The pack-line defense is a variation of man-to-man defense developed by Dick Bennett
for the Washington State University Cougars. Something similar has
been used by Tom Izzo at Michigan State and also Sean Miller of Xavier
University.
First understand the basic tenents of man to man pressure defense.
There is probably no reason to use the pack line defense if you have
excellent, quick athletes who are good defenders... just keep the
intense pressure on, using the standard pressure man-to-man defense. On
the other hand, the pack line defense will perhaps help less talented
teams "hang in there" with better teams, and can also help a team having
difficulty preventing point guard dribble-penetration.
Pressure the ball
When the ball is on the perimeter, tight, harassing
pressure should be applied by the defender. He/she must stop the ball,
make the ball-handler uncomfortable, and make it difficult for the
ball-handler to see the floor. The on-ball defender does his/her best
to contain and pressure the ball, but if he/she is beaten, the pack line
gapping defenders are there to give help and stop the ball. So the
on-ball defender can have some confidence and trust that his teammates
will be there to help, even if the opponent is a little quicker.
Stopping the gaps
It's pretty hard to do all three things... deny, help
and recover. In the pack line defense, gapping defenders only have to
help and recover, and it is easier because the defender is already in
position to give help. Gapping defenders are inside the pack line in a
"ball-you-man" position, and must re-position themselves as the ball and
the offensive players move. There is one instance wherein all players
go into complete deny, and that is when there is a dead ball situation
(the ball-handler has used up his/her dribble). Everyone will yell,
"dead, dead, dead" and deny the next pass, looking for the 5-second
call.
Notice in diagram B above that X1 is pressuring the ball, while the
remaining four defenders are inside the pack line. As O1 attempts to
dribble-penetrate, the X2 defender slides in to help stop the dribble,
but then immediately recovers to his own man O2, when the pass is dished
back out to O2. In stopping the seams (gaps), the idea is that X2 will
fake a trap on the ball just to stop the dribble, but instead of
actually trapping, once the ball is stopped, will immediately recover to
his man (assuming the pass goes there). Importantly, a gapping
defender should always be able to see his own man and never turn his
back to his man. Otherwise, his man could flare cut or back-cut
uncontested.
Close-out with "high hands"
In diagram C above, the ball is passed to O3. O1
immediately drops back inside the pack line. X3 quickly closes-out and
applies pressure on the ball (O3). Defenders should close-out with
hands high in order to contest the outside shot, and then assume the
usual defensive stance when the ball is put on the floor, or the initial
shot is stopped. Yes, it is possible that the offensive player may
attempt to dribble around the closing defender, but then we have the
seams stopped with our other four defenders. Also, when closing out,
this does not mean "flying" or leaping at the ball. The defender must
keep his feet on the floor and contain the ball. Once the defender has
closed-out on the ball, he/she maintains good pressure on the ball.
Deny baseline
Another thing that is different from standard pressure
man-to-man defense is that in the pack line defense, the ball is not
forced to the baseline, but rather the baseline is denied. The ball is
not actually forced to the middle... it's just that the baseline is
denied. In diagram D, X2 overplays to prevent the ball from being
dribbled baseline. If O2 dribbles into the top gap, X1 will help stop
the seam. As the ball is passed out to O1, X1 closes-out with high
hands.
Post defense
In defending the low post, defenders should be
full-fronting when the ball is at the top (diagram C), or in the corner
(diagram E). When the ball is on the wing (diagram D), a 3/4 front from
the top side is used by many coaches. This works with this defense
because the wing defenders deny the baseline. If the ball does get into
the post, you must decide whether you are going to play this with your
post defender sliding between the ball and the basket and playing this
1-on-1, or whether you want to double-team with either the opposite post
player, or a perimeter player. This may depend on your opponent... a
strong post player, double-team the post. A weak post player and good
outside shooters, play the post 1-on-1. Remember that denying and
defending the low post has more to do with hard work, aggressiveness,
determination, and being tough than technique.
In defending the high post, try to deny that pass as well by
1/2-fronting. The defender must be careful however, not to get pinned
outside and get beaten by the lob pass. Notice in diagram F that the
pack line defense tends to clog the high post fairly well due to the
position of the gapping wing defenders.
Pick and roll screens
The pick and roll is fairly well-defended, as the paint area is clogged
with defenders. In diagram G, there is a pick and roll on the wing.
Diagrams H and I show a pick and roll with the high post player stepping
out to screen and roll. X4 "shows" over the top of the screen to stop
the ball and then recovers back to O4. Notice that X3 is in a position
to help X4 in stopping O4 cutting inside off the screen. X3 then has to
be able to recover to O3 if the pass goes there. Optionally, X2
(instead of X3) could give the initial help on O4 until X4 recovers. As
in any defense, communication is key in dealing with screens.
In summary, the pack line defense will help a
less-athletic team compete with a stronger, quicker team. And you still
can use a full-court press, but then drop back into the half-court
pack line defense. There are some disadvantages, however. If you play
at a level where there is no shot clock, the offense can take as much
time as they want, until they get the good shot, and you allow them to
dictate a slower tempo. With the shot clock rule, as the offense gets
deeper into the shot clock, there is more urgency to shoot, and the pack
line defense is more effective here.
Also, if you are behind late in the game, the offense can "run the
clock", unless you come out and start denying passes. So the pack line
defense is a problem here. Now you are caught in a situation of having
to play deny defense with more pressure on the outside, and this is
often difficult to do when you are not used to playing that way. In
fact, it is usually easier for a typical pressure-deny man-to-man
defense to drop back and play the pack line defense, than vice-versa.
Some teams might want to use both... the usual man-to-man pressure defense
(call it "Red"), and the pack line defense (call it "Blue"). Using the
pack line defense can help a good man-to-man team that is having
difficulty stopping a good point guard and dribble-penetration.
Video
The following video does an excellent job of illustrating the principles of the pack line defense.
Courtesy: Article from "Coach's Clipboard" website. www.coachesclipboard.net
