Open Practice with Ryan McCarthy: Creating Mayhem

with Ryan McCarthy,
Fresno State University Women's Head Coach;
University of Alaska-Anchorage Women's Head Coach from 2013 to 2025;
6x Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year;
2016 NCAA D-II Championship Runner-up;
was 4th-most total victories in NCAA D-II over the past 10 years with a 309-67 (.822) record;
Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back Great Northwest Athletic Conference Regular Season Champs (2015-2018);
3x NCAA D-II West Region Coach of the Year;

Ryan McCarthy's basketball team has taken the country by storm with their brand of "Mayhem" on the court!

This look into how the Seawolves practice builds upon head coach Ryan McCarthy's first two instructional videos that detailed his "Amoeba" 1-1-3 zone defense and "Shark" 2-2-1 press. You will learn how to adjust the zone to different offensive tactics, the 1-2-1-1 "Loco" press, and how to sustain the attack on both sides of the floor with McCarthy's 4-out ball screen offense.

Amoeba Zone Defense

Coach McCarthy begins by answering some of the most common questions that you might have about his zone defensive system. Through whiteboard diagrams and on-court demonstration, you'll see how his defense can be modified based on scouting reports to shut down various offensive strategies. This segment is especially helpful if you've watched his previously-released, wildly popular Mayhem 2-2-1 and Amoeba-Style Defense videos.

Additionally, McCarthy shows how to defend the corner with stunts or rotations depending on your opponent's shooting ability. Players demonstrate how to dig on the high post or play wide based on nearby shooting threats. Double teams in the low post, as well as rotations out of the trap, are broken down in detail.

Using the "Five Stops" drill, Coach McCarthy teaches the ins and outs for defending offensive concepts such as perimeter player movement, baseline runners, high post dives, handling dribble penetration and more.

Full Court Pressure

The attack never lets up in the Mayhem system thanks to two types of full court pressure.

You'll see how to prevent elite ball handlers from taking advantage of your press with the "Jump Switch" breakdown drill. This will help your players recognize how to rotate in "fix-it" situations and even pick up easy turnovers!

McCarthy adds a wealth of knowledge through breaks in the "3 Stops" drill to refine the 2-2-1 "Shark" press. The principles to the "Loco" press are also explained in a detailed walk-through in which McCarthy discusses the roles of each player. You'll also learn a great principle for helping your athletes read trapping situations to intercept passes.

Motion Offense

The Seawolves have implemented a simple ball screen offense that spreads the floor and allows players to be constant scoring threats. McCarthy shows how to read defenders helping on the roll in order to maximize the effectiveness of the play. A secondary motion is shown that opens up driving lanes for athletes.

Two drills are revealed that will improve your transition offense. The "Champions" drill will help your players clean up their technique in 2v1 and 3v2 situations to cut down on turnovers.

Additionally, you'll see two set plays that you'll definitely want to add to your playbook. "Rocket" gives you a strategy versus aggressive hedging teams by freeing up the ball screener. "Gator" provides an option for posting up an athletic guard while occupying defenders with off-ball screening action.

If you were a fan of Coach McCarthy's previous releases, this video is a must-purchase! He does a ton of teaching throughout the practice, which is helpful to coaches looking to dive deep into the Mayhem system.

114 minutes. 2018.