Re: training camp

[opi@unesco.org]

FrannieG wrote:

> It's great to be back.  The fun is about to begin.  Here's a question
> for my fellow Celtics fans?  How many types of "presses" do the
> Celtics run?  Did they run the press more Pitino's first year?  Do you
> think the first team will press more this year?  Who are our best
> pressing players? LanceColusa, CA

Hi Lance: I'm pasting excerpts of a review of the defensive philosophy
explained in the Rick Pitino Video series. It probably doesn't fully
answer your question. I guess you'll have to order the videos and then
explain it to us. :-)

The review comes from "BBHIGHWAY.COM", which IMO is a spanking gorgeous
site with lots of tips for coaches and players at every level. The "Ask
the Coach" segments are an excellent free resource if you are coaching
or still playing.

Personally, I think most any NBA-sized player can patrol the passing
lanes effectively enough to execute a full court press as a gimmick
(there really isn't that much real estate to defend -- imagine touch
football played by giant men in such a confined space). I think Pitino
is telling the truth when he says his team employed the press
infrequently last year (exclusively the second unit after made baskets,
so that adds up to "infrequent"). I guess for this job the "bunnyman"
Walter McCarty is still the most dangerous Celtic, as he can cover and
switch suddenly between different zones and players with really great
energy and surprising bursts of speed, plus he has those very long arms
and swivel hips. He's not bad at breaking the press either, and
obviously is a pretty nifty dribbler for his size. But when it comes to
guarding man-to-man defense in open spaces,  I think Bruce Bowen was a
true stopper (if nothing else) and that nobody on the current roster
(certainly not Wallah) stands out that much.

In terms of half-court interior defense, I think the Celts are night and
day better than this time last February. We have guys that can really
bruise up opponents merely by holding their ground. You'd expect taller
guys to shoot over VP (and Fortson) but it seems to me that this was
never a problem last year. The taller centers are too busy getting
mauled and rag-dolled trying to establish position, and end up losing a
bit of composure when it's finally time to pivot and shoot. A guy like
Robert Parish could probably eat VP alive, but there's no one left in
the league with that sort of killer turnaround rainbow. As others have
also noted, Vitaly is a very different player than the guy he replaced
(or, ahem, Shawn Bradley for that matter). Ringo really leaned on people
like he was pushing a Chevy up a hill, and that's a foul in today's NBA.
Vitaly may in fact also be a foul machine when playing any sort of
transition game, but the guy has unparalelled leverage and last year
seemed to easily avoid drawing cheap fouls in the paint (it's actually
the offensive player who does all the theatrical flailing around, and it
is amusing to watch).

So my (totally non-empirical) theory regarding Fila Summer League is
that Vitaly was guarding a lot of non-NBA bodies who were say 60 pounds
lighter than him and were getting buffeted around a bit just from
basically generic big man contact in the paint. Also, I assume the
Celtics were pressing a lot more this summer with all their 6-5
greyhounds, and thus Vitaly drew a fair number of fouls recovering late
to breakaway layups and so forth (he's a fish out of water at this).
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think VP's general style of physical defense is
not going to need to be compromised.

Anyway, here is the review of the Pitino video which incidentally
Warwick first brought to our attention some time ago.

------------------------------------
Learn the Up Tempo Game
With Rick Pitino
Regan Products Inc.
Cost: $99.95 (4 video set)

    This four video series was begun while Coach Pitino was attaining
his early success at Providence college and finishes during his years at
the Coach of New York Knicks in the NBA. While the first two tapes on
offense are not new they are one-the-less of high quality and any true
coach and student of the game can gain insight into the knowledge and
expertise that has enabled Pitino to become one of the finest coaches in
the game of basketball today. (....)
      The last two tapes in the series provide the philosophical and
technical basis for building Pitino's pressure defense which has led his
Kentucky Wildcat's to the NCAA Championship in 1996 and Finals in 1997.
If you are a serious student of the game and have the financial
resources all of the tapes provide a wealth of detailed information. If
you're on a limited budget the defensive tapes (#3, and 4) are probably
your best bet.
    (T)he absolute strength of this video series lies in Tapes #3 and 4.
Tape #3 does not have one ounce of "basketball fat" in it's entire 60
minutes. Coach Pitino takes you through an absolutely outstanding
presentation and presentation of 1 on 1 defense including on and off
ball defense.
      He breaks with some of the traditional methods of playing pressure
defense most obvious in his philosophy of playing slightly open to the
ball when in the deny position contrary to what has been taught for the
last thirty years in modern basketball. Included in this discussion is
"how to stop a great player" which every coach should put in his or her
coaching library.
      A significant portion of Tape #3 is spent on way of defending the
down screen and back screen based on his man defensive philosophy. The
technique rules in this section of the tape are superb. At this point in
the video I have already taken 3 pages of notes.
       Wait, there's more. Coach Pitino goes into a lengthy discussion
of the lateral screen, defending the UCLA "shuffle" cut off the High
Post, and how to defend the low post with the double down and it's
rotations. The teaching cues he provides you will be extremely valuable
if you're not familiar with double down defenses.
       The tape closes with a solid discussion of pick and roll defense.
If you are desperately needing assistance in teaching 1 on 1 pressure
basketball before implementing your team defense you should have this
video. It is more than 5 Hoops on a scale of 1 to 5.
    Defense Tape #4 is the twin of the previous tape in this series only
Coach Pitino now takes the 1 on 1 pressure teaching progression on into
his full court pressure defenses. He starts off the tape by telling you
exactly what the goals of his pressure defense are. One example is that
he states" if you get 35 deflections a game and shoot over 38 % from the
field on offense you will win over 95% of your games. Now most coaches
won't believe they can win shooting less than 45% from the field,
however Pitino (justifiably so) feels you will get a lot of easy
transition shots if your players get their hands on 35 passes. This
video also rates 5 Hoops on a scale of 1 to 5, and is exceptionally
strong in details and defensive theory.
    This tape will challenge even the best coaches in terms of
implementing a pressure defensive system. coach Pitino fully explains
his white and black pressures, when they use them, and how the players
make the reads to determine which defense to play and what defensive
reads to make based on how the offense wants to attack the pressure. His
full court pressure defense may be used at the High School, College, and
Professional level. I think in it's too complex for very young players.
     The tape isn't just focused on full court defense. Coach Pitino
believes that you must keep the offense off balance by being able to
switch your half court defense after falling back from the press as
well. He covers 4 different variations of their 2-3 zone defense which
have proven quite successful for his teams in the last decade.
     If you are interested in playing Pitino's up tempo pressure game
then you want to have tapes #3 and 4 in your library. If you're only
interested in half court pressure tape #4 will go well beyond that
scope.

******