The "Mayhem" 2-2-1 Press

with Ryan McCarthy,
Fresno State University Women's Head Coach;
University of Alaska-Anchorage Women's Head Coach from 2013 to 2025;
6x Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year;
2016 NCAA D-II Championship Runner-up;
was 4th-most total victories in NCAA D-II over the past 10 years with a 309-67 (.822) record;
Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back Great Northwest Athletic Conference Regular Season Champs (2015-2018);
3x NCAA D-II West Region Coach of the Year;

Coach Ryan McCarthy has created a Mayhem style of play by using full court pressure to create turnovers into points. Using his Mayhem style of play, Coach McCarthy's team has led NCAA DII in steals per game for four consecutive seasons (2014-17) and have finished in the Top 5 in scoring defense, turnovers forced and turnover margin.

The University of Alaska-Anchorage women's team has exploded onto the NCAA D-II scene with 97 wins and a national title appearance in the last three seasons. They create "Mayhem" for their opponents with a full court 2-2-1 pressure system for the entire game.

In this video, Ryan McCarthy explains his unique 2-2-1 run & jump press defense that has resulted in so much success. This isn't your traditional 2-2-1 press - it adds run and jump elements, which allows you to determine the pace of play, and will expose poor ball handlers to generate turnovers.

The combination of chalk talk, on-court demonstration, and game footage clearly shows you the roles and responsibilities of defenders in this system, how to utilize the 2-2-1 press against common press break strategies, and practice drills to help you make some mayhem for your opponents.

Progressive Drills to Build the 2-2-1 Press

Learn the fundamentals of this full court pressure system through five breakdown drills that demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of every player on the court. Coach McCarthy calls them drills - and they are - but he's actually building up the press defense one player at a time. Teaching progressively allows players to grasp multiple positions in the press, giving your team the flexibility it will need during the season.

The drills include:

• The Points Game (1-on-1 Drill) - Takes the classic zig zag drill and upgrades the intensity with competition. This drill will work on training your players how to stay in front of the ball, without fouling, while applying pressure and getting deflections.
• The 2-on-2 drill - Familiarizes your on-ball defenders in the front row with the run and jump approach to trapping in this press. Players will learn the basic principles to trapping and how to rotate out of the trap.
• The 3-on-3 Drill - Trains your players in the second row how to pick up an offensive player who cuts down the floor after not receiving the ball from the inbounder.
• The 4-on-4 Drill - This drill allows your second row players to understand how to deny their opponent properly while the one second row player would need to move up and pick up the guard who cuts up the floor after the inbound pass.
• The 5-on-5 Drill - Goes live against different variation of press breakers so that you can see the different ways to defend them.

Handling Common Press Breaks

Coach McCarthy explains the roles and responsibilities of every defender on the floor, their terminology for marking the geography of the court, and teaches the basic principles necessary in this defense by showing how the press reacts to the most common types of press breaks you will see:

• Two Guard Front - Learn how to switch screens and pressure the inbound towards the corners with your front two defenders. You'll see how players find their match-ups before and after the ball is inbounded. McCarthy explains when this press looks to trap, where the ideal trap is located, and who they want to go double the ball.
• Single Guard Front - Intimidate opponents trying to run this alignment by pinching their point guard with two defenders. You'll also learn how defenders bump responsibilities as receivers flash up the court.
• Four Across - This alignment attempts to overload your zone press. McCarthy will show you how to match-up and exchange coverages as your opponent cuts to or away from the ball. You'll also see how to handle when the point guard inbounds the ball.

Coach McCarthy leaves no page unturned as you look to add a dose of "Mayhem" this season and leave your opponents with a slew of turnovers on the stat sheet and come away with another win for your program!

63 minutes. 2017.