Jim Boeheim Syracuse 2-3 Matchup Zone
It is common practice in basketball to use the zone defense to try and “change the rythm” of a game
or surprise an opponent. It is much less common practice to use the zone defense as a primary
defense, yet that is what coach Jim Boeheim has done for 34 years on his way to 829 wins and a
national championship at Syracuse University.
And if you are thinking that this is a guy that found an “old school” way to play and just stuck to
his roots than you couldn’t be more wrong. Boeheim is the definition of adapatation as his version
of the 2-3 zone has changed drastically over the years and changes from year to year in the details
depending on his personnel. He has his ideas but he adapts them to best fit his team.
Jim Boeheim is a living legend in the game of basketball and his name and
Syracuse basketball have become synonimous with the 2-3 zone defense.
Why does he like to run the 2-3 zone? | Jim Boeheim Syracuse 2-3 Matchup Zone
• Win
Coach Boeheim believes that it is his teams best defense. And if a guy has won as many games as
Coach Boeheim has says that he’s playing this defense to
win games…you believe him.
• Shot selection
Opponents take the shots that Syracuse wants them to take, not the one’s the opponents want to take
• Less preperation
Teams typically have many more sets against man to man defenses than against zone defenses. In a
tournament setting like March Madness which determines the Champion, to be able to fully prepare
for an opponent in a short ammount of time is a big advantage.
• Fast break
Guys are better positioned to recieve outlets and fill the lanes on the break out of the zone than
out of the man to man. In a man to man situation you can have guys anywhere on the court depending
on where the offensive man goes, in the zone you can control the location of players much more.
Needing less time to prepare for an opponent can make a big difference in a setting like the NCAA
tournament where you have between 48 and 72 hours to prepare for an opponent. How many teams have
more zone sets than man to man sets?
Global Principles in their 2-3 zone | Jim Boeheim Syracuse 2-3 Matchup Zone
• Activity
Defenders are constantly looking for deflections and being really active both with their hands and
with their movement.
• “Jump to the Ball”
A fundamental of any defense, Coach Boeheim cites this as even more necessary in a zone. As he said
in the interview, in a man to man you can get away with guys not jumping to the ball or being very
attentive to everything going on. But in a zone if you don’t have 5 guys moving with the ball they
are gonna score every time.
The X’s and O’s | Jim Boeheim Syracuse 2-3 Matchup Zone
•”Bump” on the wings
On ball reversals the bottom man is going to come up and “bump” or “show”
until the top defender can recover.
The bottom man shows momentarily to give the top man time to recover
•Traps in the short corners automatically (100% of the time)
Anytime the ball arrives to the short corner Syracuse traps with two of the bottom guys, the third
bottom guys has to get in front of the other post man. The top guy on the strong side is denying
the pass back and the other top guy is trying to read the pass to the 2 open men on the weak side.
By always trapping in the short corners they turn a point of weakness and negative results
into a strength where they can get positive results.
• Trapping the corner
Sometimes they will trap the corner with a top man and a bottom man. Usually after a timeout or
when a certain player gets the ball. Used as a modification
to keep the offense guessing as to how the defense is gonna play.
Syracuse sometimes will trap the corner to keep the offense uncomfortable.
In basketball there are certain chess matches that go on throughout the game. Where you want your
opponent to be uncomfortable and unsure as to what the defense is going to do or how are they going
to respond. Boeheim seems to have mastered this chess match with his 2-3 zone.
How many posessions by the opponent are wasted with a turnover or a bad shot as a result of this
2-3 zone? Boeheim and Syracuse basketball have become synonimous with the 2-3 zone and this fame is
no longer confined to the NCAA as Boeheim has been a member of the TEAM USA Coaching Staff to bring
specifically his expertise in teaching the 2-3 zone. Boeheim laughed at
the idea that playing a zone was less “macho” than playing a tough man to man
defense. When you’ve won as many games as Coach Boeheim you’re not
worried about outside opinions, you’re worried about Championships.
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