Muffet McGraw: Notre Dame’s 2-3 Zone Defense

The 2018 NCAA women’s national champions won the title for a number of reasons, but one big one was defense. In this video, Notre Dame women’s head coach Muffet McGraw shares with you her defensive philosophy as well as some of the secrets from her defensive playbook that helped the Fighting Irish capture last year’s national championship.

McGraw was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and is a three-time winner of the Naismith College Coach of the Year award. Her Notre Dame teams continually go deep in the women’s national tournament year after year and much of the Fighting Irish’s success can be attributed to McGraw’s defense.

2-3 Zone Defense Philosophy

McGraw prefers the ability to play both man and zone defense. Her system at Notre Dame incorporates the use of both. She prefers the 2-3 zone defense to any other and shares her reasons why in the video. Using whiteboard diagrams and some breakdown drills, McGraw details the responsibilities for each player in the 2-3 zone. You will also see how players are supposed to rotate in a number of different situations.

McGraw takes you through six defensive drills that work on various scenarios that arise in games. One drill covers bumping to prevent a quick shot from the wing. Another works on preventing lob passes and covering skip passes on the weak side. Coach McGraw also shows you two methods for defending the high post on an entry pass as well as ways to trap the low post and short corner.

2-3 Zone Defense Practice Drills

McGraw has four essential drills that are part of her daily practices. Each drill can be modified with progressive variations throughout the season. These drills help players focus on the ability to close out on the ball to prevent dribble penetration to the middle of the floor.

The Open Driver Drill is an important one as it teaches players how to rotate to help their teammates on dribble penetration. McGraw also shows you how Notre Dame defends passing lanes with their denial defense. You will also see the “Jump to the Ball” Drill which teaches players to position themselves in their team defense.

This 89-minute video is full of unique strategy and secrets that helped the Notre Dame women win the 2018 national championship. It can help you be successful in your program too! Rent this 2-3 Zone Defense video today.