Exploring basketball's best ideas, strategies, and coaches around the world

Happy Sunday! Welcome to all the newest subscribers from around the world!

ICYMI: Last week, we explored another application of the Peel Switch, highlighting how it can be used to defend the Snake Dribble. Read the newsletter HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🏀 SG Plus Content: 2025 SGTV Most Viewed Defensive Breakdowns

🎧 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Sean Miller {Texas}

📣 Hudl Instat

📚 Interesting Reads

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Best of 2025...Defense

As we turn the page toward 2025, the next two weeks give us a chance to briefly look back at the concepts that defined our film work over the past year. This week, we’re revisiting the defensive breakdowns that drew the most attention from the Slappin’ Glass community, with a companion look at our most-viewed offensive breakdowns coming next week.

Below is a curated recap of our most-viewed SGTV Defensive Breakdowns of 2025, highlighting the ideas that coaches around the world spent the most time studying. Each concept is paired with the original video, newsletter, and additional supporting content.

Top 5 SGTV Most Viewed Defensive Breakdowns

🥇 Nova Southeastern - Press & Pace Concepts​

“Our look into perennial D2 national championship contender Nova Southeastern’s press and the calculated risks they use to create pace, including full-court frontals, ‘going-away’ traps, offensive rebounding, and more.”

✚ Pair With: Nova Southeastern's Snug DHO with the big in the dunker spot.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on sending a "Going Away" Traps after made baskets inbounded by the 5-Man.

🗞️ Newsletter​

🥈 Aaron Fearne - Tagging Up​

"Detailing Aaron Fearne's defensive transition and offensive rebounding concept of Tagging Up. Diving into the theory behind it and the benefits from it. As well as the teaching points required to execute it."

✚ Pair With: Our podcast with Coach Aaron Fearne on his Tagging Up system.

🗞️ Newsletter​

🥉 Joe Gallo - "No 3's" Zone Defense & Delay Press​

"Coach Joe Gallo's "No 3s" Zone Defense. The slides and responsibilities involved to take away 3 point attempts and turn the opponent over. Including how they react to various puncture situations."

✚ Pair With: For further study on Coach Gallo's zone defense, listen to our podcast with Coach Gallo.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Coach joined our "Film Room" to break down the Miami Heat’s zone defense and compare it to the principles behind his own.

🗞️ Newsletter​

​🏆 Defending the Short Roll - Peel Switching​

"A coordinated switching rotation to neutralize the corner cut and 45 slide on any short roll catch against aggressive ballscreen coverages."

✚ Pair With: Using the peel switch to plug backdoor cuts.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Using the peel switch to neutralize the snake dribble against a drop PNR coverage.

🗞️ Newsletter​

​🏆 Ballscreen X-Outs - Positioning & Execution​

"The positioning and execution of the ballscreen X-out to effectively split two behind the screen and minimize closeouts."

✚ Pair With: A few strategies to defend the Spanish Ballscreen.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on defending the Spanish PNR with a hedge and x-out on to the stack screener.

🗞️ Newsletter​

Honorable Mention

​Jump on the Pickup - Generating Steals in the PNR​​

"A defensive technique in the ballscreen to increase deflections and generate turnovers without compromising the coverage."

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on several techniques and tactics to generate steals without compromising your base coverages.

🗞️ Newsletter​

​Quick Show & "Hit" Ballscreen Coverage​

"An aggressive PNR coverage featuring a quick show by the big and an automatic hit from the loaded-side defender."

🔒 SG Plus Content: A technical breakdown on the recovery of the big man following the quick show.

🗞️ Newsletter​

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​After Quarter "Hits" - Stealing Possessions​

"Attacking an ATO coming out of the quarter or half by immediately trapping the ballhandler once the inbounder leaves to their position."

✚ Pair With: Podcast guest Nate Babcock{🎧} breaks down the analytical value of trapping on end-of-quarter and end-of-half possessions.

🔒 SG Plus Content: "Hitting" a perimeter mismatch post ballscreen switch.

🗞️ Newsletter​

​Jerrod Calhoun - Unique Matchup Zone Principles​

"Utah St. Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's 2025 Socal Coaches Clinic presentation on Program Building, Matchup Zone Principles and 5-Out Offense."

✚ Pair With: Our podcast conversation with Coach Calhoun on Defensive Fixes, ATO's, Film Sessions and more.

🔒 SG Plus Content: One of our all-time most viewed breakdowns, the 3-2 "Monster" Zone.

