Open Practice with Ron Hunter

What are you doing every day to make your team better? Your team will be what you emphasize in practice!

For his entire coaching career, Ron Hunter has exclusively used zone defenses. In this coaching clinic session, you will get a chance to see how Coach Hunter develops this style of play through the daily drills he uses in practice. These drills reinforce essential concepts such as closeouts, transition, and free throw shooting. Coach Hunter also describes aspects of his 1-1-3 and 3-2 match-up zone defenses while showing them in action with live competition.

Match-Up Zone

Coach Hunter starts his practices with a review of his 1-1-3 and 3-2 match-up zone defenses using "Sully Sets." With this daily practice drill, you'll learn how to teach players to defend opponents' set plays. This practice segment also demonstrates the basic principles of these match-up zone defenses. You'll learn the importance of communication, how to defend ball screens, and how to rotate players to find a new match-up.

Defensive Drills

To run a great match-up zone defense, the ball must never get to the middle of the floor. As the ball moves against a zone, players must close out on the ball and be ready to defend the player with the ball. Three variations of the "Sully Closeouts" drill will improve the technique of your players' closeouts and on-ball defense. Learn how to handle jabs, pressure a dead ball, and change closeouts to defend a great perimeter shooter.

See how Coach Hunter implements a transition element into his 4-on-4 Shell Drill to more closely simulate game-like scenarios. Emphasizing defensive concepts with a point system will help your players focus on communication, proper closeouts, and challenging every shot.

Even the best defenses are vulnerable in transition. The 4-on-4 Baseline Touch Drill will condition your defenders to sprint back and stop the fast break. Get your players to take pride in slowing down your opponent in this competitive drill.

The 5-on-5 Rush Drill challenges players to implement the principles that have been reinforced through these breakdown drills into live competition. Watch the match-up zone at work in game-like situations with this full court drill.

Offensive Drills

Teach your players how to play quick without turning over the ball in the Fast Break Buildup Drill. This competitive drill uses a point system to reinforce good habits through every phase of transition offense - from 2-on-1 fast breaks to full 5-on-5 situations.

Coach Hunter also shows how he gets his players to focus at a higher level with competitive free throw drills. Players work against each other and the clock to make their shooting goals. This will turn idle moments in your practices into intense, competitive environments!

This video demonstrates two styles of match-up zone defenses and show you how to organize a practice to build this defensive style with your team. Coach Hunter's drills will help you build a zone defense that will confuse your opponents and keep them helplessly guessing how to score.

57 minutes. 2016.