Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press by Erick Blasing

Written by Erick Blasing

Erick and his wife reside in Baraboo, Wisconsin where he teaches social studies at Baraboo High School. In 2016, Erick will begin his first season as a Men’s Assistant for University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County, a two year campus that competes in the Wisconsin Collegiate Conference. Men’s Basketball Assistant; August 2016-Present UW-Baraboo/Sauk County, Baraboo, WI Assistant Coach Boy’s Basketball; May 2015-August 2016 Baraboo High School, Baraboo, WI Head Coach Varsity Boy’s Basketball; July 2011-May 2015 Sparta High School; Sparta, WI Tripled opportunities for K-3rd grade basketball players in 2013-2014 Led team to 4th & 7th most wins in program’s previous 20 seasons. Hired as one of the youngest head coaches in the state of Wisconsin. Varsity Assistant Girl’s Basketball; November 2009 – April 2011 La Crosse Central High School; La Crosse, WI 8th Grade Assistant Boy’s Basketball; November 2008 – December 2008 Riverside Middle School; Watertown, WI Head Coach 5th-12th Grade Boy’s Basketball; October 2006 – March 2008 Monroe County Christian School; Tomah, WI CAMP COACHING EXPERIENCE University of Wisconsin-Madison Tubby Smith Camps, University of Minnesota University of Iowa North Dakota State University Butler University University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Coach Z Hoop Camp by Don Zierdan Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Exposure Camp Snow Valley Iowa Basketball School

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November 6, 2015

Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press by Erick Blasing

Jim Calhoun is a legend in college basketball. Coach Calhoun had a successful playing career for Division II, American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, graduating in 1968. Calhoun began his coaching career with a 1-17 record at Lyme-Old Lyme High School in Old Lyme, CT. Coach only stayed one season at Old Lyme and moved on to Westport, MA High School for another season. After Westport, Coach began a very successful stint at Dedham High School eventually winning the Massachusetts State Championship with a perfect 18-0 record.

Calhoun was recruited to take the head coaching position in 1972 at Northeastern University in Boston and helped to transition the program from DII to D1 in 1979. Over the next 14 seasons, Jim Calhoun became the school’s winningest coach with 245 wins.

Calhoun in 1986 moved to the University of Connecticut to serve as their new head men’s coach. This began coach Calhoun’s drive to 26 seasons and 625 wins at the helm of the Huskies. Calhoun would become the first NCAA coach to win 240+ games at two different DI schools. Calhoun would win a total of 873 collegiate games over 40 seasons and led Connecticut to 3 national titles.

Part of Jim Calhoun’s success was his relentless and disciplined 2-2-1 press. I hope that you enjoy the Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press.

Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press

Since Jim Calhoun’s arrival at the University of Connecticut, the 2-2-1 zone press defense has been used with remarkable effectiveness. Coach Calhoun’s 2-2-1 plays an integral role in a Connecticut Defense which annually produces a high number of turnovers, yet still is able to hold opponents under 40% field goal shooting. The ability of the 2-2-1 to pressure teams and force tempo but also allow coverage to keep easy baskets to a minimum is most appealing to Coach Calhoun.

This particular press is used for several reasons. First, we feel that the work ethic and the individual talents of our team members fit into the scheme of the press very well. By combining attitude and hard work with our quickness and athleticism we are able to play this defense Very effectively. In turn we can play this press very aggressively and dictate tempo of the game with it. The 2-2-1 press forces our opponents to attack us; in effect, teams cannot just bring the ball upcourt without incurring a ten-second violation or being forced to make a decision as to where and how to avoid traps. Certainly it causes opponents to think about something other than their halfcourt offense. This, of course, is a major objective of the press, which is not designed to take the ball away from opponents nearly as much as to force them into mental and physical errors on which we will capitalize.

The Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press is a very versatile press. We can get into the 2-2-1 off of made baskets or free throws, backcourt out of bounds situations, and even off of missed shot attempts. Furthermore, Various options can be utilized within the scheme and execution of the 2-2-1. In addition to our standard version, we can match up out of it, We can pull the press back into a “retreat” version, and We can also trap particular players at different locations. Each of these options will be discussed in this report.

There are seven keys to the Jim Calhoun Uconn 2-2-1 Press: (1) PRESSURE – Bali Pressure is a fundamental key to the success of the press. We emphasize solid, intelligent pressure on the ball, which in turn will enable us to apply other steps in executing the press. (2) FORCE – Our second objective is to force the ball to a sideline – also referred to as an “alley” — where we can set up a trap between one of our “first line” defenders and a “second line” defender. (3) CONTAIN – In addition to being able to pressure the ball handler and force him to the sideline, we must be able to contain him and keep the ball out of the middle or the press will break down. (4) “1-4” PRINCIPLE – Within the 2-2-1 press alignment we emphasize one defender applying Solid pressure on the ball, and the remaining four defenders in good, balanced help position. (5) ROTATE – After We funnel the ball handler into a trap, each of our defenders must rotate accordingly and make the proper defensive adjustments. This becomes even more important when there is a ball reversal. (6) CHALLENGE EVERY SHOT – When the ball is advanced against our press and a shot is taken, it must be challenged aggressively. (7) REBOUND – We must secure the rebound and limit second shot opportunities.