Coach Darling’s

Defense Playbook

“5” – Virginia

“Pack” line Defense

The Pack Line – No one goes outside that line unless you are guarding the basketball.

INTRODUCE with 3 on 3 Give and Go / Screen Away.

1) Stay inside the PACK unless on the ball. Put down the Pack Line 15 to 16’ft.

2) Stance – see man and ball at all times. If you can “see”, you can “do”. This vision will improve

reaction time.

3) Deny only if ball is picked up (now you can go outside the pack).

There is only a RECOVERY rule – we don’t have a HELP rule since we are always in HELP.

CLOSE-OUTS – sprint to the ball / stop short / hands high – then wide.

WHAT YOU AS A COACH CAN CONTROL

1) Don’t give up any transition baskets – ALWAYS sub a player for loafing back on defense.

2) Don’t get beat by a good post player

a) double to get the ball out

b) choke it or dig it out

We do the same drills at the beginning of the season that we do at the end.

“Drills to Build the Pack Line Defense”

*Regardless of what you run on offense or defense, you must have a defined system you believe in

Your team must have an identity

Everyone in your league should know what you’re about

When you have a system, it gives your players answers and accountability to what they’re

doing

o For example, we don’t give up baseline – if you give up baseline you understand

you’re coming out of the game

It simplifies scouting o Identify the common offensive actions you face and teach a standard

way to defend o Start at the beginning of the season practicing these actions in your shell

drill

o This allows you to focus on your opponent’s offensive concepts (rather than

detailed set plays) when going over the scouting report

Your system should create “Regenerative Learning” (Tony Dungy), where upperclassmen can

teach underclassmen

*Why play the Pack Line?

On offense, kids are way better ball handlers and way worse without the ball in their hands

compared to 20 years ago

*There is nothing “soft” about our Pack Line:

Aggressive

Ball pressure

Smart positioning off the ball

*Pack Line

16-17’ from the basket, mirrors the 3 pt line

Tape it down every day before practice

*Rules

GOLDEN RULE: You must have two fee inside the PL when your man does not have the ball o

Only two exceptions:

Your man becomes a cutter

Your man becomes a ball screener

On-ball defender must play with extreme ball pressure

On-ball defender CANNOT get beat baseline under any circumstances, nor can he get beat in a

straight line (from a poor close out)

o It’s all about what you emphasize: A Xavier basketball player WILL NEVER get beat

baseline – this is nonnegotiable!

*Post Defense

Tape the “Post Box” down every day before

practice also o Rectangle 1.5’ off the lane running

across the 2nd hash mark

General Rule: Post defender should be positioned

“¾ on the high side”

The post defender uses a clenched fist arm bar to

push his man out of the “Post Box”

If your man catches the ball in the post:

o “Pop Back” (jump to play from behind) and “Wall Up” (show the referee your hands)

*Fundamentals & Drills

Positioning on the ball o Extreme ball pressure – make the dribbler as uncomfortable as

possible

o Take away vision

o Unacceptable to ever get beat baseline or

in a straight line

Positioning off the ball o Player must have two

feet inside the PL o “Open” stance in help side

positioning o Help side defender wants to form a

“Flat Triangle” between his man and the ball

This is called “being in your gap”

o Because the off-ball defender’s gap is

always changing, he must be able to see both

man and ball at all times – he must “be in two

places at once”

o “Jump & Swipe” when moving from on-ball to off-ball position… Why?

Puts you in better help position

May get a piece of the ball (Ronald Nored from Butler made a career off

doing this)

Close Out

o **One of the most important fundamentals to this defense! You must work on this

every single day (including pre-game warm-ups).

o “Close out with 2 high hands”

Why “two high hands” instead of one?

• Discourages rhythm shots and quick passes over the top

• Creates a mentality to “take away vision”

Drill: “VEGAS CLOSE OUTS”

We do this drill every single day (practice, shoot

around, pre-game warm-ups, etc.)

