Thursday March 19, 2009

Zone Busters

Zone Busters
Tonight at 7:10 PM in Kansas City, MO Clemson will face Michigan and their threat of a 1-3-1 and a 2-3 zone. The zone defenses are not a big part of what the Tigers usually see in the ACC so Oliver Purnell and his team face some adjustments heading into the first round.

This morning on my radio show we had former Clemson women's basketball coach Jim Davis. Coach Davis is the winningest basketball coach in school history and the only coach to win an ACC title at Clemson.

The Hall of Famer broke down zone defenses and gave us 10 ways to attack a zone. So here are his the ten ways to attack a zone:

1. Beating the zone down the floor. The fast break is a very important way to beat a zone defense. Coach Davis said he was at a coaching clinic with the former Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell 30 years ago. Lefty said the team that makes the most lay ups usually wins in basketball. Coach Davis says beat the zone before it has a chance to set up. Fast breaks and secondary breaks are successful against zone defenses. He feels the point guards are a key part of forcing the tempo in this case. He says that you don't have to have a man advantage to win in the transition game because the defense often outruns the level of the ball and open shots can be had especially in a secondary break. Coach Davis says Clemson has to play up tempo and score in transition in order to win the game. He says the Tigers have not been as successful lately in their running game but it will be a key tonight.

2. Penetrating the gaps in the zone. He says Demontez Stitt and Andre Young have to be able to penetrate the zone tonight. He says that K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby can also be affective here. The gaps in a 1-3-1 zone are on the wings and the baseline. Therefore there are four gaps in a 1-3-1 zone. He said a lot of teams in a 1-3-1 will trap but more conservative teams will only trap in the corners. Penetrating the gaps and pitching out work well against the zone. This shortens the passing distance.

3. Rebounding the zone. Coach Davis feels Clemson has a big advantage here because Michigan plays four guards often. In the zone you are blocking out areas instead of players and it is more difficult to rebound when you play a zone. Coach Davis says he can see Raymond Sykes and Trevor Booker having a big night on the boards. He also says it is easier to get offensive rebounds against a 1-3-1. Coach says this could be a huge advantage for the Tigers tonight.

4. Ball movement. Good passing is a great way to attack a zone. Davis says “laneing” zones or 1-3-1 that are aiming to shut down passing lanes give you a different look because they want to slow down ball movement. The way to attack a zone in the half court is to whip the ball around the zone with good passing. He says you want to get the ball movement to make the defense move their feet.

5. Skip passing. Skipping an offensive player is important against a zone defense. Coach Davis calls it diagonal passing. He says this is especially the case against a 1-3-1. Skip passing make the defense move and even opens up the lane if the offense is effective in moving the basketball. The key is crisp passing and passing over the zone.

6. Screening the zone. When you are moving the ball and skipping passing the ball it makes it easier for a big guy to step out and screen the defender to set up an open shot. Corner shots are open when you can pin the post defender with a good screen.

7. Player movement. Cutters are a key to beating a zone. Coach Davis says sending a cutter through the lane. He thinks K.C. Rivers in the high post could be a big factor tonight. Sometimes players facing a zone stand around a little so player movement is important. You can draw defenders with cutters.

8. Vacate an area and replace. When a player cuts and leaves the area then a perimeter player can replace him and sometimes the zone's attention in taken away from the new player.

9. Invert the zone. Everyone attacks from the top but against a zone guards can attack from the baseline. Coach Davis says you can take the point guard and attack from what he calls the graveyard. He says a post player can also slide into the baseline and attack it from below the zone. Zones collapse and outside shots are open more often when they are attacked from the baseline and the ball can be kicked back outside.

10. Overloading the zone. This is a concept where you attack the zone with four players in an area on the floor where there are three defenders. Coach Davis says you can do it with a box overload or a diamond overload. This causes concerns because of the numbers for the defense. He said this is a basic concept that you have more offensive players than the zone has defenders.

11. Distorting the zone. Coach Davis says the point guard is picked up and he can wag dribble to draw the defender closer. Davis says defenders are taught to not leave the basketball so you can drag him further to one wing and stretch or distort the defense so it is impossible for him to get back to his area.

In the end, one key to facing any zone defense is shooting. You have to be able to make some shots from the perimeter to get the defense out of their zone. Also, this Michigan team plays more man-to-man than some of John Beilein’s teams of the past. But Clemson and others will face zone defenses in this tournament and Coach Davis’ thoughts will make watching more interesting. I want to thank coach Davis for his time and expertise this morning.

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