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

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

ICYMI:Last week we looked at Czech club Nymburk’s use of middle-third stampedes out of step-up ballscreens and when attacking switches. Read the full newsletter HERE.

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This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: Post Defense - Double on the Cut​

🎧 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Justin Leslie {Westmont}

📢 Dr. Dish: Up to $4,000 Off​

🥇 Best of the Week: 5 Out Delay & Second Side Seals​

📋 Coaches Corner: Joe Gallo's 2-3 Zone & Matt Painter's "Jammer"

Let's dive in...

Double on the Cut

In combing back through our content library over the past few weeks, we noticed a small hole in our coverage on SGTV: post defense doubling strategies. Like a young guard who refuses to make a pass into the post, it wasn’t intentional—we just didn’t see it. But the post-up game is still here, still powering offenses, and still drawing doubles. Look no further than our recent Film Room Breakdown with Grace College Assistant Coach, Stephen Halstead {🔒}, who detailed their use of post-ups by a variety of players on their roster.

So, in the spirit of fairness, we’re setting out over the next few months to explore a range of defensive doubling strategies teams can use when dealing with a dominant post presence or a tough matchup down low.

To kick off our coverage, we’ll start with a less commonly used but opportunistic strategy: jumping the post player off the post entry passer’s space clearing cut. Execution, of course, depends heavily on the opponent’s automatics, whether they clear space with a rim cut through the elbow or screen away at the elbow after the entry pass. But when preparing for an opponent, if they do opt to cycle the passer through to create space and isolate the post player, this strategy can opportunistically capitalize on the offense’s tendency to go through the motions off the ball, allowing defenders to jump an unsuspecting big preparing to go to work.

Zooming In: In the constant battle between the offense trying to create space and the defense trying to take it away, if the post player is truly a threat, the defense can avoid conceding space by jumping off the cutter to hard double on the ball, instead of blindly following the cut to the opposite side of the floor.

Key to Success

The primary challenge when doubling off the cutter is ensuring that the cutter is picked up at the rim after their defender leaves to double the post. Ideally, with strong pressure on the post, the big should be preoccupied with securing the ball and navigating the double team, making it harder to locate and hit the cutter. Still, since the cutter is left so close to the rim, the weakside defenders must be ready to rotate early and protect the basket as their teammate commits to the double.

Once the post is doubled and the rim is covered, the rest becomes a scramble on any kick-out passes. As often happens when the passer cuts to the rim, the next nearest offensive players slides over to fill the vacated space, this easy kick-out pass should be taken away. This leaves two defenders on the backside covering three players and forces a calculated risk, sometimes conceding long skip passes to the corner. Once the ball is kicked out, the doubling defender must then re-enter the scramble.

Opportunistic Aggression

What stands out about this strategy, as well as others we've highlighted in the past, is its opportunistic nature. With the right level of aggression and understanding of the moments when the offense is vulnerable, the risk versus reward ratio can tilt in favor of the defense. For example, doubling the post when the cutter invades the post player’s space, or when a ballhandler attacks the baseline blind to help from the backside...

Zooming In: We've detailed the "Spin the Steal" {🔒} concept before on SGTV, alongside UCLA Associate Head Coach, Darren Savino’s, excellent SG Coaches Summit clinic {🔒} on how UCLA drills this habit in practice.

Another common vulnerability appears within today’s pace-driven offenses, where wings and guards are instructed to sprint up the floor and fill the corners to establish early spacing. As a result, a less dynamic, non-ballhandling big can often be left to inbound after a made basket This creates another moment where, if the defense is properly dialed in, it can spring a "going-away" trap on the lone ballhandler in the backcourt {🔒}.

With so many games coming down to a handful of key possessions, having a well-prepared scout to cue moments of defensive aggression, or built-in habits that elevate defensive aggression, can make the difference in stealing a few extra stops over the course of a game. To see this post doubling strategy in full detail, along with game clips and breakdowns, SG+ Members can now view the full video on SGTV.

Together with Dr. Dish

For a limited time only, our friends at Dr. Dish are giving you up to $4,000 off their entire professional lineup of shooting machines. Score up to $4,000 in savings when you purchase a Dr. Dish CT+, All-Star+, or Rebel+ before 5/31/25. But don’t wait一Inventory is going FAST.

Slappin' Glass Podcast

We sat down this week with newly hired Head Coach of Westmont College, after a successful tenure at Midwestern State, Justin Leslie! In this highly insightful conversation we explore Coach Leslie's thoughts on creating an adaptable offense, simplifying actions, attacking through the middle third of the floor, and discuss how guards can anchor a defense, and valuable career growth advice during the always fun "Start, Sub, or Sit?!"

Together with Hudl

If you’ve used FastDraw, FastScout, or FastRecruit before, you should know: they’re now part of the Hudl family. That means tighter integrations with Sportscode, access to Instat data, and a cleaner workflow across your whole program. It’s everything you’ve come to expect from Fastmodel—just better connected. Learn more about what Hudl and Fastmodel are building together! Subscribers to Slappin' Glass can also directly email Winston Jones of Hudl at winston.jones@hudl.com.

Tactical

📺 5 Out Delay - Flare Slip • Gut Screen​

"A flare slip entry to an empty-side ballscreen, with a gut screen on the weak side to isolate the ballscreen and attack the low tag."

✚ Pair With: Another Delay Flare entry with the shooter slipping the flare screen to come off a stagger screen.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdowns on the Delay Flare Slip entry.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Newly hired Arkansas State Head Coach, Ryan Pannone's, "Film Room" on modern 5 Out Motion.

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📺 Second Side Seals - Attacking the Switch​

"Coach Zico Coronel explaining the advantages in flowing through 2nd side action before attacking the switch."

✚ Pair With: Attacking an unsuspecting post defender with the Iverson Loop Cut.

🎧 Pair With: Our conversation with Pro Coach, Zico Coronel, on Shot Thresholds, Under-Performing Players and Selecting a Tactical-Strategy.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our breakdown on the use of the "Hot Stove" Screen in punishing the ballscreen switch.

Interesting Reads

📚 Culture is the Last 50 Days​

Culture simply happens. It's emergent behavior. There's nothing to do, it just is. A company's culture is a 50-day moving average. It's what you've been collectively doing as a company over the last 50 days.
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📚 How Strong Leaders Speak (11 Powerful Phrases)​

9) “Your hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.”​
Recognizes their contributions and shows they’re valued. People are more motivated when they know their effort matters; this simple acknowledgment can have a lasting impact on morale.

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📚 How to Work Hard​

The only way to find the limit is by crossing it. Cultivate a sensitivity to the quality of the work you're doing, and then you'll notice if it decreases because you're working too hard. Honesty is critical here, in both directions: you have to notice when you're being lazy, but also when you're working too hard. And if you think there's something admirable about working too hard, get that idea out of your head. You're not merely getting worse results, but getting them because you're showing off — if not to other people, then to yourself.

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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