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

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

ICYMI: Last week we released our 2nd "SG Socal Coaches Summit" clinic video featuring Coach Tom Bialaszewski's presentation on "Building an Offensive Identity." View the full newsletter HERE.​

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: Darren Savino - UCLA's Defensive Concepts & Drills​

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Lassi Tuovi {Finland NT & Yokohama B-Corsairs}

🥇Best of the Week: Floppy & Zone Offense​

​

"Uncomfortable teams shoot a low percentage."

One of the standout sessions from our first annual "SG SoCal Coaches Summit" was led by UCLA Associate Head Coach, Darren Savino, who presented on UCLA's concepts and drills designed to teach defensive pressure. Coach Savino has been at UCLA Head Coach, Mick Cronin's, side from Murray State, to Cincinnati, and now UCLA and the duo have consistently built some of the top defensive teams in the nation, applying pressure across the entire court. With a strong focus on ball and lane pressure, Coach Savino explains the techniques, drills, and philosophies UCLA believes in to build their defensive identity.

Coach Savino took to the court at the Coaches Summit to demonstrate how UCLA builds their defensive identity from warm-ups to Scramble Drills. Here are a few key takeaways from today's clinic...

Gap Integrity & Blind Drives

Being one pass away, Coach Savino illustrates UCLA's preference for players to have a strong presence in the pass lane, adopting an open stance to the ball with their outside foot and hand held high in the lane.

Zooming In: A large component of their gap pressure relies on the defender's ability to read the drive. As shown above, if the ballhandler maintains vision on the court, the defender in the lane will bluff and recover back to their matchup. The initial pass line help should be in line with their assignment, ensuring that upon recovery, they remain in the passing lane. However, if the ballhandler is attacking blind, the defender in the lane will be empowered to attack the dribble...

Zooming In: As Coach Savino discusses, a key element of UCLA's ability to strip the ball is their technique of using two hands for the steal. A two-hand strip is less likely to be called a foul compared to a one-hand swipe.

In UCLA's ongoing pursuit to keep their opponents uncomfortable and off balance, they use these build-up drills not only to develop technique, but also to reinforce game scenarios where the defense must take calculated risks to attack the ball. Often, these scenarios are non-negotiables; if a ballhandler is driving blindly into an occupied gap, the defender is expected to go.

Steal the Spin

"Steal the Spin" is a defensive strategy we have highlighted in the past, that involves an aggressive help rotation down from the top to attack a blind ballhandler attacking baseline.

Similarly in UCLA's defense, when a ballhandler attacks blindly to the baseline and is cut off by the on-ball defender, a teammate should be waiting on the spin to strip the ball with two hands.

The root of UCLA's ability to take these calculated risks lies in their capacity to pressure and hawk the ball. When ballhandlers are forced to play sped up, they often struggle to read open space or change pace effectively to exploit the defensive help.

Of course, these calculated risks don’t always result in direct steals, sometimes ballhandlers manage to maintain their composure. In these instances, when the offense has identified the help down, it’s crucial for the defense to have initially helped through the passing lane of their matchup to remain a deterrent against any passes out. Ideally, putting their hands up for a tip, but more often, they will be buying time for the defense to scramble after the pass.

It is at this point in the clinic that Coach Savino details a few of their favorite scramble drills. If UCLA wants to be aggressive and apply pressure all over the court, their defense must be trained to be comfortable in handling disadvantaged situations.

Hard Blitzing

To close the clinic, Coach Savino discusses the details of UCLA's PNR coverages, switching and hard blitzing. Coach Savino shares insights into how UCLA bounces out mismatches after the switch, along with their technique to plug the pocket pass with the guard defender while the big steps out on the ballhandler.

This is a similar strategy to one we have highlighted in the past, when we detailed new Memphis Grizzlies Assistant Coach, Tuomas Iisalo's, "Hedge and Plug" Defense...