Each defender tosses the ball to offensive player

2 High hands, elbows bent, low stance,

short/choppy steps, stay square, yell

“SHOT” early

The offense will catch, triple-threat, jab step and

rip the ball through a couple of times

Drill: “BLACKHAWK” o Great drill from Sean Miller that

incorporates closing out, ball pressure, jumping to help position,

fronting cutters, and closing out from help position

o ***Closing out from a help position is one of the toughest

fundamental to master defensively***

x1 throws ball to first offensive player (1) in line

and close out

1 can pass to either wing, x1 must “jump and

swipe” to get to appropriate help position, 1 basket

cuts, x1 must use arm bar and “bump cutter” to the

logo (below the FT line)

Wing will pass to next offensive player in line (2),

x1 must close out again – this time from a help

position

After two or three passes from wing to top to wing back to top, the Coach will

yell “LIVE”

Two players play 1-on-1 off the close out

Offense has 2-3 dribble max to score

x1 must get a stop to complete the drill – if offense scores, x1 restarts drill

o Coaching Points:

Make sure x1 keeps proper fundamentals during the dummy period of the drill

Drill: “2-on-1 Position”

o Coach starts with the ball, x1 is matched up

with 1

o Coach can pass to 1, dribble him out, cut him

through, etc. forcing x1 to play on and off the ball

o Drill lasts for a prescribed amount of time, no one

looks to score – just focus on constant offensive

movement

o Coaching Points:

Make sure x1 plays with proper fundamentals

throughout the drill:

• Close outs from ball to help & help to ball

• Jump & Swipe

• Bump Cutter

• Protect against baseline & straight line drives

• Intense ball pressure

Post Positioning

o Golden Rule: NEVER GIVE UP POST FEEDS FROM THE TOP

Post defender should always be “on the line, up the line” when

ball is up top o A post defender’s work should be done before the ball is ever

passed

Use an arm bar to push the post player out of the “post box”

before the catch

Play ¾ on the high side (except if player flashes to the high post) o

On a post catch:

“Pop Back”

Move from ¾ high-side position to behind, keep a boxer’s stance

“Wall Up”

• As post makes move, show the ref your hands and hold position with your lower body and try to

walk through the offensive player o “Walk through the shooter!”

• “Walling up” also provides great box out positioning and prevents easy offensive rebounds

• “Show the ref your hands and foul the hell out of him with your hips”

o Undisciplined post defenders try to block their own man’s shots

The on-ball post defender should never leave his feet when walling up, even when the shot goes

For every one block a player may get, he’ll pick up three fouls

Great shot blockers get their swats from a help position

Drill: “3-OUT, 1-IN GUARDED” o Drill begins

with ball on the wing

o Offensive post tries to get position inside the

box, post defender plays ¾ on the high side and

uses arm bar to force a catch outside the box

o On a pass from wing to top, post defender

plays “on the line, up the line” as offensive post

tries to leg whip and seal, post defender can’t

play too high and give up lob

o On a pass from the top to opposite wing, the

post defender hits offensive post with an arm

bar and “peels” to resume ¾ high side

positioning outside the post box

Drill: “1-on-1 WALL UP” o Drill works on “walling

up” against shot attempts from offensive rebounds

o Coach will lob ball up off of backboard to

offensive player 1 o 1 will offensive rebound the

ball, x1 will “wall up” and try to push 1 out of the

post box with his hips “Show the ref your

hands” Do not leave your feet! o 1 does

not try to shoot, rather just battle for shooting

position inside the post box

o After a few pivots, 1 will pass the ball back to

Coach who will then repeat the drill on the

opposite side with player 2

o Run this drill for a prescribed number of reps

o Optional conclusion to drill: x1 has to finish drill by

taking a charge from either 1 or 2 lowering their shoulder

o Coaching Point:

So many offensive players will throw up bad lay-up attempts either because their feet aren’t

set, or because their positioning is poor in relation to the basket

1-3-1 – “13”

“Lob Pass”

Defense

The 1-3-1 Zone Defense is quite unique in nature. Overall, it’s a spread out defense that aims at cutting down the floor and restricting ball movement between teammates. It’s all about creating disruption, anxiety, steals, and simply stopping an opponent in its tracks. It’s also an intriguing defense to implement during the course of a game to change the flow.

