TSI Salutes: The Syracuse 2-3 Defense
It’s not often that I have anything positive to say about Syracuse basketball thanks to the fact that before I get a chance to speak, RJ states something so outlandish about the ‘Cuse that I am forced to shake my head and walk away. This year, however, I have to give credit where credit is due. This edition of the Orange is playing some of the best defense that I have seen in college basketball in a long time. I would dare to say I haven’t seen zone defense this smothering since—can I even say it? Gulp–Amoeba. I know that is a statement, but I think I can stand behind it.
For a long time I looked at the 2-3 as a cop-out form of defense; the proverbial form of a timeout on the defensive side of the ball. So many coaches jump into a zone to rest bigs before they make the final push in a game by jumping back into a pressure man defense. Au contraire. Syracuse has proven to me that you can use the 2-3 to pressure the ball, as well as protect the defensive boards.
The keys, from my vantage point, is the use of athletic 3′s and 4′s to create a whirlwind of help side rotation. In my prior experience of playing and coaching the 2-3, I have been hoodwinked in thinking that the defense allows 3′s and 4′s to rest. I would literally slump on a block , wink at cheerleaders, and lust for the concession stand while my coach and team would literally dare the opposing team to hit a jumper. That may be true of many other versions of the 2-3 but for Syracuse nothing could be further from the truth. There are three common misconceptions of the 2-3 that coach Jim Boeheim helps shatter in his version of the 2-3:
- The 2-3 gives up the jumpshot–Wrong. Instead of getting caught in that “no-man’s-land” of figuring out who is to get out on wing shooters, the Orange make it the responsibility of 3′s and 4′s, who get out on the wing tenaciously and force the ball down on the block and forces a shooter and a big man to play proper 2-man basketball against 3 players on the ball side. While many teams are able to swing the ball to the open man on the help side of the ball, Boeheim wisely raises his help side defender to the elbow to get out on the swing. Advantage Orange.
- The 2-3 is a good option for non-athletic teams–Wrong. Your 3′s and 4′s have to be horses. They are the first option to ball side rotation in Boeheim’s 2-3. I don’t know how many times I have seen Kris Joseph or Wesley Johnson rotate from off a wing player and clean the glass with what seemed like a sure lay-up. For example, ball comes down on the right wing, then swings to the opposite wing. The ball is then dropped down on the block for a turn-and-shoot opportunity. Nope, the opposite side wing defender is rotating all the way to the ball side to challenge the ball while the 5 can stand his ground and position for a rebound thus reducing the instances of shooting fouls. Nobody in the nation is better at this menacing style of covering the floor than Johnson and Joseph. Long, athletic and aware–a deadly combination. Advantage Orange.
- You are supposed to play behind the post–One of the best things I have seen in the Orange 2’3 is not only the 3 or 4 getting out on the wing, but the 5 man also fronting the post. It’s not that this tactic is some sort of genius tweak, it just postures towards aggression. I think that energy is one of the things that gets the whole team dialed in on defense. Many teams play behind the post in order to control the boards, but the Orange seem to compete regardless. Advantage Orange.
And thats our take on the Orange 2-3. Its aggressive and rotates really well this year. I hadn’t seen this kind of tenacity from them and I think the athleticism on the wing is the key. Paul Harris was a step in the right direction defensively but Wesley Johnson is the flat-out answer. Boeheim has found a blueprint of the future. The rest of the Big East should be very afraid.
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Posted on: Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Posted in: TSI Salutes
Tags: Jim Boeheim, Kris Joseph, Syracuse 2-3 defense, Syracuse 2-3 zone defense, Syracuse Orange, wesley johnson
I concur. Written like a true basketball purist. The Boeheim 2-3 is unlike no other in the nation.
Awww, C’mon Man! the Bayyyyyyyhime 2-3 ain’t nuttin’ compared to the RMU Tech-A-Thon!