Pete Newell - Reading the Defense for Perimeter Moves #2
I have been reading Pete Newell’s Playing Big and thought I would share a excerpt on reading the defence for Perimeter Moves…
Basketball is a game of counters. A team’s offensive and defensive reactions are counters to what the opponent has presented. If a team offense is not designed to use counter strategy against defensive tactics, that offense will be stopped. On the contrary, the team that is trained to read and react quickly will be unstoppable.
Reading and reacting in the one-on-one situation is no different. Players must learn to recognize what the defense is taking away—and thereby read what the defense is giving away so that the offensive player can take quick advantage.
The following moves are all based on read and-react strategy:
Move 2—Front Pivot and Drive Over the Top This move is made in the same situation as the previous one (Front Pivot and Drive Baseline), but the defender is shading toward the baseline side, leaving just enough room for the offensive player to drive
toward the middle (see figure 7.2). Footwork is a little tricky here because when initiating the drive, some players are tempted to pick up the right foot, or pivot foot, and cross over with it, using it for the first step of the drive.
This should be avoided because it welcomes a traveling violation. The first step of the drive should be made with the nonpivot foot—the left foot in this case—and the dribble should occur just before the right foot hits the floor.
The move should end with a layup on the opposite side of the basket (a left-handed layup, jumping with the right foot). In games, a player may seldom be able to drive that far without encountering defenders along the way, but for training, ending with a layup is good footwork practice.
For more ideas on Post & Perimeter Play, check out Pete Newell’s Playing Big Book & DVD. Coach Newell has a collegiate coaching record of 234-123, including back-to-back appearances in the NCAA championship game (1959 and 1960) with the University of California at Berkeley. He won one NCAA title, an NIT title, and a gold medal with the 1960 U.S. team. Newell’s Cal teams won four consecutive Pacific-8 titles (1957-1960), and Newell was National Coach of the Year in 1960. Considered America’s “basketball guru” for his vast knowledge and teaching skills, Newell was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. He has run his Big Man Camp since 1976 and his Tall Women’s Camp since 2001, developing the skills of serious high school, collegiate, and professional players.
