I thought the piece linked below was a terrific look at one of college basketball’s most famous institutions: Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense under Jim Boeheim. Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters interviewed Boeheim, Fran Fraschilla, Jay Bilas and many former Syracuse players on what makes the zone work and there were some tremendous coaching points shared. To hear Boeheim tell it, the zone is more malleable than many outsiders think as he says certain concepts shift from one year to the next depending on personnel. For more on the zone, I highly suggest you check out the notes I posted this summer from University of Washington head coach (and longtime Syracuse assistant) Mike Hopkins.
“Being on the outside and having to scout the zone in those years, the activeness of the forwards was the most important part,” Griffin said. “Those guys do a lot. Sometimes they’re over on one wing and they’ve got to come over and make a play on the other side. When those guys are active and really good rebounders, that makes your zone really good.”
For more on Boeheim’s defense:
-Mike Hopkins clinic notes (LINK)
-How Jim Boeheim became the master of the 2-3 zone (LINK)
-Why Duke went all-in on their 2-3 (LINK)
