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The Tribe

When defending a player on the wing, you should do everything you can to keep the ball from being dribbled into the middle. This means forcing, influencing, or shading the ball towards the corner/baseline and then working hard at stopping the drive (by yourself) before the attack reaches the short corner. Basketball defender guarding a basketball dribbler The above sentiment is nothing revolutionary, but let's examine why it works.

When the ball drives baseline, there are several factors in favor of the defense:

  1. The offense is actually decreasing the usable court space.
  2. The baseline becomes a defensive “sixth man”.
  3. Shooting angles are not as good as being in the middle of the floor (read: shooting percentages drop).
  4. Natural passing angles are fewer and more difficult.
  5. Non-ball defenders seem to drop toward the goal more easily than when the ball is driven into the middle.

Dear High Ball Screen, This is difficult for me to say (well, write). I just want to be friends. I know. I know. We've had some great times. And, I'm sure there will be more to come, but right now, I just need some… space. You see, we've had this love affair for a long time. Heck, you were probably the first screen I was introduced to as a young basketball player. I appreciate everything you've done for me. I'll always cherish our memories. Letter to the High Ball Screen But, I recently got to thinking. Are we as compatible as I think we are? Do I love you because my previous coaches told me to? Are you just a Sacred Zombie Cow? Or, do we really fit? I needed to know (for both our sakes) so I decided to test it out on the biggest stage I could find: the NCAA National Championship game - theoretically the two best non-professional basketball teams in the world. It would be perfect. I would chart all the amazing impact you made in that game and fall in love with you all over again. You know, just like when we were younger. Well, that's what I thought would happen.