How to slow down the other teams top scorer.

In coaching basketball we will at some point come up against a team that has one very good player who does most of their teams scoring. If the other players are equal with the team that you have, then it is important to slow down their number one player to have a chance to win that game. Lets see some things that we might be able to do to accomplish this.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Hit that square The first thing is to look at the opposing player is he/she a post player, a guard or a swingman. Each of these positions can have different methods to slowing down the opposing player. A guard we can have one of our guards shadow this person on the court at all times. I have always told my players to just stay face to face as much as possible and not to worry about the other players except for when they try to screen. You go where ever they go, and do not let them get their hands on that ball, or at the very least limit their touches. Teammates must call out the screens because there will be some set by the opposing team to free their star player. We are usually in a 1-3 alighnment for the defense, or as I call it 1-3 with a chaser. Other coaches may use a box and one set up.
2. Lets say the other team has a good post player, but the guards are weak or at the same level as our guards. Here we implement a different type of strategy. Knowing that the post won't go to far away from the basket, we will place our post player behind the man. The key is to have one of our guards sliding down out of our match-up zone to front the big man when the ball is on their side. We realize that at times we may not be able to rotate fast enough and they may get the outside shot, however, after enough practice with the wings and guards this too can be contested.
3. A swingman is perhaps the hardest type of player to defend in this manner. The reason for this is because of spacing, athletic ability, and the ability to set screens which are staggered. Here we us the same principal as defending the guard, with some extra help from our other players. Here we actually will try to "herd" the player into other players and keep them well below the center of the key area across the total court. This keeps that player away from good passing lanes and gives us a chance to help out.
4. I hope some of these ideas may help you, I have found that on the small high school level that many times athletes and coaches have a hard time adjusting to these type of defenses. Good luck and remember that Defense Wins Championships.