Circle Defence DVD by Dave Robbins, Virginia Union University, NCAA Division II National Champions This DVD is available for loan for Basketball BC members. Contact Chris Withers at cwithers@basketball.bc.ca or at 604-718-7851. This article covers a zone defence which can be adjusted slightly in several ways to confuse the offence. It can be adjusted to trap occasionally, trap throughout the possession, or switch into man to man during the possession. With slight modifications it can be changed from a 2-3 to a 1-2-2. Circle Defence Rules: 1. Play with hands wide. 2. Keep ball out of high post: a. When the ball is at the top X1 and X2 must prevent the ball from going into the high post - they should start close enough together to stop a pass in from the top; b. When the ball is in the corner the ball-side guard stay on a line between ball and elbow; c. Ball at wing ball-side corner is between the ball and the high post player and the other guard is two steps behind the high 3. Front all low posts - "belly to belly" - this puts them facing the baseline and they can get to the corner quicker from this position. 4. Move on the air time of the pass. 5. On skip passes use the common sense rule: if it is high the guard takes it; if it is low the forward takes it. 6. X3 and X4 will take the first pass to the wing and must not get screened in. 7. X5 must start high enough to be able to get around to front on pass to wing. 8. Against a 2-guard front one guard will pressure the ball and the other scissors in on the high
Ball Passed to the Wing: 1. X1 levels off - gets to level of ball and off the lane: a. help on middle penetration and prevent ball from going into high 2. X2 levels off - be prepared for pass back to the top and prevent pass into high 3. X3 will take the first pass to the wing and pressure it (make a shooter become a passer). 4. X4 sits on top off weak-side low 5. If there is no low post X4 must be prepared to help on: i. high post cutting; ii. low post ball-side; iii. skip pass - widen out and up. 6. X5 fronts the low Pass from the Wing to the Corner: 1. X1 is one step below the foul line outside the lane: a. must be prepared to cover wing on pass out; b. must help prevent pass into high 2. X2 must be on line from ball to weak-side elbow. 3. X3 hip turns and sprints to front low 4. X4 gets to the level of the ball and moves to the middle of the lane. 5. If there is no low post X4 must be prepared to help on: a. high post cutting; b. low post ball-side; c. skip pass - widen out and up. 6. X5 closes out and covers O4 in the corner - pressuring the ball.
Ball is Dribbled from Point to Wing: 1. On any dribble to wing the guard will stay with the ball - do not bump the guard off at the wing. 2. The wing will be in position to cover any cutter to the corner but must stay in position to deter any pass into the low Pass from Corner to Low Post: On a successful pass from the corner to the low post - it is an automatic double team 1. X1 must zone off and be prepared to cover any pass out high from the trap. 2. X2 must rotate down inside any weak-side player. 3. X3 will sprint down and trap with X4 who has come over and cut off the baseline. 4. X5 stays on O4 in the corner and prevents an easy pass out.
Pass out of Double Team to Ball-side Wing: 1. X1 takes O2. 2. X2 sprints to middle of foul line and reads. 3. X3 stays and fronts 4. X4 takes one step high and recovers to get on top of any weak-side post and ready to cover the wing on ball reversal. 5. X5 steps up towards the ball and in one step to cover penetration. Pass out of Double Team to Point: 1. Return to initial positions. 2. X1 takes O1. 3. X2 sprints to elbow and reads. 4. X3 gets into the middle. 5. X4 sprints one step high and recovers to get on top of any weak-side post and is ready to cover the wing on reversal. 6. X5 steps up towards the ball and in one step to cover penetration.
Pass out of Double Team to Weakside Wing: 1. X1 sprints towards middle of lane-elbow and prevents the ball from going into the high 2. X2 closes out on the ball and pressure the ball. 3. X3 sprints to middle of the lane. 4. X4 sprints and fronts O7 ready to cover corner on reversal. 5. X5 gets on top of O6. On pass out of the Corner: 1. X1 take the ball at the wing but cannot go until the flight of the ball. Otherwise the opponents will fake to the wing and throw it to the high 2. X2 covers the ball-side elbow facing the ball - must be ready to take away pass into the high They do this by having a hand in the lane. a. If there is a post at the elbow X2 must go over top and get a hand in the lane. b. He/she must not screened off and be prevented from covering the top on a pass out. 3. X3 must adjust and front the ballside 4. X4 maintain position on the weak-side. 5. X5 adjusts towards the basket and ball slightly.
