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Happy Sunday! Welcome to all the newest subscribers from around the world!

ICYMI: Last week, we highlighted the trade-offs defenses face when guarding early 4 man drag screens, and how smart offenses are weaponizing the action with a 5 man rim seal for easy layups. Read the newsletter HERE.

This Week at a Glance:

🔒 SG Plus Content: Defending the Ghost - Guard Hedges​

🎧 Slappin' Glass Podcast: Phillip Humm {Storytelling & Communication}

📣 Turn Film into Better Decisions

🥇 Best of the Week: Stagger Entry & Argentina Break​

📚 Interesting Reads: Training your Gaze

Guard to Guard Hedges

As offensive basketball continues to grow and innovate, it is easy to overlook the simple actions that remain consistently difficult to guard, especially those we are likely to see in end of game situations.

Today, we are tackling one of those actions: the guard to guard ghost screen.

What You'll Learn

• Why guard to guard ghost screens punish hesitation — and how their real power comes from creating ambiguity, not contact.
• How an aggressive one-step hedge removes the grey area by protecting matchups, keeping the ball neutral, and restoring coverage clarity.
• The subtle off ball details that make the coverage work — from the on ball defender’s under to the corner’s timing and responsibility during the recovery.

Let's dive in...

If offense is the art of creating advantage, the ghost screen can feel almost elementary in its simplicity. Yet when executed well, this uncomplicated action can quickly tilt the floor, expose weak points in the defense, and force uncomfortable decisions.

In today’s breakdown, we look at how to combat the ghost screen with an aggressive hedging coverage designed to protect matchups and remove the ambiguity the action is meant to create.

The Pain Of Indecision

There are several reasons the ghost screen can be effective. It can be 1) used to target a weaker defender by forcing a switch onto the ball. It can 2) momentarily dislodge the on ball defender, opening their hips and creating a driving lane. It can 3) also generate pace for a three point opportunity as the screener’s defender gets caught supporting a screen that never occurs. These are just a few of the many ways the action can be used.

However, more than anything else, ghost screens work because they create defensive indecision.

Most defensive rules are black and white when it comes to clearly defined actions. If there is a flex screen, do this. If there is a flare, do this. If there is an exchange, you know the response.

Pick and roll defense is no different. Coverages are built on the assumption that when contact occurs, or a screen is set, a specific coverage will be triggered. There is a clear moment of impact between the screener and the ballhandler’s defender, at which point both players assume their assigned responsibilities within the coverage. The action is clearly defined and the defensive execution is applied seamlessly.

Ghost screens disrupt that clarity.

They are not really "screens" in the traditional sense. The screener often flies past the ballhandler like ships passing in the night. There may be slight contact or a friendly tap on the hip, but more often it is simply a relocation from one spot to another. The screener may never have a clear intention to stop and set the screen, yet the movement still forces the defense to react as if contact might occur.

By moving directly through the heart of the action without clear contact, the ghost screen creates a defensive conflict.

Is this a screen?

And if it is, what coverage are we in?

To eliminate that grey area, having a clear and shared plan for handling the ghost screen is essential. One effective solution is an aggressive hedge from the ghost screener’s defender, which removes indecision and restores coverage clarity.

Protecting The Hunted

Like a lion spotting a wounded gazelle on the Serengeti, offenses will identify weaker defenders and look to switch them onto the ball. When that weaker defender is a guard, the guard to guard ghost screen becomes an easy tool to force the matchup.

With many defenses automatically switching like sized matchups, they can be too quick to apply that coverage to the ghost screen. Often, the switch is triggered only on contact, with the on ball defender staying square on the ball until contact is felt. This approach makes the coverage heavily dependent on physicality and communication from the defender guarding the ghost screener.

Those are not traits weaker defenders typically possess in abundance. Communication may be manageable, but relying on that defender to apply enough force to disrupt the ghost screener’s momentum, stand them up in the screening area, and ensure contact is made to trigger the switch is a risky bet. As a result, the ghost screen often wins out, leaving the coverage unclear and the defense stuck in ambiguity.

A better solution is a coverage that insulates the weaker defender and operates independently of steering the screener or determining whether contact occurred. That solution is an aggressive one step hedge onto the ballhandler.

Zooming In: With the hedge, there is zero ambiguity about the coverage. Recognizing the action as it unfolds, the targeted defender steps out to hedge once the ghost screener enters the screening area. The ballhandler’s defender, upon hearing the call, can remain square on the ball knowing the hedge is coming regardless of contact. This eliminates the "wake" that can be created {🔒} during ghost screens, when the on ball defender opens their hips in anticipation of a switch that never comes. The hedge removes that possibility and keeps the ballhandler in a neutral position.

Over And Under

One challenge every hedging coverage faces is the risk that, during the recovery, the hedging defender runs into their own teammate. In many cases, the ghost screener is a dangerous catch and shoot player, placing an even greater emphasis on a clean and timely recovery.

To avoid this collision, the responsibility falls on the ballhandler’s defender to create space for the recovery. By backing off a step after getting over the screen, they open a clean window for the hedging defender to recover without interference.

Zooming In: This movement creates a clear runway for the hedging defender to recover and allows them to trace the path of the ghost screener. By staying in that shadow, the defense prevents a clean and direct passing lane.

Given the growing popularity of the "Hedge and Plug" PNR coverage {🔒} in Europe and around the world, this concept will not be entirely new. However, the under in this context should not be as exaggerated as it would be in a true hedge and plug, allowing the on ball defender to recover quickly back onto the ballhandler if they keep the ball.

