Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
-Championships in basketball are won with defense. 80% of 1 bid league champions in 2009 ranked either 1st or 2nd in their conference in field goal % defense.
-Had some great opportunities to grow as a coach in his assistant coaching stops. Each one was a very good defensive coach, but all four went about in very different ways.
Mike Deane (at Marquette): Pack Defense defending everything inside-out
Phil Martelli (at Saint Joseph’s): Defensive pressure and doing anything to keep offense off balance.
Jamie Dixon (at Pitt): “Thug ‘em, Mug ‘em Defense.” Just tough, hard-nosed defense built through their practices where they do the same set of defensive toughness drills every day from October to March. “You couldn’t bring soft recruits to practice because they’d be scared.”
Nick Marcachuk (at Fordham): 1-3-1, 2-3, 1-2-2. Loved Zones
↑Learned from all these and began to create his own philosophy (was also blessed with the opportunity to work for the Hoop Group running Eastern Invitational where he would regularly attend practices of the best high school coaches in the East including Bob Hurley (St. Anthony), Kevin Boyle (St. Patrick’s) and Speedy Morris (Saint Joe’s Prep).
-Even with all these experiences, the thing that most influenced his philosophy was a 15 minute cab ride. In 19__ while working as a restricted earnings coach at Marquette, one of his jobs was that he would ride with former coach Al McGuire to the airport. McGuire rarely talked basketball, but one quote changed the way Rice though about defense:
“The more they think, the slower their feet”
↑
Defense must be instinctive. You need to engrain the movements you want in your player’s heads to the point where they no longer have to think them. You need to make your players instinctive. Instincts are always discussed offensively, but what about defensively?
-Has drilled the idea “If we defend, we have a chance” into his players at RMU
-It’s simple: “How can I help my team?” ←As a coach, he needs to make the answer instinctive. The defensive rotations need to be instinctive, everything needs to be instinctive.
-His kids at RMU aren’t as tough as he’d like so he’s had to demand tremendous ball pressure in order to get possessions over with because he noticed that if the opposing team’s offensive possessions lasted beyond 25 seconds, they were most likely going to finish the possession with an open layup because his kids weren’t tough enough to defend for the full 35. Therefore, he’s instilled tremendous ball pressure in order to get the possession done in 20 seconds.
– Our 5 Rules Defensively | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
1. We dictate to you on defensively. We attack
2. Force ball sideline and baseline: our chin on your top shoulder. We don’t drop our feet to open up. We dictate defensively what you do. EXCEPT on baseline or at the top of the key where you are chest-to-chest (defense there at the top of the key is so important because that’s the penetration that really kills you because it is so tough to help on).
3. Make teams play faster than they want to
4. Switch 1-4: You might call us lazy because we don’t want to fight through picks, but I just don’t think I have tough enough or smart enough kids at my level to get through screens. We switch everything – downscreens, backscreens, ballscreens, dribble hand-offs. You need to be strong and athletic to play this (2 things we emphasize heavily in recruiting). Tough kids are so rare today.
5. Energy + Intensity: We have to have it.
-So important for us (and any defense) is containing dribble penetration because without having to help and rotate, it will be a much better defensive possession.
-We heavily emphasize closeouts (and mirroring the ball) because a. good closeouts prevent the offense from passing and reversing the ball with fluidity and b. if we get one great closeout, BAM, the offense is back to zero and everything they positive they had accomplished prior in that possession is negated because they’re cowering with the ball behind their head
-You have to make things fun for your kids. Make everything a game to keep them interested. Whenever someone takes a charge at RMU all 4 players need to help him
-Don’t deny wings or any perimeter passes, but instead sit in help.
– Because of our switching we love playing teams that get a bulk of their offense from set plays. It just drives them nuts. I don’t want to rely on my kids handling the complexities of dealing with staggers and such so we just switch it.
-Make players talk because a loud defense beats a silent one.
-Believes it to be truly easier in season to make your team a great defensive team than a great offensive team. Offense is predicated on skill work that’s done in the off-season mostly.
-Incorporates the offensive concepts of their next opponent in that day’s shell drill.
Drills | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
-1-on-1 Dribble Advancement (Force Baseline):
Offensive player starts with ball at halfcourt with defensive player in front of him. Offensive player is trying to get middle as defender works to force him baseline. We are not dropping our foot. We FORCE him to go baseline.
– Chair 1-on-1:
2 chairs at halfcourt | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Players on baseline—offense at 3 point line and defense on the lane. On Coach’s “go,” players sprint towards the chair (the offensive player dribbling). Offensive player circles the outside chair by going between the chairs and emerging on the outside while the defender runs outside the chairs and back through. Play 1-on-1, staying on this half of court. We don’t want our defensive player to sag into paint. We want to be aggressive defensively. We want to attack.
