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

Happy Father's Day and welcome to all the new SG subscribers from around the world!

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Today at a Glance:

🏀 ICYMI: Last Sunday we looked at the UConn's "Swing Thru" & "Diamond" Series. Particularly how they used Jordan Hawkins in creative actions to free him as the primary target or use his gravity to free rollers. View the breakdown HERE.

📺 SGTV: The 3-2 "Monster" Zone {🔒}

🎤 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Ryan Schmidt {London Lions}

🥇Best of the Week: BLOB RIPs & Attacking a 3-2 Zone​

📋 Coaches Corner: Peel Switch Drills {🔒}

Let's dive in...

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A Monster Frankenstein Would Be Proud Of

*Special thanks to our newest partner, the world leader in international sport tours, Beyond Sports! Hear more about Beyond Sports and why over 650 universities and programs have trusted them for their international tours in this week's podcast! More to come on this partnership.

As far as we can tell, famous "Frankenstein" author, Mary Shelley, was not a coach. The HoopDirt archives don't quite stretch back far enough to be certain. But, what she likely lacked in her grasp of backside tags and Modern "Delay" action, she surely makes up for in her understanding of human psychology and that things we don't understand can keep us up at night.

Thus, she may be smiling from somewhere beyond when hearing of the 3-2 "Monster" Zone teams have been implementing to disorient, frustrate, and neutralize opponents this year.

Much like a press, a well-executed zone can be an effective tool in dictating tempo and/or challenging the offense to consistently expend a tremendous amount of energy to generate points. As we all witnessed with the Miami Heat's recent playoff run to the NBA Finals, a well-timed zone can stymie an offense and enable teams to overcome more talented opponents. In the past we have looked at a few highly effective and unique zone coverages in Joe Gallo's No "3's" Zone and Igor Milicic's Match Up Zone. Today we're adding the creative 3-2 "Monster" Zone to that list being played across Europe.

What is the "Monster" Zone?

Simply, it's a 3-2 zone, which morphs into a 2-3 zone look as the ball moves from the top of the perimeter to the corners. The term "Monster" denotes the big/forward positioned at the top of the zone, whose responsibility is to mirror the ball both up and down from that high starting position to the elbow and block as the ball is passed along the perimeter, consistently positioning themself at the level of the ball. To start, here is an example how the "Monster" morphs the zone from a 3-2 into a 2-3 in reaction to the location of the ball...

Zooming In: Like any good horror flick, where, through frustrating dumb/slow decisions, the protagonists can never outrun the ever-present "Monster". In similar fashion, the "Monster" at the top of this zone lurks at all times, effectively plugging gaps, cutting off penetration, and neutralizing pick-and-rolls.

To see why this zone (and our stubbornness in over-using a 200-year old literary reference to make a point) won't die, let's take a closer look at a few of the "Monster's" key decisions and responsibilities within the coverage.

"Monster" Responsibility #1 - Plugging Gaps

At the onset of the possession, the "Monster" will squarely match up with the ball at the top as the offense begins their flow. The key responsibility is not necessarily ball pressure, but rather to prevent any direct line pass from the top into the high post with the wings flanking the elbows. Once the ball moves to the wings the "Monster's" first rotation will be to drop to the strong side high post...

Zooming In: This defensive coverage requires the "Monster" defender to always be the first line of help. Therefore, it is crucial to know where to force the ball when defending or closing out on the perimeter in relation to the "Monster" position. When the ball is above the 3-point break line, the perimeter defenders aim to funnel the ball towards the middle where the "Monster" waits in the gap.

Zooming In 2.0: Another essential technique in this coverage is the use of lane closeouts. With the "Monster" always positioned in the paint, dribble penetration becomes less of a threat compared to extra passes around the perimeter. Shown above, when the ball is swung back to the top, the wing defender prevents the next obvious swing pass, aware that the driving lane is being plugged by the "Monster."

"Monster" Responsibility #2 - Baseline Penetration

When the ball moves from the 45 to the corner, the "Monster" defender will drop to the strong-side block, transforming the shape of the zone into a 2-3. It's worth noting that a vulnerability of a 3-2 zone is drives from the corner, as offenses can exploit favorable matchups against a slower-footed big closing out. With this in mind, the direction in which the zone forces penetration will shift from the middle to the baseline.

