The Nine Defensive Rules

By Coach Shane Dreiling
Courtesy of “The Tenets of Team Defense”

Here are the basic rules of the TeamArete defensive philosophy.  Regardless of our defensive set, the following rules are the building blocks of a defensive system that has allowed our teams to be ranked among the top 10 statistically on different levels of collegiate basketball.

The Nine Defensive Rules

1. Transition and Communication—Quick, organized transition with communication by all five players is a must for a great defensive team.  We must STOP THE BALL.  We must sprint to the level of the ball, eliminate all cheap baskets, and make opponents go against our set defense.  NO LAYUPS, NO THREES, NO FOULS, NO SECOND SHOTS.  Our players will communicate using the ECHO SYSTEM…coaches tell one player the drill or play, he calls it out to the team, team echoes it.

2. Ball Pressure—Most important factor of our defensive pressure.  We must look to apply IMMEDIATE and CONSTANT PRESSURE on the ball.  We must force the ball to be dribbled to the outside, take away the outside shot, and take away any easy ball movement.  We must attack the ball without fouling, or giving up our stances, or allowing penetration.  TOUCHES, DEFLECTIONS, COVER THE BALL.
3. Pressure—Guarding a man with the ball our position is BALL-YOU-BASKET. We make the ball arc to the outside if dribbled. We allow no straight line drives. Guarding any player one pass away our position is a DENY STANCE-ON THE LINE, UP THE LINE. If the ball is on the side of the floor, we keep one body part in the passing lane. This means that the defender is not “between his man and the basket”. Rather, he is between his man and the ball. To us it makes no sense in pressuring the basketball if the ball handler has passing options to safety. If the ball is in the center of the floor, we have our hand in the passing lane. Guarding a man two passes away on the help side, if the ball is ABOVE THE CIRCLE EXTENDED our position is ONE STEP MANSIDE of the basket in a HELPSIDE STANCE seeing the ball and your man. If the ball is BELOW THE CIRCLE EXTENDED our position is ONE STEP BALLSIDES of the basket in a HELPSIDE STANCE seeing the ball and your man.
4. Jump to the Ball—Any time the ball is passed YOU MUST JUMP TO THE BALL.  Make gradual, quick, immediate adjustments in your stance.  You must be in position before the ball is caught.  Jumping to the ball allows you to be in proper position to front cutters, avoid screens (be a moving target), and help teammates.  Any time the ball is dribbled you must make the proper ball side or help side adjustments in positioning.

5. Quick Help and Early Recovery—There is no such thing as helping too quickly. This is not a suggestion but a requirement. We deny all receivers one pass away. When your teammate steers the ball into the next outside gap, be ready to provide quick help with your rear to the ball. When you help, you must recover on line to your man as the ball is picked up. When guarding a back cut open up when:
   1. The ball is passed
   2. You get to the free throw lane.  In all screening situations you must talk, provide quick help and then recover early.

   ·      Trap ball screens.

   ·      Switch cross screens low cuts.

   ·      Switch back screens.

   ·      Help and recover or switch.

   ·      Absorb low cut.

   ·      Absorb back screens.

6. Dead Front the Post—When the ball is ABOVE THE CIRCLE EXTENDED guard the post as any other ball side receiver by playing UP THE LINE AND ON THE LINE.  When the ball goes BELOW THE CIRCLE EXTENDED on a pass or a dribble, step across and DEAD FRONT THE POST.  This allows us to do two things:  keep the ball out of the post and give quick help.  Don’t chicken fight on the high side of the post man.  Be aware of the posting box and your position.
7. Stop the Swing—We must eliminate the swinging of the ball.  We must force the ball to the side and keep it there.  Make it a struggle for them to take it to the other side.  We must keep the ball off the top when we are fronting the post.  IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE BALL OFF THE TOP THAN IT IS TO DENY THE WING.
8. Cover Down—Whenever the ball penetrates on a pass or a dribble, all players should cover down to the level of the ball and force it back out.  When the ball is dribbled toward the baseline, the nearest help side defender must quickly trap and stop the ball before it reaches the lane.  If the ball is passed to the post, we keep him from dribbling by quickly covering down.  When we cover down to the baseline from on top, we COVER DOWN WIDE.  When the ball is passed back out, all players recover to their man.  USE THE CLOSEST MAN TO THE BALL RULE ON RECOVERY.
9. Blockout and Outlet—Our defensive effort is completed when we have POSSESSION OF THE BALL (ICE).  We use the word ICE (Identify, Contact, Explode) to relay our rebounding message to our team. When the ball is shot we must have ALL FIVE PLAYERS fulfilling their rebound responsibility until the ball is CHINNED.  Our team will rebound covering the paint in a triangle shape with our guards taking the halfback and fullback positions.  Then we will outlet the ball and apply our offensive pressure with the primary and secondary break.  If we don’t get out rebounded, we will not lose.