Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
-First, recognize why the team is playing you zone: Is it their staple? Often, it’s not. Often, it’s because either they can’t guard you, they’re not deep so they’re trying to stay out of foul trouble, they’re trying to make up for a size deficiency, or they’re saying you can’t shoot.
-The best way to beat a zone is to beat the zone down the floor with the fast break. Don’t let the zone get set. Beat the zone before it is a zone. Either by throwing over the top to a big rim-running or throwing an advance pass to a wing who has sprinted to beat defense down the court. This is a great concept if you’re NOT great versus zone.
-Your 2 and 3 are vital. They don’t need to necessarily beat EVERYONE down the floor, they just need to beat below the opposing team’s guards so on an advance pass the forwards need to come up out of the 2-3 to defend the wing (opens up post and creates a mismatch on the perimeter with a guard being covered by a forward).
-On a wing catch, the post evaluates. Can he post to score? If he can, he cuts to ball side block where he faces single coverage by the opposing team’s big (the ball side forward has lifted as a result of advance pass to wing). If he doesn’t think he can score, he cuts to the short corner with the trailing big heading right to ball side high post.
-On skip passes versus a zone, imagine there is a volleyball net running from rim to rim. Against good teams, your skip passes need to be able to get over that net. You can’t have low skip passes, too many deflections.
-Best 3’s in the game come in transition | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
-Positioning: in a 2-3, wings should be halfway from the defensive guard’s backs to the backline’s (forwards and centers) chests.
-Evaluate the zone’s strengths and weaknesses. Put your best penetrator on the slower forward’s side or your best rebounder on the weakest forward’s side.
-Pass fakes and shot fakes: ultra important versus a zone. Make the defense react!
-Create 2-on-1 situations within the half court where 1 defender is trying to cover 2 offensive players on his side.
-All zone teams are vulnerable to offensive rebounds. Send bodies to the offensive glass.
-Throughout basketball, even at the high levels, players shoot a poor percentage from 6-7 feet (bigs) and 10-12 feet (guards). Why? Because no one practices them.
Set plays versus 2-3 zone | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
-“Thumbs Up”: As the guard on the right wing (2 in diagram) sets a ball screen for 1, 4 flashes to the high post. 1 is looking for his jumper (if it’s a good screen set by 2, x2 won’t be able to get through the screen and x4 will have to scramble to get a hand up. This opens an opportunity for a dump to 5 or a pass to 4 at the high post.
-“High” |Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
(against a team that is anxious to cover the high post) 1 dribbles at the right lane-line extended and motions the opposite block (5) to flash to high post. With 5’s flash, 1 fakes to the wing (works better if he’s a shooter) to draw 4 up the court before 1 throws a flick lob pass to 4 for a dunk/layup.
-“Thumbs Down”: 1 passes to 2 and runs to set a wing ball screen for him (fades to corner after setting). 2 dribbles to the middle of the court and quickly passes to 3 who steps to the lane line extended to receive the pass. On 3’s catch, 5 flashes to the high post. A 2-on-1 situation has been created as 3 and 4 are on side of the court being covered by 1 defender. (Play is especially dangerous if 4 can shoot from the perimeter).
-“Paint Across”: 1 dribbles 2 out for a shallow cut to the opposite wing. 1 passes ball to 3 filling up top who reverses ball to 2. 4 is setting a cross screen on x5. 5 reads the defense and either cuts low or high off the screen. With quick ball movement, x4 will be forced to come up the court to defend 2’s catch and 5 will be open off 4’s screen.
-“Paint Up”: 1 dribbles to the right wing, sending 2 through to the opposite corner. 1 passes to 3 who has filled up top. 4 has sprinted into a ball screen for 3. 3 uses the ball screen and has plenty of options: pull-up jumper for himself, 2 in the corner, 4 on the roll and 5 on the flash to the high post.
-“Shallow”: (run this for a shooter. In diagram, 2 is the shooter) 1 dribbles 2 out and hits 4 flashing to the high post from the opposite block. On catch, 4 immediately looks across to opposite wing. 2 will have sprinted along the baseline to the corner and should have an open look off of 3’s pass.
-“13” Play begins with a high post flash by 5. 1 passes to 2 on the wing as 5 then sprints to set a wing ball screen for 2. 1 and 3 filter to create space on the weakside while 4 (who ran to opposite block on 2’s catch) looks to duck in over x5. Opportunities: 2 creating for himself, 4 ducking in, kick-out passes to 1 or 3, 5 on the roll.
-“Lob” | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
(Run for athlete. In diagram, 34 is athlete) Play starts away from athlete with 1 passing to 2 who throws back to 1 who swings it to 3. With the quick ball movement, a skip pass opportunity is available. 3 skips it cross-court to 2. 4 comes from the opposite short corner to screen the bottom wing defender while 5 steps into x5 to screen. 2 throws a lob to 3 who, after throwing the skip, has sprinted to the hoop.
Baseline out of bounds plays versus zone (1 taking ball out on all unless otherwise noted):
-“1-3-1”: 5 lines up on the block directly in front of the ball, 4 on opposite block and 2 right in front of the rim. 5 screens x5. 2 comes off first, heading to ballside corner. 4 comes off next heading right to the block. 4 is usually open as x4 (covering the inbounder) reacts to 2’s cut to the corner and x5 is unable to fight over 5’s screen.
-“Direct” Play begins with 4 players lifted to the foul line height. On 1’s slap, 4 and 5 x-cut off each other to the opposite block. 2 (opposite wing from the ball) drops to the baseline corner. The 2-3 zone neglects this corner on BLOBs and 2 will be open for a 3.
-“Box Wide”: Play starts in a box set. On 1’s slap, 2 moves from the near block to ballside corner while 5 fights to establish position right underneath the rim from x3 and x5. 5’s fight is more of a decoy than anything else as he is attempting to tie up the two defenders rather than actually getting a pass. With x3 and x5 tied up, 4 acts like he is the safety on the play before sprinting down the middle of the lane and should be available.
Set plays versus 1-3-1 zone | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
-A key to attacking the 1-3-1 is getting your players to understand the responsibilities of the defensive players.
-“Under”: 1 passes across the court to 2 who is even with him. 2 swings it quickly to the corner to 3. 5 flashes to the high post while 4 sprints from opposite corner to the middle of the lane on 3’s catch. This exploits a common mistake of 1-3-1 defenses: x1 sprints out to cover his corner responsibility, but with 5 in the high post, x5 is hesitant to drop, leaving 4 wide open underneath the basket.
-“14 Drop” | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
(Run for shooter. In diagram, 2 is a shooter) Play starts in a 1-4 high set. On 1’s cue, the ballside high post (5) dives to the rim and 2 drops to the corner. The bottom defender (x1) is occupied with 5’s dive and the corner is left open for 2. 1 must pass around x2, but if he can get it to him, 2 is wide-open for a 3 point look.
-“14x”: A very quick action, play starts in a 1-4 high set again. Play is initiated by the high post opposite the ball (4) popping to the top of the key. 1 gives to 4 and on the release of the pass, 5 dives to the middle of the rim. X5 should have stepped up to cover 4, leaving x1 by himself to 5’s dive.
-On BLOBs, bring the safety to the sideline and not back to half court so if the ball is tipped it goes out of bounds and is not sent towards the opposite end.
-Loves Bruce Pearl’s attitude defensively on BLOBs as he doesn’t let anything in | Kevin Boyle Attacking Zone Defenses
-To practice playing against zones, in the offseason make every 4th pickup game yours players play a zone game in which both teams play zone.
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