Brenda Frese Open Practice Series

Brenda Frese, winner of multiple coach of the year honors, brings you into her team's practice and demonstrates the offenses Maryland runs against man-to-man and zone defenses. She includes the drills, read options, and counters needed to effectively run each set.

You'll get an inside look at:

• "Thumbs" man-to-man offense
• "Regular" and "Side" zone offenses
• set plays that utilize ball screens
• post play techniques for creating high efficiency shots
• how Maryland develops their transition offense to attack in advantage situations
• breakdown drills for feeding the post and shooting

All plays and drills are drawn up on a whiteboard and then demonstrated in a live practice setting featuring the Maryland women's basketball team.

3-Out-2-In Set

Learn several new set plays using the 3-out 2-in alignment that will enable you to create a low post option. Though the set is designed to help isolate and free up your center, all players are an option. These sets create a lot of reversal actions, opening up gaps in the defense and keep them off balance. These sets include:

• Power: Uses sequential screening actions to free up shooters or create an advantage for the post in the paint.
• Pass Back: A flex screen and ball reversal to help open up a post on the block.
• Side: Creates a strong side triangle for opportunities to feed the post or a continuous ball screening action to create advantages on the side pick and roll.
• 4 Series: Two different counters to defensive pressure are shown beginning in a 1-4 alignment.

These options can catch overly aggressive defenders on back cuts or use back screens that flow into side ball screens.

After these new sets have been implemented, your players can experiment with different options in each play using half-court offensive scrimmages and full court controlled scrimmage through the "O-D-O" practice segment. Additionally, your players will work on more sets as well as the primary high/low motion offense, which emphasizes post flashes to reverse the ball and isolate a talented post on the block.

Zone Offense

In this offense, posts flash into gaps in the high post or short corner on ball reversals to constantly put pressure on the shifting zone defense. You will also see how "Side Set" can be used against the zone to create movement and scoring opportunities.

Transition Drills

Four transition drills are shown that help train players to score in different advantage situations they'll encounter on fast breaks.

Shooting Drills

Coach Frese includes three additional breakdown drills for feeding the post and shooting. The Feed the Post Drill uses 2-on-2 and 4-on-4 competition to break down the Thumbs offense by showing players how to free up guards on the perimeter with screens and feed the post versus defensive pressure.

This open practice will provide coaches of all levels with a unique opportunity to learn and apply the techniques the Maryland coaching staff uses to install their offensive system early in the season.

160 minutes (2 videos). 2015.

NCAA Championship coach Brenda Frese shows you how to create an up-tempo style of play and provides drills for improving passing skills and shooting percentage.

Shooting

Good shooting is developed using position-specific breakdown drills based on offensive sets and competitive team drills. In this segment, Coach Frese will show you how to get your entire team working together to hit shots from varying angles and distances all within time restraints.

Individual Skill Work and Offense Breakdown

Maryland's primary offensive set, Thumbs, is broken down into shooting drills for both guards and posts. Posts work on Sikma moves at the block and scoring moves from the high post. Meanwhile, guards work on post feeds and scoring actions that happen after the pass, such as direct cuts and corner action. The 4 Series will help your team develop shots after using and refusing side ball screens, while posts work on scoring against different looks on rolls or pops.

Passing, Rebounding and Defense

Three additional drills work on passing, rebounding, and defense. The 5-4-3 Flawless drill is good passing drill that focuses on advancing the ball up the floor for easy baskets. The Triangle Rebounding Drill will help you teach players concepts related to gaining position for an offensive rebound, in addition to making contact to block out on defensive rebounds. The Pistons Drill requires that players focus on defensive concepts, including close outs, denying cutters and maintaining defensive position as the ball moves.

Press Break 1v1 & 1v2

Coach Frese refines her press offense using three breakdown drills to sharpen passing and dribbling skills, in addition to instructing on how and where to get open on the court. She shows angles and areas on the court you should and should not attack. Your players will learn how to get open in 1v1 situations and handle the ball to half court. Finally, athletes will learn how to get open in 1v2 situations and handle a trap without turning the ball over.

This open look into a Maryland basketball practice will give you a plethora of new drills and ideas to improve to your program.

118 minutes. 2015.

National championship coach Brenda Frese opens the doors to a live practice devoted entirely to implementing her man-to-man defensive system. Utilizing breakdown drills, defensive stations, and live 5v5 shell, Coach Frese builds the habits required to play stingy half court defense.

The first portion of the video consists of a pre-practice developmental workout. Frese outlines each drill on a whiteboard. Each whiteboard explanation is followed by live, in-practice execution by the team. The latter portion of the video contains a live viewing of the implementation of the team's approach to defending various screen types they will face throughout the year.

Pre-Practice Defensive Skill Development

Develop great close out technique and other critical defensive principles with a series of three-person pre-practice drills. Each drill stresses shading the ball toward the sideline/baseline when executing the close-out on a perimeter threat. Eliminating middle drives is the major talking point throughout each of the drills, as players are schooled on foot placement, stance, and body positioning in relation to the offensive player.

Defending Screens

Discover strategies and drills for teaching your players how to defend the most common screens used in today's game. You'll learn the roles defenders play when hard hedging a side ball screen and how these concepts can be practiced in 5-on-5 play. You'll also see how to defend down screens, diagonal screens, cross screens and back screens.

The Maryland team walks through the key principles of defending each screen, then break it down with 2-on-2 stations before building up to live play with 5-on-5 Shell Drill to end practice.

Shell Drill

The session ends with a live, 5v5 shell drill. Coach Frese looks to see if the habits, rotations, and awareness developed throughout the rest of the practice is translating into a live, competitive setting.

Consistent title contenders like the Maryland women's program know that defense is the foundation to long term success. A great defensive foundation requires instincts, technique and an understanding of the team's strategy. Coach Frese allows viewers a peek inside a session devoted to those principles and developing an attacking mindset that is consistent with the program's winning history.

93 minutes. 2015.