On the pass from Wing to Point: 1. X1 goes back towards the elbow. 2. X2 will take the ball by going to the middle and then closing out on the. X2 must pressure the ball. 3. X3 steps back towards the middle and up one step. 4. X4 moves back towards the initial position - preparing to cover the wing. 5. X5 steps up and in to prevent pass into the low post but ready to return to the corner. Circle Scramble This is slight change to Circle that allows the strong-side guard to trap. In "Circle Scramble" everyone's duties are the same as in regular "Circle" except for the strong-side guard. The strong-side guard (the guard on the side the ball is entered) may trap at the wing, in the corner, or may attempt to lay back to wait and steal passes, by running through passing lanes. When the ball gets reversed the other guard is now the strong-side guard and has the same freedom as the first strongside guard. Circle Scramble with Trap at Wing: 1. In this diagram X1, is the strongside guard and traps O2 at the wing with X3. 2. X2 denies reversal back to top. 3. X4 moves towards the middle of the lane. 4. X5 fronts the low
Strong-side Guard Denies Pass out of Corner: 1. If the ball is entered into the corner X3 and X5 run their normal shift by "X-ing" but the strong-side guard, X1, may choose to deny the pass back out of the corner. 2. In this situation, X2 will cover the ball-side elbow and also be prepared to run through a passing lane on any pass back out to the top. 3. X4 covers the basket. Circle Mad Dog: Every player is a trapper except the weak-side low player: 1. If the ball goes to the corner X3 will follow the pass and trap the corner with X5. 2. X1 takes away the pass to the wing. 3. X2 must zone off and be ready for a pass to the top and to the weak-side. 4. X4 goes around the baseline side of the low post
Circle Guard: If the defensive team plays with three guards or the offensive team employs a 4 out zone offence the defensive team may begin in a 1-2-2. X1, X2 and X3 will be responsible for covering the wings, fronting the low post and the top. The post players will now cover the corner and low post with X4 and X5. An exception would be if the first pass went from the top to the corner - the ball-side guard takes the first pass to his/her side of the floor. Pass from Point to the Wing: 1. X1 covers the ball-side elbow. 2. X2 is two steps behind X1 covering the high post area. 3. X3 takes the ball. 4. X4 covers weak-side low. 5. X5 fronts low Pass from Wing to the Corner: The defence is still the same as regular Circle. 1. X1 is one step to the ball and just off the ball-side elbow. 2. X2 is in the middle of the foul line, two steps behind X1. 3. X3 will X and front the low 4. X4 covers the weak-side low area. 5. X5 closes out and covers the ball in the corner.
Pass from Corner to the Wing: 1. X1 will, cover the wing but does not leave until the pass is in the air. 2. X2 will cover the ball-side elbow. 3. X3 steps up, stays above the post and covers the ball-side block. 4. X4 covers the weak-side low area. 5. X5 moves in towards the basket and helps prevent a pass into low post and must be ready to cover a pass back to the corner. Pass from Wing to Top: 1. X1 moves in towards the elbow. 2. X2 goes nose to nose on the ball. 3. X3 must be on the run as the ball is in flight and sprints to the opposite elbow. 4. X4 widens out to the edge of the lane. 5. X5 moves into the lane and is above any on low block.
Ball Reversed to Opposite Wing: 1. X1 moves two steps behind X2 in the middle of the foul line. 2. X2 covers the ball-side elbow. 3. X3 covers the ball. 4. X4 is on or above the block and will front any low 5. X5 covers weak-side low. Ball Reversed to Opposite Corner: 1. X1 moves towards the ball just below the middle of the foul line. 2. X2 is one step outside the ballside elbow. 3. X3 X s and fronts the low 4. X4 covers the ball. 5. X5 covers the weak-side low area.
Man to Man Defence in Combination with the Circle Defence. Virginia Union will combine their Circle Defence with their man to man defensive system. Their numbering system: 10 Man to Man switching they will switch everything 11 Man to Man no switching 12 Run and Jump, Trapping Defence responsible for guarding, until that player receives a pass. Whenever they go into their switching man to man defence they do not say switch! and let the opponent know the defence they are in. Instead the defenders say stay! to indicate they are switching. They will start in one of their zone defences, Circle or Guard, and then go to a man to man defence after a designated number of passes. They do not count in-bounds passes or passes in the back-court, it is only attacking passes. The defenders will have some type of voice signal to indicate each pass. They will call the defence on foul shots, when the ball is out of bounds, during time-outs, etc. - any time there is a dead ball situation. As an example, if they are in Circle Defence and they call 2 to 10 it means on the second pass in the ½ court they will go from their Circle Defence into a switching Man to Man Defence. If they are in Circle Guard and they call 1 to 11 it means they will go from their Guard Defence into a man to man defence with no switching, on the first pass in the ½ court. When Virginia Union switches into any of their man to man defences they try to disguise it. They do this by not denying any perimeter passes and, looking as if the players off the ball are still in zone. The defensive players must not rush out and get tight to the player they are