For anyone who has enjoyed watching Mick Cronin's tough, stifling defense over the past years, this week's clinic with Coach Savino provides of variety of terrific teaching points that provide some of the key building blocks of their elite defense.

To watch Coach Darren Savino's presentation on UCLA's defensive philosophy and his insights on applying pressure before stepping on the court, visit SGTV...

Official Sponsor of "Start, Sub, or Sit?"

Imagine scouting opponents, validating on-court observations, and evaluating players with just a few clicks. Our partners at Just Play's latest innovation, AInsights, empowers you to do all that, tailoring reports to your specific needs in seconds. This is more than just data; it's your personalized narrative. AInsights puts you in control, letting you curate reports that focus on the metrics most relevant to your strategy. Don't settle for generic analytics – AInsights lets you craft the information you need to gain a decisive edge.

AInsights is a game-changer for coaches. It removes the analytical barrier, replacing it with a user-friendly interface and actionable insights. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a rising star, AInsights puts the power of advanced analytics at your fingertips, allowing you to optimize your scouting, refine your game plan, and ultimately, secure victories on the court.

If you are interested in learning more, go to justplaysolutions.com/slappinglass.​

Slappin' Glass Podcast

We sat down this week with the Finnish NT Head Coach, along with Head Coach of Japan's Yokohama B-Corsairs, Lassi Tuovi! In this highly detailed conversation the we explore Coach Tuovi's thoughts on modern offensive thoughts, playing smaller lineups, and discuss how to defend good ball movement and mentally refreshing as a coach during the always fun "Start, Sub, or Sit?!"

Listen to the entire conversation here...

Together with Hudl

We're proud to partner with one of the best tech companies in the world of sports, Hudl! Every play, every stat, every breakdown. On their own, they’re essential. But all together, they’re undeniable. Hudl recently introduced their newest product, Hudl Instat – a new advanced data platform that integrates with Sportscode and every Hudl product you rely on to create an all-in-one data powerhouse. Hudl Instat’s advanced tagging and next-level stat reports help you develop your team – and its global film library helps you find the missing piece to get the most out of every second of film. Visit ​hudl.com/slappinglass​ to learn more.

Tactical

📺 FC Barcelona - Multiple Floppy​

"A smart concept to take advantage of shooters capable of playing in motion, exhausting the screening action by triggering a second floppy on the pass back to the PG."

✚ Pair With: Another well designed floppy set to move the intended shooter around the court to set up an isolated pin down screen.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our Defensive Breakdown on the use of Stunts when defending Off Ball Screens.

​

📺 3-2 Zone Offense - Elbow Dive • Runner​

"Attacking the bottom row of defenders in the 3-2 Zone with an initial elbow dive cut to the rim, followed by a baseline stagger screen."

✚ Pair With: Attacking solely off the elbow dive to generate seals at the rim and closeouts on the perimeter.

🔒 SG Plus Content: One of our most popular defensive breakdowns, the 3-2 "Monster" Zone.

Interesting Reads

📚 One Defining Stat for Every NBA Team Heading Into the 2024-25 Season​

"With about a week to go until the new season tips off, let’s take a broad survey of the league by analyzing one key number that helps explain every team’s situation, for better or for worse."

​

📚 Oregon and Dan Lanning's "DNA Traits"​

“We talk about our DNA traits a lot,” Lanning told me. “… We took four months of sitting back, and saying, ‘Ok, what are our strengths, what are our weaknesses, what matters, and what’s going to equate to wins and success here at Oregon?’ Those DNA traits are connection, growth, toughness, and sacrifice.”

​

📚 What Makes a Person Seem Wise​

"There are two key characteristics. Reflective orientation is about people who think before acting, carefully consider different perspectives, and use logic and past experiences to guide their decisions. They’re the type of person who keeps their cool in difficult situations, taking time to weigh all the options before making a move."

​

Quote of the Week

​

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!

​