Izzo preparing to apply full-court press again
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State has not used a full-court press on a regular basis since the 2005 Final Four season. But the Spartans are making plans and preparations to ramp up defensive pressure again this season.
During Monday’s practice, the Spartans spent some time working on a full-court press.
Izzo is not trying to keep the press a secret.
“We are just trying to get a little bit more aggressive in this part of the court,” Izzo said after practice. “We think we are athletic enough and we can run so well that we would like to run off of turnovers. I think that will be a big key. So we would like to knock some balls loose but without really changing. I don’t want it mad-dog to where we are out of control.”
In 2005, for the first and only time of the Izzo era, the Spartans played 94 feet of full-court, man-to-man. They never trapped as part of their full-court pressure. They didn’t take chances, gamble and try to force turnovers. The press was designed to wear out opponents while also opening the door for more Spartans to get involved in each game.
This time, the Spartans are experimenting with a little bit more risk-taking, including aspects of the run-and-jump defense. The run-and-jump, made famous by Dean Smith’s teams at North Carolina, looks like full-court, man-to-man until an off-ball defender leaves his man and charges toward the man with the ball for a quick, unexpected double-team. Smith used to play for an interception on the pass coming out of the double-team. Izzo is still in the installation phase.
SpartanMag.com
10/28/9
Magnolia Tribune
