The flexibility to stunt and get well fuels among the finest defenses in school basketball – the Aztecs of San Diego State.
There’s a defensive juggernaut out West. No, not in Lubbock, Texas. Though the Texas Tech Crimson Raiders are fairly the defensive unit.
Additional out West within the land of surf and solar you’ll discover one of many nastiest, grittiest defenses in all of faculty basketball – the San Diego State Aztecs.
Led by fifth-year head coach Brian Dutcher, the Aztecs enter the NCAA Event because the quantity two defensive unit within the land per the adjusted defensive effectivity rankings (kenpom.com). The Aztecs earned a #8 seed within the Midwest Regional the place they’ll face the Creighton Bluejays within the opening spherical.
This yr isn’t any one-off. The Aztecs have ranked within the High 20 of the defensive effectivity metrics the final three seasons.
Within the video above, the Aztecs’ defensive prowess is on full show. There are a lot of issues they do nicely.
There are some well timed switches on ball screens. The workforce shrinks area by moving into the defensive gaps. As a unit, they do a terrific job contesting pictures each on the perimeter and on the rim. They transfer when the ball strikes. Closeouts power dribblers into assist. All of those traits and extra contribute to their defensive excellence.
What we’ll take a look at extra carefully and particularly, although, is the SDSU stunt and get well tactic.
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Stunt and Recuperate
A key to the Aztec protection is its skill to stunt and get well. The well-timed stunt permits the protection to shrink area and get well again to the perimeter. Let’s study the anatomy of a stunt.
In Fig. 1 above, we see a diagram of a stunt and get well from the nook defender (X2). San Diego State positions defenders in “flat triangles” shrinking hole area. As Participant 1 drives, X2 shuffles one step IN. Stunting in additional than a step makes you too weak to the drive-and-kick three.
The restoration is 2 steps OUT. Get to the shooter and contest the shot or power the drive to the assistance. Recuperate with urgency.
I wish to analogize this to a base runner in baseball. The bottom runner takes a lead off first base. Don’t stray too removed from the bag otherwise you’ll get picked off! Getting picked off can be analogous to stunting in to this point which you could’t get again out to the shooter (the bag). Right here’s a stunt and get well on a center drive.
Participant 1 drives center. X2 is in assist and takes another step in to shrink the area then recovers with two large steps out to the shooter. One step in, two steps out.
Double Stunt
Crew protection requires belief and togetherness. The “double stunt” is an instance of this. Check out the Unfold Ball Display screen instance in Fig. 3 beneath.
In Body 1, X4 and X2 type the “helpside I” with X4 being the “High I” and X2 as “Low I.” X4 has a easy commandment – defend the “nail” – the little dot within the middle of the free throw line. Permit no penetration over the nail.
In Body 2, X4 stunts one step in to seal the drive. This forces the move out to 4.
Whereas X4 is making the 2 large, quick steps out to get to the shooter, X2 is stunting at 4 to dissuade the shot. In the event that they over-commit they’re weak to the additional move. We simply want an aggressive stunt at 4 then get again to your man.
Trusting that X2 will stunt and purchase time, X4 can stunt in to seal the drive over the nail.
Drilling the Stunt and Recuperate
The timing that goes into stunting and recovering is greatest practiced in dwell settings. Right here’s a easy drill to work on stunting and recovering on the center drive.
- Body 1 – Coach has a ball with offense on the wings. Two defenders within the paint, shut sufficient to the touch. Coach could move to both wing, play is then dwell.
- Body 2 – X2 closes out, X1 strikes to assist positioning
- Body 3 – Participant 2 drives center. X1 stunts and recovers – one step in to squeeze the area, two laborious quick steps out to contest the shot.
Will SDSU’s Protection Translate to NCAA Event Success?
The Aztecs face a tall activity. Making it out of the primary two rounds would require they shut down Creighton then doubtless face top-seeded Kansas within the second spherical. The Jayhawks are quantity six within the nation in adjusted offensive effectivity. Ought to they meet, that will take a look at this defensive unit to the max.
Each the Bluejays and the Jayhawks will discover area laborious to seek out and gaps laborious to penetrate when and in the event that they face this well-schooled defensive unit from out West.
Randy Sherman is the proprietor and founding father of Radius Athletics – a basketball teaching consulting agency – the place he consults with basketball coaches in any respect ranges on teaching philosophy, follow planning, Xs & Os and instructing a conceptual fashion of basketball. Whereas a head basketball coach on the the interscholastic stage, Sherman’s groups gained 197 video games in 9 seasons.