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 revisited Coach Joe Gallo's "No 3's" Zone Defense and how it can be extended out into a 1-2-1-1 Delay Press. View the full newsletter HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: PNR Defense - Quick Show & Hit​

🎙Slappin' Glass Podcast - Dr. Gio Valiante Returns!​

↪ Supplementary Podcast Graphics​

🥇Best of the Week: Distorting Tags & Turnouts​

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Quick Show & Hit

Hey Coaches, looking to dial up your aggression in PNR defense? Or, as Texas MBB Associate Head Coach, Frank Haith, mentioned on the podcast, add a little "Punch" to your coverage? Today, we'll examine how teams are enhancing the Quick Show coverage by incorporating an aggressive "Next" defensive strategy in opportunistic situations. This approach enables defenses to disrupt unsuspecting ballhandlers and create opportunities to steal a few extra possessions.

What is the Coverage?

Simply put, when the PNR is attacking towards the loaded side (with two or more players) the next closest defender on that loaded side follows up the big's Quick Show by aggressively jumping or "hitting" the ballhandler. This is then followed by the other guard bouncing out and transitioning into the scramble.

Zooming In: As Coach Gonzalo Rodriguez detailed in his clinic on "Next" defense {🔒} and when sending a "Hit" on the ball, the rotating defensive guard should commit to the ball through the passing lane to deter a straight-line pass, buying time for teammates to rotate and recover in the scramble.

Clearly, this is an ultra-aggressive defensive strategy that momentarily commits three defenders to the ball, and running this scheme every time the spacing allows could be a tough ask for the defense. However, throughout our film study, we've found that with the right situational and opponent scouting awareness, certain scenarios will emerge that minimize the risk of the aggression while optimizing the effectiveness of the coverage. One such scenario, as demonstrated above, is the empty-side ballscreen. This setup provides ideal spacing to support the full rotation of the guard onto the ball, with an extra body to aid in rotations and shrink the space.

Poor Passing Opponents

With any aggressive PNR coverage, whether it's a hedge, trap, or otherwise, multiple quick passes out of the coverage often stress the integrity of the defense and its rotations. This is why Lane Closeouts are vital to the effectiveness of the coverage, helping to slow down or deter multiple passes in the scramble. That said, a reluctant passing opponent can inadvertently aid the coverage, allowing the defense to be more liberal in their "Hits."

Zooming In: Ballhandlers who are hesitant to move the ball out of the trap, or "pass-averse" perimeter players, empower the coverage, as the opponent will routinely struggle to move the ball effectively against the rotations in search of an open three or long closeout. As shown above, the rotation behind the "Hit" is designed to handle the first pass out and shrink the initial closeout. Attempting to immediately attack off the first pass can be futile, as the more dribbling required to beat the defender buys more time for the defense to reset and re-establish its shell.

Late-Clock

The last circumstance we will look at that optimizes the effectiveness of the coverage is in late-clock situations. As we discussed in our "Film Room" with Coach Martin Schiller {🔒}, ballhandlers against the Quick Show are increasingly being encouraged to treat the coverage like a drop, attacking the big as they retreat after the short show. So, when faced with a late-clock ballscreen, it stands to reason the ballhandler will be ultra-aggressive in attacking the big, knowing they're up against the clock and need to create an advantage.

Now, of course, you can Switch to neutralize this threat immediately, but not all bigs are comfortable on the perimeter. Another potential solution would be to Switch and send a "Hit" {🔒} post-switch from the loaded side to protect the Big, or you can avoid the Switch altogether…

Zooming In: Send the Big back to the rim to offensive rebound, while the perimeter players fly around in the scramble. With a short clock, multiple passes now work to the defense's advantage, as with every pass, the offense loses valuable seconds to get off a quality attempt.

In the end, the beauty of the Quick Show & Hit strategy lies in its ability to adjust dynamically to an opponent’s weaknesses, while adding a layer of aggression to a defensive game plan. Whether you're disrupting the flow of a system-based offense, exploiting poor passing habits, or forcing role players to step up in critical moments, this aggressive coverage provides a team with opportunities to steal key possessions. To learn more on deploying this defensive strategy SG+ Members can now enjoy the full breakdown on SGTV!

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Together with Dr Dish

Slappin' Glass Podcast

We sat down this week for a second time on the show with one of the world's most sought after high performance coaches, Dr. Gio Valiante! In Round 2 we dive deep into the areas of fear and anxiety in high performance, finding flow states, and attributions of success and failures.

Dr. Gio generously provided supplementary graphics on many of the topics we discussed in the podcast. You can download them 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

📺 Distorting the Tag - Burn & Shallow Cuts​

"Removing the low tag by replacing the Burn Cutter with the Shallow Cut."

✚ Pair With: An Angled Ballscreen with the strong side corner Shallow Cutting.

🔒 SG Plus Content: 12 Moderns Concepts to Attack the Tag.

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📺 Turnout Exit - Post Pin​

"Exiting both wings out the strong side of the Turnout to create space on the weak side, allowing the big to seal their defender up the lane."

✚ Pair With: A Turnout Exit set for a shooting 5-Man.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Coach Hurley's Diamond and Swing Thru series with UConn.

Interesting Reads

📚 11 Public Speaking Techniques from the World’s Greatest Speakers​

"7. Slow down by elongating your vowels

When many people give speeches, they rush through their words, which makes them seem scattered and nervous. By slowing down your speech, you can appear more confident and connected to your audience.

Most advice you’ll hear is: “Make sure you intentionally pause between words to take a breath.” But there’s another way to to slow down your speech. It’s by focusing on elongating your vowels."

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📚 How Jim Harbaugh Built the Chargers Culture: Black Eyed Peas, Blue-Collar Gifts, Authenticity​

"Culture is easy to identify but difficult to define. You know a good one when you see it, when you feel it. Understanding the specifics of what it takes to build one? That is a rare skill....How did he do it? The trust exists in the moments. In doing up-downs in front of the team. In reciting Black Eyed Peas lyrics. In wearing Jordan cleats to every practice while doing drills with his players. In wearing powder blue gloves on game day while catching passes from Herbert."
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📚 Traits That May Cease to Be Valuable​

"And because the world is going to keep changing, we thought it’d be interesting to write a list of skills and traits that are viewed as valuable now—but may cease to become valuable in the near future. Then we’ll speculate about some of the things that may increase in value over the next few decades."

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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