How To Handle Screens

Coach, my assistant coaches, both former Division 1 stars, and I disagree on how to handle screens. I have always taught to fight over the top of screens. They want to slide through (or as I call it behind) the screen to prevent the curl on the screen away from he ball. We argue over the top of the screen on the ball on the perimeter. Our team is girls ages 14 and 15. Most have been taught to slide through screens off the ball. I always thought this looked like lazy defense. What's your opinion?

Thanks,
Bill Johnson

Coach Johnson,

I think your arguement is more one of when to use the different techniques versus one or the other. I believe in general you fight over screens on ball side, and slide screens (losen) up away from the ball. This is consistent with basic defensive theory where you always want pressure on the ball and players away from the ball lose to "beat the cutter" to a position by taking the shorter route, and being in a stronger help position from the weakside. I don't think that playing "loose" weakside necessarily suggests lazy defense. Lazy defensive is standing. Active defense is constant movement and adjustment by the defending team regardless of their position. I think you are both right in this case, you just need to be more specific about when, where and how to defend by over the top, or sliding through one-man removed. Make a list of the situations and then teach your players those circumstances.

The game of basketball is getting more sophisticated all the time so the answer you are seeking isn't so simple. To make my point, let me describe what offensive players using screens are being taught these days. First when a defender attempts to fight through a screen (what you call sliding the screen) the offensive player is taught to pop out behind the screen. Second, if you teach a defender to trail a cutter, the offensive player is taught to curl and continue to the basket. If defenders switch this curl the screener can screen and pop for a quick shot. Larry Bird and Karl Malone both excelled at this technique. Third, if the defender gets over aggressive anticipating a pop-out cut, the offensive player is taught to flare away from the screen. When the defenders switch a flare, the screener should be taught to flash hard to the ball. Finally, if the defender fights hard over the top and over-plays the screen action, your player should simply make a quick back cut (or backdoor) to the hole. So now you can see defending get's a little more complex.

I would say in general you need to fight over screens on ball side, and slide screens away. However your defenders (both the defender being screened, and the screeners defender) need to taught specifically how to defend each of the four actions described in the previous paragraph.

When an offensive player attempts to screen or block out a defender, that screeners defender must work to assist the teammate using a variety of special tactics. These include keeping the feet of both the defenders moving prior to the screen to make any screening action more difficult, switching some assignments (e.g., horizontal screens by same size defenders) or switching big to small only on downscreens where a big man can't shoot or penetrate outside, but the big defender is more effective to the team inside. Remember whatever rules you put in about switching or fighting through that the defender guarding the screener is the one who calls the action or switches because they are best in position to know how they can help discourage the cutter off the screen. The defender being screened however, must absolutely communicate when they are in trouble early enough to allow both defenders to adjust and minimize the scoring threat created by the screening action.

In your defensive concept make basic rules such as fight through ball side, slide through weakside, and then breakdown special situations and how to defend them. For example, if you have a big and effective screener on offensive and a great scoring threat, teach the screeners defender to bump or alter the cut and discourage the curl of the scorer off the screen momentarily, and teach the cutters defender to chase (tuck and trail) behind the screen and close up as quickly as possible to the scoring threat after they have cleared the screener. You seen this quite often at the NBA level. It's not bad technique, it's the effective way to defend. That's the point.

Thanks for Asking the Coach!