Ryan Pannone, Eastern Conference Primer, "Dunker-Pins", and Directional PnR Defense
A week with international flare...
Welcome to the Slappin’ Glass newsletter! Where we’re sharing the best ideas, strategies, and coaches from around the world.
This week we dove into the best concepts from the international game on multiple levels.
Slappin’ Glass Podcast
First… the latest SGP with the great, Ryan Pannone, head coach of the Erie Bayhawks of the G-League. This was a fantastic conversation about all things European basketball, building buy-in at the G-League level, adding value to others, Wedding Crashers, and much much more. It is available as both an audio podcast, as well as in video format with FastDraw PDF’s included. As you’ll hear, Coach Pannone is both a wealth of knowledge about the International game, as well as an extremely generous and humble person.
Here are the free FastDraw PDF’s as well.
And just a bit of fun from the conversation talking about Vince Vaughn…
The first couple of Slappin’ Glass Podcasts have been amazing as well, with NCAA DIII Coach of the Year, Elliot Steinmetz, talking about Yeshiva University’s fantastic Modern Motion Offense, as well as DII Head Coach, Scott Waterman, diving into his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level.
Directional PnR Defense
Another YouTube video we put together this week looks at how Valencia Basket in Spain uses “Directional PnR Defensive” strategies to build their overall scheme.
This is high-level defense and takes some high-IQ players and coaches to pull it off, but it’s worth taking a look at. If you’re interested in some of the schemes talked about in the video, like “Next Defense”, we have a couple of breakdowns on our channel that walk through those concepts, as well as “How to Attack Next Defense” from the offensive side of the ball.
Can’t Take the Heat
With the Miami Heat getting set to take on the Boston Celtics this week in the Eastern Conference Finals, here’s a primer on the two fantastic teams/coaches that’ll be squaring off.
For the Miami Heat, we’ve broke down Erik Spoelstra’s use of the “Modern 2-Man Game”, why they’re one of the best cutting teams in the NBA, how they “Leverage a shooter in the PnR”, use “Next Switching”, Jimmy Butler in the “Dunker Spot”, utilized the “Fake DHO”, "Duncan Robinson in the “Rip Screen Series”, and for shameless clickbait, Duncan Robinson cashing threes at the D3 level.
And for Brad Stevens and the Celtics, we’ve looked into their use of a popular European Set, the greatness of Daniel Theis as both a screener and roller, how the Celtics use a 1-3-1 Zone on BLOB, and Marcus Smart showing Slappin’ Glass some love.
Sets of the Week
Fenerbahce’s “Dunker Pin”… a great action from new Fenerbahce Head Coach, Igor Kokoškov. Works well as the defender guarding the big in the dunker spot is not prepared to navigate through a pin screen in that unusual position. Helps having a 7-footer like Jan Veselý who can rise up and knock down a little 10 footer too…
2. FC Barcelona’s “Pin to Wheel to Back-screen to On-Ball to Exchange to Loop to Flare to Hammer”… yes there is a TON of action in this great set from Coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius. Unfortunately they throw the ball off the rim at the end of the set, otherwise it would’ve been a wide-open jumper. Thankfully we get Jasikevičius going nuts on the sideline to make it worth the watch too.
3. “Rip/Replace” Series from Chapman’s European Flow Offense. This was from a few weeks ago, but we put it out on YouTube this morning. This is great action for a shooter within the Euro Ballscreen offense. It takes advantage of good defensive help with the timing of the Rip/Replace. This clip also shows the other “Slip” and “Hammer” options that are available out of it.
If you’re a “Set Junkie” and need more, here were our Top 10 European, NBA, and NCAA sets from July.
Best of the World Wide Web
Interesting read on making athletics a “major” in college; Andy Katz responds to expanding the NCAA Tournament field; a nice piece on Kyle Lowry, and a conversation about the “Hot Hand” in basketball.
Thanks for reading and have a great week.
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