41 Defensive System
My 41 defensive system is a combination zone / man coverage that is effective at stopping opponents perimeter shooting game and forcing long, off the dribble, mid range jumpers. When we run it as man, the goal is to funnel opponents into poor mid range shots, or layups contested by our big. When we run it as a zone, the goal is to again force those low quality mid range shots, except now we are dedicating more focus to creating turnovers in passing lanes.
41 Zone (Box)
The zone variation of the 41 defense is an extended 2-3. Joey Gallo runs this defense at Merrimack. Players must always have their hands above their waists. We put a lot of focus on preventing entry to the high post. The most athletic players will play the wings and the least athletic players will play the top. The tops should have their heels on the 3pt line. The wings start each possession at or above the free throw line extended. The goalie or the 1 of the zone starts with their heels on the restricted area, lane line, or the volleyball line. His chest should be on the ball. He needs to be physical to prevent duck-ins. The two tops start in a position to take away a straight line pass to the high post.
On a pass to the wing, the top play first retreats to his “box.” This is an area you can mark on the court that it between the wing and the high post at the elbow. This prevents an entry pass to the high post. After crossing through their box, they extend out to the wing player, bumping the wing down towards the corner. Hands should be up on the retreat to the box and out on the approach. The wing must wait to get bumped, then retreat with high hands towards the corner. On this pass, the backside wing will drop or dive to the low block area on the backside. If the ball is passed back to the top, the tops must force the ball to the middle of the floor, where the other top can help.
If the ball is able to get to the corner or short corner, the goalie will come over and trap with the wing. The backside wing will drop and replace the goalie, the ballside guard will take away the wing, and the backside guard will take away the high post.
On a high post entry, the wings will dive down to the short corners / block area. The goalie will approach the ball. Depending on the quality of the shooter, this may be an aggressive approach, or it may be a soft approach where we invite the shooter to take a deep midrange shot. The tops will dive to the blocks. They are looking to get hands on the ball, especially if the player puts it on the floor.
On penetration, tops need to avoid getting sucked too far down and be willing to pass off the ball handler to the goalie. The goalie will pick up the most dangerous man. Wings dive while still playing at a distance that will allow them to prevent catch and shoot 3s.
41 Man (Peel Switch)
The man variation of the 41 defense is a peel-switch based defense. The 1 who is controlling the paint must be a vocal player. If he does not communicate, the defense cannot function. While also having someone with a high IQ play this position will help, it is not as important as their ability to communicate. On a switch, if this player directs his teammate to the wrong man on a switch, we can recover while still having everything covered. In contrast, if he makes a switch without communicating with his teammate regarding which player they now need to cover, we are at risk of leaving an opponent unguarded.