Girl’s high school basketball is about defense. Defense that limits the opposition’s scoring chances. Defense that understands what the opposition wants / likes to do and knows how to take it away. For example, if the opposition is weak on ball handling but relies on a strong cutting and passing game, the defense must bump and jam the cutters and pressure the passers, disrupting their rhythm and getting the offense out of their comfort zone. When defense is done well it can also lead to easier offensive opportunities.

Although there is certainly strategy involved in executing a defense, being effective on the defensive end of the court is more about communication and effort than skill. A solid defense can compensate for many offensive flaws. In fact, teams who lack offensive skills can gain support from the defense. Games are won by scoring more points than the other team – how many points you score, or how you score them, doesn’t really matter. If you keep the opposition from scoring more points than your team – you win.

Defense involves the coordination of individual play and team support. Effective offensive philosophies create space for shooters and passers, creating higher percentage scoring opportunities. An effective defense will limit the space available for the offense thus forcing the offense into lower percentage scoring opportunities.

Coaches consider the strengths of their players when choosing a defensive approach. It’s easy to say, for example, “we are a man-to-man team” but your team will not succeed unless it has the complementary skills necessary to play man to man defense. It is best to teach sound defensive fundamentals and apply them with the strengths of the team in mind.

INTANGIBLES

Are you willing to get on the floor to win the 50-50 balls and gain a possession – taking away a scoring opportunity from them and giving your team an extra scoring opportunity? Are you willing to do the little things, like box out to assure you hold the other team to one shot and minimize easy inside scoring chances? Will you give the maximum effort when pressuring the ball handler, trapping in the corners and sprinting out of the traps? Can you maintain discipline while bringing defensive intensity, avoiding costly fouls – giving the other team “free” throws (free points). Will you figure out the ball handler’s dominant hand and force her to her weaker side? Defense is about a bit of skill and a lot of focused effort. Blend the effort with a little bit of knowledge and your defense can limit the other team’s scoring and create easier scoring opportunities for your team.

ON BALL PRESSURE

Strategically, Coach Collins wants to pressure the ball when in a man-to-man defense. Ball pressure can disrupt an effective offensive team’s rhythm and timing. It can make even the best passers less accurate. Ball pressure often leads to hurried shots and poor shot selection. It can make it difficult for dominant post players to receive the ball in good scoring position. Ball pressure can hide other defensive weaknesses. If your team struggles to fight through screens, pressure on the ball may help by delaying a pass to an open cutter, or make the cutter adjust to an off line pass. As a team we focus on eliminating straight line drives to the basket. The primary defender and help defender force the ball handler to change direction, making easy drives to the basket more difficult.

Our fundamental team defense will have on-ball pressure. When one pass away from the ball we will deny the pass (up the line). When two passes away from the ball we will be in help position (one foot in the key). We do not allow straight line drives to the basket. We do not allow baseline dribble penetration. Of course, ball pressure requires players to trust that if they take the risk of getting up on their assigned player their teammates will respond and help when needed (see Help Rotations below).

SHOT POCKET DEFENSE

When teaching individual on-ball defensive skills we work off the “shot pocket” principles taught by Better Basketball’s Rick Torbett. In applying these principles, the defender measures a sound defensive position by extending the hand from a balanced defensive stance. The hand reaches the offensive player’s “shot pocket” – between the chest and the thigh and twelve to fourteen inches from the offensive player’s body. The defender annoys and distracts the offensive player by moving her hand in and out of the shot pocket area. The defender knows that a shot must move through the shot pocket, a pass typically moves through the shot pocket and change of direction dribbles often move across and through the shot pocket. A hand in the shot pocket can influence the shot, pass or dribble just enough to throw it off. Measuring the shot pocket also allows the defender to play an aggressive style and apply on ball pressure but avoids fouls created by playing up too close. Played correctly, the player can be disruptive and still have a step and a half to recover if playing a quicker player.

