X's and O's
This fundamental two-man action features a teammate blocking a defender to let the ball-handler drive, before either cutting to the rim or "popping" to the perimeter.
What is the Pick and Roll? (or Pick and Pop)?
When a teammate drives directly toward you along the perimeter, you should execute this movement to maintain spacing and give them an outlet.
What is a drift (or relocating along the arc)?
In this pick-and-roll coverage, the on-ball defender fights over the top of the screen while the screener's defender retreats to protect the paint against the roll.
What is Drop coverage?
When your man is on the opposite side of the floor from the ball, you should position your body inside this imaginary line dividing the court down the middle.
What is the help-line (or split-line)?
Your team is up by 3 points with 4 seconds left in the game and the opponent has the ball out of bounds. To completely eliminate the chance of a game-tying shot, many coaches instruct their team to do this on the catch.
What is foul intentionally?
Developed by an Ivy League school, this deliberate, high-IQ offense centers around extreme floor spacing, constant back-door cuts, and utilizing a post player as a passing hub.
What is the Princeton Offense?
This term describes a perimeter player lifting up from the corner toward the wing behind a driving teammate to offer a safety valve pass.
What is a shake (or lift) cut?
To prevent a dangerous 3-point shooter from using a screen, the on-ball defender forces the ball-handler toward the sideline or baseline, denying them the middle of the floor using this coverage technique.
What is "Ice" coverage?
This term describes a defender faking a help movement toward a driving ball-handler to force them to hesitate, before quickly recovering back to their assigned shooter.
What is a stunt?
Your team is out of timeouts, down by 2, and the opponent just scored with 3 seconds remaining. This is what you should immediately do rather than panic.
What is quickly inbound the ball and look for a transition push?
This popular geometric alignment features two post players positioned near the high-post elbows and two perimeter players tucked into the corners.
What is the Horns Set? (or Horns formation)
When an off-ball defender completely denies you the pass on the perimeter, this is the sudden change-of-direction cut you should make toward the hoop.
What is a backdoor cut?
When a shooter uses an off-ball screen and your teammate gets trapped behind it, you must temporarily jump out to stop the shooter before recovering back to your own man. This defensive help tactic is called what?
What is a show and recover (or soft hedge/stunt)?
This is the specific job of the "Low Man" in a defensive shell when an offensive player drives down the baseline.
What is rotating across the paint to protect the rim?
The opponent is out of timeouts and misses a free throw with 5 seconds left. You secure the defensive rebound. Instead of calling your final timeout, pushing the ball directly up the floor provides this specific tactical advantage.
What is preventing the defense from setting up their half-court or press defense?
Named after a legendary coach's program, this specific play requires a perimeter player to pass to the top of the key and cut hard toward the hoop off a high block from a post player.
What is the UCLA Cut?
This offensive player is responsible for sprinting straight down the center of the floor during a fast break to collapse the defense and open up the wings.
Who is the rim-runner?
This is the loud communication keyword a defender must yell to alert their teammate that an offensive player is coming up to set a screen from behind.
What is "Screen"?
While playing off-ball defense, your body positioning should allow you to see both of these critical elements at all times without turning your head completely.
What are the ball and your man?
You are down by 1 point with 15 seconds left and have possession of the ball. This is the optimal amount of time you want to leave on the clock when you take your shot to avoid giving the opponent a counter-attack.
What is as close to 0 seconds as possible (playing for the last shot)?
This modern, explosive three-man set adds a wrinkle to a standard high ball screen: as the big rolls, a third shooter sets a back-screen on the roller's defender before popping out.
What is the Spain Pick and Roll? (or Stack Pick and Roll)
Making an extra pass from a good shot to a great shot for an open teammate in the corner is commonly referred to by this two-word phrase.
What is one more (or a "onemore" pass)?
When a defense executes a "blitz" or "trap" on the pick-and-roll, these are the actions the two involved defenders must take.
What is aggressively double-teaming the ball-handler to force the ball out of their hands?
When a defender is beat on a drive and a help defender steps up to stop the ball, this specific action must be taken by the remaining perimeter defenders to cover the open man left behind.
What is a rotation (or "sink and fill")?
During a dead ball in a tight late-game scenario, a coach subbing in an elite shot-blocker for a weak defender, with the intention of subbing them back out on the next offensive possession, is utilizing this strategy.
What is offense-defense substitutions?