Kind of a coaching philosophy question, but how do you do it if you have your way?

 

Do you go over and only help off when absolutely necessary (my preference)?

 

Do you hedge and show help, then let your guy fighting through the screen recover (I don't like it, because if he can't get through the screen, that says something about him defensively, but is it a necessary evil)?

 

Do you switch, especially if the other team is quicker than you? If you switch, do you switch most everyone (unless it means an awful mismatch) or do you have rules on who you switch? If you have rules, what do you base them on?

 

Do you trap high ball screens and let your defenders sweep passing lanes? If so, what positions on the floor or tendencies in players do you look for in trying to do it?

 

What level of plays do each of your answers change? The NBA is sooooooooo dependent on the high screen-and-roll action that you'd think your answers would change as you go down each level. What I'm going for here first and foremost, how do you do it in high school if you have your druthers? How would it change in college?

Depends on the ability of the team we are playing.

 

If a poor ball handler and or passer, I like to double team on the ball screen. If the ball handler(s) know what they are doing and can handle the ball, I like to show and recover, especially if under the 3 point line. If behind the 3 point line and the kid can shoot, need to look at fighting through it and or switching if necessary.

 

There usually is no "one size fits all" philosophy, not that I have found anyway.

The man guarding the screener must put one hand on the screeners back and step out (expose) so the dribbler can 1) Charge 2) pick up his dribble 3) banana out…as the dribbler approaches the expose defender must step back and let his teammate slide through. You have now eliminated the mismatch.

Depends on the ability of the team we are playing.

 

If a poor ball handler and or passer, I like to double team on the ball screen. If the ball handler(s) know what they are doing and can handle the ball, I like to show and recover, especially if under the 3 point line. If behind the 3 point line and the kid can shoot, need to look at fighting through it and or switching if necessary.

 

There usually is no "one size fits all" philosophy, not that I have found anyway.

 

Agree. The lower the level, the more inclined I am to want to try and trap and sweep.

 

Regardless of the level, I'm more a fan of not switching and leaving it up to my defenders to fight through on their own. If nothing else, I want to switch and show as little as possible.

 

If I could choose my personnel, then the above is what I'm looking for in terms of what I want and expect from my defense.

I've changed over the years on this. Went to soft help then changed to hedge.

 

Now, trap the heck of it. HS players have a hard time with this and since we have done this we have not been hurt so much. Our 2nd option if needed is to switch the screen.

The man guarding the screener must put one hand on the screeners back and step out (expose) so the dribbler can 1) Charge 2) pick up his dribble 3) banana out…as the dribbler approaches the expose defender must step back and let his teammate slide through. You have now eliminated the mismatch.

 

I like the above described defense. But I believe the defense of the ball screen at a high school level is nearly a mute point. I watch a lot of 5th (w/adair) 4th (w/Russell) and the 12th region in general. For the last eight seasons I can count on my fingers the amount of screens/picks in general Adair has set. I see very few ball screens set in High School. Most of the time the dribblers do not dribble at the screener, but dribbles around (bananna out) resulting in a lot of screeners picking up a foul because they move, trying to get a piece of the defender. Fellows, if you all can point out a team, district or region where ball screens are preveleant, I will watch for them. Pick and Roll rules!

If you have a smaller quicker team switching screens is the best way to defend even on ball screens. If you have a bigger post player hedging and recovering is the best way to defend it with help side D. The problem with trapping is if you let them out of the trap your defense goes in scramble mode. I am not a fan of going over top of the screen with a sagging defender. A good guard is going to blow by that sagging defender causing help to come and they will hit open shooters. In the NBA im starting to see guys go over top of screens but at that level they are athletic enough as bigs to stay in front and the guards are quick enough to recover. I say hedge if a bigger team and switch with a smaller faster group.

The man guarding the screener must put one hand on the screeners back and step out (expose) so the dribbler can 1) Charge 2) pick up his dribble 3) banana out…as the dribbler approaches the expose defender must step back and let his teammate slide through. You have now eliminated the mismatch.

 

:thumb:

If you have a smaller quicker team switching screens is the best way to defend even on ball screens. If you have a bigger post player hedging and recovering is the best way to defend it with help side D. The problem with trapping is if you let them out of the trap your defense goes in scramble mode. I am not a fan of going over top of the screen with a sagging defender. A good guard is going to blow by that sagging defender causing help to come and they will hit open shooters. In the NBA im starting to see guys go over top of screens but at that level they are athletic enough as bigs to stay in front and the guards are quick enough to recover. I say hedge if a bigger team and switch with a smaller faster group.

