Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball (The Art & Scienceof Coaching Series) [Paperback]

Cliff Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 1997 | Series: The Art & Scienceof Coaching Series

Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball (2nd Edition) presents an overview of all types of the zone press: the full-court zone press, the three-quarter-court zone press, and the half-court zone press. Profusely illustrated, the book shows coaches how to align their personnel in each of the various zone presses. The book also presents a method for disguising your zone press so that it will confuse your opponent. The steps for regrouping your team to prevent a score if another team breaks your zone press are also explained thoroughly. Furthermore, throughout the book, the basic fundamentals of individual defense are reviewed and reinforced so that you can teach the zone press more effectively. Finally, the book features a substantial number of drills which have been diagrammed to facilitate your efforts to teach and install zone presses into your defensive scheme.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cliff Ellis is the former head men s basketball coach at Auburn University, a position he held for ten seasons (1994-2004). Prior to his arrival at Auburn, Ellis had spent ten years at Clemson (1984-94) and nine seasons at the University of South Alabama (1975-84). He is the winningest coach in the history of those two programs, posting records of 177-128 (.580) at Clemson and 171-84 (.671) at South Alabama. When Ellis arrived at Auburn, the Tigers were coming off an 11-17 season in which they were 3-13 in the South Eastern Conference (SEC). In his first season, the team went 16-13 overall (7-9 SEC) and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), only its second post-season appearance in seven years. The Tigers men s squad made a second NIT appearance the following year after a 19-13 season. In Ellis ten years at the helm of the Auburn men s program, his teams were 186-125 (.598). In 29 seasons as a Division I head coach, Ellis teams had a record of 534-337 (.613). He began his coaching career at Niceville (FL) High School (54-7 in three seasons), then spent one year at Vanguard High in Ocala, Florida (20-5). He then coached three seasons at Cumberland College (J.C.) in Tennessee, compiling a record of 78-12, before becoming head coach at South Alabama. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1990 and SEC Coach of the Year in 1995, and has coached several NBA players, including Elden Campbell, Terry Catledge, Dale Davis, Horace Grant, and Sharone Wright. Widely respected as one of the nation s elite basketball coaches, Ellis is also an accomplished musician, author, and an ostrich farmer. He started in the recording business before coaching and has released several records. He has also written three well-received books. He and his wife, the former Carolyn Ratzlaff, have three children, Chryssa Rutland, Clay, and Anna Catherine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Coaches Choice; DVD Video edition (May 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585181773
• ISBN-13: 978-1585181773
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book is awesome and a welcomed addition to my coaching style, May 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Mt. Laurel, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball (Art & Science of Coaching) (Paperback)

This book is informative and easy to understand. I will be putting most of this book to use next season with my varsity boys' basketball team. It explained a couple of questions I had about some of my own presses. A must buy for any coach.

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart strategy for 94-feet of defensive intensity, May 16, 2004

By 

Bert Ruiz "Author" (Pleasantville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball (The Art & Scienceof Coaching Series) (Paperback)

"Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball (second edition)" by veteran Division One basketball coach Cliff Ellis offers several smart strategies for implementing 94-feet of defensive intensity.

The "slide & trap" and "dogging" press in this handy book are explained in an easy to understand fashion. Moreover, Coach Ellis includes good teaching drills to perfect the many presses in this text. Chapter one defines the shape of the zone press. Subsequent chapters detail procedures and ways to attack an offense with a "full-court" and "half-court" press. In addition, the final chapter is dedicated to the super important process of knowing when and how to regroup into a zone after the pressure press.

I keep this book in my coaching bag and constantly take it out during those long breaks in AAU tournaments to review what we did right as a team and what we need to continue to work on. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz