Mark Gottfried: Attacking the Zone

with Mark Gottfried,
University of Alabama Head Coach

Mark Gottfried will never be called passive against zone defenses! Attacking the heart of the zone, inside/out, is the goal of his offense. The keys are ball movement, man movement and penetrate as the ball moves from sideline to sideline. Gottfried believes that his perimeter players must be hard to guard and find the gap between two defenders. After one or two ball reversals, guards look to "knife the zone" by driving gaps. Post players are taught to be aggressive and move hard against the zone. Post players must occupy defenders along the baseline by flashing and posting up. One feature of Gotfried's zone style is attacking from behind from the short corner. The Double "O" is an alignment with two post low and three perimeter players on the outside. Another look is the 1-3-1 set, with the high post player acting as the "hub of the wheel." Hi/low action, corner passes and short corner opportunities are available in this attack. Set plays are good weapons against zone defenses. The 3-2 zone presents a different look, but can be countered with an offensive overload attack.

52 minutes. 2007.

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