Drills play
Drill: Pass-and-Slide Closeouts (Virginia)
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 5 steps
About this play
This is the pack line's shell, which is why it teaches two things at once: gap position inside the line and the closeout sprint out of the pack that defines Virginia's defense. Setup: four offense in four-out spacing, four defenders in a line under the rim, the coach on the baseline with the ball; tape the pack line on the floor when teaching it. The coach passes to a corner: that defender closes out hard and the other three step to the pack line in their gaps, two feet inside the line. The ball holds a two count, then moves around the horn; on every pass the new on-ball defender closes out, the man who just guarded the ball jumps and swipes into the gap, and anyone two passes away slides to the help line. Reverse it back through, then the coach calls live: no baseline allowed, gap defenders stunt and recover. Three stops in a row is a kill. Common mistakes: helpers outside the pack line, closeouts that give up the baseline, gap defenders standing instead of swiping. Progression: the 3-on-3 no-baseline version. High school. It comes from the Virginia Cavaliers pack line clinic notes and Tony Bennett's pack line clinic breakdown; start there if you want the full rule set.