DEFENSIVE POSITION

Individual defensive skills start, as all basketball skills do, with proper balance and footwork. On-ball defenders assume a balanced position (knees over toes / shoulders over knees) feet about shoulder width apart. The defender’s hands are up and out. Defenders raise the ball side hand while keeping the offhand extended at waist level. If the ball handler changes hands with a cross over or other move the defender then changes the high hand to be on the ball side. Good defenders use quick, powerful defensive slides to force the ball handler to change direction by beating the ball handler to a spot. In other words, if the ball handler is driving to the right the defender gets ahead of the ball handler’s right side and prohibits progress to the right, forcing the ball handler to change direction or stop and pick up her dribble.

POWER SLIDES, DROP STEPS AND SPRINTS

To maximize the defensive slide the player must power off one foot and explode in the direction of the slide. Slides are not hops, they are not soft – they are powerful. To slide to the right the player’s weight is loaded on the left foot. The left leg powers the slide, driving the body to the right. If the offensive player gets past the defender’s hips the defender drop steps to recover. If the ball handler continues to get separation from the defender, the defender turns her hips and sprints to get ahead of the offensive player again.

DEFENDING THE PICK & ROLL & OFF BALL SCREENS

The pick and roll or pop is difficult to defend - even NBA teams can struggle with pick and roll defense. Defensive players must work together to neutralize the pick and roll opportunities. If the ball handler is a capable jump shooter the defender cannot go under the pick. The defender has to fight over the top of the pick. The pick defender helps the on-ball defender by hedging - stepping out in the path of the ball handler. This defender must remain close to the pick and avoid creating a space between the pick and the pick defender – eliminating the split option and forcing the ball handler to go wider. This will allow the ball defender to recover if bumped off by the pick. The pick defender hedges and hustles back into position, hands high, eliminating the roll or pop option.

When defending the pick and roll and off ball screens players need to use their eyes, their ears, their mouth, their hands, their feet, and their speed and agility to negotiate screens designed to free up scorers. A variety of strategies can be used to defend against the pick and roll or off ball screens. As noted above, if the offensive player is a good outside shooter defenders can fight over the top of the screen. If the ball handler is not a good outside shooter the defender can go under the screen and meet the cutter at the pass. The on-ball defender and the screen defender can switch - changing defensive assignments. They can also trap the ball handler, double teaming her as she comes off the screen.

Fighting over the top of the screen is probably the most difficult option. Begin by getting up close to the ball handler with your leading hand up and your other hand close to your body. Hold on to your jersey if necessary to avoid hand checks (an easy bail out for the offense). Power slide and try to stay ahead of the ball handler. As you approach the screen get “skinny”, turning slightly sideways, in a low position - shoulder near the pick / screener’s hip, feeling for the pick / screener with your lead hand and stepping, with the outside foot above the pick, then pivoting and gliding over the leg of the pick / screener with the inside foot, sprinting to get back in position. Use your hands on the screener to maintain space for keeping your feet free.

POST DEFENSE

In the post a size, strength or skill disadvantage can be defended and neutralized by quickness, proper positioning and sound footwork. Undersized players cannot remain behind a larger, stronger or highly skilled post player in scoring position. Their challenge in this situation is dealing with the size, strength or skill. Their advantage is quickness. To take advantage of their quickness (and neutralize the post player’s advantage) the smaller defender must deny and front the post player to prevent the post entry pass.

When the passer is on the wing, and the post player is at the block, the post defender will position herself on the high side of the post player. The post defender straddles the post players top leg with her front foot slightly ahead, in the passing lane. Her back leg is behind the post player’s top leg. The post defender’s front hand is extended, palm facing the passer, in the passing lane. The key is proper use of the arm bar (held at 90°), on the post player’s hip, keeping the feet free to move quickly to deflect or intercept a pass to the post. If the arm bar is set poorly the defender’s feet will not be free and the quick step to the pass will be difficult. If a pass is attempted the defender swings her back foot forward, in front of the post player and deflects or intercepts the pass. If the ball moves to the corner (passed or dribbled) the post defender must use the same footwork noted above, swinging the back foot forward and across to front the post player. The post defender must maintain contact with the post player and trust that her teammates will be in help position and move to defend a lob pass.

