Attacking Zones
By Shane Dreiling
GENERAL THOUGHTS
- Always look to fast break against a zone. Teams that play zone have a tendency to play poor transition defense. Try to score before the zone gets set up.
- Be in great physical condition, particularly versus man-to-man pressure.
- Look to attack on the third side of the floor. Basically, get 2 reversals before looking to shoot, unless you have a wide-open lay-up.
- Move the ball and move people against zones.
- Flatten the zone, and then quickly reverse the ball to 3 people.
- Teach your players what a gap is (space between 2 defenders) and how to attack it with the dribble or a cut.
- Use stacks to create overloads initally.
- Have some set attacks to get a good shot against the zone.
- If you have a post player that can shoot, step them out from the high post or to the short corner to stretch the zone.
PERIMETER EMPHASIS
- Start behind the 3-point arc.
- Wing men stay below the top defenders in the zone.
- Be weak side ready. If the ball is on the wing, opposite wing should be on an angle, not in line with the ball. Have feet and hands ready to catch and shoot.
- Use the skip pass to reverse the ball, especially when a post player is screening the back of the zone.
- Always look to drive the ball into a gap and kick out for open shot.
- Move the defense with pass fakes and shot fakes.
POST EMPHASIS
- Start behind the zone.
- Post up the middle defender in front of the rim.
- Screen the back defenders in the zone.
- Flash to the ball. A key teaching point is the ball moves first, the zone moves second, then you flash between two defenders.
- Rebound the ball when a shot is taken.
- Use the short corner.
- If the ball goes inside and you don’t have a shot, look to pass out to the opposite side of the floor to the wing spotting up or your post partner.