Open Practice: Modernized Pack Line Defense and the 2-3 Zone

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.

Greg Kampe's teams at Oakland have been known for their high scoring offense and up-tempo style. However, Coach Kampe's knowledge on what makes offenses successful has also helped him form his half court defensive philosophy.

Through white board lectures and on-court demonstration, Coach Kampe explains and demonstrates his modernized, more aggressive pack line defense. You'll learn the philosophy behind it and when and how to deploy it. Additionally, you'll see how the pack line and 2-3 zone work in tandem to create the ideal setting for success.

Building the Pack Line with Breakdown Drills

See how Coach Kampe builds his pack line defense using variations of the shell drill. Your players will learn the defensive positioning of the pack so that the on-ball defender is always supported by help defenders in the gaps.

• In the 4-on-4 Must Dribble drill, defenders are challenged to pressure the ball, force the ball to the middle and provide help on a constant barrage of dribble penetration by the offense.
• The 4-on-3 drill forces defenders to communicate and sprint into gaps against an offensive team that has a numbers advantage.
• In the 3-on-3 8 Pass Restriction drill, the offense can run any type of action to disrupt the defense's coverage - in eight passes. Defenders have to learn how to fight through screens and communicate with one another to maintain proper positioning.

Coach Kampe also explains how to chase shooters off down screens, as well as a unique strategy for aggressively defending cross screens or screen-aways on the perimeter. With this tactic, your team will disrupt ball reversals and force turnovers.

Post Defense

You'll learn how scouting reports influence Oakland's help defense system when the ball is in the post. Based on the shooting ability of different players on the floor, defenders will either jump into full denial, dig, or trap the ball. With the 4-on-4 Post Touch drill, your post players will work on denying the post entry pass while perimeter players help based on the shooting ability of their match up.

Oakland's staple 4-on-4 Close Out drill is also demonstrated in practice. This defensive drill is the perfect way to prepare for the common plays of your upcoming opponent. Coach Kampe has players run this drill to practice hard hedging side ball screens.

2-3 Zone Defense

Coach Kampe walks players through the different responsibilities of his 2-3 zone defense. His version of the zone emphasizes players being active and applying ball pressure at all times. He covers how to "bump" defenders when the ball is on the side and different strategies for defending the high post based on scouting reports.

"O-D-O" Scrimmage

In this full-court drill, you'll see how players flow from Oakland's 2-2-1 press into the 2-3 zone defense based on the outcome of a shot attempt. This drill mimics the speed and flow of a game, while also stressing the importance of making defensive decisions quickly after a shot attempt.

In this inside look into an Oakland practice, you will learn the drills and skills needed to develop a pack line man-to-man defense and a 2-3 zone defense.

85 minutes. 2016.