End Line Defense

[JCrow]

Lately, I've seen more coaches teaching defenders to direct an offenise player driving from the corner to the end line. Like it's done in the NBA.

I could never figure the logic in this? I was taught that giving up the end line was bad. A dribbler was to be directed into the middle of the lane.

Has coaching logic changed on this over the years? Personally, even in the NBA, I find this to put the defense at a disadvantage as the defender can only get help from the center?

[zebraman]

Originally posted by JCrow
Lately, I've seen more coaches teaching defenders to direct an offenise player driving from the corner to the end line. Like it's done in the NBA.

I could never figure the logic in this? I was taught that giving up the end line was bad. A dribbler was to be directed into the middle of the lane.

Has coaching logic changed on this over the years? Personally, even in the NBA, I find this to put the defense at a disadvantage as the defender can only get help from the center?

When I played in HS, we were always taught to push the offensive player to the middle where the help was. In college, our coach wanted us to force the offense to the baseline. The logic was that you had help from teammates as well as the baseline (but we could actually put a foot on the endline back then and it was still a charge). I see both philosophies being used now.

Z

[justacoach]

Originally posted by JCrow
Lately, I've seen more coaches teaching defenders to direct an offenise player driving from the corner to the end line. Like it's done in the NBA.

I could never figure the logic in this? I was taught that giving up the end line was bad. A dribbler was to be directed into the middle of the lane.

Has coaching logic changed on this over the years? Personally, even in the NBA, I find this to put the defense at a disadvantage as the defender can only get help from the center?

I think the tactic also includes help side defender coming to shut off penetration and beaten defender to join in a trap. The directing of ballhandler to one side means you can concentrate defenders on half the court as opposed of down the middle where the offense has access to the entire court.

Interesting corollary. Saw a college coach teaching his offensive player, who was picked up by help side defender at baseline, to jump out of bounds to get an angle for pass to player on opposite side baseline. I think there was a recent thread about intentionally leaving the court that suggested this tactic should incur a "T" based on recent POE.

[Junker]

I've heard of both methods being taught. A lot of smaller teams want to force the action toward the baseline to use it as a defender, and also it takes away shot angles on the basket if it is done correctly (the ball and dribbler end up behind the basket). Sometimes teams with more size want to force the action into the lane toward their shotblockers. When I'm playing, I use both, depending on who I'm guarding and who I'm playing with. This is of course assuming I have enough energy left to play defense after a couple of times up and down the floor. It's so much easier running the sidelines reffing than keeping an offensive player in front of you.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by justacoach

I think the tactic also includes help side defender coming to shut off penetration and beaten defender to join in a trap. The directing of ballhandler to one side means you can concentrate defenders on half the court as opposed of down the middle where the offense has access to the entire court.

Interesting corollary. Saw a college coach teaching his offensive player, who was picked up by help side defender at baseline, to jump out of bounds to get an angle for pass to player on opposite side baseline. I think there was a recent thread about intentionally leaving the court that suggested this tactic should incur a "T" based on recent POE.

Yes there was, but the vast majority felt that this is not even close to the POE.

A player in the air is where they were when they LEFT the floor. The POE deals with leaving the playing surface to gain an advantage, this player had not left the court before the pass because, by rule, he still has inbound status.

You also have this type of play happening all the time in less dramatic fashion. A player gets trapped on the side and leans over the boundary to get a passing angle around the defenders and then steps OOB because they are off balance.

I've also seen it done on the endline to feed the post.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by justacoach
Interesting corollary. Saw a college coach teaching his offensive player, who was picked up by help side defender at baseline, to jump out of bounds to get an angle for pass to player on opposite side baseline. I think there was a recent thread about intentionally leaving the court that suggested this tactic should incur a "T" based on recent POE.

T is not the penalty at the college level.

And this play isn't what the T is meant to prevent at the HS level.