Dominating With Defense: From 55 Run-And-Jump Press, To Cultivating In-Your-Face Pressure On Every Possession

with Ron Hughey,
Florida State University Assistant Coach;
University of Virginia Assistant Coach from 2025 to 2026;
2026 Sweet Sixteen;
University of Houston Head Women's Basketball Coach from 2014 to 2025;
reached his 100th win in the 2021-2022 season;
consistently a Top-20 ranked team defensively in forcing turnovers and holding opponents to a jaw-dropping 24% field-goal percentage;
from 2004 to 2014, Hughey was an assistant at South Carolina State, South Carolina, UCF, Rutgers, Texas and Florida State
consistently a Top-20 ranked team defensively in forcing turnovers and holding opponents to a jaw-dropping 24% field-goal percentage

Ronald Hughey plays at a fun pace. From up-tempo, fast-break offense to building an in-your-face style of defense, his teams make opponents work whenever they play them. On the defensive side of the floor, many coaches find that playing a pressure-style defense can create a fun atmosphere with your program.  

Hughey’s style of play has led to his teams regularly being a Top-20 team in creating turnovers each season and it has helped his teams limit their opponents to 24% shooting percentage. 

In this video, viewers get an in-depth look at how the University of Houston’s head women’s coach builds his pressure defense and how he uses the run-and-jump press to force turnovers and create easy scoring opportunities in transition. 

Build-Up Drills To Teach Run-And-Jump Pressure

Possessing the ability to teach, correct mistakes and apply lessons is important when it comes to new concepts and playing pressure defense. In this section of the video, Hughey uses breakdown drills to help teach his players the concepts and skills they need to play pressure defense.

The action begins by showing a teaching and application drill called ‘Press 1-on-1,’ in which defensiveplayers learn how to force opponents closer to the short corner and baseline – a technique that allows for help-side defenders to understand what position they need to be in on the flight of the ball. Next up is a ‘Mirror Drill,’ where defenders work on how to cut off the offensive player and continue to apply pressure even as the ball handler works to back dribble away from pressure – which helps create a culture of constant pressure.  

Hughey follows up with a description and demonstration of how to get into the first trap and bait the opposing offense into running up the sideline and into your trap. A drill called ‘Reversal Pass’ teaches defenders how to allow the reversal by taking away the pass ahead and putting your players in a position to be an interceptor and read the defense – which helps your players anticipate what will happen next and your opponent’s next move.  

Half-Court Defense

Rounding out Hughey’s presentation on pressure defense, is an on-court outline of how to play defense in the half-court, while still applying the same pressure principles. The head coach of the Cougars teaches viewers the technique and reasons for defenders to be positioned a ‘third of the distance off’ the person he or she is guarding, which forces your opponents to play against constant pressure and provides proper help-side defense simultaneously.  

Pressure defense can be a fun style of play for your program. It allows your defense to force your opponents into turnovers, rushed shots and create havoc in full or half-court situations, as well as creates problems for how opposing offenses prepare to play against you.  

This is a high-energy and highly informative on-court video session that allows Ron Hughey an opportunity to break down teaching concepts that will help viewers prepare their players to play an up-tempo style of basketball within a system that’s based on aggressive defense pressure! 

80 minutes. 2022.