Defensive Drill involving help the helper and baseline penetration

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

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Basketball Drills

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July 9, 2014

Defensive Drill involving help the helper and baseline penetration

Summertime is the time that basketball players get better; it is also the time where coaches get better as well. I have spent a lot of this summer putting together defensive drills that I will use as I continue my coaching career. This particular defensive drill works on helping the helper with defending baseline rotation with a post. 1 will start with the ball in the leg corner. X1 will be defending 1. Help side defense can be put in position according to each coaches defensive principles. 1 will pass the ball to 2. X2 will close out with his hands up. The help side defense will rotate to position according to their defensive principles. 2 will swing the ball to 3. X3 closes out with high hands. The help side defense rotates. 3 will pass the ball to 4. 4 will close out. The help side defense will rotate. As soon as 4 catches the ball, he is looking to attack the gap and get into the lane. IT IS CRUCIAL for X3 to recover to help and not his man. X3 must “STUNT” early causing 4 to have to pass the ball out on the perimeter. Once 3 catches the ball, he is attacking the paint.

This is where “Help the Helper” comes into play. Since X3 had to help on 4, X2 has to help on 3. X2 must “STUNT” early causing 3 to pass the ball to 2. It is very important that the defender his is stunting not to turn his back to his own man. He must keep the ball and the person he is guarding “On Top” of his feet. This will prevent his man from cutting back door and it improves his angle when closing out. Once 3 passes the ball to 2, 2 will attack. X1 must “Help the Helper”. As this is taking place, 5 is looking to seal X5. 2 will swing the ball to 1. X1 must get his angle back on 1. X1 is looking to attack the baseline. X5 must cut off baseline penetration. X5 CANNOT get sealed by 5. If X5 isn’t already fronting 5, X5 might have to go underneath 5 to cut off 1. As coaches, you don’t want X5 to get pushed up the lane by 5. This will cause the defense to break down because X4 will have to come over and cut off baseline penetration. This will leave 5 open for a dunk. Once X5 cuts off penetration, X4 has to come from underneath 5 and take away any passes to the post. X3 will drop down to take away the “Habit Pass”. X2 will drop down low enough to cover both 2 and 3. You can then do different things with this defensive drill. Like near man concept. Have 1 pass the ball a coach underneath the basket and have the coach pass it to a player out on the perimeter. Then have your defense match up accordingly.

Coach Adam Short is entering his first season as men’s basketball assistant coach at Missouri State University-West Plains. Prior to Missouri State University-West Plains, Adam Short was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Cowley College. Short grew up in Indiana and was a First-Team All-Conference selection as a senior at Lake Central High School. He went on to attend Joliet (Ill) Junior College and helped the team to a NJCAA Division III national runner-up finish, while being named First-Team All-Conference and a two-time Region 4 Player of the Week. After Joliet, Short spent his final two years of college basketball playing at NAIA school Avila University in Kansas City, MO. At Avila, he scored more than 1,000 points in his career and earned all-conference honors each year at the school. He graduated from Avila in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in writing. Short then served as a graduate assistant coach with the Avila men’s basketball team from 2011-2013 and earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Development in 2013. During his time at Avila, Coach Short help led the Eagles to their best record in a decade. As well As well in 2011 where they were 1st in the Nation in three pointers made per game and 3rd in the Nation in three point percentage per game 38%. Short also help lead team to first ever conference tournament hosted game in school history 2012 He also spent the past four years working with MoKan Nike Elite Youth Basketball League out of Kansas City, MO. His job duties consisted of coaching, scouting, and breaking down film.