Open Practice: 2-2-1 Press and Defensive Breakdown Drills

Long time Oakland University head coach, Greg Kampe, is one of the top mid-major coaches in the country. His uptempo style of play has been a signature of the Oakland basketball program for over 30 years. He is the third longest tenured coach in Division 1, behind Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski. With over 500 wins, he is fourth among active D1 coaches in wins at his current school and finished third all time in wins (147) in Summit League play.

The 2-2-1 press is a versatile defense that can use pressure to force turnovers, slow down tempo and steal time from your opponent's possessions. In this inside look at an Oakland University practice, long-time head coach, Greg Kampe, shows you a different approach to the 2-2-1 press which will allow you to build and adjust the 2-2-1 to different types of offense.

Coach Kampe walks you through the details of the 2-2-1 with white board diagrams and on-court demonstration, in addition to live practice drills. He also shares three practice drills that work on half court defense and rebounding.

The Basic Principles of the 2-2-1 Press

In a lecture format, Coach Kampe explains his philosophy for using the 2-2-1 and diagrams common rotations and scenarios you might encounter. You'll learn defined trapping areas and what Coach Kampe considers good, great and bad traps. Depending on the type of trap achieved, the roles of your forwards will change. Additionally, you will learn techniques and strategies such as how to keep the ball out of the middle of the court, force dribblers into the "trap box," cover shooters in the back line and more.

Moving to the court, you'll see how Oakland develops the press with 5-on-5 controlled scrimmages. Players learn to make reads in two different trapping situations based on how the ball is advanced up the court. In this live setting, Coach Kampe constantly emphasizes when players should be looking to gamble for an interception or play more conservative based on the quality of traps.

Breakdown Drills for the 2-2-1 Press

Discover three practice drills for developing critical aspects of any half-court defense. Learn the fundamentals for great post defense with a drill that combines techniques like denying the post, walling up to contest the shot and finishing with sealing out and getting the rebound. For your perimeter players, use a 3-on-1 drill to teach your athletes close outs, how to be in the right spot for help defense and how to limit dribble penetration with on-ball defense. Coach Kampe reveals tricks he uses for getting defenders to play without using their hands.

You will also see the Knight Rebounding drill, which is Oakland's best drill for developing players who can dominate the boards. Coach Kampe teaches players to make contact, then find the ball in this 2-on-2 competitive drill.This video from Coach Kampe will show coaches of all levels how to force opponents out of their comfort zone with the 2-2-1 press.

56 minutes. 2016.