Dave Odom: Attacking with Full- and Half-Court Pressure Defense

with Dave Odom,
University of South Carolina Head Coach,
'95 National Coach of the Year,
'96 Elite Eight,
'00 NIT Champions

In Dave Odom's years of college coaching he has faced great players, teams and coaches. Throughout these experiences he has developed an extensive full- and half-court defensive attack. Odom's aggressive style has forced opponents to play from baseline to baseline, eventually wearing them down. Forcing opponents to take quick or bad shots, force turnovers, and cause fatigue are all benefits of this pressure style. Coach Odom demonstrates the man-to-man "head on the ball" drill as a foundation for all progressions of pressure defense. A key to this full-court drill is keeping the opponent on the sideline, allowing the defensive help side to set up and keep the ball from being reversed. This on-court demonstration shows how players rotate defensively once two players trap the ball. Faced with defending a quick point guard, Coach Odom introduces a scheme that counters crafty ball handlers by influencing them toward half-court and trapping before the mid-court. Another requirement for good defenses is the ability to guard the dribble. In the "guard the dribbler" drill, defensive players are forced to communicate and pick up an opponent out of their area. This entire system is flexible because it can be run aggressively or conservatively giving your opponent multiple looks. Because every game includes important spurts, this defensive approach can put your team on the offensive by applying pressure with your defense.

75 minutes. 2006.

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