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

Happy Sunday and welcome to all the new subscribers from around the world!

ICYMI: Last week, we examined how big men can assist their smaller guards on penetration by using a well-timed seal to eliminate rim protection. Read the full newsletter HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: After Quarter Hits - Stealing Possessions​

🎧 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Brittany Loney {Elite Cognition}

🥇 Best of the Week: Zone Screening & Shooting 4-Men​

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After Quarter "Hits"

As basketball seasons enter the final stretch, many of us will undoubtedly find ourselves in tightly contested, single-possession games. Among the many factors critical to late-season success, winning the possession battle stands out as a key determinant. In these matchups, the ability to generate extra possessions—whether through offensive rebounding, creating two-for-one opportunities, forcing turnovers (or limiting them) —can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Chief among these strategies for winning the possession battle is defensive pressure—specifically, a well-timed trap to tip the balance in a team's favor. As we discussed on the podcast a few months back with Texas MBB Assistant Coach, Frank Haith {🎧}, trapping to steal a possession or two doesn’t need to be a core element of your defensive identity to be effective; rather, it can be deployed opportunistically when the right situations arise - a calculated gamble where sending a trap on the ball can catch the offense off guard and unprepared to punish the aggression.

One such instance we've highlighted in a previous deep dive occurs when opponents routinely inbound made baskets through their center, creating an opportunity for the defensive center to spring a trap {🔒} on the point guard as they begin to advance the ball up the court.

Zooming In: After the inbound pass, the opposing big is often instructed to sprint up the court. By leaving a defensive big in the backcourt instead of retreating, an advantageous trapping situation is created when the inbound-passing big sprints past the ball. With the big running away, the ballhandler is left isolated in the backcourt while the remaining perimeter players are out of position, focused on getting to their offensive spots. This creates a brief window of vulnerability that the defense can exploit.

Another potential opportunity for the defense to spring a trap in the backcourt and gain an extra possession (and what we'll dive into today) can arise directly after a quarter or halftime break. With opponents often coming out of the break focused on getting into position to execute a designed set, the defense can disrupt the flow and throw the possession into chaos with an aggressive trap immediately after the inbounds. This sudden pressure can catch the offense off-guard, leading to turnovers, rushed decision, or unpredictable shots, giving the defense a valuable extra possession while also maintaining the just flipped possession arrow in their favor...

Zooming In: Similar in execution to a Made Basket Trap off the 5-man, once the inbounder begins to vacate or move away after their pass, the defender is triggered to immediately jump the ballhandler.

Zooming In 2.0: The key to maximizing success here is for the defender on the ball to force the point guard's catch near the sideline and keep them in the outer third of the court, preventing the point guard from centering the ball. Additional emphasis should be placed on rotating a third defender up to cover the inbounder, taking away the easy release pass.

Disjointed Possessions

Obviously, if the trap yields a steal, the defense can successfully turn around a situation that started as a disadvantage—beginning the quarter without possession and, from an analytical standpoint, already conceding a potential point expectation—into a gained possession and potential score. However, with both of these trapping strategies, neither is an all-or-nothing approach, as both offer unforeseen advantages even if a steal isn't secured.

Zooming In: Referring back to sending a made-basket trap off the 5-man, the opportunistic nature of the trap often catches the remaining three offensive players out of position to offer pressure releases. With the trap preventing the point guard from initiating the offense and distorting spacing as the offense searches for outlets, finding solutions to exploit the advantage is not as straightforward as it might seem.

As is always the case after a quarter or halftime break, opponents will likely have a well-drawn-up action designed to exploit a matchup, take advantage of a defensive tendency, or create a familiar, high-quality shot for a key player. By immediately trapping the point guard on the catch, the defense disrupts this plan, forcing the offense into a scramble situation rather than executing their designed set. This puts pressure on the offense to maintain spacing, make quick decisions, and generate quality shots under duress.

Zooming In: As shown above, the offense is able to convert a basket on the possession. However, don't judge the merits of the trap based solely on the result. The defense successfully forces the offense into an early, contested mid-range pull-up—an attempt that, while successful in this case, is not the type of shot an offense ideally wants in a well-executed play.

