Doubling the Post, Protecting the Rim & Pressure Defense

with Craig Doty,
Houston Christian University Head Coach;
Emporia State Head Men's Basketball Coach from 2018 to 2024;
Graceland University Head Coach from 2016 to 2018;
2018 NAIA National Championship;
2018 Don Meyer Award;
2018 NAIA Coach of the Year;
2018 IBCA Coach of the YEar;
2018 Heart of America Tournament Champions;
Rock Valley College Head Coach from 2012 to 2016;
2x NJCAA Division III National Champions (2014, 2016);
2x Spalding NJCAA Division III Coach of the Year (2014, 2016);
2016 NABC National JuCo (all levels) Coach of the Year;
2015 NJCAA National Runner-up;
4x Don Klaas NJCAA Region IV Coach of the Yearplayed college basketball for Morningside (guard)

Craig Doty has experienced success at every level he has coached, having won three national championships in the span of five seasons. The staple to his success has been his ability to develop teams that apply complete defensive pressure. In this video, you'll get an opportunity to see the drills Doty uses on a daily basis to build his team defense, with a focus on defending against opposing post threats.

Drills

Coach Doty starts by explaining what his team emphasizes in practice every single day: pressure. You'll get closeout drills that work on contesting great shooters and forcing them to put the ball on the floor. Building from 1v1 closeouts, Doty demonstrates how his defense goes from hard denial to pressuring the basketball. Forcing your opponent into the deep corner and so they catch the ball further away from the basket is a must in this version of pressure defense.

Transition Defense

With a foundation set in the half court, Coach Doty moves into a full court setting to demonstrate how he teaches and builds up his team's transition defense. Starting from 1v1 full court, players learn how to show their hands and try to stop the ball as an offensive player pushes the pace in transition. Doty builds into 1v2 to demonstrate the quality of defense when two players get back. When they sit in the gaps, athletes are able to stop an offensive player that has a full head of steam.

In 3v3 transition, players sit in gaps and focus on pushing the ball out of the middle of the floor. By showing their jerseys, the defense is able to accomplish this every possession. Your players will focus on getting deflections, forcing bad shots, and creating turnovers by being in the passing lanes.

Post to Post Drills

In 2v2 post to post drills, players work to perfect their post defense. Starting with footwork and positioning while fronting the post, defenders move from help-side to doubling the post. In this setting, your athletes must understand when they should double and when they should show. Building into 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5, all players (including guards) will learn how to rotate and defend the post.

In Doty's Verticality drill, players learn to maintain, and time, their verticality so they don't get into foul trouble. Your athletes will learn how to anticipate when they should jump and when they should hold still to avoid breaking the plane.

Building Your Culture

Rounding out his presentation, Doty explains how he has built his programs up at every location he's been during his career. He covers letting assistant coaches have a voice, teaching your players about success in life, and knowing and understanding team communication.

This is an excellent video for coaches who are seeking better post defense and for those who want to take their program to the next level. Coach Doty has won national titles at the NAIA level and the JUCO level, and his defensive principles are the foundation of his program. You will get some great defensive drills that you can immediately implement into your practices.

73 minutes. 2019.