Questions for Bill: Defense
I’m going to be coaching a youth basketball team of 9-10 year olds for the first time. Are we better off playing man-to-man or zone defense?
I may be in the minority, but as a former high school coach, I say both! First, you must teach the basics of man-to-man; defending the dribbler, one pass away and two passes away. Then you should apply those techniques to zone as well. When we teach man-to-man we use a drill that looks like a zone anyway, so why not use it in game situations. My advice is, at minimum, have one quarter of the game used for zone defenses.