The defense uses some unique slides and takes a serious commitment in order to implement it and teach it so that it’s effective. It can be particularly successful at the high school level, especially with less experienced players on the court that might get overwhelmed by the defense.

Personnel: This defense does not require a certain type of personnel. However, athletes don’t hurt.

Top and Center Responsibilities

There are four positions within the 1-3-1 Defense: top, wings, center and warrior.

With the Top player, his first responsibility is to get the ball out of the middle of the floor and keep it out. We never want the offense to play in the middle of the floor as there are too many holes. Once the ball is on one side, the top guy should make it as difficult as possible for it to get to the other side of the court.

Also, he must constantly keep up with who is behind him and play with wide hands, feet, and legs. This player is hoping for a slow lob or bounce pass that he can deflect or steal. All the while, he must also check over his shoulder so he can stay in between the two offensive players up top. If that opposing guard sneaks away, the top must adjust his positioning. And when the ball is passed down to the baseline, the top guy’s responsibility is to protect the elbow.

As for the Center, his job is to always stay between the ball and the rim and to keep the ball out of the middle guy’s hands. It’s key that this player shades his opponent with his wingspan to discourage inside passes being made. And when the ball is thrown down to the baseline, he must sprint to the bottom and get his bottom arm across the low post. When the ball is driven to the middle, the center must step up and stop the funnel.

Responsibilities of the Wings and Warrior

There are two wings within this defense. When the ball is up top, it’s the job of the ball-side wing man to stay on a passing line between the ball and the baseline player. This will encourage a slow bouncer or looping lob pass. Meanwhile, it’s the job of the weak-side wing to sprint to the weak side of the rim to prevent any passes there. He must make sure that the opposite guy can’t catch any lobs or passes. This is a physical task, and he will likely find himself jockeying with opponents down low and ultimately must block out that player.

As for the warrior, this player needs to be your toughest, most physical and smartest player on the court. Often, this player is even a point guard. It’s key that he’s tough, smart, quick and fast. His job when the ball is out front is to protect the ball-side low post. When the ball makes it to the corner, he must close out the baseline side and should never give up the baseline drive. He must force the ball to the middle where he has teammates, traffic and the opportunity for steals.

Instructions

Initial Set

Ball on the Wing:

1 - Sets up higher than half court and forces the

ball to one side of the court and does not allow the ball

handler to dribble to the other side. Primary concern is

to make the cross-court pass as difficult as possible.

2 - Has one foot in the lane to defend the lob

pass over defender 5 and still get out to defend the

corners.

3 - Faces the ball and is slightly above the 3-

point line. 3 is in the passing lane to the corner player.

3 should not allow dribble penetration down the

sideline or to the middle of the court.

4 - Is on the opposite side of the ball and drops

down into the lane area to defend any players in the

post.

5 - Stops any dribble penetration and fronts the

offensive player in the high post.

Ball in the Corner

1 - Drops down to front the high post.

2 - Covers the corner.

3 - Faces the ball and tries prevent a pass back to

the wing. Make it as difficult as possible.

4 - Drops down in the lane for weak side help.

Still close enough to guard skip pass to opposite wing.

5 - Drops to front the low post.

Skip Pass to Opposite Wing

1 - Rotates out to prevent the cross-court pass.

2 - Goes to the opposite side of the lane to

prevent any lob passes and to cover the corner if a pass

is made

3 - Drops down into the lane to prevent any

passes into the post.

4 - Rotates out to guard the ball and stop dribble

penetration.

5 - Blasts to front the high post to prevent any

passes.

Run and Jump Press

Run & jump overview

The Run & Jump is a man to man full court press that uses

principles and techniques to create more pressure on the ball

based on what the offense does and where the offense goes.

We prefer a man press because zone presses constantly need to

adjust to a mismatching offense.

The first thing we teach is that the court is divided into quarters

lengthwise. This helps with the positioning of the defensive

players.

A court is 50' wide. The volleyball court is often in the middle and

helps determine the quarters of the court because it is 30' feet wide.

