COACHES: Please know you can reach out with your Run & Jump Press questions any time. The comments below are open or contact me via email or cell phone and I’ll get back to you right away.

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Q: “I’m running some Princeton stuff, but not the delay or slow aspect of their system so we are playing fast. However, would running the run and jump match this style or is it too “hectic” and contradict what we’re doing on offense? Also, can you run your stuff in the 1/2 court or is it really a full court only type of pressure? Thanks Coach!!“

A: The R&J Press fits with all offenses no matter what it is. The TRANSITION GAME is what comes into question. In order to run true Princeton stuff, you MUST slow down in order for it to work. The tough part with any team is the ability to go from 100mph to 50mph during the same possession. If you are simply running some quick Princeton action it should not affect the transition game.

As an example, I just returned from a showcase where a team I was watching is a fantastic R&J Press Team. They can really run and turn you over! Offensively, they run 100mph in TRANSITION and want to shoot/score quickly. However, they struggle to slow down IF/WHEN needed! This sometimes leads to questionable shot selection, poor decision making, and the real killer, which is turnovers.

If you are going to run PRINCETON OFFENSE/ACTION, you have to be honest with yourself whether you can slow down when needed? THE R&J PRESS NEVER needs to slow down and does not hurt your offense.

Q: “In a couple games lately we’ve gotten a little spread out. I think we are jumping too soon and getting into too long of rotations. It seems to me we are most effective on the inbounds pass (getting deflections, pressuring the ball immediately, red traps with the inbound passer). In the immediate area around half court I see us having to scramble more when we do too much in in the area between the FT line and the volleyball line. Was thinking of trying to use those “zones” on the floor to give the kids some guidance around when to be more/less aggressive, but understanding there are no hard and fast rules.”

A: The most common OFFENSIVE ACTION against the Run & Jump is to A) Clear you out. Or B) Space you out. So what can we do? I like to utilize the following:

• Red trap
• Black denial
• Steer Sideline
• Wait till HC to jump/trap (8 sec)
• Dedicate 3 to their 2 and zone in back
• Play 21 RJ ZONE and stay home into jump/trap

I prefer the 21 RJ ZONE as this keeps them less spaced and DENYS the Clearout. You need to practice this with the middle player staying home and learning when to trap and when to jump. I also like the Steer Sideline as it shrinks the floor and stifles the offense.

Remember, we NEVER want to long jump (over 20’). There are long jump opportunities that occur from blind side is OK, but traditionally I do not encourage closing that amount of distance.

Q: “Hey Coach–we are really getting beat by good guards off the dribble. Either they are straight line beating our player and we are having to jump them with the “run” player being late or worse yet, we are trapping sideline/committing two to the ball and they are beating us around the sideline or splitting us. That is just something we have to drill and get better at…but my question is if there’s an adjustment you would make against teams/guards that are really talented or just quicker? Teams that want to play fast like us are giving us some issues.“

A: When we teach the Run and Jump Press in Camp we are ALL OUT PRESSURE!  RELENTLESS!!  NEVER SLOW DOWN! We want to SPEED UP our opponent and make them UNCOMFORTABLE!

When we play a team that likes to PLAY FAST and have quick guards, we actually want to CONTROL THEM MORE and SLOW THEM DOWN at times!  So SOFTEN UP the “on the ball” pressure and LOOK FOR TRAP and JUMP OPPORTUNITIES as each possession progresses!  You NEVER need to take the press off,  just ADJUST with the kind of talent and speed and system of the team you are playing!  You can take the player OFF the Ball OB and put them in the MIDDLE of the floor which is our 21 look!  That helps CONTROL the DOWN HILL DRIVING!!

As for TRAPPING SIDELINE! That is a REPETITION- REPETITION- REPETITION– process.  REMEMBER!!  TRAPPING is a SKILL and must be drilled.  It won’t just happen on its own.  You have SPACING AND ANGLES involved that you MUST continually teach.

If you want to evaluate your Run & Jump press – Simply CHART Straight Line Drives / Lay Ups / Fouls that are OFF THE PRESS!  If you giving up too much, SOFTEN THE PRESS and keep working on the rotations. CRANK IT UP and CRANK IT BACK-  different speeds for different teams.  The BOTTOM LINE is to get some turnovers, make teams nervous, and don’t give up layups and foul!

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