The hedge has already removed the immediate threat of the drive. If the ballhandler does choose to attack, the slight drop of their defender provides the time and space needed to adjust and absorb the drive under control.

Activating The Corner

In a perfect world, the surprise and aggression of the hedge would be enough to disrupt timing and allow the guard to exit the hedge and recover cleanly. In reality, committing two defenders to the ball places the defense at a temporary disadvantage during the recovery.

This is where the corner becomes critical. Corners must be active, either funneling the ghost screener back to their matchup on the catch or being prepared to rotate altogether. The corner’s activity provides insurance against any turbulence in the hedge and ensures the possession ends with a challenged shot rather than a clean look.

Against actions designed to exploit hesitation, what matters most is not complexity, but clarity and collective commitment. Preparing for these moments is often the difference between surviving end of game situations and being undone by them.

To see the full execution of the guard to guard hedge against the ghost screen, SG+ Members can view the complete breakdown on SGTV.

January Mailbag

Got a coaching question? Ask us.

Our Monthly Mailbag on YouTube is your chance to bring real coaching questions directly into the Slappin’ Glass conversation.

Each month, we select and break down questions from coaches across the game—covering tactics, team concepts, leadership, podcast topics, and anything else you want us to dig into.

📩 Submit your Mailbag questions HERE, and keep an eye out for the next Mailbag episode dropping early February on YouTube.

Together with Hudl

Turn Film into Better Decisions

By connecting Sportscode, Hudl Instat, and Fastmodel tools like FastDraw, FastScout, and FastRecruit, Hudl brings video, scouting, recruiting, and game planning into one seamless workflow. Less time managing tools. More clarity in preparation, teaching, and evaluation, built for how college and professional programs actually operate.

​Learn more about Hudl and their variety of products or subscribers to Slappin' Glass can also directly email Winston Jones of Hudl at winston.jones@hudl.com.

🎙 Phillip Humm on Storytelling Frameworks, Player Resistance, and Behavior Change

In this episode of Slappin' Glass, we’re joined by storytelling and communication expert Philip Humm for a deep, practical conversation on how coaches can communicate more clearly, persuasively, and memorably—especially under pressure.

Philip breaks down why how you communicate often matters more than what you say, and why stories—when used intentionally—can cut through resistance, build trust, and create lasting behavioral change. He introduces his simple but powerful P.A.S.T. framework (Place, Action, Speech, Thoughts), giving coaches a repeatable structure for telling stories that actually stick rather than drifting into vague summaries or over-contextualized explanations.

The conversation explores when storytelling is the right tool (and when it isn’t), how elite leaders stay concise without losing emotional impact, and why vulnerability—not polish—is the engine of connection. Philip also shares why great communicators think in frameworks, limit takeaways to one clear action, and start with structure rather than circling toward a point.

We then put theory into practice with live improv exercises, showing how improvisation builds communication confidence and clarity in time-compressed moments like timeouts and huddles. The episode closes with a thoughtful Start–Sub–Sit on locker-room culture tools (quotes, visuals, and physical objects), plus Philip’s best investment in his own career—and why movement, presence, and emotional regulation matter for leaders navigating constant pressure.

This is a must-listen for coaches looking to sharpen their communication edge, strengthen buy-in, and lead with greater clarity and intention beyond the Xs and Os.

What You’ll Learn

• How to use the P.A.S.T. storytelling framework to make messages vivid, emotional, and memorable
• When storytelling creates more impact than direct instruction—and when it doesn’t
• Why elite communicators lead with structure, simplicity, and one clear takeaway
• How vulnerability and emotional honesty increase trust and retention
• Practical improv techniques to improve clarity and confidence under pressure
• The role of physical objects, visuals, and stories in reinforcing culture (and why quotes often fall flat)

Listen to the entire episode below...

Tactical

📺 Stagger Entry - Flare Skip​

"A quick hitting flare screen out of the stagger entry."

✚ Pair With: Stagger entry into an Iverson cut, flowing directly into RIP screen with a timely rescreen.

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our "Film Room" session with Coach Jimmie Oakman on creative actions and screening concepts that weaponize the "dead corners."

📺 Argentina Break - Cyclone Action​

"One of our favorite hidden-gem watches this season: Coach Majkrzak and Northern Michigan."

✚ Pair With: Instead of cross-screening the 5 to the ballside, cut the shooter into a stagger in the Argentina Break, with the PG shallowing underneath into a Spain PNR finish.

🎧 Podcast: Stay tuned for one of our early-year favorite conversations with Matt Majkrzak on his unique approach to scripting games and layering offense!

🔒 SG Plus Content: Our recent updated look into the Argentina Break, including several screening variations.

Interesting Reads

📚 How Training Your Gaze Could help You Master Sports — And Your Own Attention​

What propelled those special performances? And, more broadly, what separates elite athletes from amateurs? In her PhD program, she wondered if the pivotal difference came down to vision, not strictly in sharpness of sight, but in how the eyes are used.

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📚 Work As Hard As You Can​

Second, surround yourself with the best people possible. If there’s someone greater out there to work with, go work with them. When people ask for advice about choosing the right startup to join, I say, “Pick the one that’s going to have the best alumni network for you in the future.” Look at the PayPal mafia—they worked with a bunch of geniuses, so they all got rich. Pick the people with the highest intelligence, energy and integrity that you can find.

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📚 The Culture Document that Every Employee Signs​

Our culture only matters if we are important. In order to be important, we must win.

Quote of the Week

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Thank you for reading and have a great week coaching,

Dan, Pat, and Eric

info@slappinglass.com

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