Open Practice with Molly Miller: 'Camp Lock-Down Defense' - Close Outs, Zig Zag Series, 'Centerfield' Full Court Press & More!

with Molly Miller,
Arizona State University Head Coach;
Grand Canyon University Head Women's Basketball Coach from 2020 to 2025;
2025 WAC Regular Season Champions;
2025 WAC Regular Season Champions;
2025 WAC Tournament Champions;
2023 & 2025 WAC Coach of the Year;
In every season at GCU, Miller's teams have averaged between 10.2 and 13.4 steals/game and have ranked as high as number 4 (in 2023), number 3 (in 2022) and number 2 (in 2021) in the US among all D-I teams;
Drury University Head Coach from 2014 to 2020;
2019 NCAA D II Final Four;
5x Great Lakes Valley Conference Regular Season Champions;
5x Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Champions;
2x WBCA Division II Coach of the Year (2019, 2020);
Undefeated season (32-0) in 2020;
played college basketball for Drury University;
second all time for scoring (1,570 points), assists (439), and steals (407);
2007 Drury Athletics Hall of Fame inductee

The trademark of a Molly Miller-coached team has always been their stifling pressure defense. In this excellent ‘Open Practice’ video, Coach Miller takes you inside “Camp Lock-Down,” her team’s full-length practice dedicated to building a pressure defense that focuses on breaking down defensive fundamentals with “skinnies” and builds up to her patented pressure defense!

Closeout Drills
“Camp Lock-Down” begins with “Box Closeouts” by placing an emphasis on having one hand up to take away the shot and “tickle the basketball” while the other hand is ready to deflect passes. While many coaches teach two hands up and chopping feet, Coach Miller emphasizes closing out under control and being ready to pressure the ball by taking away the middle. This leads into the changeup drill called “X-Out Closeouts” before “Straight Closeouts” teach how to guard the ball after successfully taking away the shot on the closeout.

On-Ball Defense
Coach Miller’s defense requires always having intense on-ball pressure. The tried and true “Zig Zag Drill” goes through several variations in what she calls her team’s “daily vitamins.” Using “athletic hands” and a “measuring stick,” two partners work on taking away the crossover, playing defense with their feet, and communicating verbally. The contingency of a defender getting too close and risking committing a foul, learns how to use a “Mickey” by making Mickey Mouse ears to show the officials that the defender is not initiating contact with the dribbler.

Full-Court Pressure Defense
Coach Miller’s full-court pressure defense is known as “Centerfield” and is predicated on getting turns and traps as much as possible. To achieve this, the ball must be forced into the “Green Zone,” the area between the volleyball sideline and the basketball sideline. Miller teaches reaching for the basketball with palms up whenever a player looks to pivot out of pressure.

Additional details include off-ball defenders in the press who are set to take away deep passes in the press to further add pressure of a dribbler looking to advance the ball under already difficult circumstances.

Guess what? NOBODY wants to play a team that learns to deploy this level of defense!

Any team that can learn to utilize the pressure that Coach Miller’s teams do will be disruptive for all other team’s offenses. The drills in this ‘Open Practice’ video are the building blocks to guide you to create a relentless level of defensive pressure with your team

Customer Review: 5 Out of 5 Stars!
“From start to finish, Coach Miller’s practice is very upbeat, very well structured, competitive and educational. Coaches at ALL levels can learn something from these practice sessions! Nicely done!”

166 minutes. 2025.