NABC On the Court Open Practice with Jeff Depelteau: Shell Defense Build-Up and Cutthroat Drills

with Jeff Depelteau,
Berkshire School (MA);
formerly at Christ School (NC);
advanced to the 2018 NCISAA State Final Four in 2018 and the State Finals in 2019;
was at Suffield Academy (CT) for nine seasons:
qualified for the NEPSAC Tournament each year (advanced to the Final Four 6x and the New England Prep Championship 3x - 2013, 2015, and 2017 - won the State Championship in 2013);
2x New England Prep Coach of the Year (2013, 2017);
2015 Nike's "America's Got Basketball Coaching Talent" contest winner

Defense builds championship programs. If your team has the ability to lock down your opponent and limit easy buckets, that means you'll also have what it takes to win the biggest games on your schedule. In this video, Jeff Depelteau outlines the drills and principles his program uses to build a championship caliber defense.

Individual and Team Skill Development

This practice session begins with Louisville Break. Coach Depelteau uses the drill to create energy while his players work on passing and shooting fundamentals. Athletes execute a version of the three-man weave with the last player scoring a lay-up. The remaining two players shoot jump shots before the drill goes back to the other end of the floor.

To develop shooting rhythm, Coach Depelteau uses VCU Shooting. In a three-minute period, shooters work on scoring from mid-range and 3-point range. Next, Amherst Layups works on attacking the basket hard from the elbows and scoring the ball.

Shell Drills

To work on help defense and driving lines, 2-Man Shell becomes an effective way to teach both aspects of man-to-man defense. With a line at each wing and a coach on top with the ball, the ball is passed to either wing. The ball-side defender closes out on the ball from the first hashmark above the block while the help-side defender gets into a help position.

A progression from 2-Man Shell is 3-Man Shell. Closeouts are still a point of emphasis, but so is getting a hand in the passing lane one pass away from the ball. Both 2-Man Shell and 3-Man Shell go live on the whistle to work on defending drives and rotating to help.

The last drill in the sequence is 4-Man Shell. This progression is designed to focus attention on denying one pass away, gapping two passes away, and sprinting to help. Coach Depelteau goes to great lengths to teach his players about proper positioning and rotations in help defense.

Live Action Drills

In Memphis Closeouts Into 3-on-3 Live, defensive players are on the baseline with offensive players at the wings and the point. The ball is passed along the baseline to the defensive players before it is swung amongst the offensive players. As each of the defensive players passes, they close out on an assigned offensive player. When the ball touches the hands of the last offensive player, the drill goes live. The drill emphasizes sprinting to a closeout and getting into a help position on defense.

In a four-on-four situation, Defensive Cutthroat is a great way to teach proper execution and communication in the same drill. Coach Depelteau places an emphasis on getting into the a great defensive stance, boxing out on shots, and having active hands when guarding the ball. In the same four-on-four situation, the emphasis changes from defense to offense with Offensive Cutthroat. Here, the points of emphasis are to catch and square to the basket, cut after passing, and thank the passer for the ball. As an added incentive for offensive rebounding, offensive put-backs are worth five points.

Coach Depelteau has created championship-caliber defenses at every stop along his career. His focus on simple and fundamental drills help create a "defense first" mentality. This video details the drills and principles that Depelteau uses on a daily basis that you will be able to adopt in your own program right away.

70 minutes. 2021.