Ball Screen Defense – “Squeeze” Coverage

Written by Wes Kosel

Wes Kosel will enter his first season as an Assistant Coach at Augustana University under Tom Billeter in 2016-2017. Kosel came to Sioux Falls after two season at Colorado College as the lead assistant. Kosel, a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, served as an assistant coach at Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Texas Lutheran University from 2012-2014. Kosel graduated from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He also has a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Houston. While attending Kansas, Kosel served as an assistant coach at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. A life-long student of the game, Kosel honed his coaching skills by working summer camps for various programs in Texas, Colorado, Missouri, and New Mexico. Kosel also is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Certified Personal Trainer, both of which are certifications earned through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Kosel and his wife, Molly, live in Colorado Springs.

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Basketball Defenses

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October 29, 2016

Ball Screen Defense – “Squeeze” Coverage by Wes Kosel

Building on the post from earlier in the week on “Thru” ball screen coverage, this defensive call is a slight variation to thru. This coverage still stays in the same idea of the ball handler’s defender going under the screen instead of over the top. This would typically be done if the guard isn’t a shooter. Ball screen defense has to be practiced to work since it takes teamwork and communication from the two defenders involved in the screening action as well as the help-side defenders being there to absorb rolls, slips, etc. The player guarding the ball is very important on ball screen coverage, but it is even more important for the screener’s defender to be vocal and to loudly call out what type of coverage he wants. In the diagram, x5 can see the ball screen coming and has to be the one to call it out, not x1 who is focused on guarding the ball.

Ball Screen Defense

“Squeeze” Coverage

Squeeze would be used in a couple of different scenarios. First, the screener is a dangerous pop man or roll man and needs to be guarded closely by x5. The squeeze action occurs with x5 pusing up against the screener allowing x1 to go underneath both 5 and x5 to recover to the ball. x5 prevents 5 from popping out or rolling since he is pushing up against him with his chest. The second scenario to use squeeze is if there isn’t any help on the weak side to help against 5’s pop or roll. If the offense overloads the left side, there wouldn’t be any there to help on the pop by 5 to the right wing.

Coverage