TWO MAN-TO-MAN APPROACHES

Mervin Hyman

December 05, 1966

Michigan State's John Benington employs either a sagging or a pressure strategy. In the first (below left), Benington's center (5) is stationed behind his opponent, and his teammates play their men loosely to block the passing lanes into the pivot. The man with the ball (D) then is faced with the problem of trying to pass through a crowd. If he gets the ball to the big man, the defensive guards (1 and 2) and the weak-side forward (3) immediately collapse (arrows) on the giant, trying to prevent a shot or force a held ball. Using pressure (right), Benington puts his center (5) in front of the big man, with the weak-side forward (3) in position to help out from behind. The other forward (4) plays the man with the ball tightly, while the guard (2) is on top of his opponent. B> putting pressure both on the ball and the offensive player closest to it, the defense discourages the easy pass and the outside shot. But, as Benington points out, "the offense will not stand still. The defense must adjust constantly from these planned positions."