Tenacious Tactics & Daily Drills for Defending the 3-Point Line

with Luke Yaklich,
UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago) Head Coach from 2020 to 2024;
University of Texas Assistant Coach from 2019 to 2020;
University of Michigan Assistant Coach from 2017 to 2019;
2018 NCAA Championship Runner-up (with Michigan);
2nd Nationally in Scoring Defense in 2018-2019;
Illinois State University Assistant Basketball Coach from 2013 to 2017;
Joliet West HS (IL) Head Coach from 2007 to 2013
2010 District 9 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Coach of the Year;
LaSalle-Peru HS (IL) Head Coach from 2003 to 2007;
Sterling HS (IL) Head Coach from 200 to 2003;
LaSalle HS (IL) Girl's Head Coach from 1999 to 2000

The offensive game is spreading out at all levels of basketball with an increased reliance on the 3-point shot. Coach Yaklich has developed a man-to-man defensive system to specifically counter this trend. In this video, you will learn drills and concepts that provide your defense with the tactical edge needed to take away open looks from behind the arc and force opponents into contested and difficult two-point shots.

Defense: Culture, Terminology and Tactics

Coach Yaklich shares how he creates a defensive culture on his teams and you will get excellent insight on how to strengthen your defensive goals by simplifying your scheme. Yaklich shares meaningful ideas for measuring success on defense, introducing concepts and connecting your team through a shared language of essential terminology.

In a valuable defensive tactical section, you will see how to get organized in transition defense to eliminate ‘shock 3’s.’ Coach Yaklich’s system sends three players to the offensive boards, while sending two players back in a tandem. You will also learn two drills that can be implemented into your practices to improve your execution in this critical phase of the game.  Details for picking up the ball, forcing players out of what he calls ‘the hot zone’ and communicating matchups are also provided.

Becoming a great defensive team requires a constant emphasis on your principles.  Learn how to review these principals every day with ‘The Factory Drill.’  This close-out drill has five progressions for building the proper habits that your players will need to be excellent on-ball defenders. 

You’ll receive valuable instruction for teaching your players defensive rotations through multiple layers in Coach Yaklich’s shell drill. You will also receive ideas for teaching your players how to ‘stunt the stunter’ to impact shooters while allowing your teammates to recover. Coach Yaklich also covers how to rotate through an x-out on any skip pass and how to use the ‘fly bounce’ to quickly cover open players when beaten on a drive. You will also learn how to shift defensive positioning on middle drives to prevent giving up an open shot by your help-side defenders.

Switching Rules While Defending Ball Screens

Teams will often try to free shooters with various types of screens. In this section of the video, Coach Yaklich shows how to negate those advantages. You’ll also learn how to use tactics such as shut out denial, top locks and bounce switches to cancel out a shooter on an off-the-ball screen. Plus, he also covers two excellent options for defending ball screens that work either for switchable or non-switching lineups.

Finally, Coach Yaklich also shares several highly valuable ideas for late-game strategies to take away the 3-point shot. Topics covered include: ‘fouling for profit in the final seconds,’ pre-switching screens to prevent mismatches, driving players inside the 3-point line with the ‘Nasty’ technique and using the ‘Seahawk Switch’ on inbound plays to confuse your opponent.

You are likely just two to three defensive stops per game away from being a great defensive team. Coach Yaklich shows you how to find those stops with the valuable information provided in this video!

83 minutes. 2023.