Switch Up Your Defense with a 3-2 Zone

• Tough to figure out. A 3-2 Zone can be difficult to figure out for offenses because this defense can have many different looks such as a surprise trap when the ball is passed to the corner which makes it hard to scout and defend.
• Strong at rebounding. The positions or areas of the 3-2 zone puts two of your players on the blocks which allows the defense to be in rebounding positions at nearly all times.
• Can neutralize the offense. A zone defense can and will force the offense out of their game plan and set plays. It can cause an offense to get in a hurry and rush shots or make poor choices that lead to steals and turnovers for the defense.

• Tough to guard shooters. If the offense is able to make quick passes then the defense may not be able to react quick enough which could lead to open shots. With a strong outside shooting team, this could be a problem.
• Difficult decision-making. With any zone, there is always some interpretation up to the players on the court on who should guard the ball. In situations where there is a skip pass or ball reversal, it can be confusing and cause the ball to not be guarded at times.
• No pressure at the top of the key. This can vary depending on the team, but without ball pressure at the top of the key the offense is able to get the offense started with ease. More urgently, if the point guard bringing up the ball is an outside shooting threat this could lead to points on the scoreboard.

Any team can play a zone defense because it is flexible for all teams. A team with quick athletic players can play a zone defense just as easily as a slower less athletic team. The reason for this is that the success of a zone is built on reading rotations correctly, applying pressure, and rebounding missed shots, and less about player type.

Starting Positions

The general starting positions for a 3-2 Zone are the point guard at the top of the zone, guards at the wings, and post players on the low blocks. One difference that can be seen in starting position is teams may choose to use a taller or longer player at the top of the zone to make it more difficult for the offense.

• Top of the zone - the main responsibilities of this player is to guard the high post area, be ready for skip passes, and help rebound missed shots.
• Wings of the zone - the main responsibilities of these players are to defend the wings and apply ball pressure when the ball is in their area, play help defense when the ball is on the opposite side of the court, and help rebound missed shots.
• Post players of the zone - the main responsibilities of these players are to challenge all shots inside the key, defend and apply ball pressure if the ball is passed to the corner, and rebound missed shots.

Basic Rotations

Within the 2-3 Zone there are basic rotations that should occur when the offense passes the ball. These rotations allow the defense to know what to do when these passes occur and who should be covering the ball and what everyone else should be doing.

Ball on the wing - when the the ball is passed to the wing whether it’s a direct pass or a skip pass

• Ball side wing comes out to apply ball pressure
• Top of the zone player drops down to guard the high post area
• Ball side post player gets in front of the block and stays in front of any offensive player

Ball in the corner - when the ball is passed to the corner whether it’s a direct pass or a skip pass

• Ball side post player comes out to guard the ball
• The opposite post player slides over to defend the low post
• The opposite wing player slides down to be ready to guard the opposite low block or wing and corner on a skip pass
• Ball side wing player has options: sink in to help on penetration or stay out in the passing lane to deny a reversal pass
• Top of the zone player drops down to guard the high post area

If you want to learn more about developing the 3-2 Zone to add to your Defense be sure to check out Don Casey's The 3-2 Sliding Zone DVD. It goes into incredible detail on the 3-2 Zone along with excellent demonstrations on how to defend the middle of your zone, dribble penetration, and much more.

For other great 3-2 Zone DVDs, check out our collection of rentals at HoopsKing.com. Here are some of our favorites!

• Tim Jankovich's 3-2 Zone Defense
• Keno Davis' 3-2 Extended Match-Up Zone
• Jim Foster's 3-2 Zone Defense, Drills, & More
• Paul Hewitt's The 3-2 "Point Zone Defense"
• Tom Davis' Flexible 3-2 Match-Up Zone Defense
• Kevin McGeehan's The Adjustable 3-2 Match-Up Zone Defense
• Nick Cammarano's Coaching Middle School Basketball: 3-2 Match-Up Zone

Read our 2-3 Zone Defense Guide