The trap's real value lies in its ability to disrupt the offensive flow and force players into unpredictable shots. Yes, you may concede an uncontested shot out of the trap, but a real distinction should be made between a predictable, generated shot and an unpredictable catch-and-shoot opportunity. The latter forces the offense to react in real-time, often under pressure, leading to shots taken by less-than-ideal shooters or players in unfamiliar spots and positions. These shots are typically taken under unusual circumstances, with little to no offensive rebounding presence to recover the miss, increasing the likelihood of a successful defensive stop. If a shooter's lack of adaptability is exposed, will they even be able to convert an open attempt, given the unusual nature of the situation thrust upon them by the defensive trap?

As every possession matters, deploying a well-timed trap can be a game-changer in the possession battle. By disrupting the offense’s flow and forcing them into uncomfortable, unpredictable situations, the defense can gain crucial possessions and turn the tide of a close game.

For much more, including using the Hit to disguise a zone, SG+ Members can enjoy this week's newest deep dive on SGTV today...

Together with Dr Dish

This February secure your own Dr. Dish CT+ for as low as $3,900 down when using Dr. Dish’s Buy Now, Pay Later payment plan options. These plans are for schools only and have zero interest, no monthly payments, and no hidden fees.

Slappin' Glass Podcast

We sat down this week with the Founder and CEO of Elite Cognition, Brittany Loney! In this highly interesting conversation the we dive into all things about improving group excellence and decision making, and discusses coaching through volatility and uncertainty, and optimizing the planner during the always fun "Start, Sub, or Sit?!"

Together with Hudl

The transfer portal has changed the landscape of college basketball and professional scouting and Hudl Instat is here to help. Find and scout the future of your team with robust search tools, then keep track of your prospects on a virtual board. You can access all of your prospects' recent games and highlight videos as soon as they are uploaded right from your office. With video from over 460 international basketball competitions, you can rest assured that the perfect player for your program is just a click away. Visit Hudl to get started today.

Tactical

📺 Screening Out the Zone - Baseline Overload​

"Creating a baseline overload with a ballscreen to leverage the numerical advantage and screen out the bottom two defenders."

✚ Pair With: Spain NT Head Coach, Sergio Scariolo, screening out the side of a 2-3 Zone for a shooter.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our defensive breakdowns on the 2-3 "Triple Switching" Zone and a 1-3-1 Trap to 2-3 Zone.

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📺 Zipper • Step Up - Flip Screen • Pin Down 4​

"Clever use of the flip screen to return the ballhandler to the full side, followed by a quick-hitting pin-down screen for the 4-man."

✚ Pair With: Another deceptive set for a shooting 4-man, this time bringing them out off a corner exit screen from the 5-Man.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on various cutting and screening concepts around the ballscreen.

Interesting Reads

📚 Can Pat Riley Build One Last Contender?​

The Godfather is facing arguably his greatest challenge yet. In the wake of the Jimmy Butler trade, and at 79 years old, can Riley construct one more title team in Miami and win a 10th ring?
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📚 Adaptability Over Ideology: How Carlo Ancelotti Has Redefined Leadership​

First, Ancelotti believes that football is played by human beings, not cogs in a machine or data points on a graph. And human beings require an emotional connection with their work, you can’t stay good at something without it. “It is my responsibility to help the players stay in love [with football],” he wrote in the preface of his autobiography Quiet Leadership. “If I can do this, then I am happy.” Ancelotti’s teams may not have rigid tactics, but they do have a temperament derived from his humane interpretation of professionalism.

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📚 50 Years of Travel Tips​

The rate you go is not determined by how fast you walk, bike or drive, but by how long your breaks are. Slow down. Take lots of breaks. The most memorable moments—conversations with amazing strangers, an invite inside, a hidden artwork—will usually happen when you are not moving.

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Quote of the Week

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Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan and Pat

info@slappinglass.com

We're proud to partner with the leading Sports Travel company in the basketball world, Beyond Sports! Follow the link above to learn more about why more than 600 universities have trusted Beyond Sports for their team's foreign trips. Let them know Slappin' Glass sent you!

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