Steve Forbes: Program Management Insights + Defense Drills

with Steve Forbes,
Wake Forest Head Coach;
2022 ACC Coach of the Year;
2020 Hugh Durham Award ;
2020 SoCon Coach of the Year;
former East Tennessee State Head Coach;
2020 & 2017 SoCon Tournament and Regular Season Champions;
former Northwest Florida State Head Coach, Back-to-Back NJCAA Division I National Runner-Up;
nine seasons as a D-I Assistant Coach (with Billy Gillispie, Bruce Pearl, & Gregg Marshall)

A former assistant for Billy Gillispie, Bruce Pearl and Gregg Marshall, Steve Forbes has taken the lessons learned from these three successful coaches and used them to build successful programs wherever he's been a head coach. In this on-court presentation, Coach Forbes reviews the core tenants of his defensive philosophy and ways that they can be incorporated with other teams.

Developing a Program Identity

Coach Forbes uses the outset of his presentation to cover the core values of his program as well as what his team's identity is. As Forbes explains, the identity of your program should also be the basis of your practice. For example, if you are aiming to play fast, you need to practice at a fast tempo.

To develop his team's identity, Coach Forbes places emphasis on six aspects of the game in practice each day:

• Skill development
• Pressure shooting
• Transition defense
• Rebounding
• Half-court defense
• Offensive execution

Teaching Defense

Coach Forbes has built solid defensive teams by focusing on the little things. Being able to guard your defender for two dribbles, gap containment, and two hands to secure a ball are just a few of the little things that have helped him build a solid defense.

Another way to ensure good defensive execution is to make sure players understand what is expected of them so they are all on the same page. Forbes explains that by keeping things simple, it will help your athletes better understand what you are trying to accomplish.In the Zig Zag Drill, Coach Forbes uses three variations to emphasize different concepts and see what his defenders are capable of. The first variation shows who can handle pressure and who can guard. The second shows who can sprint ahead and cut off the ball handler to force out of the paint. Finally, in the final variation, you will learn who can sprint to help, closeout, and keep their opponent out of the paint.

In Raptor Transition, Forbes takes your typical "run and touch the baseline" drill and turns it into a disadvantage drill by making the bottom two defenders touch the backboard as the ball is being brought up the floor. This forces players to communicate and sprint up and down the floor.

In Shell Drill, Coach Forbes is able to teach seven different actions so players are ready for anything their opponents throw their way. This helps them incorporate more scouting into their Shell Drill and allows for more time to play 4v4 and 5v5.

Coach Forbes has been successful at building team defense throughout his career. In this video, you will get a look at the drills and concepts he emphasizes on a daily basis to promote his culture of gritty, tough defense.

69 minutes. 2021.