Mark Few: Attacking the 2-3 Zone with Multiple Sets

with Mark Few,Gonzaga University Head Coach;
Highest winning percentage (.836) in NCAA Division I basketball (min. 600 games);
2021 National Championship Runner-up;
2021 NABC Coach of the Year;
2021 Naismith Coach of the Year;
2017 NCAA National Runner-Up;
2017 AP Coach of the Year;
2017 Naismith Coach of the Year;
2017 Henry Iba Award;
2017 NABC Coach of the Year;
21 consecutive seasons in NCAA Tournament (2000-2021) with 10 Sweet Sixteens, 4 Elite Eights and 2 National Championship Appearance;
14x WCC Coach of the Year;
over 625 career wins;
Six straight WCC Regular Season and Tournament Championships (2013-18);
through 2021, has led Gonzaga to 20 Regular Season and 17 Tournament titles

Zone defenses are frequently used to take teams out of their primary man attack. Teams that lack an effective game plan versus zones will be at a complete disadvantage. In this video, 2017 Naismith Coach of the Year Mark Few demonstrates how to put your team at an advantage when facing zone defenses.

Using five sound principles, Coach Few teaches concepts for beating a zone in transition, in the half-court, and after a shot goes up. These principles include quick transition, concepts of ball reversal, attacking inside out, guard rules, and the importance of offensive rebounding. He includes some set plays that have been proven to beat the best zones, as Few discusses how he successfully used them against Syracuse, who has arguably the best 2-3 zone in the country.

Key Points to Attacking Zone Defense

As more and more teams across the country are employing zone defenses, effective zone attacks and set plays have become a necessary part of the successful coach's playbook. Coach Few reveals multiple ways to successfully attack zone defense with his arsenal of plays.

Coach Few begins by discussing his 5- Key Points to attacking zone defense which include:

• Attacking the zone defense by beating the zone down the floor
• Swinging the ball as quickly as possible
• Getting the ball in the high-post
• Requiring perimeter players to have feet and hands ready
• Pounding the offensive boards

Zone Actions and Set Plays

Coach Few passes on some basic sets his team uses to attack the zone. These sets are easy to implement and Few does a great job of describing the strengths of each set. Some different actions involved in these sets are:

• X Action with post players
• Dribble drag action to get the defense off balance
• Ghosting, or hiding your big behind the zone
• Reversals to beat the defense with quick passing
• Screen Downs to get the defense to scramble out
• The 13 set, which emphasizes a creative entry into high post action

Coach Few passes on some quick hitters that are sure to get your team a great look at the basket. While most plays verses zones can get you a wide open 3-point shot, the key to breaking a zone is actually getting the ball inside. With almost every play shown in this video, Few demonstrates how to get the ball inside, or at least occupy the inside defenders to create openings for the perimeter offensive players.

One of the winningest coaches in today's game, Few gives you everything you need to build a sound and explosive zone offense. You'll learn clearly-presented concepts and principles which immediately help your zone attack. Use Coach Few's zone offensive philosophy to take your team to the next level.

Produced at the Fall 2016 Phoenix (AZ) clinic.

65 minutes. 2017.