Sharman White: Dissecting Man-to-Man Defenses with a 1-4 Set

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

Whether you are looking for a new quick hitter to add to your playbook or a last second play that provides multiple, game-winning scoring opportunities, this video will provide a set play that gives you high percentage scoring opportunities.

Working out of the 1-4 set, Sharman White gives away the secrets to his six-time state championship team. In this on-court presentation, he shows a series of quick hitting plays that are sure to help your team score some easy baskets and maximize possessions. Each set allows for backdoor opportunities while maintaining proper floor spacing.

Good offense is created by great spacing, solid screens and attention to detail. Coach White incorporates cutting and screening without the ball to maximize players' offensive abilities. He begins by setting up the 1-4 and describes the position of each player. He next shows a series of plays that work off of each other to create inside and outside looks. The base play in this series is "Duke." It is centered around getting the ball into the paint for high percentage shots through backdoor cut, post duck-in, or driving to the basket. He demonstrates two other sets out of the Duke series designed for a lob and a dribble hand-off for an open drive to the rim. In "Carolina," you will get three sets using an Iverson cut, duck in the post or a back door cut.

Coach White includes a few looks from the 1-4 low set, as well. These looks help create space for players to operate, as well as being quite useful against zone defenses. Coach then shows a couple of plays that he uses at specific moments during the game to turn the tide or get a specific look. "Tennessee" provides a great look for a 3-point shot, while "Carolina Two" will get the best athlete on the floor a lob right at the rim.

Each play in this presentation is clearly broken down and Coach White is very specific with each detail necessary for the play to be successful. Each play can flow in and out of each other and develop various options and mismatches leaving opposing coaches scrambling for adjustments to slow it down. Plays are shown versus man and zone.

Coach White has developed multiple all-American players and has racked up numerous state championships. Take his knowledge of quick hitting plays out of the 1-4 set and put it into your playbook this season. Use these plays to quickly silence the crowd and get your fans going wild.

Produced at the Fall 2013 St.