I am reading Bobby Knight's book, "Let's Play Defense" that I purchased at a clinic. On page 10, he says they play the driver head on as long as he can be forced to the sideline before he can turn the corner. He says that they want to force the ball handler out of bounds ten feet above the baseline. If the defensive man is not quick enough to do this, he will overplay his opponent a half man to the outside. He says there basic premise is then to force the ball back into the middle where they have help.

Here is my question: If I have average athletes (high school boys), do you think that I could do this when the player is on the right side (assuming that most players are right handed), and force him back to the middle? And when he is on the left side (assuming he is right handed), force him to the baseline / sideline?

Thanks! Coach L

Coach L,

I think there are many coaches with many different defensive philosophies. What is correct is what works best for your team and personel. I think basketball is a game which requires you to execute of basic fundamentals, learn to play toward the weaknesses of your opponents

and utilize your strengths. Your defensive schemes must reflect this way of thinking as well. In my teams for example, I have always taught as a basic premise that there is a triangle extending from the top of the three point line to each of the offensive half court corners. The most basic rule is that no offensive player is allows to catch the ball in this zone or to penetrate this zone by dribble or pass. In defending a penetrator we try to push them along this line. Now with that in mind. I personally like to force all penetration baseline (actually meaning the corner) because the passing angles of a penetrator are reduced as compared to the middle. However if I have a good big man defender (for example a Patrick Ewing or Shaquille O'Neal type player on my level) in the middle there are more advantages to forcing middle. You as a coach must decide what works best for your team and personel.

What Coach Knight is saying here that you may be missing is that a properly schooled defender should be able to at least influence their attacking player to the "specified" direction by their body positioning. This comes back to the point of learning your one-on-one defensive fundamentals well enough that even a slower defender may dictate where the player goes. If your solo defenders postioning and footwork are solid (e.g., he doesn't give up when he's beaten but can recover and regain his defensive pressure after temporary help by a teammate) and if your team's help side defense if very sound (you are able to help and recover without giving up interior passes or having to force a teammate to switch and rotate because you as a help defender are out of position) then you can without a doubt handle funnel defense to the middle. The mistake I'm afraid is that all too often younger coaches attempt to teach complex defenses and rotations who have spent far too little time with poor results in schooling their players in outstanding defensive fundamentals.

Do your homework, school your players, demonstrate to them that simple things like the ability to turn a defender by positioning no matter how quick they are, maintaining proper spacing and pressure on the ball, keeping your feet active and apart, your head still and capable of seeing player and ball at all times, etc. will lead to your teams ability to defend many different ways.

Today's talented and quick athletes, and the variety of styles with which offenses attack require that you be able to change how and when you pressure. This can only be accomplished through very polished defensive fundamentals. It's a lot of work, but this kind of work is money in the bank. Every team I have ever seem at any level win a championship, has excelled at their defensive concept and fundamentals.

Thanks for Asking the Coach!