PACK LINE DEFENSELOW POST DEFENSE &

DEFEATING BALL SCREENS

Session II

It’s More Than X’s & O’s

PACK LINE DEFENSE* Players Do Not Have Bad Days, Coaches DO!

* Again, Pack Line Defense, it’s a mindset…

a Belief System…we do not have an Alternate

Defense.

* Numerous Ways to Defend the Low Post and Ball

Screens, this is what 32 Years have Taught us.

Dictates Everything

Low Post Defensive Keys & Teaching Points:

1) Fight to Keep the Ball out of the Low Post

TP: 3/4 Top Side - Keep Your Feet Active

Chin on Top Shoulder - No Lobs

Know Your Slip Point

2) On the Pass - Slide Behind - This is Our Time

TP: DO NOT GAMBLE FOR A STEAL

Shade the Baseline Shoulder

Low-Wide-Big…No Angles to Rim!

3) Choke and Dig with Perimeter Defenders

TP: Quarter Deny with Feeder - Consistency

Choke: Rule of Thumb is 50/50

911 on Dribble, Dig it Out

Low Post Keys & Teaching Points:

1) Fight to Keep the Ball out of the Low Post

Do not just concede the pass because we are Red

TP: 3/4 Top Side - Keep Your Feet Active

Chin on Top Shoulder - No Lobs

Know Your Slip Point

2) On the Pass - Slide Behind - This is Our Time

TP: DO NOT GAMBLE FOR A STEAL

Shade the Baseline Shoulder

Vision is your Best Friend!

3) Double Team must get there on the Catch!

TP: Come High and Hard - Be Aggressive

Must Talk it Loud - ELO - RED, RED, RED

Working to Take Away Vision - No Skips

Perimeter RED Keys: All Bets are Off on Feed to Low PostMust Shrink the Floor & Zone Lane

1) Feeder Defender “Locks-up” Feeder

TP: Do not allow a quick return pass

1/4 Deny - No Back Cuts - Force Pass Out

2) Closest Perimeter to the Baseline is our RIM PROTECTOR

TP: ELO - Talk it Loud and Get to the Rim

You’ve got to be a Pit Bull here, No Poodles

Cannot allow a Cutter between You and the Ball

3) Top Defender takes the FT/Key Area and Zones up

TP: Best Interceptor - Must Read the Ball’s Eyes

See it all - No One Cuts Behind You

ROTATIONS: Our Base Rules

1) Pass to the Top: Top Guard has Pass out of Trap

Closeout with High Hands

Rim Gets to the Gap/his Man - Stunt

Red Sprints off Trap to the Rim

Look for Man - Lowest to Baseline

Hit on Recovery if in the Low Post

2) Skip to Wing: Try to Avoid this Pass - Do not Allow!

Top Defender has All Skips to Help-side

Rim Defender must Protect Inside-Out

Rim Defender Recovers off Top Closeout

Red Sprints Off the Trap Along Baseline

3) Dribble Out: Stay with the Double until Ball is Passed

Dribble Used: RED – RED - RED

Top Read Eyes & Shoulders

RED ON THE POST

• 3/3 Perimeter with 2 Release

• 2/2 Inside with 3 Release

• 5/5 Red on Low Post

• 5/5 Multiple Actions

On air time, post defender should slide behind and place nose on offensive player’s baseline shoulder

Opposite post defender anticipates the RED and traps on air time yelling “RED-RED-RED” with hands up

Offense should not be able to go baseline or split the trap Trap will stay with offense until Ball is passed out Any pass to top or other side of the court should have to go over outstretched

hands

Any type of offense can be run Coach can designate whether 1 post is doubled or both On pass into the post:

Ballside denies the wing pass out 2 posts double the post with hands up A guard must be protecting the rim A guard must be at the nail hole seeing it all

SPECIAL SITUATIONS:

• Feeder Screens: Switch it - Must Talk it Loud & Early

• Big to Big Feed: No Red

• Stretch Fours: “Switch Four”

Red Sprints off and takes Lowest Base LineMake him a Jump Shooter

Our Thoughts: 1) Do not allow the Ball to Beat Us

2) Make the Big Shoot Contested Jumpers

3) Defend Areas & Personnel – Shrink Floor

Keys to Success: 1) Communication

A Ball Screen cannot occur without a Screen

2) Consistency of Execution

Our Game Prep Begins the First Day of Practice

Teach in Three Layers:

1) On Ball Defender

2) Screener Defender

3) Off Ball Defenders

This is a FIVE Man Proposition

We must be Connected!

SIDE BALL SCREENS: HARD SHOW

LAYER ONE:

Body-up Force to Screen

Body-in Get into the Ball

Body Over Arch and Over

LAYER TWO:

Cannot Get There too Early – Hands Down

Same Boards - Force Ball to the North

Take Two Steps with Ball

Go to Body - Hit on Recovery

LAYER THREE:

Again, Defending the Ball

Screen is a 5 Man Proposition,

Takes Everyone being Involved.

Shrink the Court - All Bets are Off

Be Active & Alert - Communication

MIDDLE BALL SCREEN: LEVEL SHOW

LAYER ONE:

Body-up, Body-in, Body, Over

Remain “Hip Pocket” until Ball Passed

Square-up the Ball on Recovery

LAYER TWO:

Level with the Screen – Mirror the Ball

Stay Squared – Cannot Get Turned Sideways

NO DRIBBLE AROUNDS

Motor Running – Stay with Ball until Passed

Low - Wide - Big - Hands Down

ACTIVE – Keep Feet Moving

LAYER THREE:

Shrink Positions – We are Zoning the Ball

Ball Coming to You: Sit on Fence

Ball Going Away From You: Tag the Roll

Stunt to Ball: Active & Alert

PACK LINE DEFENSE TROUBLE SHOOTING

Things that will Kill your Defense

1) Poor Closeouts: Cannot give-up Direct Drives or Rhythm Jumpers - Must Have High

Hands and Know who you are Guarding. We don’t like to switch for this reason, not

switching allows us to lock into our Match-up, who we are defending. I want my best

guarding your best!

2) Getting Stretched: Cannot wander outside of the Pack Line. Stay in your Gap - Do

not become too Man Oriented.

3) Going for Fakes or Helping up the Floor: Stay on the Floor - High Hands - Bigs

Cannot Help-up or Over Help.

4) Lunging or Reaching: Hands on the Glass, stay Balanced.

5) Being Late to Positioning or to the Post: Standing Must be Active and Alert in Gaps,

we say, “Motors Running”.

6) Too Low in Gaps: Too Safe, causes us to have to move to help and forces long

closeouts. Use of Gap Line.

7) Silence: Talking is the Glue, gives you a head start, helps your teammates, and can

intimate the Offense. ELO: Early Loud Often