Seize the Season Jamboree: Top Defensive Plays
Good defense is often comprised of imposing your will on the offenses you are facing. The former Timberwolves and Lynx players who attended last weekends event can attest to that. Here are some of the top defensive plays from last weekend’s tournament:
Stonewalling team defense
Lakeville North executing some great team defense against Waconia on the baseline drive #PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/AjCT1ggM92
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) October 26, 2019
Great man-to-man defense is not the only way to impress and be effective on the court, and the clip above highlights that. In the clip we see outstanding team defense by Lakeville North. The play starts with the opposing point guard driving to the corner and laying the ball off to the wing. When the wing receives the ball he attempts to drive baseline and use a pick set by the point guard. Lakeville North clogs it up though. The wing defender fights over the attempted screen and the switch defender helps forcing a double team. The pressure of this double team forces the opposing wing into a bad pass in which the Lakeville is able to steal.
Standing ground
Check out #30 holding his ground for the block on this transition opportunity! Game currently going on at court 4 @PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/ye9FeGmb3a
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) October 26, 2019
Sometimes good defense is as simple as forcing the opponent to make a decision quickly and capitalizing on it. In this play, the opponent is bringing the ball up the floor when he recognizes that the lane has opened up to exploit. At this point, the Panther defender steps in the lane as he attempts to drive. This move does not allow the offensive player a lot of time to make a decision, and he decides to put up a shot. The defender does a great job of staying vertical and avoiding the foul causing a block and the ability for his team to get out and run the other way.
Active hands force the steal
@PrepHoops Active hands and a pin-point pass on court 9 for a great transition basket! #PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/HNTM1izYaU
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) October 26, 2019
Good transition defense is all about hustle and angles, and the beginning of this sequence is all about how the Minnetonka defender executed both. As the opposing ball handler comes up the floor, he has an outlet pass in front of him to what appears to be an open defender crashing in from the wing. While he can see the defender is there, he is trailing the play and shouldn’t be able to get there and block the shot. The ball handler opts to throw a bounce pass, but the Minnetonka defender anticipates this and is able to cut off the passing lane by hustling into the play. The result is a steal and the ball going back the other way.
Press coverage
Prior lake playing some good press defense on court 4 right now. Forcing turnovers all over the place @PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/iqbV2ZMhrA
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) October 26, 2019
The most effective press defense this weekend was executed by Prior Lake. They hounded the ball handlers from the moment the ball changed possession. In this play, Shackopee is able to break the press with a nice press, but the defense has clearly sped up the game, and this causes the ball handler to attempt to drive in without assessing the rest of the floor. Prior Lake is almost able to force a turnover off of this, but they recover and force the ball out. This time the ball handler does slow the game down for a second, but he still is playing at a tempo that is comfortable for Prior Lake, rather than Shackopee. The ball handler drives in without any movement from teammates and the defender is able to guard the lane and shepherd him near a help defender who is able to force a steal.
Recovery Steal
Watch the hustle by #1 to get back into the play after a turnover and block the shot for Chaska @PrepHoops pic.twitter.com/pvXGYKVuLj
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) October 26, 2019
When the ball handler receives the ball, the Chaska shot blocker isn’t even in the frame. In fact, there are roughly 6 players in front of him, and yet he is able to get back and block the layup at the rim. Sometimes the breakdown is as simple as one team wanted it more, and in this case, the Chaska defender worked harder than anyone else on the floor and was rewarded with a block.