The shape
Two guards at the elbows, the centre in the middle of the key at the dotted line, and two forwards low and wide on the blocks. It looks like a 2-3 with the middle player pulled up a step, and that step is the whole idea: the high post is taken away. On a wing pass the ball-side guard goes out to the ball, the centre slides down toward the ball-side block, and the weak-side forward crosses into the key.
Roles
- The two guards up top. Pressure the ball and deny the wing pass when they can. Neither drops to the high post, because the centre already has it, so they stay higher than in a 2-3.
- Centre (the one in the middle). Starts at the dotted line, bodies any flash to the foul line, drops to the low post on a wing pass, and takes the first rebound.
- The two forwards low. Guard the blocks and the corners on their side; the weak-side forward steps into the key to cover the lob and the back-side rebound.
Strengths
- Takes away the high-post flash that beats a 2-3.
- Three players near the basket at all times, so rebounding is excellent.
- One set of slides covers this and the 2-3.
Weaknesses
- Short corners are open until a forward commits, and then the block is open behind.
- The wings are a long slide for the guards, so a quick reversal gets an open shot.
- A good passer at the foul line can still find the low post when the centre steps up.
- Players guard an area, not a person.
When to use it
Play it, where zone defence is allowed at your age group, against a team that attacks the high post and likes a high-low game, and against a team that pounds the offensive glass. Keep it for older juniors and seniors where your league allows zones.
What to coach in training
- Shell drill from a 2-3 start; on a shout of up, the centre steps to the dotted line and the slides continue, so players feel the difference without learning a second set.
- High-post denial: a coach tries to feed a flasher at the foul line while the centre bodies up and the guards pressure the passer, then the flasher catches and the forwards step up.
- Short-corner reads 3v3 on one side: wing, corner and short corner against guard, forward and centre, so the forward learns when to leave the corner.
Works well against
Strong against any set that puts a big at the foul line, such as 1-4-high or a horns entry, because the middle defender meets the flash straight away. It is pulled apart by a 5-out offence that spreads the floor and skips the ball, and by a team that works the short corner and the block together, which is exactly the space between the forward and the centre.
