Kevin Sutton 4-Pack

with Kevin Sutton,
Montverde Academy Men's Basketball Head Coach,
NIKE Skill Academy Instructor

Facing many different zones is part of the coaching experience. Coach Sutton looks at attacking zones from an offensive standpoint. He lists beating the zone down the floor as the top priority. Moving the zone from side to side and attacking with ball and pass penetration are important. Any zone can be screened and Sutton encourages screening with all different zone offense looks. Being patient to get a good shot is a trait of a good team against zones. The final key is attacking the offensive glass for second shots. Gap motion is one of Sutton's main zone attacks. On the floor, he demonstrates the gap in a 5-on-5 setting. Dribble draw, screening, cutting and spacing are the keys to this offense. He also covers the gap stationary, which is a different attack and is keyed by making the zone move with the pass and dribble. Special plays can be inserted into the zone offense using screens on the back side of the zone. Sutton demonstrates four shooting drills using an automated shooting machine. These drills create many shots for all players on the team.

40 minutes. 2008.

with Kevin Sutton,
Montverde Academy Men's Basketball Head Coach,
NIKE Skill Academy Instructor

The task of evaluating players is common among all basketball coaches. Coach Sutton introduces innovative drills that help with evaluation and player development. The philosophy that "every kid has a ball" is evident in this DVD. Using chairs on the floor, the X drill works on half court ball handling and shooting. Sutton emphasizes the value of communication among players in all of these drills. Changes in speed and direction are important components of improvement. Full court drills force players to use the cross over dribble and dribble explosion in an attacking mentality. Two-ball dribbling is incorporated into the full court drills. One ball is passed to a teammate while the other is shot. The benefit of these 10 drills is player improvement and a chance to evaluate roles for each player on the team.

53 minutes. 2008.

with Kevin Sutton,
Montverde Academy Men's Basketball Head Coach,
NIKE Skill Academy Instructor

As an educator and coach, Kevin Sutton is a believer in organization. Organization helps a coach maximize his ability to educate. A successful program runs in four cycles: Pre-season, In-season, spring season and summer season - but all are rooted in a successful foundation from the pre-season. Goals for the season are broken down into important areas of the pre-season. The number one priority is to establish a champion's work ethic. The weekly schedule is crucial to maintaining daily consistency for all players in the program. Components of each week are academics, strength training, and basketball. Competition on the floor involves fall league games to adjust to the system and coaching staff. Sutton's approach with this pre-season program is to infuse a championship mentality through work, responsibility and consistency. With those things in place, success is around the corner!

2008.

with Kevin Sutton,
Montverde Academy Men's Basketball Head Coach,
NIKE Skill Academy Instructor

Coach Sutton's concept of defense is to force turnovers and create offense on the other end. The "55" is a 2-1-2 full court zone press and is a defensive cornerstone in this program. While doing this the opponent will become fatigued, leading to more success. Defensive principles are important and include: Ball pressure, containing the dribble, force the ball into trap areas and up the sidelines. Sutton's scramble/recovery mode is based on closet man/closest ball. The first press illustrated by Sutton is the 2-2-1 zone press. The first line of defense contains two guards and they apply pressure first. The two half court players have middle and deep coverage based on ball position. They are also used as interceptors when longer passes are thrown. The last player has the back line and protects the basket. Sutton shares another press, 56, that starts in a 2-1-2 alignment. Both presses are tools to dictate tempo and speed up a game to the disadvantage of the opponents in many ways.

55 minutes. 2008.

See all the items in this series!

• Screening Zone Attack & Shooting Drills
• 10 Drills For Player Evaluation
• Pre-Season Practice Organization
• 2-2-1 Press for High School Basketball