Sharman White: Defensive Game Plan for Practice

Sharman White,
Pace Academy, Head Coach;
2023 Class 4A State Champions;
10x State of Georgia High School Champions;
USA Basketball U17 National Team Head Men's Coach;
Georgia High School Regional 6AA Championship (2022);
Won back-to-back (2019 and 2020) Georgia High School State Championships, in 3A and 2A divisions respectively, with a combined record of 56-6;
Named Head Coach of NIKE Hoops Summit Team (2020 & 2021);
2014 USA TODAY All-USA Coach of the Year (at Miller Grove High School, GA);
5x Georgia High School State Champions at Miller Grove High School (2009-2012 Georgia Class 4A and 2013 and 2014 Georgia Class 5A titles);
2016 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year;
2013 Georgia Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year and Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Class 5A Coach of the Year;
3x Georgia Class 4A Coach of the Year and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia Class 4A Coach of the Year (in 2010, 2011 and 2012)

Sharman White has been a successful coach at every level, including at the highest level with USA Basketball and helping to bring in 3 Gold Medals. During his career, he earned a reputation as a coach who knows how to utilize his personnel and style of basketball to produce a system that controls tempo and the pace of play.  

Using a multiple pressing system, Coach White keeps his opponents on their toes and guessing as to when they will press, how they will press and what type of tempo they want to force opponents to play at.

Coach White has developed a refined system for teaching his players how to control the game in a manner that is beneficial to his players and their skill sets.

In this highly valuable, detailed instructional video, you will get a look at how Coach White teaches his multiple pressing system and why each press is effective in certain situations. 

A Pressure System That Fits YOUR Program

Pressing is not an easy style of play to utilize consistently. It’s a defensive style of play that requires coaches to let go of some of the control they like to have on each trip up and down the court and understand that, sometimes, your press creates turnovers – while at other times, it may lead to a high-percentage scoring opportunity for your opponent’s when they successfully break the press.

Coach White begins his presentation by posing several critically important questions that coaches should ponder when thinking about installing a pressing style of play. The veteran high school coach who has coached for more than 24-years while maintaining a .812 winning percentage, asks you to ponder questions such as…

• What is your personnel like for this season and what are their strengths?
• How much should, and can, your team press during a typical game?
• Is pressing something you want to utilize as a weapon to get your or team going, or is it a tool designed to create havoc against your opponents?

All of these questions, and more, are key considerations to factor in when choosing a pressing style of play.

Full-Court Pressure Drills 

Coach White explains why all good presses begin with the process of creating a live-game atmosphere with game-like mindsets in your practices. The path to simulating live game situations begins with drills and the drills you utilize provide the key repetitions required to build the defensive culture of a pressing team. 

Starting off with a demonstration of the ‘5-on-5 Total-Deny Drill,’ Coach White explains how players must bring their intensity from the start and maintain a goal of not letting the offense catch a pass in the half court. This is a great drill to teach your defensive pressing players how to communicate, while working on their passing-lane coverage.

Coach White then shows off the ‘4-on-4 Trap-&-Anticipate Drill,’ where players work on reading the offense and learning where the next pass will go. Defenders are taught to maintain a focus on looking at the offensive player’s shoulders and eyes to understand where a player is looking to pass. This is also a great drill for simultaneously helping your own ball handlers to work on escaping traps, making correct decisions while under pressure and executing strong passes to an open offensive teammate. 

A Pressing System: Presses To Use & When To Use Them

Rounding out this informative presentation that includes helpful on-the-court demonstrations, Coach White details the pressing system he’s developed and shows how he utilizes each press in a particular situation.

From a full-court, man-to-man press, to half-court, zone-trapping presses, Coach White uses different setups for each one to maximize the chaos created by his defense. 

In the ’24 Press,’ Coach White uses a half-court trapping system to force opponents to play out of their offense and focuses only on preventing scores in the half court.

Coach White then shows how you can combine the ’24 Press’ with a ‘50’ or ‘52’ full-court press to smother opponents from the opening tip. 

In the ’50 Full-Court, Man-to-Man Press,’ Coach White describes how he uses this press to get his team going right out of the gate in certain games.

Sharman White has won the Georgia State Championship six years in a row. He attributes this success, in large part, to his team's defense. In this terrific on-court instructional video, Coach White breaks down his philosophy behind the defensive concepts that he teaches every day in practice. He passes on innovative drills that will motivate your players to excel on the defensive end.

Starting at the foundation, Coach White progresses through build-up drills leading into 5-on-5 competitive scrimmage drills at game speed. These drills are taught and run early in the season to build good habits and help players understand the expectations for each possession during the season.

Taking a charge, cutting off the baseline and executing proper closeouts are all essential to having success on the defensive end. In one valuable drill, the "Gladiator Drill," Coach White is able to cover all three of these concepts.

Defending the ball screen is a must in today's game, as it is a staple in so many offenses at all levels. The "2-on-2 Defending the Screen" drill will help train your players to execute the appropriate defense verses the ball screen.

While having even match ups are a reality in the game, odd number match ups are where the game is won and lost. In the 5-on-4 drill, players are forced to deal with this odd numbered situation for a minute and 30 seconds. This fantastic drill requires all-out effort, great communication and dedication to proper techniques in order to have success.

Coach White describes how to use these drills to create a competitive atmosphere every day in practice. In his practices there are always winners and loser. By making his kids compete they are always ready for the match ups they see in their real games.

Being able to disrupt your opponent's offensive flow with high-pressured defense is a backbone to most championship teams. This DVD is loaded with defensive drills and concepts that are clearly organized to help optimize practice time.

Produced at the Fall 2013