The ball screen produces almost half of all professional offensive possessions, yet most teams still teach it as a memorised play. The modern approach trains the read - giving players a framework to decide based on what the defence does, not what the coach called.
The closeout is the most repeated defensive action in modern basketball. With fouls per game climbing in the 2025-26 season, coaches must teach defenders to contest the three without surrendering the drive or putting shooters on the line.
The 2-3 zone defence remains one of the most effective defensive systems in basketball when coached and executed properly. This guide covers the fundamentals of running a 2-3 zone, including player roles, rotations, and when to deploy it for maximum impact.

Dear Basketball Coach,
Sportplan gives you access to the latest coaching ideas, practices and tactics.
You will never be short of ideas again.
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Planning a training session has never been easier.
Simply select the Basketball criteria you wish to coach, this will bring up a large selection of drills; for your ease of understanding all drills are demonstrated by animation or video.
Select the drills you like and add them to your Clipboard to start building your new coaching session.
Got old drills, don't worry, you can add them to your Sportplan sessions using the Chalkboard tools.
All plans and chalkboards are saved and stored online in your Sportplan My Stuff folders.
What's New? With the Sportplan, My Team, facility you can share and swap coaching sessions with your colleagues
Answers - Get more advise, have your questions answered and receive support from our rapidly growing community of like minded coaches and teachers from around the world.
Plus - Receive, regular newsletters by email, featuring top tips and coaching plans written by top coaches.
Transform your coaching - try Sportplan Basketball Today!
Yours in sport,
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Bram van Asselt Senior Coach, Founder of Sportplan Ltd 30+ years experience in Sports Development |
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