Zooming In: Rather than giving up the middle and opening up the whole court, it is to the defense's advantage in the corner to force baseline, closing off the court and allowing the baseline to act as an additional defender while the "Monster" drops to contest at the rim.

Zooming In 2.0: Undoubtedly, the most demanding aspect of this coverage for the "Monster" defender is the requirement to move swiftly from the top to the block in order to effectively protect the paint. However, by assigning the "Monster" as the primary help defender, the defense can prevent the crack back on the weak side. As demonstrated above, keeping the low big at home on their matchup avoids putting pressure on the weak-side wing to collapse from the top down to the big, which can result in offensive rebounds or kick-out corner 3-pointers.

"Monster" Responsibility #3 - Neutralizing PNRs

This type of zone defense is strategically positioned to neutralize ball screens. If opponents attempt to set a screen on the "Monster" defender, it allows for a seamless switch with the wing defender, maintaining size on the screener and preventing easy pocket passes into the high post...

Shown above, when the ball remains on the top after the offensive big rolled, the "Monster" defender passes off the roller to the appropriate lower defender. However, if the ball is thrown ahead and moved below the wing, the "Monster" defender will then follow the roller to the rim, knowing that the strongside low man is responsible for closing out to the corner...

Whether this is a Zone used as a primary defense, or just a curveball thrown after a timeout, it's interesting and worth a look. To see clips of all the points above, including further analysis of:

• "Monster" Perimeter Closeouts
• Wing and Low Defender Foot Angles and Rotations
• Baseline/Dunker Spot Catches
• Screening the Outside of the Zone
• And more!

You can become a member to view this week's newest breakdown of the 3-2 "Monster" Zone (and over 650 more) on SGTV!

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Together with Hudl

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Slappin' Glass Podcast

The London Lions had a terrific first season in the BBL, taking home the 2023 Championship and creating terrific momentum as a club moving forward. We were fortunate to sit down the week the the Head Coach of the London Lions, Ryan Schmidt, to detail and discuss the foundational pillars of a new team, making the puzzle pieces fit, "long DHOs" and pitches, and we had a blast exploring how players retain information and pick and roll efficiency during the always fun "Start, Sub or Sit!?"

Listen to the entire great conversation with Coach Schmidt here...

Listen Now!

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Tactical

📺 Besiktas BLOB - RIP • Pop​

"Clever set design by Coach Igor Milicic to hide the RIP screen and create space."

✚ Pair With: Spanish club Murcia's use of the RIP screen on the baseline inbounds.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Dario Gjergja's creative playbook with BC Oostende.

📺 Attacking a 3-2 Zone - Elbow Dive Cuts​

"Out of the Horns pass entry the partner big dives to the front of the rim forcing the defense to shrink in."

✚ Pair With: Virtus Bologna using the flare slip to attack a zone defense.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our Crunch Time session with Coach David Gale, discussing the value of spacing and diving from the elbow.

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Interesting Reads

📚 The Denver Nuggets Were Built to Last​

"How they built it is now the biggest story in the league. There is magic in any run to the NBA Finals—in the way a miracle shot falls, a role player transcends their limitations, or a star comes into their own. But behind those dramatic developments, propping them up, is the monotonous work required to make magic happen."

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📚 Flowers and Leadership​

"If someone matters to you, make sure they know it. And there is no better way to let them know they matter than with some sincere and unexpected gratitude. Don’t wait for a scheduled review. Call them now. Tell them that they are amazing. Tell them you see them and that you value them. If you think they already know and you don’t need to tell them, you’re wrong. If someone is a star, let them know. Your words will have a bigger impact and longer half life than you ever thought possible."

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📚 Confident Companies Do Less​

"Entropy is such a strategic peril that you should be tough on decisions to disperse investment energy by doing more and easier on decisions to press your advantage in what you already do well."

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Join the conversation, gain insights from others, and help your fellow peers! As we use the SG Plus Community to make ourselves and our teams better, get caught up on some of the latest conversations in the Coaches Corner.

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📋 Peel Switch Drills

Coach Ryan asks... "Do any coaches use peel switch rotations in their defensive system? How do you teach full rotations that lead to transfer in game situations? How do you teach the 2-man switches? What are your go-to practice drills or points of emphasis?"

Thanks to Coach Schertz for sharing a few of his drills to teach the Peel Switch!

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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

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