Pressuring the pass into the post contributes to minimizing the post player’s advantages. There are not too many players at the high school level who can deliver an accurate pass to a well defended post player while under pressure. 

ZONE DEFENSE

There are many reasons for playing a zone defense. Here are a few:

Ø Teams with weak outside shooting struggle against zones.

Ø Zones make dribble penetration more difficult.

Ø A zone defense can protect (hide) a weak defender.

Ø A zone can insulate a player in foul trouble.

Ø A zone can place players in help position proximity, for example, to double team a taller post player.

Ø Players exert less energy playing zone defense.

Zone defense is about bringing sound man to man principles to the zone concept. For example, when an offensive player challenges a zone gap with the dribble, the zone defenders responsible for that gap must power slide to take away the gap penetration. Each player has to know their gap responsibilities and anticipate threats to those gaps – by dribble penetration, pass or a flashing player. Everyone must know and communicate the location of the offensive threats and respond when they get the ball with proper close outs (closing out to the inside foot). Baseline drives and gap penetration must be denied. Zone defenders must be aware of any post presence - high post or low post and deny easy entry passes to those spots. When defensive players keep their hands high and in the gaps it is difficult to pass into the gaps.

Know your opposition – who can hurt you and how. When in a zone there is no need to defend what will not hurt you. If the opposition can’t consistently hit the long jump shot, why would you come out of the zone (leaving gaps unprotected) and defend a player who can’t hurt you? Protect / defend the areas where they can hurt you. Be disciplined. Understand that the offense is trying to attack the gaps in your defense. Anticipate this and get deflections, steals or turnovers.

HELP ROTATION

One of the advantages of playing zone defenses is that players are in positions on the court that are essentially help positions - if there is gap penetration there is usually another defender there waiting to defend the ball.

When playing man to man defense, especially when using on-ball pressure, the ball handler will get by her defender at times. When this happens the rest of the defense must adjust to support and help the on-ball defender stop the scoring threat(s).

Ø Help defenders who are one pass away, deny the pass to their man or move to defend the gap between the on-ball defender and their position (if the ball handler is a threat to attack effectively off the dribble). This is a strategic decision determined beforehand.

Ø Help defenders who are two passes away have one foot in the lane and move to stop dribble or pass penetration that successfully gets into the gaps. Either the help defender at the weak side block or the help defender at the weak side wing moves to help. This is determined by the angle of the attack - from the top, elbow, wing or baseline.

Ø The other help defender who is two passes away and has one foot in the lane, “helps the helper” by moving to “gap” any remaining players on the weak side. If properly positioned in the gap between the other players this help defender can move to the nearest threat if needed.

Ø The best help defenders move their feet first. When help defenders reach before they move their feet they often give up fouls - ultimately an advantage for the offense. Move your feet to move your body into good defensive position to eliminate the straight-line drive, make the ball handler pass, force a bad shot or take a charge.

SPACING AND COMMUNICATION

Spacing and communication are the intangibles that tie together the collective skills of the defense. If spaced properly the defenders are in a position to offer help and reduce the space available for penetrating with the dribble or pass. Defenders must communicate about the location of shooters on the court, picks and screens, match ups in transition, switch or no switch, cutters, help and recover etc. Often the defender’s teammates are her eyes. They can see what she may not be able to see - like a back screen. Teams must work on the language they want to use and communicate loud and clear so their teammate understands the message.

ANTICIPATION VS. REACTION

When we react to action on the court we are waiting for something to happen and then responding. When we anticipate we are “seeing” the action before it happens and responding before the action can have an effect. Take rebounding as an example. Skilled players can see the flight of the ball and anticipate where it will land before it actually lands. Moving to the anticipated landing point is an advantage over a player who waits for the ball to land before reacting and moving to it. In reality teams need to both anticipate and react. When things break down (an unanticipated action) players must react before the breakdown leads to a score.

The difference between a team that anticipates the opponent’s movements and one that reacts to them is often what distinguishes good defensive teams from poor ones. The best defenses anticipate offensive movements and disrupt them, keeping teams out of offensive rhythm.