T.J. Otzelberger Open Practice 2-Pack

Up-and-coming head coach T.J. Otzelberger implemented a fast-paced style of play at South Dakota State. Through his coaching philosophy, his players learned to play at an up-tempo pace on both offense and defense.

In this video, you'll get an inside look at how Coach Otz teaches transition play into an attacking half court offense. Additionally, you'll learn how to craft a competitive practice session that gets players focused on one possession at a time.

Transition

A staple of Coach Otzelberger's offense is transition and getting the ball into the scoring area as quickly as possible to put pressure on the defense. He details how to push the ball up and down the floor and use your fast break to attack gaps in the defense. Using various transition drills, Otzelberger outlines how he creates a culture of playing fast with the goal of scoring at the rim as quickly as possible.

Skill Development

During the skill development portion of this video, you'll see two opportunities where players are broken out into two different groups. Each session is centered around creating driving angles in a gap or a double gap setting. Posts learn to rotate as the drive comes toward the basket while guards learn to attack and recognize gaps as the ball is moved around the court. In the second session, guards and posts learn to take pride in their defense.

Half Court Play

Once in the half court, Otzelberger demonstrates various actions he likes to use to open the floor up for driving angles or create downhill action as fast as possible. In the 6 Possession game, players get up and down the floor in transition and utilize dribble hand-offs, step up screens, and flip actions to get the offense going.

This open practice video gives you a detailed look at a fast-paced style of play. Coach Otzelberger does an excellent job of breaking down the actions that will lead to open gaps and driving angles for your players to attack.

183 minutes. 2018.

T.J. Otzelberger, a rising star in college basketball coaching, shares an inside look into how he teaches his defensive system. Everything about Otzelberger's defense is designed to force opponents into tough shots and then rebound the basketball to quickly transition into offense and score easy buckets. Once you're done watching this video, you will understand why his teams are consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country for defensive rebounding.

Stance, Slides, and Closeouts

Defense begins with the basics: stance, slide, and closing out. Coach Otzelberger demonstrates how his team uses low, wide, and active stances. Keeping active hands allows players to use their hands as weapons to deflect passes, but avoid fouling. High, early hands on a closeout ensures your players attack the shooter as they prepare to load for a shot. This defensive style will help your team disrupt any offensive action.

Ball Screen Defense

In today's game, having lock-down ball screen defense is a must. Your team must be prepared with multiple ways to defend a ball screen while also having a go-to defense that can disrupt even the best ball handlers. In his side ball screen defense segment, Otzelberger teaches his players to have a wide, open stance and wall up/chest up the driver as they come off the ball screen.

Alley Drill

Continuing to build 1-on-1 defense, the Alley Drill pushes players to their limits. In this competitive drill, each team sends their athletes through the "alley." Defensive players work to keep their opponent in front of them in the lane line alley. They have to use good angles to cut off offensive players and force them to turn.

Coach Otzleberger demonstrates how to build a defensive philosophy from the ground up to ensure your team uses constant ball pressure and active hands. This is a great video for any coach looking to pick up a few new defensive drills or add to their own defensive philosophy.

186 minutes. 2018.