James Whitford Packline Defense Notes
The Packline Defense is a staple with the Arizona Wildcats Program where James Whitford was the Associate Head Coach. Coach Whitford has taken the packline defense to Ball State University with him. You might be asking yourself what is the Packline defense.
Dick Bennett is widely known for creating this system and being a defensive guru. He developed the defensive system that forces a certain style of play on a team. That system is the packline defense. The packline defense tries to limit fast break opportunities first and foremost. Then from there, the on the ball defender will pressure the ball handler and the four remaining defenders will crowd behind an imaginary line 16 feet out from the basket. They will act as a “pack” of defenders behind this “line” hence the name The pack’s job is to cut off any drives to the lane. They will allow the ball to rotate around the perimeter, at which the initial on the ball defender will fall back to the pack, and the new on the ball defender will go out to pressure the ball. The four players behind the packline will adjust themselves to prevent the drive from the new on ball handler. The offensive team usually takes a contested perimeter shot or turns the ball over out of frustration.
The packline defense will limit those fast break opportunities, initial drives, and make it very hard for the opposing team to get off a good quick shot. They will slow down the pace of the game and bring the score down too. It’s great if you don’t have a ton of star players so you can play a grinding offense to go with the packline defense.
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