Suggested Defensive Adjustment for the Half Court Driving into the Paint
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Now that everyone is using what I call the Wisconsin Drive, which is where I saw it used first (and what Self adopted for BAD BALL), in which the backside wing shades (or runs a crossing pattern from the opposite wing) a bit toward the lane, then runs toward mid court to receive a pass about the free throw line and dribble drives in a hook pattern into the lane and then down the lane to iron, here is a good but vicious defense for it.
As the wing receives the pass and begins his hook move outward and catches the ball, the post defender prepares to leave his post man. As the hooking wing hooks and just as he starts to commit down the lane, the post defender pivots rapidly on his post side foot so that he is standing in a rebound crouch with his back to the wing as he commits to his lane drive so that the wing driver takes two steps AFTER the post defender is set. The wing driver looking first the opposite direction and then with vision sweeping in a half circle across court and then down the lane will not see the post defender until it is too late. The collision will be tremendous and the wing driver will be called for a charging foul every time, unless he anticipates having to make a course correction which will require two things: slow down and prepare for course change, or dish. This defense is applied unpredictably, so that the wing driver cannot anticipate the ploy every time. When ever the ploy is used the wing driver’s defender switches off onto the post man and jumps into the passing lane should wing driver try to dish to the post man.
Voila! The days of the Wisconsin Drive are done.