The second thing we teach is the position of each off ball

defender in relation to the ball. To put things very simply, the off

ball defender has to be in a position to "make a play," which says

nothing of where they should be. Therefore we use two guidelines

to help get us close to where a play is made. This is where the

quarters of the court help. It gets them in the proper longitude.

Whatever quarter the ball is in, all defenders must be in that

quarter or in the quarter adjacent.

In this illustration O1 has the ball in an outside quarter,

therefore D1 is in that quarter.

D5 is in the outside quarter because O5 is too.

D2 is in the adjacent quarter because O2 is in the adjacent quarter.

D3 and D4 are in the adjacent quarter even though their players are two and three quarters

removed.

Once the "longitude" is learned, then the latitude is learned.

All off ball defenders must be even with or in front of the ball.

D2 is even with the "line of the ball" and shaded toward ball

ready to either jump the dribbler or double team the dribbler

based on what the dribbler does.

D3 drops not only in front of the ball, but also behind D2

D5 and D4 play side by side to start but if pressure is good on ball

then they “tease" toward ball to entice over the top pass. We

don't want the offense to complete the pass, but we want them to try it since it has a very low

completion rate. D4 and D5 NEVER let the offensive player come back for the ball uncontested.

Run & Jump Technique

When ball is dribbled into an inside quarter the off ball defender

"jumps" the dribbler while the on ball defender continues past the

ball and to the first open offensive player resulting from the jump.

In this illustration D1 "runs" O1 from the outside quarter to an

inside quarter.

D2 is positioned to "jump" the dribbler while D1's momentum

carries her to O2.

Note: When D2 jumps they should target the ball rather than the

player. This may cause the dribbler to use a crossover dribble and thereby make it easy for D1 to back

tap the ball.

Run & Jump "Leap Frog"

In a simple Run & Jump D1 and D2 would switch as we saw in

Frame 4.

When other off ball defenders see an opportunity to rotate up or

"shoot the gap" such as D3 is doing, then D1 sees that the first

open offensive player is O3. D1 Leap Frogs over D3 to O3.

If the defenses rotation is extreme then in theory a defender

could leap frog over three defenders before finding an open

offensive player.

Cut & Double

When the ball is dribbled either in an outside quarter or into an

outside quarter the on ball defender (D1) picks a spot where they

believe they can "cut" the defender. The off ball defender (D2)

chases down the "blind dribbler" for a "cut and double" trap.

If O1 passes out of a trap then the bottom player on trap (D1)

runs out to the ball and the top player (D2) stays.

There are three reasons this is a better choice.

1. D2 has momentum coming toward the trap and it is harder to

reverse the movement. D1 can accelerate out.

2. D2 might leave her feet to deflect pass and thus is in an inferior

position to run compared to D1.

3. D1 can see the court better and can determine which the first

open offensive player is.

As in Frame 5 when other off ball defenders see an opportunity to

rotate up or “shoot the gap" such as D3 and D4 are doing, then

D1 sees that the first open offensive player is O4. D1 Leap Frogs

over both D3 and D4.

Note:

Don't try to "steal" the ball in the trap.

Don't foul in the trap.

Don't be anxious to create a turnover. Let the offense help you.

In a "Blow By" where the offensive player has a shoulder past the

defender and is in a direct line to the basket, the defenders down

court try to slow the ball down by faking at the ball but do not

commit to trap.

The defenders trailing must sprint out and either 1. Back Tap, or

2. Level the ball off.

Additional Rules;

1. Don't get burned by your own press.

2. Never guard nobody.

3. Commit to a rotation. Either stay or go all the way.

4. Try to "split defend" as far from the ball as possible.

5. Never foul in a trap.

6. Don't think to steal in the trap but just pressure and deflect.

7. Steal outside the trap.

8. Do NOT be over anxious to create a turnover. Let the offense do

it.

9. At practice let the defense counter attack off a turnover.

10. Never trap with three defenders.

10. Never have three defenders behind the ball.

11. The most dangerous defender is the one trailing the ball.

12. Average defenders move on the catch, Good defenders move on the pass, Great defenders move

on the pivot and sprint on the pass