Press Defenses play
Diamond Press: Trap the Inbound Catch
- Court
- Full court
- Length
- 9 steps
About this play
The 1-2-1-1 diamond full-court press, drawn as a whole possession. Why it works: it pressures the inbounder and traps the first catch in the corner, where the baseline and sideline help, before the offense has a dribble or a plan. X4 (long arms) on the inbounder, shaded a step toward the middle of the floor so the only clean throw is to a corner; X1 and X2 the wings behind the nearest receivers; X3 the middle interceptor; X5 the goalie as deep as the deepest runner. On every trap, two players are on the ball, two are reading the next pass, and one is protecting the rim. Rules: the ball does not get inbounded down the middle; the trap arrives as the catch does, arms up, so the pass over the top to the middle is closed; nobody swipes at the ball; and the win is either a five-second count on the inbounder or a rushed throw an interceptor is already waiting on. What it forces: the panicked sideline pass to the interceptor or the retreat pass that burns the count. What it gives up: the pass back to the inbounder stepping in, and the layup if the goalie creeps. Counter shown: the inbounder steps in, takes the return pass, and attacks the weak sideline; the press answers because X4 sprints to the ball and the wing stops the sideline for a second trap. Personnel: tall disruptor on the ball, quick wings, a smart middle, your best rim protector at goalie. Most of what I know about the diamond comes from Coach's Clipboard's 1-2-1-1 zone press page and HoopsKing's film on trapping the inbound catch; they will take you deeper on the rotations after the trap.
