In 1914, Eli Camden "Cam" Henderson's Bristol High School first used a 3–2 zone defense against Clair Bee's team, Grafton YMCA, in West Virginia. The widespread use of the 2–3 zone is likely due to its somewhat intuitive operation. Be aware that you may get burned when running this trap. The weak-side forward (3) should be a few steps up the lane preparing to pick off any skip passes the player with the ball might make. Henderson developed this style of basketball successfully at Davis & Elkins College, before moving on to coach at Marshall University. If it works, it works. 3. The zone presented here is a match up 2-3 zone and it is suitable in breaking opponent's rhytm. The weak-side guard (1) should be near the closest elbow if there’s no player in the high post, or denying the pass to the player in the post from the high side. Stress to your players that the steal doesn’t often come directly from the trapping players, it comes from the interception by the other defenders. The weak-side forward (4) must now look after the paint. The weak-side guard is denying the high post. This can lead to easy put-back shots or the kick outside to open shooters. Who’s the shooters? The 2-3 zone defense is the most commonly used zone defense, designed to stop the inside game. Offense Chooses Matchups – Though there will always be great help if they get beaten off the dribble, if the offense want to match their best player up against your worst player every time down the floor, they can. As the opposing team moves with the basketball around the court, the zone as a whole shifts accordingly. The offensive player with the ball is forced to make a very long and high pass in order to get the ball to a teammate if the trap is performed correctly. Play a patient zone with minimal traps. Either way, there will always be gaps and a zone will allow more offensive opportunities than a man-to-man. Decide how many players will crash the boards. When a player in the zone is shifting, that player should look to fill in gaps of space vacated by other shifting players and also guard offensive players in that space. Any team can use the 2-3 zone defense, you just have to adjust how you run the zone to best suit your personnel which we’ll talk about later on in the article. 3. I prefer to channel the ball towards the baseline as this makes it harder to pass to the high post and forces the offensive player towards our bigger defenders. Most coaches will only have a couple of practices to prepare themselves for your 2-3 zone defense. Players must communicate screens, cutters, bumping, who’s got the player with the basketball, etc. You can choose for the guard to sag into the lane, allowing the simple pass from the corner to the wing while preventing the pass inside or dribble penetration. Also situations against the pick n … So much so, in fact, that ideally no defensive players should be on the left side of the court at all, because it would require several passes, or a long pass(skip pass) through the defense to get the ball to the left side. Yes, you’ll win more games in youth basketball. This is a surprise trap and should only be used a couple of times per game. The widespread use of the 2–3 zone is likely due to its somewhat intuitive operation. Occasionally as a surprise, if needed. Should you deny the ball to a certain player? The 2–1–2 concept is used when the other team runs cutters to break down the zone. This page was last edited on 9 September 2020, at 08:58. In the same way, a team's forwards guard the sides of the zone and its center guards the lane and center of the defense. So I saved explaining it until we got to the section on traps. The individuals that make up a 2–3 zone are often described as "being on a string." As for the trapping, I don't think you limit trapping to a type of defense. 2. 2. When this happens the other guard is now in charge of denying the high post while the on-ball defender puts pressure on the point guard. The 2-3 zone is also effective against poor outside shooting teams. Structure when ball is on the wing and the corner is free. It is very difficult to target just one defensive player in the 2–3 because the zone is always shifting and players work together. Since the weak-side guard is denying the high post, it’s a long way to recover if there is a skip pass thrown. … Whichever guard is closest to the ball handler must call out ‘Ball!’ or ‘Mine!’ to prevent confusion. The on-ball guard (2) should be in either a neutral stance or forcing the ball towards the baseline depending on the coaches preference. Here we’re going to discuss the different types of traps you can use in a 2-3 zone and I’ll also include how often I think you should use each one. The 2–3 zone is a very effective defense when executed properly. The center has the toughest job and must try and predict where the pass will be made and play the ball accordingly. Before we get into the particulars of the zone, I want to share with you the four crucial aspects of an effective zone. Should you immediately trap a certain player every time they touch the ball? The top two guards (1 and 2) must sprint at the ball-handler with high hands to prevent easy passes over the top and then trap him aggressively. Having an athletic O3 who can jump and finish inside is key. Corner structure with the 2 guard sagging in. This consists of two guards at the top of the key, positioned at the elbows and three forwards down in the paint; 2 post players are on the blocks and 1 player guards the middle. This is accomplished by the center basically never leaving … The 2–3 zone defense is a defensive strategy used in basketball as an alternative to man-to-man defense. The center (5) immediately sprints up to play the ball. The offensive team could end up with an easy layup. Although, if you have a smaller team, you might require everyone to crash the boards. Structure when there is a player in the corner. As a result, defenses often have a better idea of what to expect from the offensive team when playing a zone defense. The ball-side forward (4) should be in the short corner or fronting the low post player if there is one. The center (5) must front on the post when the ball is in the corner. Although it is a zone defense, players should always be aware of the offensive players' locations on the floor. The weak-side forward is up the lane getting ready to pick off the skip pass. It is referred to as the 2–3 because of its formation on the court, which consists of two players at the front of the defense (closer to half court) and three players behind (closer to the team's basket). Protects the Paint – The 2-3 zone is a great defense to keep the ball as far away from the hoop as possible. 2. See Al Marshall's Aggressive 2-3 Zone Defense and 2-3 Zone Defense. The main reason for this is that the 3-2 zone hard denies the wings from the top of the key and forces the opposition to initiate offense with a skip pass to the corner or to play through the mid-range. I’m not going to get into depth on the topic in this article (I’ll save that for a later post), instead, if you want to read further on the subject, read this article from Breakthrough Basketball and make sure to watch the video by Stan Van Gundy. The second guard takes the first pass using bump help from the forwards and then the point guard falls back into their position. Trapping is very effective for a zone defense. 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