Youth Zone Defense play
Youth Zone: 3-2 Full Rotation
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 9 steps
About this play
For ages 12 and up, after the man-to-man series. The 3-2 as a third option, run through a whole possession: a rover at the free-throw line who denies the high post, two top wings who deny the wings, and two low defenders on the blocks. The ball goes top, wing, corner, back out, top, wing, skip, corner, and the play shows what the 3-2 answers well and what it gives up. Why teams use it: against a team with wing shooters it starts on top of them and takes away the wings and the high post, which the 2-3 concedes. What it concedes: pressure at the top of the key, where the rover must choose between the ball and the high post, and the corners, which the low defenders have to cover from the blocks. Where the advantage lies: when the other team's best players are its wings, the 3-2 forces the ball to the point guard and the corners instead; when its best player is the point guard, the 3-2 is the wrong zone. Rebounding is natural because the two low defenders and the rover already form a triangle. Common youth mistakes: the rover chasing the ball to the wing and leaving the high post, and the low defender closing out to the corner so hard that the block behind him opens. I got the 3-2 from HoopsKing's how-to and Coach's Clipboard's 3-2 zone notes on dropping the point to the free-throw line; give both a look.
