Defensive Thoughts

Greetings,

I know it has be a LONG while since I have shared some basketball resources.  My spare time has completely vanished with basketball, school and graduate school.  Any free time that I have had has been devoted to my family.

Ok, we are reaching the end of our season with playoffs starting this Thursday.  We all hear that defense wins championships and that defense can win you games on the road.  With that in mind, I am going to share some defensive resources to examine.  Whether you are still playing or you have begun planning for next year, I think these defensive resources will help expand our knowledge of defending.

Bruce Weber Transition Defense

Defensive Anchors

Steve Moore Post Defense

Norm Persin Defensive Notes

Bo Ryan Practice Drills

Meet The Press (Herd Drill)

Andrew Haysom Defensive Thoughts

Here are some good defensive thoughts and topics from coach Andrew Haysom, who at the time was a Level 1 NCAS, Greenvale, Victoria.

Andrew Haysom Defensive Thoughts

Ken Shields: Building Man to Man Defense

Coach Shields provides us with his man to man defensive philosophy.  Not only does he cover the primary philosophical elements of his defense, but also specific defensive situations that go hand-in-hand with his defensive philsophy.  His defense focuses on:

1. Transition Defense
2. Stop penetration
3. Rebound - loose ball situations
4. Contest shots
5. Force the extra play
6. Don't foul

Ken Shields: Building Man to Man Defense

Ben Jacobson: Special Drills to Improve Your Team

Ben Jacobson provides a bunch of good practice drills, especially if you are a Pack style defensive team.  Coach Jacobson, as with most Pack coaches, does not believe in help and recover.  Instead, he emphasizes players getting into help positions early to take away driving lanes.  The advantage of this type of defense is that you can really pressure the basketball, always will have players sitting in help position, and will typically be in good rebouding position.

Ben Jacobson: Special Drills to Improve Your Team

Jay Wright: Villanova Defense

To continue the Jay Wright theme, we are going to look at some defensive resources used in the Villanova program.  Included are some great defensive drills. 

Villanova Defense
Villanova Defensive Progression Drills

Missouri Tigers Defensive Package

Here is a detailed breakdown of a pressure defensive systemt that was used with the Missouri mens basketball program.  Not sure if it is currently being used of if it was used when Coach Anderson was there.  Either way, it is a great resource.

Missouri Tigers Defensive System

Kevin Eastman: 10 Ways To Defend A Ball Screen

1. Hedge

2. Soft

3. Catch - a little futher up than soft

4. Weak- not an option coming off the side the screen is set -when screen is set in the middle of the floor

5. Spread right or left - sending the ball back to strong side

6. Switch it

7. Ride the screener - push the screener.

8. Blitz or trap it - committing two defenders to the ball you better have an impact because your eliminating a defender

9. Early blitz - blitz before he gets to the screen

10. Ice it- push it to the side - take away the middle