🗞️ Newsletter​

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Rounding out the Year

🧊 Switch to ICE - Defending Gaurd-to-Guard Handoffs​

↪🗞️ Newsletter​​​

🙌 Contesting without Fouling - Transition Verticals​

↪🗞️ Newsletter​

Thank you all for your continued support and if you have further questions or want to discuss any of these breakdowns with us please feel free to reach out at info@slappinglass.com.

Together with Dr. Dish

Imagine having your team’s entire development, training, and analytics in one place. That’s the Dr. Dish Training Management System — T-M-S — the ultimate coaching platform that transforms your shooting machine into a complete player-development engine. Track every rep, drill, and player. Assign custom workouts. View heat maps, leaderboards, and progress across your entire roster — all in one dashboard. Build accountability. Unlock smarter reps. And take full control of your team’s growth. Feed Your Fire at drdishbasketball.com.​

🎙 SG Classics: Sean Miller on Attacking Pressure, Playing the Gray Areas, and Building Real Advantage

As part of our SG Classics series, we’re revisiting one of our most detailed and practical conversations—our sit-down with Sean Miller, now Head Coach at Texas and one of the most thoughtful minds in the game when it comes to pressure, preparation, and in-game decision-making.

In this episode, Coach Miller breaks down how elite defensive teams use full-court pressure not just to force turnovers, but to shrink the clock, disrupt rhythm, and make the game feel uncomfortable—and more importantly, how offenses can fight back. From attacking the “gray area” after breaking the press, to teaching players when to strike versus when to flow, this conversation is packed with lessons born from both success and failure at the highest levels of college basketball

A major theme throughout the discussion is the idea of playing with purpose. Coach Miller explains why over-structuring against pressure often plays directly into the defense’s hands, and how empowering players with concepts—not constant resets—can tilt the game back in the offense’s favor. His “What Rule” (don’t ask what defense they’re in—read it and play) is a powerful framework for helping players stay aggressive, connected, and confident when chaos is the goal of the defense.

The conversation also expands into offensive rebounding vs. transition defense, modern drag screens, purposeful cross-matching, and how to maximize players who may give you more on one side of the ball than the other. It’s a masterclass in balancing control with trust—and systems with feel.

📌 What You’ll Learn

• How elite pressure defenses use the shot clock as a weapon—and how offenses should respond
• The difference between attacking advantage and flowing when no advantage exists
• Why trying to “reset” after breaking pressure often hurts more than it helps
• Sean Miller’s “What Rule” and how it simplifies offensive decision-making
• Practical ways to structure press offense without over-coaching it
• How to teach players to attack pressure with purpose, not panic
• Transition defense priorities and why Miller often favors getting guards back over crashing the glass
• Modern challenges defending drag screens and fast, flowing transition offenses
• Purposeful cross-matching: when it helps, when it hurts, and what it costs elsewhere
• How to leverage offensive specialists while protecting them defensively
• Why patience with certain player profiles can raise a team’s overall ceiling

This SG Classic is a reminder that the best answers to pressure aren’t always new plays—but clear principles, shared language, and confident players who know when to strike.

If you’re preparing for teams that want to speed you up, slow you down, or live in between—this episode belongs in your rotation.

Together with Hudl

Hudl Powers Every Possession

If you’re already using tools like FastDraw, FastScout, or FastRecruit—you know how essential they are to your workflows. And now that they’re fully part of the Hudl ecosystem, they’re more powerful than ever. From film and play diagrams to scouting reports and custom recruiting boards, everything flows together. One system. Built for high-performance programs.

​Learn more about Hudl and their variety of products or subscribers to Slappin' Glass can also directly email Winston Jones of Hudl at winston.jones@hudl.com.

Interesting Reads

📚 The Most Useful Rules and Razors I've Found​

Munger's Law: • Never allow yourself to have an opinion on a subject unless you can state the opposing argument better than the opposition can. Steelman Arguments > Strawman Arguments

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📚 Life is Short​

One heuristic for distinguishing stuff that matters is to ask yourself whether you'll care about it in the future. Fake stuff that matters usually has a sharp peak of seeming to matter. That's how it tricks you. The area under the curve is small, but its shape jabs into your consciousness like a pin.

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📚 The Annual Planning Guide​

Today, I'll share my ​Annual Planning Guide​, which will arm you with the structure and tools you need to make 2026 your best year yet.

This guide covers the three components of my process:

1. Goal-Setting Framework
2. Three System Building Mental Models
3. Strategy for Tracking & Adjusting

Quote of the Week

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Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan, Pat, and Eric

info@slappinglass.com

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