Defence - Villanova 2-3

Defence
Villanova 2-3

Jay Wright

See Defence - Villanova 1-1-2-1.

They need to be aggressive first, then get into zone. He hates it when you go back, sit in a zone and guys stop playing hard. They want to play hard in a zone.

Their scouting report on another team is very personnel-oriented and based on man to man. They play zone the same way, based on perimeter personnel. Villanova's zone principles are do not give up 3s, and be matched up on every shot.

Everybody is responsible for an area and always has a man to close out on if he gets the ball, or to tag on a shot (they don't box out, just tag and go pursue the ball).

Guards X1 and X2 each have a side. Below the foul-line extended is a grey area where back men and top men have to pass a man off. X3 and X4 have foul lane-lines out to sidelines, X5 always has a man in the post on ballside ("I got post"), he can't go wrong.

They're in triangles, the same concept as man to man. Here X1 plays the ball but is not pressuring it, he knows he has to get to a sideline. X2 is in a deep triangle on 2, X5 has high post 4. X4 has next pass to 3, but has 5 behind, is in a real deep triangle. X3 has no one in his area, so there has to be an overload, two ballside posts.

See Defences - 2-3 Syracuse, 2-3 Tubby Smith.

On one side the forward has to come out.

If 3 is a good shooter, X4 is cheating at him and the closeout is right in him.

X3 comes over and says "I got overload", based on how good 5 is, they're not denying this.

X1 comes over to take 3, when he gets there X4 backs off and bumps X3 off.

X1 has 3, X4 has 5, X3 has 2, X2 has 1, and X5 still has 4.

If 3 dribbles into X4's area, X4 takes the ball.

If they have two guys in the post, X3 is going to take the overload, it all depends on X5, he probably takes post 5, then X3 has 4.

X1 takes 1 (in a triangle), X2 has 2 (like man to man).

Against an overload the weakside guard takes a skip pass, even to the corner (not his area). X3 goes back to his area and bumps X2.

If X5 takes low post 5, X4 has overload 4.

If 2 shoots, everyone knows who they are tagging.

A 1-3-1 set against zone is old-school, teams now run ballscreens and a lot of off-ball screening, that's why Villanova plays their zone with a lot of man to man principles.

Here 1 passes to 2 from a 4-out 1-in set, basket cuts, and "sits down" below the foul line, then 5 comes through on the baseline from the weakside short corner (the porch). 4 replaces 1. Villanova does this in their zone offence.

If X5 takes 5 then X4 takes 1; if X5 takes first-cutter 1 then X4 has 5 (shown).

Any time the ball goes to the middle of the zone and X5 guards it, X3 and X4 protect the rim and X1 and X2 take away the corners, leaving open the guy directly behind the ball.

If 5 goes to the rim on the pass to 1, X4 has him.

If 1 throws it to 4 (that pass is rare), X5 would fly at him.

If 4 spaces away, he is coming towards a defender.

Now X4 knows that if 5 goes to the rim, X3 has got him, so X4 can bump out X1, who steps up on 4.

First instincts are to protect the rim and take away the corners, if they do that everything else is easier because it's a shorter run.

Here high-post 4 gets a pass in a 1-3-1 set and turns and faces.

X4 starts to protect the basket but X3 has 5, so X4 can take 3 ("I got 3") and X1 steps back up on 1.

Defending ballscreens - Spacing

One of their ballscreen defences in man to man is "spacing", or space the ballscreen, which means that screen defender X5 is spacing and on-ball defender X2 goes over the screen and kind of trails 2 into X5.

If 2 curls into X5 they switch it, if 2 drags it, X2 chases and X5 gets back to 5 (shown).

In zone they space every ballscreen with X5 because it's coming to him, he does the same thing every time.

If they want to adjust against a non-shooter they say space and under (shown); if it's a shooter they just space.

If 4 is a shooter, X1 denies, just like they do in man to man.

If 1 turns the corner he comes right into the big, X2 is on screener 5.

If 1 drags it, X2 has got it.

This page was made with Basketball playbook from Jes-Soft