– 4 Chair 1-on-1 (Fullcourt) | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Same as previous drill, but there are now 2 additional chairs in the backcourt and offense now starts inside. The players weave the chairs and play 1-on-1. After throwing to a coach, the players play 1-on-1 on the other half of the court.
– Closeout Drill | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Line of players on the baseline with a coach on the wing and a coach at the top of the key. The ball is rolled out to the coach on the wing and the defensive player sprints 3 and chops 3 to closeout (forcing baseline). Player mirrors the ball until the coach puts it on the floor one dribble towards the baseline before coach tosses it to the other coach and player sprints to touch baseline and closeout again. Coach shoots and the player boxes out to finish the drill.
– Philly Closeout:
Drill starts with a coach on each wing and one defensive player (player 1) in a defensive stance at the FT line with the rest of players in a line underneath the rim. The ball is thrown to one of the coaches and the player from the FT line sprints to closeout. The ball is then skipped and the first player in line (player 2, with head under the rim) sprints to closeout as player 1 drops to help. On the subsequent skip pass the next player in line sprints to closeout as player 2 drops to help and player 1 heads to the back of the line. Repeat.
-Bigs Step Drill | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Drill starts with a coach on the wing and a coach at the top of the key with an offensive and defensive player on ballside block. Rice teaches when the ball is above the FT line his post is on the high side of the offensive player, but when the ball is swung beneath the foul line, the player moves to the low side of the offensive player. The coaches pass the ball back and forth as the defensive big makes this transition. Go 2-3 times and rotate.
-Uconn 1-on-1:
Drill starts with 1 coach at the top of the key, a player in a defensive stance facing him at the FT line and a line of offensive players on each wing. Coach throws ball to one of the wings and defensive player closes out. You need to get a stop to get off. If defensive player gets a stop he heads to the back of the lines and the offensive player is now the man at the FT line. On a score, the defensive man stays on.
-Uconn 1-on-1 with Bigs:
Same as the above, but now the 2 offensive players are on the block and coaches are on each wing. Same rotation concepts as above.
-Michigan State 2-on-2:
Drill starts with a coach on each wing being guarded by a defensive player. Ball starts with one of the coaches as his man pressures him and the other defender is on the basketline in help. On the skip pass the defender in help sprints to closeout and the other defender now drops to help.
-Michigan State 2-on-2 with Bigs:
Drill starts with a coach on each wing and a defensive and offensive player on each block. On the skip passes, defenders move to the proper defensive position. Enter ball into post if you’d like to play live or simulate double team action.
-George Karl Drill | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Drill starts with a coach at the top of the key and an offensive player on the wing and one in the corner with a defensive player covering each. Drill begins with the coach penetrating to the middle of the defense where x1 is forced to step in to help. The drill focuses on x2 as he is forced to help up the line on the pass to 1 and scramble back to his man as x1 sprints to recover. Emphasize helping up the line. X2 sagging back into the lane flat with x2 is NOT help defense.
-Help the Helper Drill:
“I HATE working on getting beat, but you got to do it.” Runs drill with several variations/formations. All drill variations begin with a perimeter defender being beaten. The post defender is forced to step over to provide help and the other guard must drop to discourage the offensive guard from making the dump-down pass to post (emphasize for the guard to have his hand across post’s chest). 4 variations below.
-Wall Off Drill:
Drill begins with an offensive player slightly above three point line and a defensive player facing him standing just below the free throw line. Cones are placed at each elbow. A coach throws the offensive player the ball and the defensive player sprints out to meet him and closeout. The defense must attack the offensive player as the offensive player attempts to beat him off the dribble within the 2 cones. Offensive player can’t turn his back on the defender.
-4-on-3 Closeouts | Mike Rice Half Court Pressure
Drill begins with 4 offensive players around perimeter with 3 defenders creating a triangle within the lane. The ball is passed to one of the offensive players and the 3 defenders scramble to cover. Emphasis is on closeouts as a good one will allow their teammates time to recover. Offense must shoot within 4 passes and cannot skip the ball. The offense CAN dribble.
-6-on-4 Closeouts:
Drill begins with 6 offensive players around the perimeter with the 2 corners manned by a coach/manager/walk-on. Drill is same as above, but limitations are placed on corner offensive players who can only shoot layups or drive and kick to a shooter.
Click on the pdf link to download the basketball coaching clinic notes:
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