Good morning, guys!
So far my kids have been doing pretty well, I've been impressed with how well they have been able to follow in-game drawn on the white board play changes and working the plays that they have been taught in practice.

They worked a sidelines out-of bounds play to perfection last Saturday after having only seen it drawn on the whiteboard at game time.

One question regarding defeating half –court pressure…
My two best scorers are my wings 2,3. We usually run plays from a spread set, where 4 players are out, 1 on the point, 2,3 on the wings, 4 near the right corner, 3pt line area, and 5 down low.

My point is a little weak with the ball on the dribble and has a tendency to get in a hurry and lose the ball or get it stolen when the defense comes out of their usual zone configuration and pressure him right at the half court line.

Any suggestions for a set play or motion to defeat that pressure on point?

Thanks!

Mark

Marc,

Whenever we faced a half court trap we attacked it with a two guard front and in a 2-1-2 configuration.- I would have your one bring the ball up the sideline HARD ... and then reverse it to the other guard looking to get the ball into the middle.... once you get it there, he should pivot and face the basket,... you should have numbers to attack.

If this is a youth program I don't understand the value of playing zones let alone trapping younger kids. JMO

Thanks!
Part of it is my fault, I have ingrained positioning so much into my players that they immediately run to their assigned spots on the floor and don't think to help the point in such cases. :-)

We have a game tonight, if the other team moves their defense up, we'll try that.


Mark

PS, last year my son was the point on a 10U team (I wacthed last year and didn't coach), and one team played a 3 -1-1 half court press the entire game. I don't think Zach's team scored a point the entire game. Very frustrating to watch.

That's a shame.... no way should they be doing that with that age group... that's thinking more about winning than it is teaching the kids how to play the game. They should be teaching them how to play m2m defense.

Totally agree...'course this was the same coach that had his son playing in 10U when, while he was within the age bracket, was/is about 5'11+ at 10years of age. Needless to say, they went undefeated.

a 2-1-2 set up will break most half court traps set up by guys who care about nothing but winning. Most of the time their best players are up top so if you can get it to the middle and attack the back guys you should have a lay up drill.

We play in a league that doesnt allow pressing until the end of the game - last 2 minutes. It is funny at our last game we were down by 10 and the team we were playing starting pressing. When I confronted the coach about it, he said his team needed the practice. Gotta love it

Sheesh! that's crazy.
You can only press in the fourth quarter here, and if you are ahead by 10 or more points you are not allowed to press.
What alwasy kills me is the coaches that let the score get to 50-3 or something outlandish like that

Although I havent had it happen to me yet- and I know it is coming, I have seen a 35-1 and a 35-0 score this year. A lot of what goes on in our area is the selection process of the kids

I guess if the folks running the league refuse to do anything about it there is not much you can do. There is not enough practice time to learn all the skills needed to play plus try and learn to break a half court trap. Arrogant adults creating arrogant children and we wonder why society is the way it is.

It sounds like youre a good coach who cares about teaching. You should be commended and trust that you will have kids that become better players or at least and probably most important good kids with character in the future.

Yep, sad but true.
Thanks! We've another game tonight, if the other team tries the half court pressure, hopefully I'll be ready and be able to get the kids ready! :-)

What I would love, not that it's ever going to happen, would be for someone who is a real coach to "coach" me during a tight game and critique my decisions. :-)

Guys,

Those coaches that run up scores - press - play zones at the youth level should change jobs, be a brick layer or something. They got this WIN WIN mentality.... sure, everyone wants to win but how about teaching the kids how to play the game and have some FUN.

Sorry for the rant but I get all wound up when I read stuff like this.

Have someone tape your game and put it on you tube or something and Jeff / Joe or myself (to name a few) might bee able to comment. Its tough if you're not there in person.

Good luck and keep doing the right thing.