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March 4: Florida Gators’ Press Defense

The following article is taken from current Florida Gators Assistant Coach Matt McCall‘s lecture at PGC’s 2014 Clinic in Atlanta.

To press, you must be committed to it and work on it every day!

Always put your most athletic player on the ball (That won’t wear down/get tired)

2 Objectives to Accomplish

  1. Make fatigue a factor (Don’t have to create Turnovers, just wear down your opponent)
  2. Take teams out of their half-court offense

4 NO’s in the Press

  1. NO lay-ups/dunks
  2. NO rhythm 3’s
  3. NO 2nd chance opportunities
  4. NO silly fouls

4 Keys to Effectively Press

  1. Communication (Talk)
  2. Be alert/aware
  3. Conditioning
  4. A.D.D. (Aggressive – Disruptive – Disciplined)

Components to the Press

  1. Get in it
  2. Contest the ball
  3. Ball pressure (Active hands)• Stay between man and basket• Make them turn
  4. Trap the speed dribble
  5. Trap the turn
  6. Trap the inbounds pass in the coffin corner
  7. 2nd Traps
  8. Rotate up
  9. Back pursuit
  10. Guard sealing down (When Big rotates up, guards must cover the rim)
  11. Press Recovery—>Getting back to a SOLID (Solid=Everyone in man – gap – help)

Goals of the Press

  • AGGRESSIVE – DISRUPTIVE – DISCIPLINED
  • Force teams to shoot long 2’s
  • When trapping the ball, your steals come off the ball…not on the ball (silly fouls)

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