STOP: A Framework for Building Your Defensive Identity
Figuring out what to run defensively
Coaches - as the season is coming at us (rapidly), here are a few ways Hoops Companion can help you:
Join HC3 on Skool - everything Hoops Companion has ever created all in one place…free trial for 7 days if you sign up in October
Hoops Companion Master Playbook/Drill Book - over 650 pages of organized drills, plays, concepts, and more (and it’s updated monthly…which you receive in an email when you purchase)
Consultation from me - I’m still looking for 2 more coaches who want me to help consult, watch film, host chats, etc…if you want me to help your team out this season, shoot me an email (thehoopscompanion@gmail.com)
Two weeks ago, we covered SCORE: A Framework for Building Your Offensive Identity.
This week, in our season prep series, we’re going to be covering the defensive end of the floor.
We’re going to do a deep dive into answering a simple question:
“How are we going to get stops?”
If you can’t clearly define what a good defensive possession looks like for your team — and if your players can’t articulate it — your defense will always be lacking.
That’s where STOP comes in — a framework for clarifying your team’s defensive identity, habits, and standards.
The STOP Framework
S – SYSTEM/STRUCTURE
This is what you run and why you run it.
Basically, what are you running on the defensive end?
Are you playing man? Mixing up multiple defenses? Zone press? 2-3? 1-3-1? Run and jump?
What are you running defensively?
T – TEACH
This is where you dive into the particulars of your defensive system.
These are the things you emphasize in practice, film, and even skill work.
And most of these are up to coach discretion - the little details you want your players to understand and execute based on your defensive philosophy and goals.
Some things to consider:
where are you pushing the ball?
what type of shots are you “okay” with giving up?
how are you defending screening actions?
how are you teaching rebounding?
how are you teaching 1, 2, and 3 passes away from the ball?
do you switch?
how do you defend ball screens, dribble handoffs, ghost action?
how do you defend both baseline and sideline inbounds?
The list is endless (and above is certainly not comprehensive).
Once you have a solid idea of your goals and purpose defensively, you must now decide HOW you’re going to teach it.
what drills can you run with a defensive focus?
how can you add this defensive focus into all your drills?
how are you going to break down your defensive system and progress it over the season?
how are you going to use film to teach this defensive system?
O – OBSTACLES
Next, we’re going to determine what obstacles this particular defense might have for your team.
What actions are you going to see a lot of this season within your defense?
What actions do you think your team will struggle to defend?
What about your current team makeup might get in the way of defensive success? (Size, a good offensive player who can’t defend, lack of physicality, defensive IQ, etc.)
What types of teams tend to hurt you most on the defensive end?
If we don’t properly plan for and understand what might be a potential obstacle for our defenses, it is going to be difficult to prepare properly.
This is also where coaching comes in - what do you DO with those obstacles? How do you adjust, add, or subtract what you do defensively because of them?
P – PRECISION
At this stage, you can evaluate and hone in on how to make your defense better as the season goes along.
Are you preventing teams from getting the shots they want?
Are you forcing turnovers?
Are you getting stops consistently?
What’s working and what’s not working?
How do we need to change how we do things?
A few ways to analyze this:
game film
practice film
tracking and charting during practice/games (not just points and rebounds - things like deflections, 5 second calls forced, etc.)
Once you work through answering those questions, you should have a more clear idea of what it is you want your team to accomplish on the defensive end.
More importantly, you should be able to explain it to your players in a way they can understand and apply.