball screen.  Vogel would make sure that he had Paul George on Rose as much as possible. George is a big, tall, longarmed, athletic player who did a great job on Derrick.  Then, Vogel played an athletic 4 man on the screener.  Typically it was Josh McRoberts or Tyler Hansbrough.  When the ball screen would come they would trap Rose and try to force the ball out of his hands.  It worked very well until game 5 when the Bulls largely went away from the high ball screen.  Vogel used his taller, more athletic guys to force Rose to back up with the ball to create space while they closed in around him.  Often it forced a turnover but if not it forced a pass to Noah or Kurt Thomas at the top of the key and had them do something with it. 

Vogel opened some eyes and the Pacers should really keep him.  He adjusted and adapted to playing one of the best players in the game and nearly pulled off an upset or two.

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I watch a lot of college and pro basketball and there is no doubt that the NBA is a much more physical game than the college game.  Each play you could call a foul on someone.  Every time Derrick Rose dribbles to the basket he gets fouled in some way.  Andrew Bynum gets beat up just like Dwight Howard does yet somehow they adapt and get used to it to a degree.  Either way, the best teams in the playoffs play physical defense and even the best defensive college basketball teams play the same way.

When I’m talking about physical defense I am talking about taking the space away between the offense and the defense.  When I was in high school and younger, the players that defended me the best were the ones that took away my space.  Even when i got the ball and threatened to drive they would still stick on me and not allow me to get in a good shooting position.  I worked to create space but it was and still is the best way to kill the triple threat position.  When the offensive player gets the ball take his operating space away.  It’s a common misconception that players are easier to guard if you back off them.  PLayers are easier to guard if you get closer to them and don’t allow them to accelerate to get by you. 

Rajon Rondo is rarely guarded in the half court and it really came back to haunt the Knicks.  He was able to get a head of steam constantly and go right at his defender.  Toney Douglas was hopeless trying to guard him and stop him because Rondo was going full speed by the time he got to a stationary Douglas.  With Kobe, players learn to get up on him and be physical.  That doesn’t mean it always works but it is better than allowing him to catch the ball at his spots and kill you with his shots. 

Force the offense out of the their comfort zone.  Great defenders realize that they only need to get the offensive player a couple feet away from where they want to get the ball.  When an offensive player is setting up down low then you need to be physical and subtly get them a little away from where they want to operate.  It’s a little thing but it goes a long way to playing winning defense.

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