Building the Pillars of a Gap-Based Defense: Closeouts, Sequences & a Culture of Toughness

Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns has spent many seasons learning and coaching at the highest levels of basketball. During that time, he has emerged as one of the greatest defensive tacticians in the collegiate ranks. His team’s routinely rank in the top echelon of defensive metrics. 

Through this video, you will discover how Coach Kerns consistently produces those types of defensive results. Kerns discusses his defensive philosophy and uses on-the-floor teaching with on-court demonstrations to show he builds his defense from the ground up through his simple yet effective drills. 

As Coach Kerns points out though, ‘It’s not the drill work, it is the mindset that is essential in his team’s defensive success.’

Closeout Drills

Coach Kerns believes that great defense starts with the closeout and the ability to ‘guard your yard.’ In this segment, Kerns takes you through his daily closeout series that addresses the different types of offensive players your team will need to learn to defend.

The closeout series is focused on hand-placement techniques and defensive footwork – all requirements that help players stay in balance and anticipate the direction of the player they are guarding on the catch.

Kerns shows a highlight effective closeout series eventually builds to 1-on-1 games that are played with different rules and performed in a variety of areas on the court.

3-On-3 Small-Sided Defensive Games To 5-On-5

After showcasing his closeout series, Coach Kerns introduces you to his no-shell defensive theory. Rather than utilizing shell concepts to build, Kerns uses 3-on-3 small-sided game actions to ensure his players understand how to build a team defensive wall.

By incorporating this type of competition into 3-on-3 work, Kerns explains that players are more focused and can be pushed further than what the block-style shell defensive series often do.

After completing the 3-on-3 series, Kerns explains how he teaches his scout offense to run the most difficult actions teams attempt to utilize against his team. He then breaks down how he guards these actions daily. 

Coach Kerns also explains how and why the teaching method helps players to prepare for the grind of the season. By consistently guarding the toughest actions in the modern game, it helps defenses develop confidence and an attitude that allows them to guard on a consistently high level - every night.

This video provides an excellent foundation for a defensive philosophy and introduces a must-see defensive system that helps any program become more competitive!

75 minutes. 2023.