THAD MATTA: 11 THINGS WE MUST DEFEND

#1 Transition Defense
Post Rule: “Get your butt ahead of your opponent’s butt.”
Goal: Force at least 2 passes when offense has the numbers.
Don’t allow a skip for a 3 or drive in transition.
Rule: Deep man never leaves paint until post comes to release

#2 Dribble Penetration
Toughest thing to defense in the game of basketball
Rule on Closeouts: “We don’t force the ball any where — we tell them don’t get beat.”
Coach Matta: “If you give up catch and shot too much you’ll lose your scholarship.”
Teaching Point: Don’t allow ball to get to shot pocket when defending great shooter.
On non-driver, we will defend passing hand (scouting)

#3 Post Up
OSU Fronts the LP
Teaching Point: Want quick feet like a boxer
Ball up top, we are up the line, on the line
Will front the LP always, even if the low post takes a step off the lane.
Show Hands
Sit Down
Push Him Under The Basket
Teaching Point: If your late fronting, don’t front.

#4 Off Ball Screens
Teaching Point: On jump to the ball, they want the jumper to extend far enough to “swipe” at the ball.
Main defensive objective: Get 5 guarding the ball!
Down Screen...trail all cutters — no sliding through.
First Rule: Don’t get screened!
If you are constantly getting screened you are not going to be able to play for us.
Teaching Point: Must start when the ball is in the air.
Teaching Point: “If my man is screening, I’m in help.”

#5 On Ball Screens
Coach Matta wants to know if we are “zone up” — (hole covered on ball screen)
Teaching Point: On ball screen you don’t have a man.
Coach Matta: “Hard & Hedge” — blitz mentality
Ball Defender Rule: Make him use the screen (don’t let him reverse back)
Ball Defender Rule: Defender must go over the screen (not behind)
Want defender on screener to recover “through the ally” (between ball defender and screener)

#6 Basket Cuts

Jump hard to the ball...stay in stance.
No face cuts.

#7 Offensive Rebounding
You can’t spend too much time blocking out
OSU likes bubble to work on rebounding.

#8 Screen the Screener
Flex cut
-jump low and take away low cut
-screen defender will bump high cut
-on guard-to-guard pass, jump to ball and “swipe”
-thru on down screen (swipe creates lane to cut through)

#9 Shooters w/Great Range
Vs. a shooter, OSU exaggerates denial to force back cut
In transition defense, OSU teaches to run the lane — vs. Shooter, run to the shooter.

#10 Out of Bounds Plays
Will alter our coverage based on scouting

#11 3 Pointers in Late Game Situations
Contact switch on dribble hand-off vs. shooter on late game shot
Teaching Point: Player switching on shooter should have high-hands
5th Defender Principle: Defender whose man is out of the play — your goal is to mess the play up.
During walk-thru Matta makes sure player knows… “You are the 5th defender on this play.”