 

Though it's kind of opposite of what I prefer, I still think there's a lot of validity in what you are saying. I'd just rather keep things simple by having my guy fight through the screen. If he can't do that though, then you have to make an adjustment somehow.

 

Definitely lots of good debate here. Are there any methods of defending that are pretty common that I left out?

I like the above described defense. But I believe the defense of the ball screen at a high school level is nearly a mute point. I watch a lot of 5th (w/adair) 4th (w/Russell) and the 12th region in general. For the last eight seasons I can count on my fingers the amount of screens/picks in general Adair has set. I see very few ball screens set in High School. Most of the time the dribblers do not dribble at the screener, but dribbles around (bananna out) resulting in a lot of screeners picking up a foul because they move, trying to get a piece of the defender. Fellows, if you all can point out a team, district or region where ball screens are preveleant, I will watch for them. Pick and Roll rules!

 

Speaking in relative terms, I'd say that Lexington Catholic and Wayne County each have a fair amount of on-ball action. Lexington Catholic has a lot of screen action in general, though the majority of it isn't "on ball" per se.

 

From what I've seen of them, I'd say that Covington Catholic has a fair amount of screen action in their sets as well.

 

Tates Creek had a fair amount of ball screens too (at least in years past when they had more talent, namely in the Fucci/Barksdale years).

 

I don't know if any of those are what someone would consider to be overly prevalent, but definitely there and in larger quantities than lots of others that you see.

In Upward, I taught my team (1st and 2nd graders) to switch off. I know they're supposed to stay with the guy with the same color armbands, but if you are screening my player, I'm not leaving the ball-handler unguarded because their armband doesn't match with the defender who switched to them.

 

One of the few complaints I had coaching Upward.

In Upward, I taught my team (1st and 2nd graders) to switch off. I know they're supposed to stay with the guy with the same color armbands, but if you are screening my player, I'm not leaving the ball-handler unguarded because their armband doesn't match with the defender who switched to them.

 

One of the few complaints I had coaching Upward.

 

Yep, I coached Upward for a few years. Local league went up to 7th grade at the time, 5th-7th Had a kid my first year get a ton of steals by just helping on ball screens or just beating the defender off the dribble. Ball handler would get past his man and Brody would be there to pick up the help, and being pretty quick would just take the ball from the kid off his dribble. He would then promptly streak down court and miss the layup.:facepalm: Must have happened literally 30 times that year.

Thanks, Joker! Of the teams you have mentioned, I have only seen Wayne County, at Jock Sutherland. I do remember a lot of action, but what I remember the most is a poor shooting performance by Peyton Woods. I checked stats: 4/16 from the field-1/12 from 3. Some pre-game Defensive strategy would have been determined by his strong, nearly 42%, 3 point accuracy. Do you think most coaches would stick with pre-game strategy throughout the game or change at some point when it is apparent he was cold that day. For an example: If the decision was made to chase Woods over the ball screen, would it be changed to go under, when it was decided he was not hitting that game?

Thanks, Joker! Of the teams you have mentioned, I have only seen Wayne County, at Jock Sutherland. I do remember a lot of action, but what I remember the most is a poor shooting performance by Peyton Woods. I checked stats: 4/16 from the field-1/12 from 3. Some pre-game Defensive strategy would have been determined by his strong, nearly 42%, 3 point accuracy. Do you think most coaches would stick with pre-game strategy throughout the game or change at some point when it is apparent he was cold that day. For an example: If the decision was made to chase Woods over the ball screen, would it be changed to go under, when it was decided he was not hitting that game?

 

At work right now, but I'll answer tonight once I'm off in a longer post unless someone beats me to it. I think the best answer for it is "it depends", though I know that isn't really satisfying the question.

I agree with the "it depends". There would be a myriad of factors involving court decisions and having athletic youngsters to excecute the decision, a decision does not always work. Compounding the problem is other athletic youngsters are told to foil the excecution. Coaches are either the goats or the heros, depending on the players excecution or lack of excecution. I do appreciate the coaches who try, as oppose to those who insist on the same dern thing over and over, regardless of results.