The Rise of Zone Defense

[CaribouJim]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball...-njit-michigan

Wojo quote...

[IWB]

Now, more guys are open to the idea, if for no other reason than it gives them another option to adjust to game conditions. “I felt like we needed to become a pitcher who threw multiple pitches,” Wojciechowski says. “My training was that you play man-to-man defense and you pressure and you figure out ways to make it work. That wasn’t going to the best thing for our team. We needed to be able to throw a curveball, a slider, a knuckleball, to keep teams off balance and play to the strengths of our personnel.”

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

Awesome article and thanks for sharing!

I've always been a big believer in either pack the line defense or a zone (1-1-3 preferably, now that i know more about it). I get the advantages of playing a pressure man to man ala Duke or Bobby Knight. It can lead to transition buckets, better rebounding position, wears the other team down more, potentially enforces your athletic superiority, etc. However, the negatives of a pressure man to man don't justify why it is played so much imo - Greater amount of preparation time, certain personnel requirements as Matta alludes to, more inclined towards fouling, not as much paint/rim protection, etc.

Among other reasons, I've always felt as though many coaches couldn't get past their egos of being the old school, tough, hard nosed program that's known for in your face man to man which is why so many haven't explored the idea of playing zone with more sincerity.

[Nukem2]

The new defense rules put into play last year enter into this as well since its much harder to stop dribble penetration if you don't have experienced defenders.

[Goose85]

The new defense rules put into play last year enter into this as well since its much harder to stop dribble penetration if you don't have experienced defenders.

Great point.

I think Buzz recruited a point like Derrick Wilson to play that aggressive physical defense that he believed was needed to be successful in the former makeup of the Big East, and to be able to handle the ball against that same type of D. You can't play that type of man D anymore as Nukem alluded to, so maybe at times a zone is more effective.

I always thought it unusual to see coaches, at many different levels, that are stubborn to the point that they would only play a man defense, even if a zone would have given them a chance to win. I guess they would rather lose a game, than change up defenses and win, just so they can say the only play a man defense.