Our 10 Defensive Anchors

Simply put, we want to put the offensive team under constant siege for the full game.  We will defend in the neutral zone when guarding the ball and work to have a body part in the passing lane at all times.  We preach the Rick Pitino adage to our players, “FOULING NEGATES HUSTLE.”  While we want to play aggressively and take up space in the neutral zone of the offensive player with the ball, we also want to play smart using sound techniques and principles. 

2. Stance and Space

Our basic stance is bucket down, chest out, hands and feet shoulder width apart with hands high and out.  We want our stance to dictate that the ball stay in the sideline alley area of the court, that ball side area between sideline and the closest free throw lane.  WE WANT TO PUSH THE BALL BASELINE AND KEEP THE BALL SIDELINE.  To do this, we teach our player guarding the ball to sit on the hip of the player they are guarding and to split the offensive player’s inside foot.  When guarding the ball, we want our inside hand to mirror the ball, trying to touch the ball as often as possible.  Our outside hand is our deflector hand.  We are very big on teaching about “space”, both on offense and defense.  Defensively, we want to take up space and our defenders are looking to defend in the neutral zone of the offensive man with the ball.  Our goal is to make the offensive player uncomfortable, forcing them to turn their back to their teammates.

3.   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.  When in doubt, we teach our players to recover to the paint and then find their man.  Our players communicate using the ECHO SYSTEM…our players echo back our plays, drills as well as game concepts such as transition basketball. 

4. Pressure the Basketball

The key of our defensive philosophy is that 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.  Guarding a player 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 and we trap dribble penetration to the basket.  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 the offensive player and the basket”.  Rather, they are between the offensive player 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 player two passes away on the help side, if the ball is ABOVE THE CIRCLE EXTENDED our position is ONE STEP BALLSIDE of the basket in a HELPSIDE STANCE seeing the ball and your player. 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 offensive player.

5. 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.  We teach our players to anticipate the pass and TO JUMP TO THE BALL AS THE BALL IS IN THE AIR.

6. 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 offensive player as the ball is picked up.  When guarding screens, we must talk and communicate with our teammates.  It is our goal not to switch when facing screens.  Rather, we want to hedge and recover, opening a gap for our teammate to slide through so they can continue guarding their man.  Post players are taught to sit on the hip of the post player they are guarding so they are in better position to see and slide through screens. 

7. Dead Front the Dominant 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.  However, when the ball goes BELOW THE CIRCLE EXTENDED on a pass or a dribble, we will step across and DEAD FRONT THE DOMINANT POST.  This allows us to keep the ball out of the post and give quick help.  Don’t endlessly fight on the high side of the post.  Be aware of the posting box and your position.

8. Pin the Ball

We must eliminate the swinging of the ball.  We must force the ball to the sideline alley and keep it there.  We make it a struggle for the offense to reverse the basketball. 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.

9. Cover Down

Whenever the ball penetrates on a pass or a dribble, all defensive 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 DEFENDER TO THE BALL RULE ON RECOVERY.

10. 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 blocking out then moving to the elbow areas.  We want to play the odds when rebounding a jump shot and will flood the weak side with a guard to give us additional rebounding strength.  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.