Defending Ball Screens in the Half Court

with Jack Owens,
DePaul University Assistant Coach;
Ohio State University Assistant Coach from 2022 to 2024;
Miami University of Ohio Head Men's Coach from 2017 to 2022;
Purdue University Associate Head Coach from 2011 to 2017 (2017 NCAA Sweet 16);
Purdue University Assistant Coach from 2008 through 2011 (2009, 2010 NCAA Sweet 16);
Southern Illinois Assistant Coach from 2003 through 2008 (2007 NCAA Sweet 16);
played college basketball for Murray State, Howard CC and Eastern IL (guard)

In this video, Jack Owens discusses the objectives and goals for transition defense. As he progresses from transition defense to half court defense, Owens gives a detailed presentation on ball screen coverages. These half court coverages will help you disrupt your opponents and their goals on offense.

Transition & Half Court Defense

Coach Owens begins with transition defense. It is vital to develop a strong defensive transition game, otherwise your team runs the risk of giving up too many easy points. In order to do this, you need to develop positional responsibilities. Coach Owens' main positions are the "jammer" and "safety". These roles are defined thoroughly, and Owens shows how you can drill this in practice. This approach will allow your team to play a full 94 feet of defense, reducing transition layups and rhythm threes.

Next, Coach Owens builds into the half court with full denial until the first pass. He shows a sample drill, emphasizes the importance of communication, and demonstrates how he teaches his team to communicate in transition.

Ball Screen Defense

Owens concludes with an extremely detailed discussion on ball screens in the half court. The importance of ball screen defense has grown as the game has evolved, and Coach Owens breaks down each type of screen and multiple ways to defend those screens.

This video provides the detail you need to be successful in the full and half court on defense. The instruction for ball screen coverages is deep, and will cause fits for your opponents who love to thrive off the ball screen.

58 minutes. 2022.