Running & Defeating the 2-3 Zone Defense

with Dave Odom, former Head Coach at the University of South Carolina and Wake Forest;
406 Career wins, 9x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 3x ACC Coach of the Year

In this Championship Productions exclusive, two legendary coaches share their perspectives on running and defeating the 2-3 zone defense.

Philosophy of the 2-3 Zone Defense
Syracuse University head coach Jim Boeheim, who has used the 2-3 zone as his primary defense for more than 25 years, covers every aspect of the zone in this detailed marker-board session. He discusses how to teach the zone in practice using drills to help raise his players defensive IQ and take away offensive tendencies such as shooters on the perimeter, post touches inside, high post passes and covering three wing players with your two-guard defensive front.

Boeheim covers the rotations of the defense in a 5-on-5 perimeter shell drill, built up to a 7-on-5 while adding both a high-post and a low-post player. Rebounding is critical for the success of any defense and Coach Boeheim gives you the responsibilities of all five players when a shot is attempted to maximize the efficiency of your defense. He also shows how to trap the short corner, the wings, and the ball-handler up top.

Offensive Concepts to Attack the 2-3 Zone
In the second part of the video, former University of South Carolina coach Dave Odom tells how he attacked Coach Boeheim's powerful 2-3 defense as well as other 2-3 zones he faced during his storied career.

Odom covers the proper spacing needed to attack the zone and also how to play behind the zone to exploit the pressure it creates. Odom shows how to attack the zone through high and low post touches, skip passes and sneaks behind the bottom of the zone to score.

Odom explains how the Boeheim Zone (Hang-Out Zone) differs from a traditional 2-3 Zone (Attacking Zone) and how you should utilize ball-movement to defeat one of them and dribble penetration to defeat the other.

Odom then gives you four set plays to attack the 2-3 zone. These plays include backside screens for wide open lay-ups, inside screens that create wide-open passing lanes and rebounding position, and three-point set plays from different spots on the floor.

This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about both sides of the 2-3 zone-how to use it and how to attack it-from two of basketball's greatest coaches.

102 Minutes. 2011.